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Global mission experience: Polish VIM director
One
of the workshops you may choose to attend at the Global Mission
Experience scheduled for Feb. 23 at Countryside UMC in Topeka will be
led by Wojciech Ostrowski, the Volunteers In Mission director for the
Methodist Church in Poland.
Our
conference has had a special relationship with the UMC in Poland for
many years, with a number of our congregations partnering a sister
church in Poland.
Hear
about the work of the UMC in Poland and discover ways you and/or your
congregation can participate in the development of the UMC in a nation
once behind the "Iron Curtain."
To read more about the UMC in Poland go to http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/full_article.cfm?articleid=1878.
To register for the Global Mission Experience, go to https://umcdata.com/index.cfm?timeout=timeout&CFID=52990&CFTOKEN=42399130.
Year-end deadlines for giving
IRS regulations permit a person to take a charitable gift deduction for any gift:
- Post marked by Dec. 31, 2007
- Charged to credit or debit card dated by Dec. 31, 2007
- Gifts of stock/material, etc. received by the church by Dec. 31, 2007
Therefore,
the church should be prepared to acknowledge or include these gifts on
a member's 2007 gift statement. Churches then have five business days
in January to remit apportionment or other gifts to the annual
conference to receive credit for giving in the year 2007.
Such payments must be received at PO Box 1831 no later than Jan. 8 to be recorded in 2007 statements.
The
local church may also make an electronic transfer of funds no later
than Jan. 8. Call Jan Swift toll-free at 877-972-9111 to receive
instructions.
I-Safe e-mail information
People
who attended the sexual ethics training at First UMC in Topeka may have
received an e-mail from I-Safe, a program that was introduced at the
training. Following the instructions in the e-mail will enable them to
access materials on the I-Safe website. This is not spam.
'Spirit of Faith Come Down' deadline is Friday
The
deadline for applying for scholarships to attend the "2008 Congress on
Evangelism: Spirit of Faith Come Down" Jan. 2-5 in Savannah, Ga., is
Friday, Dec. 21. The conference Board of Discipleship has authorized
$1,000 to be divided equally between applicants.
All requests for scholarships should be directed to:
Rev. Charlotte Coates, chairperson of KEC Board of Discipleship, at charlotte.coates@earthlink.net or call 620-378-2764.
Get the event details at www.congressonevangelism.com.
2000 Member Club deadline approaches
The deadline for existing churches to apply for 2008 building grants from the 2000 Member Club is Jan. 15.
Each
year, a spring and fall "call" is issued to people who have accepted
the challenge to be regular ($10) or sustaining ($25) members of the
club. These small gifts translate into building grants of about $18,000
with each "call."
Go to www.kansaseast.org/page.asp?PKValue=994 to download guidelines and an application form.
If you would like to join the "2000 Member Club," contact Kay Inman at kinman@kansaseast.org.
Creating a plan for "Bridges to the Future" in local churches
Has
your church been contacted to hear the "Bridges to the Future" story?
In each district, a steering committee with trained pastors and lay
people will be making a presentation in each church.
The
goal is that all presentations be scheduled by Jan. 15, with
presentations made and completed by March 15, and pledges received by
April 30 to be ready for a wonderful campaign celebration at Annual
Conference on June 4.
Read more at www.kansaseast.org/news_detail.asp?pkvalue=433.
Effingham church serving as shelter
The Effingham Union Church is the shelter for the Effingham community. They have served approximately 1,200 meals.
The
Kansas East Conference disaster relief team sent a generator for use
while the power was out at the church. The church now has electricity,
but many rural homes and farms are without power.
The
church is now serving the linemen crews, which can number about 60
people who would otherwise have to travel 17 miles or more to find a
warm meal.
Frank Scholarship at Candler School of Theology
Candler
School of Theology hopes to ease the transition for members of the
Kansas East, Kansas West and Missouri conferences interested in
ordained ministry. Students from these conferences who demonstrate
promise for ministry, academic ability and commitment to the pastorate
of local congregations are eligible to receive the full-tuition Frank
Scholarship.
Get
more information about scholarships and download a scholarship
brochure, which includes information on the Frank Scholarship, at www.candler.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/scholarships.cfm.
The application for the Frank Scholarship is March 1, 2008.
'Thank you' to Kansas East
Marc Jasperson, of Aldersgate Village, sent the following letter:
Dear Kansas East Conference Members,
You
have generously supported the Aldersgate Village Good Samaritan Fund
during the last year. As of December 1st, churches in the Conference
have contributed $29,053 to help people who have exhausted their
financial resources meet their basic human needs.
Year
to date, 190 residents have been assisted at an expense of $651,183.
Total contributions from all sources are $93,784. Your gifts have made
a significant difference in the quality of life of our residents and
are greatly appreciated.
The
residents and staff of Aldersgate Village extend sincere thanks for
your generous support. May peace, joy, hope and happiness be with you
now and throughout the New Year!
Sincerely,
Marc Jasperson
Aldersgate Village
Director of Development
UM college stars on the silver screen and in real life
A
little-known "David and Goliath" story is coming to life on the silver
screen in the Christmas 2007-release "The Great Debaters."
Denzel
Washington portrays Melvin B. Tolson, a Wiley College professor who in
1935 inspired students to form the school's first debate team and
challenge the University of Southern California (shown as Harvard in
the film) in a national championship.
Despite incredible odds, Wiley beat Southern California-and a score of other oratorical powerhouses.
Wiley
College, located in Marshall, Texas, is one of the United Methodist
denomination's 11 historically black colleges and universities, which
graduate about a fourth of all African-American college students. For
more than a century, these institutions have enriched minds and led the
way in education, medicine, politics, religion and science.
Find
out more about "The Great Debaters" and learn more about Wiley and
other institutions supported by the Black College Fund at www.umc.org/greatdebaters.
Upper Room launches podcasts
Ever
wonder about the story behind a writer's ideas and words? What led them
to write about a topic? Does writing influence their spiritual life?
The
Upper Room's new, free podcast, "Continuum," is a great way to stay
current with new titles from favorite authors and from Upper Room Books.
Hear the firsthand stories from Upper Room authors by tuning in each month to "Continuum" at www.upperroom.org/podcasts/?j=2806497&e=ldiehl@kswestumc.org&l=160019_HTML&u=19843003&mid=54523&jb=0.
GBOD releases
Activities for Christmas gatherings are featured on the General Board of Discipleship website.
Christmas Music Quiz
www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=1840&loc_id=9,612,45
Christmas Carol Quiz
www.gbod.org/worship/music/articles.asp?act=reader&item_id=23769&loc_id=17,823
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