Iowa Annual Conference United Methodist Church North Central District

Transcription

1 WORLD TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES OF FAITH... 1 EQUIPPING TRANSFORMA- TIONAL LEADERS... 5 DIRECTING OUR RE- SOURCES TO OUR COM- MON GOALS CALENDAR, PRAYERS, & ANNOUNCEMENTS September 2014 Iowa Annual Conference United Methodist Church North Central District Celebrating the life of David John Decker Church of Clarinda. 8/21/2014 David John Decker, lay leader of the Iowa Annual Conference, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, August 20, A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Click here to read the obituary of David John Decker. Please keep Dave s wife, Karen Decker and their family in your thoughts and prayers. Dave had served on the North Central District Superintendency (District Ministry Team) Committee and served as the North Central District Lay Leader. Everyone is Invited! Installation Service FOR North District Superintendent, Harlan Gillespie The Service will be held Sunday, September 28th at 2:00 PM at the Iowa Falls, First United Methodist Church. Please keep Rev. Judy Eilders and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Judy's mother, Jean Rogula passed way on Saturday, August 23rd. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, August 28th at the Grace United Methodist Church in Rockford Illinois. Rev Judy is currently serving Morgan, Bradford, & Lee Center.

2 WORLD TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES OF FAITH Then Jesus said to his disciples, All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them. Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives? Matthew 16:24-26 Common English Bible I am always a bit tongue tied when I read from various translations. My speech is ahead of my eyes, and/or my eyes fill in words that I know for the new words on the page. Maybe this happens to you, too, when you read aloud from a new to you translation. Yet, this is part of the fun and benefit of reading the Bible in different translations. Different translations give us new words for the ones that we have grown to which we are accustomed. These new words give us the nuances of the original languages of the Bible. These different words give us a deeper meaning of the scripture. This week s passage from Matthew is an example. I am most used to Jesus saying, If you want to become my disciples (New Revised Standard Version). The Common English Bible s translation is: All who want to come after me gives me the mental image of actually following Jesus, of walking after him, and being one of his descendants who have given up something of my worldly identity. I am also most used Jesus saying, For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (King James Version) What the King James Version gives me is a nuanced understanding that the life that that is lost while gaining the whole world (Revised Standard, New Revised Standard, Common English Bible) is more than the physical life of a human body. It is also the inner life, the character, or the soul of a single person as well as the soul of the people of God. In Matthew s understanding, it is both the physical and inner life/ character/soul of the follower of Jesus and Jesus church as a body of Christ. The mystical body of Christ that is both the visible (earthly) church and the invisible (those who went before us and those who will come after us) church. This mystical body shares the soul, the inner character to which we are all connected as Jesus followers. And as his mystical body, his church, we are called to follow Jesus Christ, our head, as the Apostle Paul described. Schools of all levels are back in session. I love the fall of the year. The air becomes crisp, the harvest is upon us. I feel more alive during the fall. It s as if this is what the whole year before has been leading up to deep, rich colors and the yield of faith and honest work. It was in the late fall of the year, during my senior year of high school, that my football coach pulled me aside to show me a little game film. The week before I had been part of a play where the running back ran into me rather than through the hole I thought I had blocked open. The timing was off. He ran the old 16 millimeter black and white film forward and backward several times. He showed me that I had not turned my head far enough to the right as I moved to block the tackle to my right. And, of course, my body followed my head. I was slow to the place I was supposed to be, messing up the timing with the running back. To use Paul s metaphor, Matthew knows that Jesus, our head, has already turned toward the cross. He points to way of living that is greater than what we experience in the here and now. We are given the grace to follow anyone or any other head we might chose. And that head will lead us. If we respond to any other head we may gain in other things, even be wealthy in material goods, but we will lose our soul as Christ s mystical body. If we respond to Christ, we his body turns, moves, sheds what was once was, and over the journey ahead (pun intended) we follow. And, in so doing, our soul is renewed and grows deeper. The deeper our soul becomes, the more we fulfill our mission and ministry the making of disciples who mature and respond with acts of mercy and love, healing our communities and the world with the ministry of Jesus Christ. As we come into the fall, let me suggest to us the question John Wesley often asked of himself and others, How is it with your soul? But, let s ask it of our soul as congregations, as the United Methodist Church, and as the universal church of Jesus Christ. I suspect we can learn much about the condition of our soul by our responses to those who are both within and outside of what we consider to be our congregation, our church. I suspect we can learn much about the condition of our soul by how we love God by loving neighbors, by caring or not caring for others. In other words, how much of ourselves are we willing to lose to follow Jesus Christ, our head, and be restored deeply to our soul? The grace and peace of the risen Jesus Christ is with you, Harlan Gillespie Soul Talk is a mostly weekly commentary written by Rev. Harlan Gillespie. Comments on Soul Talk for the good Jesus Gospel in the world are welcome to harlan.gillespie@iaumc.org.

3 WORLD TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES OF FAITH Dear Friends, There are so many exciting things happening around the District, it would take an immense amount of Gigabytes to communicate them all! And this month, it is fun to see how the motorcycle ministry is going at Slater and Sheldahl. Many thanks to Pastor Emily Peasley and the folks participating at the Blessing of the Bikes at the Nite Hawk Bar and Grill in Slater! Another fun thing that Slater UMC did, was to donate their big evergreen tree (which was growing too close to the church foundation and was a possible hazard in the event of a severe storm), to the Christmas celebration hosted by Slater. The tree was decorated and displayed, and everyone could enjoy it! Blessings to all, as you begin your fall worship and programs, go back-to-school, and enjoy the change of seasons! Peace, Katharine Yarnell Grief Care Free Seminar by Dr. William G. Hoy You are invited to attend a free grief care seminar given by Dr. William G. Hoy and sponsored by Isles Funeral Homes and Unity Point Home Care/Hospice. Dr. Hoy will be speaking about strategies for addressing and assessing complicated grief. Dr. Hoy holds clinical faculty appointment in Medical Humanities at Baylor University and has counseled with people in grief for nearly 30 years. In addition, he holds the Fellow in Thanatology (FT), the highest advance practice credential for counselors and educators in the fields of death and bereavement. Dr. Hoy s scholarly interest is the role of social support in the grief process, particularly in the cross-cultural uses of funeral ceremonies and how these rituals contribute to positive outcomes for bereaved families and communities. He has authored more than 100 journal articles, published papers, chapters and books. His newest book is Do Funerals Matter? The Purpose and Practice of Death Rituals in Global Perspective (Routledge, 2013). Seminar Date: Thursday, September 25, 2014 Time: 7:00 pm 8:30 pm Place: Iowa Annual UMC Conference Center 2301 Rittenhouse St., Des Moines, IA Please register for the seminar by ing Sara Carlson (sara.carlson@iaumc.org) in the Episcopal Office by Friday, September 12.

4 WORLD TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES OF FAITH Thursday, July 31, 2014 Born in the Heart of God Vida Nueva, the Hispanic Ministry in Corwith, Iowa, in the North Central District has exciting news! We feel so blessed! This week, God sent us a group of brothers and sisters of the United Methodist Church from Clarion and Ventura and Britt, Iowa, to realize a Missionary Project in our church. There were three days of hard work and also so many blessings! Thank you Lord, for all your Love and Your Blessings! Thank you Pastor Don Morrison and the whole team, who were working hard with concrete on the sidewalk, removing the tree, fixing the roof, and putting up the beautiful Cross and Flame, writes Dunia Maribel of Vida Nueva. As the name Vida Nueva reminds us, God makes all things new, and gives new life. The Cross and Flame sign installed at the Corwith church comes from the Ventura United Methodist Church, which is sadly closing. Dunia continues Thank you for the Love that you showed us! Thank you for taking the time to be here with us; it means a lot to us. Now you are part of this Vision, and this Dream that was born in the Heart of God, and little by little, it s coming true!! Thank you and God Bless you! Need Your Help!! To Transfer Flood Buckets The Disaster Response Team has a large number of Flood Buckets that need to be transported from Iowa City to Franklin and Cerro Gordo Counties. Please contact Paul Evans at

5 EQUIPPING OURSELVES AND OTHERS AS TRANSFORMAITON LEADERS *The North Central District Pastoral Interview s, Church/Charge Conference Schedules are available on-line! THE MOST UP TO DATE SCHEDULES ARE ALSO FOUND IN THE NEWSLETTER! OR TO FIND THE SCHEDULE (S) ON LINE - Click HERE to be directed to the North Central District Pastoral Interview Schedule Click HERE to be directed to the North Central District Church/Charge Conference Schedule **PLEASE NOTE: Pastoral Interview Forms and Church/Charge Conference Forms WERE ED TO EACH CHURCH/CHARGE AND CLERGY!! If you didn t receive an with the links please contact the District Office ASAP! We can resend the link(s)! ** REMINDER: Form I (Pastoral Support Form) will not be ready until after September 1st! 2014 Church Conference Leadership Workshops Co-workers in Christ, I am pleased to let you know that the dates, times, and locations are set for the workshops for 2014 church conference leadership. The workshops will be: September 8, 9:30 to noon, hosted at Garner UMC. September 11, 1:30 to 4:00, hosted at Humboldt UMC. September 17, 9:30 to noon, hosted at First UMC, Iowa Falls. September 17, 1:30 to 4:00, hosted at First UMC, Boone. We placed the locations to reflect the proximity to which many of your locations relate to reduce driving time for as many as possible. However, if you cannot attend the one nearest you, please attend another. It would be helpful for me to make sure I have adequate number of handouts if you could let Alanna Warren (Alanna.warren@iaumc.org) know which one you are planning to attend. I believe it is essential for the church conference experience to be as consistently helpful, celebrative, supportive, encouraging throughout the district. I also believe it is equally important for the feedback that may come from the church conference experience to be consistently and effectively shared with our clergy and lay district leadership. Your role in accomplishing these two goals is vital, and I am thankful to God and to you for your desire to lead in such a way that the mission and ministry of Jesus can increase here and around the world. Please remember to share your questions about access to the Conference Reports and the Pastoral Interview Reports with Alanna. She has been in daily (or more) contact with Roland and Alex and the team of District Administrative Assistance to resolve issues and make the transition into a new phase of electronic reporting as user friendly as possible not to mention that it facilitates the mission and ministry of Jesus! Thank, Alanna, for your constant and persistent leadership. Grace & Peace, Harlan Rev. Harlan Gillespie Conference Superintendent NC District, Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church

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12 DIRECTING OUR RESOURCES TO OUR COMMON GOALS SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS OF PASTORAL CARE, NEW GROUP BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER 2014: We will explore Spiritual Dimensions of Pastoral Care: Practical Theology in a Multidisciplinary Context by John Swinton and David Willows. This collection of key texts introduces us to practical theology. It critically explores the way in which the spiritual dimension of pastoral care has entered into constructive dialogue with other disciplines and ways of thinking, including psychiatry, psychology, counseling, intercultural studies, educational methodology, narrative theory and political studies. Set within this multidisciplinary context, the individual contributions cover a wide range of practical and theological issues that alert us to the spiritual dimension of pastoral care, such as bereavement, sexuality, ethics, learning disabilities, infertility, the meaning of pain, sickness and suffering and the nature of theology as a practical discipline. This volume explores how spiritual care happens in parish life but also in the lives of parishioners and in the world around us. The additional volume we will use is Nancy Napier's Sacred Practices for Conscious Living. This volume explores exercises in increasing areas of compassion, insight, empathy and how we deal with grief, anger and disappointment. The morning session will work with Napier's material and the afternoon will engage Spiritual Dimensions material. Second Tuesday of the month beginning September 10, a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Ames First UMC, Ames SPIRITUAL RENEWAL TRIP AND MISSION TO ST. LUCIA - JANUARY 2015 THE OFFICE OF PASTORAL CARE AND COUNSELING INVITES YOU TO PILGRIMAGE AT ARCHBISHOP KELVIN FELIX FRANCISCAN RETREAT HOUSE, ST. LUCIA, THE BAHAMAS JANUARY 24- JANUARY 31, 2015 COST: $405 SINGLE OCCUPANCY $730 DOUBLE OCCUPANCE, TWO MEALS INCLUDED AIRFARE AND TOURS EXTRA (FLIGHTS FROM DSM AS OF July 2014 WERE $830) THIS PILGRIMAGE WILL INVOLVE LEARNING, DAILY LECTIO DIVINA LED BY A FRANCISAN SISTER, DAILY WORSHIP, RELAXATION, RENEWAL, BEACH AND SNORKELING, EVENING REFLECTION OF OUR EXPERIENCE TOGETHER AND ONE DAY MISSION TO THE POOR. AVAILABLE TOURS INCLUDE: THE ARTIST S VIEW OF THE INCARNATION (TALKS AND TOURS OF Dunston St. Omer s PAINTINGS), ST. LUCIAN HERITAGE TOUR (COLONIAL STRUGGLES, FAMOUS PERSONS, CULTURAL TRADITIONS), SOULFRIERE NATURE TOUR (FULL DAY EXPLORATION OF NATURAL BEAUTY OF ISLAND). Communicating Faith in the 21st Century Iowa Conference Communications, on September 27, 2014, is sponsoring a day focused using social media - Facebook, Twitter, Blog, YouTube, or Instagram, to tell the stories of faith. "Communicating Faith in the 21st Century" evolved from the book, We Must Speak: Rethinking How We Communicate Faith in the 21st Century, by Rev. Larry Hollon and is based upon the key premise of the book, which states that the Church has lost its voice in the public media and must regain it in order to bring much needed moral, ethical and spiritual values to the culture via the communications tools of the 21st century. Register by Tuesday, September 23, The registration fee for the event is $5 per person. For further information contact: Jehan Bostick (jehan.bostick@iaumc.org) - Click HERE to register:

13 DIRECTING OUR RESOURCES TO OUR COMMON GOALS SPRC-Clergy Resource I encourage all clergy in an appointment with a local church and SPRC chairpersons and members to have the Resource Guide for Staff-Parish Relations Committees, revised The resource puts you close at hand to Book of Discipline and Iowa Conference Rules of the responsibilities of the SPRC and clergy under appointment, suggested guidelines for monthly meetings for looking ahead in ministry, clergy leave policies, Order on clergy leave policies, a way of developing mutual expectations for ministry, and the appraisal process. It is a great tool for increasing the effect partnerships in ministry between church, clergy, and both hired and/or volunteer staff. New Clergy Orientation & SPRC Expectations Gatherings All newly appointed clergy persons to the North Central District are invited and encouraged to attend the orientation to hosted at the district office on Monday, September 8 from 2 to 5:30 p.m. The SPRC chairpersons and members of the churches of the newly appointed clergy persons are invited and encouraged to join their pastors at 6:30 p.m. for workshop on developing ministry expectations. This expectations workshop will be held at Faith UMC, Webster City. It will conclude by 8 p.m. Something About Stewardship If you are looking for ready-made stewardship programs to adapt to your context, I came across Treasure, by Jacob Armstrong, at the School for Congregational Development. It even has written tweets for you, if you tweet =) Also, with the current Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS close to $70 Million dollars, the basic stewardship tenant People give to people is reaffirmed people give because people they know have asked them. The Napier United Methodist Church will host their annual ice cream social on August 31, 2014, from 5-7 pm. Napier is 3 miles south of Ames on Xavier (or X) Avenue. They will be serving ice cream, maid-rite type sandwiches, and homemade pie - plus condiments and drinks. No charge free will offering. The church is totally ramped and fully handicapped accessible. Questions? Call Pastor Linda at

14 DIRECTING OUR RESOURCES TO OUR COMMON GOALS LDM Coffee Conversations The team of Leadership Development Ministers has undergone several changes over the last year, including some reconfiguration of duties and the hiring of three new people. That is why we are offering several meet and greets throughout the Conference. This is an opportunity for both laity and clergy to shake hands and talk with us face to face. Please join us at one of the following locations for coffee, conversation, and collaboration. Come get acquainted with those of us who are new and reacquainted with those who have been around for a bit longer. Share your dreams and visions for how your faith community can better benefit from our work. Learn more about each LDM s particular ministry area, and satisfy your curiosity about us, the work we do, and the Iowa Annual Conference which we serve. If you cannot attend one of the following conversations, do not hesitate to or call any one of us to set up an appointment. Sept. 8: Southeast District: Mediapolis, First UMC at 10:00 a.m. Kalona UMC at 2:00 p.m Ollie, Prairieview UMC at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 9: North Central District Ames, Calvary at 10:00 a.m. Fort Dodge, Trinity at 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15: Southwest District: Salem UMC in Council Bluffs at 10:00 a.m., Adair UMC at 2:00 p.m and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16: East Central District: Maquoketa UMC at 10:00 a.m., Marion, Living Water at 2:00 p.m. Sept. 23: Northwest District: LeMars UMC at 10:00 a.m. Laurens UMC at 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 2: South Central District: Osceola UMC 10:00 a.m. Albia UMC at 2:00 p.m and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6: Central District Pleasant Hill, Oakood UMC 10:00 a.m. Waukee UMC 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28: Northeast District: Dysart UMC at 10:00 a.m New Hampton UMC at 2:00 p.m and 6:30 p.m. Rev. David Hobbs, Leadership Development Minister Camps and Spiritual Formation; Colleen McRoberts, Leadership Development Minister Social Justice and Mission; Nate Mason, Leadership Development Minister Youth and Intergenerational MinistriesLeadership Development Minister Evangelism and New Ministry

15 CALENDAR, PRAYERS, & ANNOUNCEMENTS SEPTEMBER 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Labor Day - District Office Closed Ministry Cabinet Retreat 7 Harlan - Algona 8 Elder s Workshop 9:30-Noon- Garner UMC Orientation for New Clergy PM SPRC Expectation Workshop - 6:30-8 PM WC Faith UMC 9 LDM Coffee s Ames, Calvary UMC - 10 AM FD Trinity - 2:00 & 6:30 PM Elder s Wkshop - 1:30-4:00 PM - Faith UMC (Humboldt) Board of Laity Committee Mtg - 6:30 PM Harlan Appoin ve Cabinet FOM Ministry Cabinet Harlan - Morgan, Bradford, & Lee Center Katharine - Lohrville 15 Matthew 25 Applications are DUE Pastoral Interviews BEGIN TODAY! Katharine - Huxley, Trinity - 5:00 PM 16 Pastoral Interviews RIM Group mtg - 9:30 AM Elder s Workshop 9:30-Noon- Iowa Falls, First UMC Elder s Wkshop - 1:30-4:00 PM - Boone, First UMC 18 Pastoral Interviews UMW Annual Mtg - Rockwell City UMC 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM HCI - LLD Mtg - Clear Lake, First UMC - 10 AM-3 PM 21 Church/Charge Conferences BEGIN TODAY! 22 NC District dcom Committee meeting 10:00 AM - Webster City, Faith UMC Charge Conferences - 23 Pastoral Interviews 24 Pastoral Interviews Matthew 25 Committee Meeting - 6:30 PM 25 Pastoral Interviews Charge Conferences Installation Service for District Superintendent, Rev. Harlan Gillespie 2:00 PM - Iowa Falls, First UMC 29 Pastoral Interviews Charge Conferences - 30 Pastoral Interviews Katharine - Vacation SWEETWATER REVIVAL SEPTEMBER 13, :00 PM An evening of Gospel Music with Sweetwater Revival at Ackley UMC (416 Hardin St., Ackley, IA 50601) - Tell those who are familiar with the better Gospel music groups of today and you will find that Sweetwater Revival is one of the best! A freewill offering will be received for this early evening of beautiful Gospel music shared by a very talented group of women! Come early to insure you have a great seat! For More Information: Call

16 CALENDAR, PRAYERS, & ANNOUNCEMENTS HAS YOURS BEEN TURNED IN?? FINANCIAL AUDITS Were due into the District Office by March 1st. We are still missing quite a few. If you have not sent in your Financial Audit - please do so ASAP! 2014 CLERGY EVALUATIONS: ANOTHER SET OF EYES Were due into the District Office by May 1st. We are still missing quite a few of the Clergy Evaluations as well! Please have those completed (and signed) and sent to the District Office as soon as possible. - Click on Forms - Click on 2014 Clergy Evaluation-Another Set of Eyes drop down box Matthew 25 Ministries - The following Ministries received monies for their Ministry - *Back to School Festival (Ames, Calvary UMC) *Faith Village (Forest City, UMC) *Wesley Family Outreach Project (Mason City Wesley UMC) *Taking It To The People (Fort Dodge, First UMC) *Sidewalk Sunday School (Our Savior UMC) *Cana/Piecework's *Boone, first UMC - Free Clinic *Vida Nueva Sunday School (NC District Hispanic Ministry) North Central District Applications are available ON-LINE- ** Matthew 25 Application & Guidelines**DUE September 15th** CAREER OPPORTUNITY - Senior Staff Accountant The Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church seeks an experienced Sr. Staff Accountant for our Des Moines, Iowa office. This position will work in the Conference Treasurer s Office and report to the Assistant Treasurer/Controller. Job Description The Sr. Staff Accountant is responsible for the following areas: Recording and accounting for all receipts received by the Conference, including the recording of church remittances, loan receivables and cash receipt accounting. Complete monthly journal entries and maintain account reconciliations. Analyze monthly financial statements and variances. Support for the annual budgeting process. Special analytical projects as assigned. Assisting the Controller in year-end closing, audit preparation and financial statement preparation. Job Requirements Bachelor s degree in relevant area, e.g., Accounting, Finance, or related field, from an accredited college or university is required, CPA or master s degree preferred. Minimum two (2) years of accounting experience required, four (4) or more years strongly preferred. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for effective interaction with all levels of contacts, internal and external. Technical skill including a high aptitude with Accounting and Reporting software. Excellent organizational skills. Excellent analytical skill required. Ability to manage multiple projects. Ability to work independently. Software: Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint required. The Iowa Annual Conference offers excellent benefits, including: 28 days paid PTO and 10 holidays per year. Generous health care benefits. Flexible Spending and Health Savings accounts. Company-paid premiums for disability and life insurance. Participation in the United Methodist Personal Investment Plan (UMPIP), with Conference Contribution of 6%. Casual and flexible work environment. To apply for the position, please submit your cover letter, resume, references and completed IAUMC Job Application directly to: Joni Mardesen, Director of HR/CBO Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church 2301 Rittenhouse St., Des Moines, IA or joni.mardesen@iaumc.org