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Dr. David Maldonado

Dr. David Maldonado, president of the UMC's Hispanic caucus, to speak at Nebraska Wesleyan on April 20

Dr. David Maldonado, president of Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic American (MARCHA) and director of the Center for the Study of Latino/a Christianity and Religions at Perkins School of Theology, will speak at Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) in Lincoln on Tuesday, April 20.

His lecture, "2040--The Minority Majority: Preparing for a New American Reality," will begin at 7 p.m., in Callen Conference Center. The general public is invited to attend; admission is free. Callen Conference Center is located on the lower level of the Smith-Curtis Administration Building, one block east of 50th Street and St. Paul Ave.

The 2009 recipient of the Perkins Distinguished Alumnus/a Award, Maldonado's service to Perkins and to the church spans more than 40 years. He holds a master's of divinity degree from Perkins and has held faculty and administrative positions at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Col., where he also served as president emeritus, at Perkins, located in Dallas, Texas, and at California State University in Los Angeles.

An ordained elder in the Rio Grande Annual Conference, Maldonado has also served as a local pastor and community organizer. He has written several books, including "Crossing Guadalupe Street: Growing Up Hispanic and Protestant." The memoir tells of his upbringing in Sequin, Texas, a town strongly divided by Hispanic Protestants and Hispanic Catholics.

"Having Dr. Maldonado in Nebraska is a wonderful and exciting opportunity," said the Rev. Mel Luetchens, special assistant to the president at NWU.

NWU is sponsoring Maldonado's visit to Lincoln, and he will be speaking to various classes at the University. He will also spend time with the Nebraska United Methodist Conference Cabinet members.
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Research shows support for The United Methodist Church's four Areas of Focus

NASHVILLE, TN--Research conducted by United Methodist Communications on behalf of the Connectional Table reveals widespread denominational support for the Church's four Areas of Focus, adopted by the 2008 General Conference.
 
"The research shows that most respondents believe that the Areas of Focus are very important for the church," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. "But we also heard that knowledge about the areas is still somewhat limited."
 
"General Conference affirmed the four Areas of Focus because they are essential areas of ministry most of our vital local churches are already doing," said Bishop John Hopkins, chair of the Connectional Table. "It is more important that we do the work than know the language of the areas of focus. Our heartwarming response to the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile demonstrates that United Methodists understand the importance of sharing the love of Jesus Christ to those who are poor and without adequate medical care."
 
Support is uniformly strong for three of the four areas: engaging in ministry with the poor, developing principled Christian leaders, and creating new places for new people/revitalizing existing congregations. Fewer people indicated that combating diseases of poverty is very important for the denomination, although many who indicated that initiatives are not important said they lacked enough information to have an opinion.
 
Although respondents reported limited knowledge of the four Areas of Focus, they indicated greater familiarity, however, with initiatives affiliated with the areas, including the Nothing But Nets anti-malaria initiative and the Rethink Church advertising and welcoming campaign.
 
Survey participants reported that their local churches are active in many of the areas associated with the Areas of Focus, including 54 percent of pastors who said that their church had participated in Nothing But Nets during the last year.
 
"This feedback reveals opportunities to align the messaging of the church more closely with the positive work it is doing," said Hollon.
 
Hollon points to a survey question that asked respondents if their church understands the concept of connectionalism. Just 18 percent of pastors, 14 percent of leaders, and 12 percent of members agreed strongly that their church understands connectionalism.
 
"As a connectional church, we are united by a common mission and governance that allow us to reach into the world as the hands and feet of Christ," said Hollon. "This research points to the need to build understanding about the connection by communicating how it extends our reach and the scale of our abilities to create change as followers of Jesus. The connectional reach of The United Methodist Church empowers each of us to achieve more together than we could achieve individually or as a single congregation. It makes us much bigger than ourselves, able to do much greater work."
 
The study, conducted in December 2009, includes survey results from 2,895 pastors, 805 church leaders, and 1,416 members.

For more information on the four Areas of Ministry Focus or to read stories about how United Methodists around the world are embodying them, follow the below. For more detailed information on the four areas, download the attached brochure (PDF).
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March-April edition of the "Nebraska Messenger" available online

The March-April 2010 edition of the "Nebraska Messenger" is now available on the Nebraska Conference Web site. Click on the link below to view the PDF. 
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Dr. Marcia McFee

Acclaimed worship leader Marcia McFee to give workshop at Lincoln Trinity UMC on April 16-17

Dr. Marcia McFee--author, professor, preacher, artist and worship designer and leader--will be presenting a workshop on creating dynamic worship for all churches at Lincoln Trinity United Methodist Church, 7130 Kentwell Lane, on April 16 and 17.

The evening of Friday, April 16, will feature worship and discussion with McFee from 7-9 p.m. Saturday's events will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m.; there will be four sessions throughout the day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Among the session topics are "Creating Worship with Deep Soul" and "The Rhythms of Liturgy and Life." The workshop will conclude at 3:30 p.m. The complete schedule is attached below.

The cost for an individual to attend is $45; for teams of three or more the cost is $30. Lunch will be served. Register online at www.trinitylincoln.org/worship/  or call Lincoln Trinity UMC at 402-435-2946.

McFee will also be leading worship at Trinity UMC on Sunday, April 18, at 10:30 a.m., the general public is invited to attend.

After attending one of her workshops, you will never see worship in the same way again. McFee is committed to teaching the nuts and bolts of worship in an interactive, fun and inspiring way that enables anyone to return home and create a spirit-filled encounter with God for their church service. (View a short video clip of her teaching one of her workshops, linked below.) She has provided worship design and leadership at numerous national and regional gatherings, and also specializes in designing and leading conference worship. Most recently, she designed and led 22 worship services over a 10-day period for the international quadrennial General Conference of The United Methodist Church. To learn more about her, visit her Web site, www.marciamcfee.com.
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United Methodists invited to "Change the World" the weekend of April 24-25

What if...on one weekend all around the world, United Methodists came together to work with their local communities? What if...as we serve people locally, we unite globally to eliminate a preventable, treatable disease that kills one child every 30 seconds?

On April 24-25, United Methodists around the world are invited to participate in "Change the World," a weekend event that coincides with World Malaria Day on Sunday, April 25. Congregations are invited to schedule a community-based workday and to use World Malaria Day sermon starters on Sunday (see link below). A special offering is encouraged to support the fight against malaria.

The Rev. Mike Slaughter, senior pastor at Ginghamsburg UMC in Tipp City, Ohio, has written a book called "Change the World: Recovering the Mission and Message of Jesus." He emphasizes, "As The United Methodist Church, we have worried too much about getting numbers into our churches instead of getting the people in our churches out into the world in relative ways. Even our smallest churches can have incredible impact when they leave their four walls to serve the needs of their neighbors, alongside of their neighbors."

To get involved, plan a work project in your community on April 24, or find a project near you by visiting www.rethinkchurch.org/changetheworld. If you already have an event planned, be sure to register your project on this site as well. There are also a plethora of resources available to help you promote your event. 
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The Rev. Jason Kennedy (far left) and members of the Bellevue St. James West UMC worship team lift up their voices to the Lord during a Sunday morning worship service.

Bellevue St. James West UMC takes another leap of faith

St. James West United Methodist Church is the new church plant that could. Now in its third full year, the second worship site to St. James UMC in Bellevue, Neb., has already gone through some trying times. After being led to its official launch in September 2006 by then Associate Pastor Russ Tompkins, the worship site witnessed a major transition in leadership. Tompkins was reappointed as the new senior pastor at St. James, and the new worship site was already in need of its second pastor.  

The Rev. Jason Kennedy, fresh out of seminary, was appointed to St. James. Primarily attending to the West worship site, this was his first taste of formal ministry. The hope was that Kennedy could continue the dream of the new plant and lead it further into its growth and spirituality. Although attendance had reached a plateau with averages in the mid-70s, there was much energy and passion still bubbling in the hearts of the West worshipers.  

In 2008, just six months into his appointment, Kennedy called together 12 leaders to form the West Leadership Team. Using the L3 model, the team arrived at a refreshed and more developed sense of identity and purpose. Shortly after, the team launched several community mixers, social events and changes to the worship format.

Their efforts, passion, and prayers paid off.  After six months of distributing a seemingly infinite amount of door hangers, serving soupy ice cream at ice cream socials, and the endless retelling of St. James West's story, God began to move in their midst.  New Sunday school classes were added, children's sermons became crowded and visitors came from all over. As of February of this year, the worship average is over 100 and membership has grown by 30. Giving has also increased significantly. The community is engaged and enthused.  

The excitement continues to build at St. James West, and worshipers cannot wait until the day comes when their rented space in a Seventh Day Adventist Church is too small to hold their increasing numbers.  Members of both St. James East and West someday plan to build a permanent community center in West Bellevue to house the West campus.  

"We still have bigger dreams, and when things start moving like this, we can clearly see that God is a dreamer too!" said Kennedy in a recent Sunday greeting.  

Members of both St. James East and West are thankful for the chance to serve the Bellevue community, and they greatly appreciate the gracious support from the Nebraska Annual Conference to start a new journey toward building the kingdom.  

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The communion set from East Avenue UMC in York, Neb. The church closed in 2007, but its communion set has found a new home in Sudan.

Communion set from York East Avenue UMC finds new home in Sudan

Though it's a somber occasion when a church closes its doors for good, there are always opportunities for something positive to grow--the church is more than a building after all. And nothing could illustrate this more clearly than a communion set from the East Avenue UMC in York, Neb.

After East Avenue closed its doors in 2007, the set was sent to the Nebraska United Methodist Conference Center for safe storage. Its story could be stuck here, an indefinite pause amid boxes of copier paper and office supplies, but the Holy Spirit keeps moving.

Meanwhile, a group of 15-20 families, driven from their homes by civil war in the Nuba Mountain region in central Sudan more than a decade ago, came to the Swift and Co., meatpacking plant in Grand Island within the last six years, where they became part of Grand Island Trinity UMC, leading their own worship service in Arabic and Moro, a Nuban tribal language. But they never forgot their homeland.

Last year, the Rev. Jay Vetter, senior pastor at Trinity UMC, sent out a request for a communion set that could be donated to a church in Sudan. And the Conference responded, sending the East Avenue communion set with Daneila Durna, organizing pastor of the Nuba worshipping community at Trinity, who recently returned to Sudan for a visit.

The set, which otherwise would be unused in storage, is now serving Christ Church in Ersalya, which has 15 smaller outpost congregations connected to it, according to Vetter.

"They seem quite excited to have it," said Vetter. "Probably its most important significance is that it connects them to the whole church--The Body of Christ--in a symbolic way. They know that other Christians care about them."

The Rev. Nita Hinds-Park, Nebraska Conference director of congregational development, said the story of the communion set is a great representation of the global church.

"One of our conference's Six Signs of Discipleship is connectional joy," she said. "I can't think of a finer example of the connectional ministry we have as United Methodists, than the giving from a closed church to a new congregation located on the other side of the globe."
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Confirmation Day 2010 began with worship, including baptismal renewal, Holy Communion and a blessing from Bishop Ann B. Sherer-Simpson. Here, Sherer-Simpson calls the confirmands forth to receive their special blessing.

Confirmation Day 2010 an enriching experience for all

By Rev. Pauletta Lehn, Nebraska Wesleyan University campus minister

On Saturday, Feb. 20, 158 confirmands from across the state participated in Confirmation Day 2010, a connectional opportunity offered by the Nebraska Conference and Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU). Among the factors that made the experience "really neat," as one participant put it, was the collaborative leadership, diverse music and a bunny.

Standing in front of the baptismal font during worship, the Rev. Jesse Foster, making his debut with youth as the new Conference director of Christian leadership development, talked about first feeling called to serve when he was a child.

Representing Nebraska United Methodist Camps, Derek Bergman of Camp Fontanelle spoke of finding God while in fellowship around a campfire, as he stood holding the now famous bunny, an inhabitant of Camp Fontanelle.

Director of Risk-taking Mission and Justice Ministries Carol Windrum and Erin Outson, a recent NWU graduate who is currently interning with the General Board of Church and Society in Washington, D.C., had the crowd jumping around while learning about charity and justice and putting faith into action.

"I've enjoyed learning more about our heritage and getting to know people from other Nebraska churches," noted an adult youth worker on the evaluation. Balloons and the Holy Spirit, paint and baptismal renewal, and a faith-inspired scavenger hunt at NWU were among the fun activities of the day. Each confirmand added their mark to a colorful baptismal bowl, symbolizing the layers of diverse gifts and calls in the church (view a photo of the bowl, attached below). There was also an opportunity for youth and adults to share confirmation experiences or local church traditions that have been transformative, effective or inspirational in their own lives.

Overall, the Confirmation Day tradition proves to be an enriching, collaborative experience that celebrates our connection to one another and blesses all of us on our faith journeys.
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One of the five groups from Auburn First UMC that participated in packaging meals for "Kids Against Hunger" the weekend of March 6-7. The effort was organized by the Rev. Dr. Fred Richart (back row, fourth from the left), pastor at Auburn UMC; his intention was to have the event be an ecumenical, communitywide one. Nearly 60,000 meals were packaged and sent to the local food pantry, as well as to Haiti.

Auburn First UMC gets entire community involved in effort to help fight hunger

First United Methodist Church of Auburn took the lead March 6 and 7 by creating a packaging event for Kids Against Hunger. The Rev. Dr. Fred Richart, pastor of Auburn First UMC and project coordinator, estimated more than 375 volunteers worked during the event, which packaged nearly 60,000 meals in two days for people who are hungry and malnourished. The effort also raised $9,000 to pay for the meals and for shipping to get the food to the local food pantry and to Haiti. On Saturday, March 6, four teams of 12 worked each hour. These teams then trained the next shift. There were five shifts on Saturday and four on Sunday.

"The project began during the Nebraska United Methodist pastors' event in Lincoln," said Richart. "Pastor Wayne Alloway of Lincoln St. Mark's UMC talked about how important the Kids Against Hunger program is. Phil Sloat-Delley, pastor in Tecumseh, agreed and talked about how his community pitched in and made this food program really work."

After he learned more about the project and packaged the food himself, Richart approached his congregation, on Sunday, Jan. 24. "I told them I had a dream," he said. "And I needed them to tell me if this was a good dream or a bad dream. The response was definite; they said, 'Do it.'"

So Richart approached the Nemaha County Ministerial Association. The members supported it and took it to their congregations. In the meantime, he talked to civic groups and the principal of the local elementary school, who agreed to send information home with students. Parents started forming teams and sending money for the project. Volunteers included scouts, the local chapter of the National Honor Society and neighborhood block groups. Individuals formed teams at their businesses and volunteer groups. The local food bank sent teams, too. This was in addition to church and youth group teams; Auburn First UMC sent five teams.

The idea was to make this a community project, not just a church project. Richart had preached four times in January and February using material from the Barna Publishing House's book "UnChristian," which describes how negatively many outside the church view church and church people. "Kids Against Hunger" shattered the negative posture of church, and built a bridge across the community. Since the program is not church or government sponsored, it resonated across a wide spectrum.

The packaging project took place on the show room floor of an abandoned car dealership in Auburn. Doug Meyer, the owner of the local GM auto dealership, Meyer Earp, leases the old building, and he encouraged the group to use it. It was perfect for housing the 50+ volunteers on each shift as well as the food product which came on pallets, delivered by the Orphan Grain Train via Norfolk, Neb.

Volunteers coordinated everything for the day, including setting up and tearing down the area, cleaning, scheduling, waiver signing and receiving. Businesses participated in other ways, too. The Nemaha County Hospital supplied scrub gear for head coverings, the Nemaha County Gazette provided coverage and advertising; radio and cable stations provided public service announcements. Businesses put up posters on their premises.

"It was amazing how this all came together in six weeks. There may be a future for another event, too. People were pumped up when they left after working a shift. Children and adults wanted to come back and work an additional shift. Volunteers kept coming and filling the building. It was simply a God thing bringing the community together," concluded Richart.

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