UMconnect--04/10/08

Safe Sanctuaries training to be offered at North Platte First United Methodist Church (FUMC), April 24

Safe Sanctuaries training is being offered Thursday, April 24, 7:00 p.m. CST, at North Platte FUMC in the church's media center. The cost of the training is $20. Please call Cheri at 308-532-1478, ext. 205, if you plan to attend so enough training materials are available.

Safe Sanctuaries is intended for clergy and lay persons working with children, youth, special populations, or for persons who simply want to hone their interpersonal skills as they work in ministry.

Having members of your congregation certified enables your congregation to ensure members, new members and guests that their place of worship is a safe environment for their families to worship, take part in child care, programs, and special events. It's an added "seal of distinction" that churches can use to promote their programming and worship experience.

Course attendees will become aware of and know the signs of child and other types of individual abuse. The course will also cover what measures and/or policies and procedures should be in place to prevent the possibility of abuse in church programs and at church events. The responsibilities of reporting and understanding the criminal justice system in relation to abuse will also be covered.

Hymnal research responses

Thanks to all who participated in General Board of Discipleship's recent hymnal and music surveys—all 19,091 of you! The results are available at http://www.gbod.org/hymnal.

Musicians, pastors and people will find the reports of the surveys fascinating reading, and the information may provide for interesting discussions at choir rehearsal, church meetings and Sunday school classes. We've reported ALL of the data from the surveys in sections that will allow you to read and consider this huge amount of information by subject area and interest. We've organized the information as follows:

What are the favorite hymns of United Methodists? The responses are organized by hymnal, The Faith We Sing, by age group (under 30, 30-50, 51-70, over 70), and by role in the church (pastor, musician, congregational singer, choir member, laity/clergy, organist, etc.).

What hymns do you want included or removed from the hymnal and The Faith We Sing? What hymns and songs not in either book do you want to include in a new hymnal?

What hymns and songs has your congregation sung over the last three years and how often? We asked this question of only pastors and chief musicians. We asked pastors and chief musicians a number of questions about the hymnal's Psalter. We asked pastors and chief musicians a number of questions about worship resources, liturgy, and ritual in the hymnal. We invited ALL United Methodists to respond to about 35 wide-ranging statements about United Methodist worship, congregational singing and our hymnal. Responses are available in total as well as broken down into age groups.

Bell choir concert to given Sunday, April 20, at Saint Paul's UMC in Papillion

A bell choir concert will be given at Saint Paul's United Methodist Church on Sunday, April 20 at 4:00 p.m. Three bell choirs from Papillion churches, including Trinity Lutheran, Faith Presbyterian and Saint Paul's, will present music separately and then as a mass choir. Saint Paul's is located at 324 South Jackson Street in Papillion, Neb. All are invited to attend.

Health Ministry Committee reactivated

The reorganized Health Ministry Committee of the Nebraska United Methodist Church is asking local churches for some assistance. To better understand how Nebraska United Methodist Churches are ministering to the health needs of the members of their congregations, the committee is asking the churches to contact them and inform them about what actions individual churches across the state are taking, and which individuals in the churches are taking these actions. Examples of how churches are ministering to the entire well-being and health of their congregants might include visitation to the home bound, food taken to individuals following hospitalization, assistance in getting to medical appointments, or daily telephone contact with shut-ins.

Please give us a name of a contact person in your congregation, and let us know if you have an organized Health Ministry Cabinet or Committee or a Parish Nurse. Please e-mail the information to the committee chairperson, Ann Regier at iregier@nebnet.net.

Panama Mission Speaker at North Bend and Schuyler

The Rev. Mary Tyler Browne of Wayne, Neb. will be speaking about a recent Volunteer In Mission Trip to Bongo, Panama at First United Methodist Church, located on 8th and Willow Streets in North Bend, on Sunday, April 27 at 8:30 a.m. She will then give her message at Christ United Methodist Church, located on 1922 Colfax Street in Schuyler, at 10:30 a.m.

The Bongo Evangelical Methodist Church hosted 14 Nebraska Volunteers in Mission to Panama in February, 2008. The purpose was to do construction work on an elementary school which serves as the area's highest form of public education since public education in Panama is only through the sixth grade.

Rev. Browne will tell of the team's experiences with the construction project, interactions with the children and adults of Panama as well as a tour of a coffee plantation, of Panama City and the Canal Zone.

Her message will include the mission opportunities that exist in the United States and Nebraska. The public is cordially invited. For more information, please contact Pastor Fred Andersen at 402-352-3560.

Clergy are often seen as "the problem to be exorcised."—The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies

When a church is anxious, for whatever reason, clergy serve as a scapegoat and are often seen as "the problem" that needs to be exorcised from the church. The scapegoat phenomenon is so common in the church. In fact, when the "problem clergy" issue develops in a church system and all of the attention is focused on that person, it usually means there are deeper, more basic issues being ignored by the church. Creating a scapegoat is a great way for the members of the church system to eliminate looking at themselves. So how do we as clergy deal with this? This is what we address in The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies.

As you begin planning your continuing education for the coming year, you might want to consider The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies. The center, now in its' ninth year, has 290 clergy alumni from five different denominations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and Kansas.

Beginning July 21-23, 2008, the sixth series of the center for Nebraska will held at Nebraska Wesleyan University. It includes six, three-day retreats scheduled over eighteen months.

To register, e-mail the Rev. Bill Selby at integrity4u@comcast.net. For more information, talk to your Nebraska Center Representative, Kelly Karges, at kjkarges@hotmail.com or visit http://pastoraleffectiveness.org.

FREE $100 VISA GIFT CARD FOR ACTIVE HEALTHFLEX PARTICIPANTS!

In an attempt to get more HealthFlex participants to complete the Health Quotient (HQ), the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBOPHB) is offering a $100 VISA gift card free to all participants who complete the HQ by the end of June. This is a result of decreased participation in the HQ in 2007 from 2006 totals.

To redeem your gift card, simply go online to the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits' Web site at http://www.gbophb.org and complete the Health Quotient by June 30, 2008. Feel free to update as much of the information as possible, even if you have not had your yearly physical. You can update the HQ as often as you want, so you can always add new information later. Please note that if either the participant or the spouse does not take the HQ, neither will receive a gift card, even if one has completed the HQ.

In 2007, Nebraska Conference participants completed the HQ at a rate of 62.2 percent and the wellness physicals at 67 percent for an average of 64.6 percent for the Healthy Lifestyle Incentive overall. THIS IS AN INCREASE OF 19 PERCENT OVER 2006! We commend you for a job well done!

As a result:

* The Nebraska Conference received a rebate of $146,868.12. This will be used to provide further discounts to clergy, local churches and Weight Watchers participants.

* Eighty local churches will receive $400 discounts in 2008 on the church share of the HealthFlex billing. (Their pastor, and spouse if applicable—completed the Healthy Lifestyle Incentive, took the HQ and had an annual physical).

* 157 active clergy received discounts of $240 or $300 in 2008 on the clergy share of the HealthFlex billing for completing the Healthy Lifestyle Incentive.

For more information contact Carole Otto, benefits administrator, at cotto@umcneb.org, phone 1-800-435-6107 or 402-464-5994 ext. 108.

Do you have successful food story that needs being told?

How about a great outreach program involving food and hunger issues? Share your stories with the rest of our Nebraska Methodist Churches at Annual Conference, June 11-14, 2008. Submit your church's example of food and faith in action. Submitted stories will be utilized throughout the entire meeting.

Activity Ideas:

- Local Food Drive
- Community Outreach Programs
- Advocacy on Food Issues
- Support of Local, National, Global hunger-relief agencies

Here's How to Enter:

- Submit 3-6 digital photos of your food-related activity
- Write a short description (no more than 150 words) of the activity and how it demonstrates faith sharing
- Include a one sentence prayer and which sign or signs of discipleship the food-related activity encompasses
- Include a contact person, name of church and district

For inclusion in the Annual Conference activities, please submit entries by April 25 to Pastor Tamara Holtz by e-mail at gtholtz@gpcom.net or mail to 509 4th St., Box 331, Silver Creek, NE 68663.

The Missouri River District is having a contest—The Missouri River District Blue Ribbon Recipe for Success

All entries from churches in the Missouri River District may be a part of the district's Food Scrapbook which will be available for viewing in May 2008 on the Missouri River District Web site. One entry from the district will be selected as its Blue Ribbon Recipe for Success. The church submitting the Blue Ribbon Recipe will receive a case of Equal Exchange Fellowship Blend Coffee and will be forwarded for inclusion in the Annual Conference showcase.

For more information, please contact Lisa Maupin at 402-898-9862 or lmaupin@bigmuddyumc.org.

All God's Children Forums−Sundays at Trinity UMC in Grand Island

Grab a mug of coffee and come join us for informal conversations at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays at Trinity UMC, located on 5th and Elm Streets in Grand Island. All forums are held in the Gollaher Chapel of Trinity UMC. Please contact Maureen Vetter for more information at mvetter@charter.net.

The upcoming spring forums are:

April 13—Come learn about Africa and how you can help people living there! We will view a DVD entitled "Generation of Hope" (10 minutes), talk about Nothing but Nets as well as other ways to help others! We will also discuss General Conference 2008 and Equal Exchange Sunday.

April 20—A trip to Uganda, Africa, featuring Jane Ryan. Come hear our special guest and learn together!

April 27—Reflections on the book "Three Cups of Tea" Come have a cup of Tea or coffee! You are welcome to come even if you have not read the book. Simply come and join in the conversation.

May 4—Get acquainted with the Sudanese Nuba Congregation! Come hear about their journey! Let's come and show support for our new friends from the Nuba Mountains of Sudan and hear their stories!

Ground Broken for Plaza at Mount Sequoyah

Ground was broken at Mount Sequoyah, the official conference and retreat center of the South Central Jurisdiction (SCJ) of the United Methodist Church, for a new facility to be known as Louisiana Friendship Plaza. The plaza comes to the Fayetteville, Ark., located historic institution as a "thank you" gift from the Louisiana Conference of the UMC to the South Central Jurisdiction for the many disaster relief teams and hundreds of volunteers that have traveled to Louisiana to help with relief efforts since hurricanes Rita and Katrina just over two and one half years ago. "Mount Sequoyah is the center of Methodism for our jurisdiction," stated Rev. Larry D. Norman, director of Louisiana Volunteers in Mission and coordinator of the project. "Mount Sequoyah is the perfect place for all of the SCJ to see and understand our gratitude. We hope this plaza will become the center of our Mountain's activities and an inspiration to all."

Friendship Plaza will also be a thank you to Mount Sequoyah for its own ministry to New Orleans citizens who found a home there in the aftermath of Katrina. Two groups of the city's residents arrived by bus in those difficult days and were greeted with encouragement and support as well as a place to live, meals, job consultations and many other kinds of help in their time of distress. We are thankful to our Methodist Mountain for offering the kind of ministry that our Christian faith is all about. Friendship Plaza is also a tribute to Mount Sequoyah's holy hospitality to our New Orleans residents.

• Full release

A message from Fontanelle Camp Director Trent Meyer

Please disseminate the following by all means possible as many different ways possible. Things are gearing up for a great season at Camp Fontanelle. Be a part of an exciting church ministry that contributes to making disciples who make a difference for the transformation of the world.

Attached are promotional pieces for use with your church or group.

1) Camp Fontanelle Spring Work Day (Bulletin inserts.)

2) Camp Fontanelle Non-summer Events (Information on Free Movie Nights, Laser Tag, The Corn Maze, BBQ, etc.)

3) Summer Church Camp Bulletin (Updated information.)

For answers to questions, contact Trent Meyer at campfontanelle@huntel.net or call 402-459-0686.

• Spring Work Day bulletin inserts
• Non-summer events
• Summer Camp bulletin

New Seminary Scholarship available this spring

Every spring, the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation begins its scholarship application period. In 2007, Alice Kruse of Blair, Neb., funded a second scholarship at the foundation to provide financial aid to seminary students planning to become pastors in the Nebraska Annual Conference: The Alice Kruse Seminary Scholarship.

In addition to the Alice Kruse Seminary Scholarship, the foundation administers six other scholarships for students planning to pursue a career in the ministry within Nebraska.

These scholarships are:

The Alva Clark Seminary Scholarship
The Cowles United Methodist Church Memorial Scholarship
The Alice Kruse Ministerial Scholarship
The Baldwin F. and Amy L. Kruse Scholarship
The Sylvia Miller Memorial Scholarship
The Albert R. Murdoch Ministerial Scholarship

For more information and application materials, please visit the foundation's Web site at http://www.numf.org/special_programs/scholarships.html.

United Methodists score $3.35 million for Nothing But Nets

NASHVILLE --The people of The United Methodist Church have raised more than $3.35 million for the Nothing But Nets malaria prevention campaign since its launch in November 2006--enough to cover the cost of 335,000 nets. Every $10 raised pays for the purchase and distribution of a long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito net to a child under the age of five in Africa--one of whom dies every 30 seconds from malaria.

"To think that we can, through a simple mosquito net, give every child in the world a chance to live the same long-sustained life that we anticipate for our own children, is a very exciting possibility. Even though we've had a wonderful period of success, we have just scratched the surface," said Bishop Thomas Bickerton, Nothing But Nets spokesperson. "Our work will not be done until we have effectively removed the word "malaria" from our vocabulary. We can achieve that goal but we have to realize that there is yet a long way to go. We have to keep raising awareness and money however we can. It's wonderful to think that we have raised over $18 million dollars with an average contribution of $60 per person. We've done it $10 at a time!"

Overall the campaign and its partner organizations have raised more than $18 million. Because of the many different ways that United Methodists have contributed--through online giving, direct contributions to Nothing But Nets, contributions made through the Advance from local churches and annual conferences, and participation in fundraising activities--it is difficult to identify precisely how much of the total can be directly attributed to United Methodist giving.

Bishop Bickerton says, however, that it's the partnership that's more important than the total given by each organization. "Preventing malaria cannot be achieved by one agency alone, either United Methodist or secular. If we are interested in actually preventing malaria we must come to an understanding that it is only possible to do so through a comprehensive partnership with persons in all sectors of the world," he said.

One of the advantages to having the involvement of many partners is that it makes an integrated health approach possible. Children who receive insecticide-treated bed nets may at the same time also get polio and measles vaccinations, de-worming medication, and vitamin A to prevent blindness.

For more information visit http://www.NothingButNets.net.

Jim Fleegal, conference director of Lay Speaking Ministries for the New York Annual Conference passed away

Fleegal passed away on March 25 after an extended illness. "Please hold his family and the New York Annual Conference Lay Speakers in your prayers. I enjoyed hearing from Jim on occasion and will miss his enthusiasm and innovative spirit," said Bob Aderholt, director of Lay Speaking Ministries for the Nebraska United Methodist Conference.

James Harry Fleegal, Trumbull, Conn., age 57, entered eternal life on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport, Conn. He was the son of the late Sarah Long Fleegal and Clinton James Fleegal. He was born in Huntingdon, Pa., and raised in Palmyra, Pa., and resided in Sunbury, Pa., and Vancouver, Wash., before moving to Trumbull, Conn. Jim began his career in the family grocery business, and worked in retail, management and client services for most of his life. Jim was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, having served in many ways at the local and district levels. He was chairman of the district committee on lay speaking. Jim was passionate about developing contemporary worship and empowering lay ministers. He leaves behind his wife of 30 years, Karolyn V. Fleegal; a daughter, Kelly; and a son, Derick Fleegal, at home; sisters Sarah F. Wagner of Palmyra, Pa., and Gwyn F. Maloney of Zelienople, Pa., and their families. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2008, at 2 p.m. at Nichols United Methodist Church, 35 Shelton Road, Trumbull, Conn. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to CT/NY District UMC, memo: Lay Speaking Ministries, 20 Broadfield Road, Hamden, CT 06517; or to The--National Kidney Foundation of Connecticut, memo: Research, at 2139 Silas Deane Highway, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Published in the Lebanon Daily News on 3/28/2008.

Register Your Group for Indian Cave State Park VIM Day

Saturday
April 19, 2008
9 am-4 pm

Pre-registrations due April 11.

The ice storms of this winter have left their mark on Indian Cave State Park. Fallen trees and branches have made the nearly 22 miles of trails in the park unusable and your help is needed so that the park can be ready for the summer.

Join the Mission River District on this VIM Day Mission Trip. This is a great opportunity for United Methodist Men's groups, Youth Groups, Sunday School Classes and Mission Committees (just to name a few) to participate in a VIM Day of Service!

For more information or to register your team, please contact Lisa Maupin at 402-898-9862 or lmaupin@bigmuddyumc.org.

We hope to see your church represented at Indian Cave State Park!

Bread for the World President to be interviewed on PBS

Bread for the World President David Beckmann will be featured on the widely acclaimed PBS show, "Bill Moyers Journal" which airs at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 13, on NET 2. He will talk about the current negotiations for the U.S. farm bill and the challenges of combating hunger.

Last week, David appeared on the same show and talked about global hunger and the progress we are making. If you missed it, the show is archived online.

The current extension of the farm bill expires on April 18. As the deadline looms, we hope that you will join us in a concerted effort to convince our congressional leaders to pass a farm bill that transcends politics-as-usual and helps those who need it most.

Blue River District offers "Summer Learnings," April 20, at Lincoln Southgate UMC

This Blue River District event will be held at Southgate UMC in Lincoln on Sunday, April 20 at 3 p.m. The symposium will discuss summer mission and education programs for children and youth. It will be divided into six sessions, with the first three starting after a quick introduction of new Cokesbury curriculum at 3:30-4:30, and the second three from 4:45-5:30. Attendees will each choose one of the three sessions from the first time slot and then one of three from the second.

The sessions will be:

Session I
1) VBS Beyond The Walls--discussing VBS on wheels and neighborhood sidewalk education programs.

2) Standard VBS--focusing on typical VBS programs for both large and small congregations.

3) Mission Trips--outlining cost-efficient local, national and international trips.

Session II
1) Summer Music Programs--discussing camps and other music experiences.

2) Summer Education Programs--focusing on ways to keep kids involved during the summer.

3) Summer Youth Programs--outlining new and creative ways to keep youth involved.

We will have some of the district's most talented leaders sharing their experiences on these topics as well as offering some suggestions on how you might be able to improve your programs. We know this will be a worthwhile event for anyone looking to improve their youth and children's summer activities! Contact the Blue River District Office for more information and to let us know that you're coming! And remember, it's free! (Attached is a bulletin insert.)

For more information, contact Andrew, Andy or Elizabeth, The Facilitator Team, Blue River District, 100 W. Fletcher Ave., Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68521, 402-323-8849 or e-mail at blueriver@umcneb.org.

• Summer Learnings bulletin insert

Celebrate Earth Day Sunday, April 20

United Methodist Ministries--Missouri River District would like to invite you to become a Big Garden partner on Earth Day by taking a special offering or collection of items for the project.

Current needs include:
garden gloves (children and adult sizes)
hand tools
hoses

Note: Money and items donated to the Big Garden during April will be matched by the Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation as part of the $1 Million Hunger Challenge.

The Big Garden is a series of community gardens focusing on empowering neighbors to grow their own food and building community. This summer the Big Garden will be expanding from 13 garden sites to 25 sites in the metro-Omaha area.

For more information on how to donate to the Big Garden, please contact the United Methodist Ministries office at 402-898-9862.