UMconnect--07/16/08

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News on bishops' elections available in several ways

by United Methodist News Service

News about The United Methodist Church's election of bishops this week will be available in a variety of formats, including e-mail and text-messaging bulletins as well as RSS feeds.

United Methodists are electing nine bishops during regional meetings-or jurisdictional conferences-in the United States this week. United Methodist Communications, through United Methodist News Service and the Web Ministry Team, will work with church communicators in each of the five jurisdictions to provide coverage.

Resources include:

A dedicated Web page at http://www.umc.org/elections2008, providing ballot-by-ballot election updates, news stories and biographical information about episcopal candidates. UMNS will post a story on each bishop elected, as well as wrap-up stories on where bishops in each jurisdiction are appointed to serve for 2009-12. In addition, the News Service will report on any other news emerging from the conferences.

A text-messaging service, available by free subscription, announcing the election of each new bishop. To subscribe, send a text message from your mobile phone to 47647 with the word BISHOP in the body. When you receive a message asking for verification, reply with the word YES to confirm. To unsubscribe, send another text message to 47647 with the word STOP in the body.

An e-mail alert service announcing the election of each new bishop. This will automatically be provided to subscribers of UMNS' daily news stories. For a temporary subscription to receive the jurisdictional updates, go to http://www.umc.org/bishopupdates.

Recorded updates of each ballot as well as election results from InfoServ, the denomination's official information service. Call 800-251-8140.

An RSS feed, providing UMNS coverage of the jurisdictional conferences. This is also available at http://www.umc.org/bishopupdates.

The jurisdictional conferences meet simultaneously July 16-19 in their respective regions, except for the Northeastern Jurisdiction, which is meeting July 13-18. The locations are: North Central, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Northeastern, Harrisburg, Pa.; Southeastern, Lake Junaluska, N.C.; South Central, Dallas; and Western, Portland, Ore.

Questions regarding coverage of the jurisdictional conferences may be directed to Tim Tanton, Kathy Noble or Fran Walsh at newsdesk@umcom.org or 615-742-5470.
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Electing a bishop

The Rev. Seth L. Leypoldt, a clergy delegate to the South Central Jurisdiction, will share his experience of electing a bishop at Jurisdictional Conference through the Chadron United Methodist Church Web site.

This space will be devoted to his posts, and he will attempt to update them daily—if not hourly. Enjoy the pictures, the experience and the event of electing a bishop.

To read his posts, go to http://www.chadronumc.org and click on the "Electing a Bishop" link.
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Saint Paul United Methodist Church to host semi-annual "Kidz Closet" consignment sale

Saint Paul United Methodist Church will host "Kidz Closet," its semi-annual consignment event Aug. 14-16. "Kidz Closet" is a consignment event that features children's gently used clothing, shoes, books, toys, equipment, furniture and more (including teens and maternity items).

For more information, please see the flyer below or visit http://www.saintpaulumc.org.
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The Lincoln Saltdogs will take on the St. Paul Saints Sunday, August 10, at 6:05 p.m.

Join us for an evening of food, fellowship and baseball at Faith and Family Night with the Lincoln Saltdogs

Come out Sunday, August 10 for the Saltdogs' Faith and Family Night at Haymarket Park when the Saltdogs take on the Saint Paul Saints at 6:05 p.m

The festivities will begin with a conference hosted, pre-game tailgate party to take place in the south parking lot of Haymarket Park, near the center boulevard at 4 p.m. All are encouraged to come and enjoy FREE hotdogs and soda. The evening will also feature music from the pop/rock/funk Christian group, "No Better Cause."

The conference is offering youth a free general admission ticket when they purchase one of the tickets for $5. This offer is eligible to groups, so youth groups are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Youth ticket purchases of six or more may be made online by visiting http://www.umcneb.org and clicking on the online registration tab on the left of the page.
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"Invite a Friend to Church Sunday" scheduled for September 14 as part of Open House Month

The Nebraska United Methodist Conference encourages all congregations to truly open their hearts, minds, and doors and make Sunday, September 14, a welcoming day at all Nebraska United Methodist Churches.

Whether you host an open house, have a barbeque, or just exercise the "FRAN Plan,"* be sure to make this fall a focus for your welcoming, hospitality and community building activities. "Invite a Friend to Church Sunday" will also serve as an ideal "welcome back" to current members who have been absent from church over the summer due to summer vacations and activities.

Be watching in coming weeks for more ideas and tools for "Invite a Friend to Church Sunday" in UMconnect, including bulletin inserts and flyers for use in the weeks leading up to September 14.

*FRAN Plan = The idea behind the FRAN Plan is that you think about inviting friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors that you think might enjoy the sermon, special event or the small group activities you have slated for September 14. Share what God through Jesus Christ is doing in your life. We're not suggesting cold calls, the idea is to simply invite someone to hear a good message, share in a meal, or simply sing songs in a community of faith.
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"Locked and Loaded Tour" to feature 13 Christian rock bands

Geneva United Methodist Church will host 13 local and regional Christian rock bands, all of which are part of the "Locked and Loaded Tour." The event will take place Thursday, July 24, from 3:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds in Geneva.

The cost to see all of the bands is just $4 per person and concessions will be available on site.
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Help wanted for Culbertson/Trenton churches

The Culbertson/Trenton United Methodist Churches are in need of a couple of items. If you have them to donate or can suggest resources to Pastor Corey Jenkins, please do so.

1. A pigeon-hole type mail sorter. It needs to have several little boxes for various people's mail. (A shoe sorter with the little cubes would probably work for that, too.)

2. A baptismal font.

If you have either of these items and you'd be willing to donate them, please contact Pastor Corey Jenkins at crstrnr@mccooknet.com.
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Looking for eastern Nebraska mission sites

Chris Kellogg leads a week-long, mission-based camp at Camp Fontanelle each year. The format is to stay at camp each night but to leave each day to serve some local ministry. Between 10 and 25 teenagers (13-18 years old) and four or five adults will be gathered with their shirtsleeves rolled up and ready to go to work. Kellogg needs mission partners for Monday-Thursday, July 29-31.

The group typically leaves Camp Fontanelle, near Fremont, around 9 a.m. (noon on Monday). Generally, the group tries to return to camp for dinner around 5 p.m. Times aren't set in stone, however, so if you have an idea for a site that could use us a little longer, the group could plan to stay overnight somewhere else if a two-day mission site or group of sites were discovered. Kellogg is also willing to split the group between sites or to travel to multiple sites during one work day.

In the past, there have been projects with a pretty wide range of intensity, including things like packing school kits, washing tables and chairs, clearing trash and debris, cutting down trees, building retaining walls and re-stringing a barbed-wire fence. The young people like to work hard, and they don't mind getting dirty. If it's possible, they also would enjoy having some "face time" to help them understand how their work affects real people.

If you have a potential project, contact Chris Kellogg, Camp Fontanelle "Road Rules" Dean, at 402-203-1367 or chris@kelloggsoft.com.
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Looking for a volunteer opportunity?

In just over a month, Omaha will host over 500 wheelchair athletes at the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, July 25-29. An army of volunteers is still needed to assist with registration, meals, transportation, site set-up, timing, scoring, towel, water distribution and other important tasks.
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So you want to create a Web site

Several people have inquired about Web site development for their churches. The General Board of Global Ministries offers free hosting services. Find out more by going to http://gbgm-umc.org/churches/.

United Methodist Communications also offers a free Web template called Ezekiel. They also have information on planning for building a Web site, plus a Web 101 online course. Go to the United Methodist Communications Web product section http://web.umcom.org/interior.asp?mid=572 to learn more about the services offered by United Methodist Communications.

Finally, the vendor that created the Nebraska Conference Web site content management system offers sub site pricing. The Blue River and Elkhorn Valley districts are using the sub site development plan. The vendor is aijalon, inc., from Lincoln, Neb. The attached PDF outlines their sub site pricing and deliverables.
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Volunteers needed at the Camp Fontanelle Corn Maze!

For more information, please see the volunteer packet below.
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Conference-wide gathering to be held at Camp Comeca, October 16-18

Do you want to connect your inner spiritual journey with outward actions to transform the world to the glory of God?

Do you want to learn ways in which your congregation can have a more faithful witness on behalf of children and the poor--our conference three year emphasis?

Join Bishop Sherer and Jim Winkler for a gathering entitled, "Come to the Hill: Walk humbly with God, love kindness, and seek justice," October 16-18. This event will allow you to join other United Methodists from across the conference to reconnect ancient spiritual practices and work for God's justice to transform the world! More details may be found below.
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United Methodist Ministries E-Newsletter

Click here to check the latest edition of the United Methodist Ministries E-Newsletter.
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Central Nebraska VIM returns from Mississippi

The Central Nebraska United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Team, sponsored by the Arcadia United Methodist Church, returned on June 29 from a nine day trip to Gulfport, Miss. Much was accomplished by the 55 member team which traveled by charter bus to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The team was made up of 35 youth and 20 adults from the communities of Arcadia, Loup City, Hastings, Ord, Comstock, Amherst, Ravenna, Litchfield, Mason City, St. Paul, Pleasanton, Broken Bow, and Burrton, Kan. Co-leaders of the team were Teresa Staab and Rolen Sell of Arcadia.
All were housed in the Gateway UMC in Gulfport and also used the facilities at the Nugent UMC for evening meals due to bible school being held at Gateway in the evenings. The volunteer team worked under the auspices of the Mississippi Conference UMC Disaster Recovery Ministries.

The group was divided into five smaller teams in order to expedite their work efforts. One team took on the task of removing the roof, including shingles and sheeting on a very large home. The ends of many of the rafters also had to be spliced and replaced due to rotted wood before the new sheeting and shingles could be replaced.

In other private homes, the teams carried out a variety of tasks such as installing laminate flooring, bathroom tile, sheetrock, trim, doors, bathroom fixtures, drywall mud and paint. Several team members worked all week hanging ceiling drywall in a large Volunteer Housing/Warehouse unit, which is being built by the Mississippi Conference for housing future volunteers and for storage of building equipment and supplies for disaster relief.

Two ladies from the group planned, prepared, and served the meals for our team each day. There were many tired bodies and minds by the end of the fifth day, but there was a great sense of accomplishment by those who participated.

The group did manage to take some time for fun, as they enjoyed a picnic on the beach south of Gulfport on the Gulf of Mexico one evening. The volunteers also had to opportunity to enjoy the scenery in the Ozarks of Arkansas and attended "Noah, The Musical", a wonderful show in Branson, Mo., on our way home.

Now, most of the members of the team are already making plans for a future VIM trip. Tentative plans are for a trip to the flood ravaged area around Cedar Rapids, Iowa, during the week of Thanksgiving this fall.

The Central Nebraska Volunteers in Mission Team would like to thank all of the individuals and businesses in the communities represented, as well as the Wozab Foundation, the Cluster 3 of the Gateway District, and the Gateway District of the UMC for their financial support and prayers. Without the help of those at home, the group would not be able to travel and complete this type of mission work.
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The Kairos and Chronus of Worship and Music

We United Methodists pay much attention to time—minutes, hours, days, weeks, seasons, years—as we plan and lead worship and music. The Greeks called this chronological and sequential aspect of time chronus, and it is with us in every worship service and choir rehearsal. In fact, we may be such slaves to chronus that we become unable to also experience what the Greeks identified as kairos, or God-time. These are the moments when God's Spirit breaks through our scheduling and chronologizing to become truly present. It can be a powerful experience.

Kairos and chronus are both important and necessary. The article below will help you be aware of both in worship and music.
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Church World Service News weekly update

CWS situation report: Zimbabwe humanitarian crisis

Already high levels of politically motivated violence in the rural areas of Zimbabwe are increasing. Church World Service is supporting Christian Care's response to the humanitarian crisis, which includes providing assistance for those who have been displaced by the political violence. Full story at: http://www.churchworldservice.org/news/archives/2008/07/909.html.

For more news from the Church World Service, click here .
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Registration deadline draws near—Christian Educators Fellowship/Preaching from the Center

Registration is still open for the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF) and Preaching from the Center (PFTC) joint national conferences, "Blessed to Be a Blesssing." The conferences will be held October 23-27, 2008 in Albuquerque, NM, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Albuquerque Convention Center.

The registration fee will increase very soon, but individuals can save $40 by using the code CEFPFTC01 when they register online. Additional discounts are also available for CEF members, students, and retirees. Full conference details are available at http://www.cef2008.org.

"Blessed to Be a Blessing" is a conference open to all Christian educators (professional and volunteer) and preachers (clergy or laity). The featured keynote speaker is well-known environmental writer Bill McKibben. Over 100 workshops will be offered, and individuals can register for workshops from either the CEF or PFTC event. Other highlights of the event include daily Bible studies led by Osvaldo Vena, Associate Professor of New Testament at Garrett Theological Seminary; inspiring daily worship; trips and tours in the Albuquerque area; a large "Discovery Center" with dozens of vendors; and pre-conference learning options. Additionally, CEF will celebrate its 40th anniversary at the opening celebration.

Christain Educators Fellowship is a networking organization for any person involved in Christian education ministries. Preaching from the Center is an annual conference sponsored by the General Board of Discipleship.

For more information, contact Ellen Thompson at 866-629-3113 or director@cefumc.org.

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Praise for Chris: "Even in the most tumultuous and confusing eras, when Christianity is in danger of being infected by the culture of crusades and markets, there are always little voices crying out in the wilderness, ‘Another world is possible!’ Chris Heuertz is one of those little prophets." -- from the foreword by Shane Claiborne, author of "The Irresistible Revolution"

Chris Heuertz book signing at Soul Desires in Omaha, July 23

Please join the folks at Soul Desires in Omaha on Wednesday, July 23, for an exciting opportunity to meet a local, faith-based author working to eradicate global poverty and other social injustices! Come at any time for this meet and greet event.

Chris Heuertz, author of "Simple Spirituality: Learning to See God in a Broken World" and International Director of Word Made Flesh, will read from his new book and sign copies from 12-2 p.m. and 4-7 p.m.

Soul Desires in located in Omaha on 1026 Jackson Street. For more information about the store, call 402-898-4600 or 1-800-264-4249 or check out the Web site at http://www.soul-desires.com/.
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Association of Retired Ministers

Below you will find the July 2008 edition of the Association of Retired Ministers newsletter.
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Read UMconnect in Spanish

To better connect with Spanish-speaking members of the Nebraska United Methodist Conference, we would like to offer a link to a free translation Web site.

By simply entering a block of text, Yahoo's Babel Fish Web site will translate text from English to Spanish, Spanish to English, and a multitude of other languages for that matter! Babel Fish can even translate Web pages!
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