- UMCOR video available on YouTube
- Reminder—Health Kits for Haiti being collected through Feb. 8
- Have lunch with Tom Osborne on Feb. 25, all proceeds benefit the Wesley House Leadership Academy
- Nebraska United Methodists continue to give to Haiti—Congress passes accelerated tax deduction for Haiti relief
- A "modern-day abolitionist" the featured speaker at Mid-winter School of Christian Mission
- Updated Haiti Volunteers in Mission information
- Nebraska Conference designates Haiti health kit drop-off locations—kits will be collected through Feb. 8
- UMCOR Advance number for earthquake in Haiti, or make donations online
- Sheree Brown joins Conference Center staff
- Confirmation Day scheduled for Feb. 20
- Save the dates—Rethink Church event, March 19 and 20, at Springfield UMC
- Horizons of Faith 2010 will take place March 12-14
- Register now for Marcia McFee workshop at Lincoln Trinity UMC on April 16-17
- Continue to "Rethink Church" in the New Year—Lenten resources now available
- Is your church's Find-A-Church page up-to-date?
- New Testament scholar to speak at First-Plymouth in Lincoln on April 22
UMCOR video available on YouTube
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has produced this powerful video. Posted on YouTube, you may want to use it for your own local relief effort. |  |
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Reminder—Health Kits for Haiti being collected through Feb. 8
United Methodist Committee on Relief Health Kits are being assembled by church and community groups all across the Nebraska Conference, in preparation for pick-up next week. The deadline for delivering kits to a designated pick-up location is Monday, Feb. 8. | |
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Have lunch with Tom Osborne on Feb. 25, all proceeds benefit the Wesley House Leadership Academy
United Methodist Community Centers' Wesley House Leadership Academy is hosting a fund-raiser luncheon with Tom Osborne, former Nebraska football coach, congressman and current athletic director for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on Feb. 25, at the Omaha Country Club, at 11:30 a.m. Osborne will speak on the topic of leadership during the luncheon.Tickets are $100, seats are limited. To order tickets, make a donation, or for more information, call the Wesley House at 402-451-2228. See attached flyer for further details.
Sponsors are also needed for this event, which serves as one of the main fund-raisers for the Academy. See the attached letter from Academy Director Paul Bryant for more information on being a sponsor.
The mission of the Wesley House Leadership Academy is to "give motivated children in difficult circumstances the opportunity to pursue their own highest potential for leadership, intellect and personal growth." Visit their Web site, linked below, for more information on the organization.
Nebraska United Methodists continue to give to Haiti—Congress passes accelerated tax deduction for Haiti relief
In the first three days of February, the Nebraska United Methodist Conference collected $39,395,18 for Haiti relief, bringing the overall total to $129,441.17.A recent change to the tax code permits certain charitable contributions for Haiti relief made between Jan. 11, 2010, and March 1, 2010, to be deductible on 2009 individual tax returns. Visit the IRS Web site, linked below, for more details.
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A "modern-day abolitionist" the featured speaker at Mid-winter School of Christian Mission
"I am a modern day abolitionist," said the Rev. Heidi McGinness, one of the featured presenters at the Mid-winter School of Christian Mission held at Camp Norwesca, Jan. 28-30. The School of Christian Mission is one of the largest adult education programs in the U.S. and is sponsored by the Women's Division. McGinness works for Christian Solidarity International (CSI), which was founded in 1977 in Switzerland, by Pastor Hans Stuckelberger. CSI exposes religious persecution and demands respect for the God-given right of every human being to choose and practice his or her faith. Since 1995 CSI has been working in Sudan, providing humanitarian aid to people of all faiths who are victims of war and persecution. Sudan's radicalized Islamic government has targeted its own citizens with genocide and slavery: Christians in South Sudan and black Muslims in Darfur. CSI frees slaves, feeds the hungry and provides medical support to the sick.McGinness provided context to the current ongoing atrocities occurring in the Sudan. One of the resources she provided was from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council's "The Committee on Conscience" reports. The report follows:
Tens of thousands of civilians have been murdered and thousands of women raped in Sudan's western region of Darfur by Sudanese government soldiers and members of the government-supported Militia sometimes referred to as the Janjaweed. About 2 million civilians have been driven from their homes, their villages torched and their property stolen by the Sudanese military and the Janjaweed. Some of the victims have escaped to the neighboring country of Chad, but most are trapped inside Darfur. Thousands die each month from the effects of inadequate food, water, health care, and shelter in a harsh desert environment. All are afraid to return home because the countryside is not safe.
The ethnic and perceived racial basis of the violence has been documented by the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, independent human rights organizations and international journalists. The Sudanese government primarily has targeted the civilian population of the Fur, Zaghawa and Masaalit ethnic groups, sometimes referred to as "Africans." The government's Janjaweed allies are drawn from some of Darfur's "Arab" tribes.
Sudan's Khartoum-based government is fueling ethnic and racial violence by using the Janjaweed militia as proxies against Darfur insurgents who launched a rebellion in early 2003. But it is civilians who are suffering. Government-sponsored actions have included:
-inflaming ethnic conflict
-impeding international humanitarian access, resulting in deadly conditions for life for displaced civilians
-bombing civilians from aircraft
-murdering and raping civilians
Darfurians who have fled the violence provide chilling testimony. One refugee told "New York Times" columnist Nicholas Kristof that "the Arabs want to get rid of anyone with black skin...There are no blacks left (in the area I fled)."
McGinness has traveled to Sudan six times and plans to go again in 2010. Since 2004, McGinness, working with CSI teams, has been personally present to document the liberation of over 1,300 men, women and children from slavery, delivering tons of medicine and grain, thousands of survival kits, and spiritual support and hope.
McGinness noted that in 1983, the same Sudanese government regime initiated what became 22 years of war when southern soldiers revolted in response to the imposition of Sharia Law by then President Nimeri. McGinness noted that this was part of Arab-led government's plan to exterminate the Christian people of southern Sudan.
McGinness complimented The United Methodist Church for its humanitarian work through Women's Division, United Methodist Committee on Relief and the individual efforts of local churches. She told about a youth group in Cady, Texas, who organized a fund-raising walk to free the slaves of Darfur for the past seven years.
McGinness told may personal stories of seeing the scorched land of Sudan, hearing the stories of families who saw their loved ones butchered before their eyes, stories of people burned to death in huts and stories of survival. She works to provide medical and spiritual aid as well as politically to free the Sudanese slaves.
McGinness expressed frustration at the United Nations for not honoring its own policy and definition of genocide, and for the inaction of the international community. Oil reserves in Sudan are valuable to the Chinese, Turkey and other oil producing nations resulting in a hands off attitude when it comes to humanitarian issues on the part of many U.N. member nations.
She suggested ordinary citizens need to keep informed and engage in community conversations about what is going on in Sudan. She suggested contacting your legislative representatives to let them know your concern and ask for the attention of the U.S. government and more accountability from the U.N.
Another way to help prevent further genocide is to contact the media through letters to the editor drawing attention to the under-reporting of what is going on there, as well as commenting on the need for public attention. Other ways to be involved include supporting relief efforts such as CSI, where $50 will free a slave or provide a "Sack of Hope." A Sack of Hope is a sack containing provisions that can mean the difference between life and death for Sudanese individuals and families.
Finally McGinness encouraged people to look at their investments and ensure that they are not investing in companies doing business in Sudan (www.sudandivestment.org).
Thirty-one people attended the weekend school with the theme "Together at the Table," and also featured Kathy Pierce of Gibbon, Neb., who taught on Food and Faith.
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Updated Haiti Volunteers in Mission information
Volunteers in Mission (VIM) is asking individuals who are interested in helping in Haiti to register in the national United Methodist database, at www.gbgm-umc.org/HaitiVolunteer. This will readily identify the experience and skills needed when forming future VIM medical, clean-up and repair/construction teams to go to Haiti.At this time the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) has advised that it is not safe or possible for volunteers to go to Haiti. The city of Port-au-Prince and the entire country are in a crisis, with severe lack of food, water and fuel, and there are significant transportation and security challenges. Bishop Joel Martinez, GBGM's interim general secretary, has alerted United Methodist bishops of the inadvisability of sending volunteers at this point. As with all natural disaster situations, no teams will be dispatched until government and military personnel have assessed that areas are deemed safe and secure. Global Ministries will advise the jurisdictional and conference coordinators when our volunteers have permission to go.
An estimated 150 to 200,000 lives have been lost in Haiti. One million people, including orphans, are now homeless. The already fragile infrastructure within the country has been severely damaged. Clearly, the recovery in Haiti will take the helping hands of many, many people. Many VIM teams will be needed to help rebuild, and the effort is expected to continue for years.
VIM's expectation is that those who will be needed first are those with specialty medical skills, etc. Therefore, please be patient if you are not contacted until a later date. Every effort to assist the country of Haiti is greatly appreciated by VIM.
For more information on Haiti or other VIM mission experiences, or to register your VIM team, contact Lisa Maupin, Nebraska VIM coordinator, at 402-898-9862 or lmaupin@bigmuddyumc.org. You can also find the Nebraska VIM group on Facebook.
Nebraska Conference designates Haiti health kit drop-off locations—kits will be collected through Feb. 8
The drop-off locations for the Nebraska United Methodist Conference Health Kit Drive have been announced, with at least one location in each district. The kits will be collected through Monday, Feb. 8 and will then be sent to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) distribution centers and disbursed to Haiti.To read about all of the details of the health kit drive, visit the "Haiti Earthquake Relief" Quick Link on this Web site. The drop-off locations are as follows:
Ogallala
Ogallala First UMC
421 N. Spruce
308-284-8455
Scottsbluff
Scottsbluff First UMC
2002 4th St.
308-635-2069
Cambridge
Cambridge UMC
620 Penn St.
308-697-4352
North Platte
North Platte First UMC
1600 West E
308-532-1478
Kearney
Kearney Faith UMC
1623 Central Ave
308-237-2550
Columbus
Columbus First UMC
2710 14th St.
402-564-8463
York
York First UMC
309 E 7th
402-362-4571
Hastings
Hastings First UMC
614 N. Hastings Ave.
402-563-6733
Grand Island
Grand Island Faith UMC
724 W. 12th
308-382-3219
Norfolk
Norfolk First UMC
406 Philip Ave
402-371-2785
Lincoln
Lincoln First UMC
2723 North 50th
Lincoln, NE 68504
402-466-1906
Drop off Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Note: Please use office entrance on 50th St.
Beatrice
Beatrice Centenary UMC
608 Elk St.
402-223-3424
Drop off Mon.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun., until 8 p.m.
May be delivered to narthex.
Omaha
Omaha First UMC
7020 Cass
402-556-6262
Auburn
Auburn First UMC
1205 L St
402-274-3329
Questions regarding the Nebraska United Methodist Conference Health Kit Drive should be directed to the Rev. Lyle Schoen, conference secretary for Global Ministries. He can be reached at 308-784-2887 or lschoen@umcneb.org.
UMCOR Advance number for earthquake in Haiti, or make donations online
The United Methodist Committe on Relief (UMCOR) has taken immediate action in setting up an Advance for earthquake relief in Haiti. According to UMCOR officials there will also be a great need for volunteers to help rebuild once the initial crisis is past, but it is not safe or possible for volunteers to go to Haiti at the present."UMCOR has always had a strong presence in Haiti," said the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, an UMCOR executive. "With this tragedy, we'll just be redoubling our efforts, and we'll be calling on people across the country to help us."
Nebraska Area Bishop Ann B. Sherer-Simpson commented, "Haiti is the poorest country in the hemisphere, and this is such a tragedy. I hope that everyone will join with me in responding through UMCOR."
Support for relief efforts can be made in a number of ways. Checks should be made payable to GCFA ADVANCE, with the name of the ministry and advance number - Haiti Emergency, Advance # 418325 - on the memo line. Mail them to: Advance GCFA, PO Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. If you are donating through your local church, please put Nebraska Conference Advance # 614 on your check.
Credit card gifts can be accepted by phone; the telephone number is 888-252-6174. Online donations can be made through UMCOR's Web site, click on the link below.
It is important to note that 100 percent of all donations goes directly to the relief effort, as all administrative and overhead costs are paid for through Mission Share giving and One Great Hour of Sharing.
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Sheree Brown joins Conference Center staff
Sheree Brown has been hired as the administrative assistant to the director of administrative services/conference treasurer for the Nebraska United Methodist Conference. She will also serve as the move coordinator and will be in charge of Safe Sanctuaries administrative work.Brown most recently served as the human resources secretary for Grand Island Public Schools. She succeeds Barb Grenemeier, who is retiring Feb. 1, after eight-plus years of service to the Conference.
"We thank Barb for her service to the United Methodist Conference and are grateful for her contributions to our ministry goals," said Director of Administrative Services/Conference Treasurer Robin Kilgore. "At the same time, we welcome Sheree to our staff and hope that you will all have an opportunity to meet her in the near future. "
She began her duties Jan. 25 and can be reached at 402-464-5994, ext. 114 or sbrown@umcneb.org.
Confirmation Day scheduled for Feb. 20
Confirmation Day will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Lincoln First United Methodist Church, 2723 N. 50th St.
Confirmation Day is about gathering confirmands from across the state to celebrate this special experience of the confirmation journey.
During this day confirmands will celebrate their common heritage, examine their call to serve, learn about social holiness, as well as receive an introduction to Nebraska Wesleyan University. The day will include worshiping together and celebrating in the Baptismal Renewal through Holy Communion and a special Blessing from Bishop Ann Brookshire Sherer-Simpson.
Attached below are the registration form and the tentative schedule. If you have further questions, please contact the Rev. Pauletta Lehn at 402-465-2398.
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Save the dates—Rethink Church event, March 19 and 20, at Springfield UMC
Rethink Church, a conference on welcoming and evangelism, will be held on March 19 and 20, at the Springfield United Methodist Church in Springfield, Neb. Workshop leaders Kathryn Witte and Lisa Maupin will bring fresh material they acquired from recent trainings with United Methodist Communications in Nashville.Friday, March 19, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., will be a training day for individuals who plan to commit to presenting the Rethink Church program to congregations in their district. Each participant will be asked to sign a covenant agreeing to teach Rethink Church at least twice in 2010.
On Friday evening, at 5 p.m., registration will begin for Rethink Church for congregations. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m., followed by a panel discussion and entertainment.
Saturday will begin with worship at 9 a.m., and include a full day of topics, such as Welcoming as a Lifestyle; Identity; Unique Characteristics of Seekers Ages 18-34; Discover/Design/Do; Children and Young People's Ministry, and more. The afternoon will include breakout sessions.
Registration is $40 for an individual, $125 for groups of four to seven attending from the same congregation and $200 for eight or more attending from the same congregation (there is no maximum number of people that can attend from one congregation, however if you plan to bring 20 or more, please contact Kathryn Witte at kwitte@umcneb.org). Registration is coming soon.
Horizons of Faith 2010 will take place March 12-14
This year's Horizons of Faith event will be March 12-14, at Omaha First UMC, 7020 Cass St. Two prominent speakers are lined up to speak on the topic "Justice for the Common Good."The Rev. Dr. Emilie M. Townes, a native of Durham, N.C., is an American Baptist clergywoman, editor, author, and is currently the first Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African American Religion and Theology at Yale University Divinity School. She is also a founding member the Initiative on Religion and Politics at Yale. She has written "Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil" and "Breading the Fine Rain of Death: African American Health Issues and a Womanist Ethic of Care," among others.
Tex Sample is a former Academic Dean at Saint Paul School of Theology who now lives in Phoenix, where he is active in The Valley Interfaith Project and Interfaith Worker Justice. A native of Brookhaven, Miss., he pastored churches for eight years and served as the director of Social Relations of the Massachusetts Council of Churches for three years. Sample works and teaches in the areas of U.S. culture and lifestyles, social theory and change, and theological ethics. He has authored many books, including "Earthy Mysticism: Spirituality for Unspiritual People," and "Blue Collar Resistance and the Politics of Jesus: Doing Ministry with Working Class Whites."
Full weekend registration includes lunch on Saturday and is $45 if postmarked on or before Feb. 19; it is $65 if postmarked after Feb. 19. Friday evening lecture and reception only: $20. All are welcome to attend Sunday events without cost.
Make checks payable to First UMC; the registration form is attached below. View the complete schedule and information on lodgings in the brochure attached below. For additional information call Sue Rood at 402-556-6262, or send e-mail to Sue.Rood@fumcomaha.org. The registration form can also be downloaded at the Horizons of Faith Web site, click on the link below.
This annual event is sponsored by Omaha First UMC and Soul Desires Bookstore.
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Register now for Marcia McFee workshop at Lincoln Trinity UMC on April 16-17
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.
McFee will be leading worship at Trinity UMC on Sunday, April 18, at 10:30 a.m., the general public is invited to attend.
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
Continue to "Rethink Church" in the New Year—Lenten resources now available
While the "Rethink Church" campaign was launched back in May of 2009, it is not "over" now that Christmas is past and a new year is upon us. It is an on-going, perpetual, everyday process.Still not clear on just what "Rethink Church" is? As summarized on United Methodist Communications' Web site, "RETHINK CHURCH is a new welcoming campaign that will raise awareness of The United Methodist Church by posing the rhetorical question, 'What if church were a verb?' It is an evolution of the denomination's 'Open hearts' advertising and welcoming ministry."
What does this mean for you and your church? Why should you get involved? Find the answer to these and other questions by clicking on the "Rethink Church 101" link below.
An integral piece of the campaign is the 10 Thousand Doors Web site. The Rethink Church advertisements urge audiences to visit this new, dynamic site that seeks to reframe church as a verb. It will provide visitors with the opportunity to explore church as a 365-day active experience, revealing the myriad paths that lead to and from Sunday worship -- all paths that lead seekers into spiritual interaction and faith discovery. It will demonstrate how United Methodists are engaged in the world around us, and invite seekers to participate in the United Methodist mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Visit it now if you haven't already.
The Lenten resources centered around Rethink Church are titled "A Journey to Hope," they are now available as free downloads. Click on the second link below to do so at United Methodist Communications' Web site.
Is your church's Find-A-Church page up-to-date?
Pastors, have you taken a look at your Find-A-Church profile lately, to ensure that everything is up-to-date? Or have you entered any information at all?
United Methodist Communications has created a wonderful tool that gives you the opportunity to create a free online profile for your church. The new tool is called "Find-A-Church." It can even serve as your Web page if you do not have a Web site.
All you have to do is go to the United Methodist Church Web site, www.umc.org, and click on the "Find-A-Church" link at the top of the page in the blue bar. Or you can use the "Find-A-Church" Quick Link located on this site.
Once you are on the "Find-A-Church" page, choose to update your church's information. There is even a tutorial to walk you through the steps if you need assistance. We encourage you to input as much information as possible, including photos. Perhaps instead of using a photo of your church building, you might use one showing one of your church's ministries in action. Take into consideration what will speak to people, and make them want to visit your church.
Updating your church information and specific ministries is an excellent way for you to issue a strong online invitation to seekers. We encourage you to make it a New Year's resolution to make sure your church's Find-A-Church profile is complete and up-to-date!
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New Testament scholar to speak at First-Plymouth in Lincoln on April 22
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity, will combine historical-critical rigor, literary-critical sensitivity, and a frequent dash of humor at her two lectures at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln. On Thursday, April 22, at 7 p.m., she will talk about "Jesus, the Jewish Story Teller." On Friday, April 23 (time and cost TBA) she will present a workshop for educators and clergy on anti-Jewish preaching and teaching.Levine has held office in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association (she is presently the New Testament book review editor for the Catholic Biblical Quarterly), and the Association for Jewish Studies. She is a self-described "Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominantly Protestant divinity school in the buckle of the Bible belt."
She is the author of "The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus," the edited collection; "The Historical Jesus in Context;" and the 14-volume series "Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings." She has also recorded "Introduction to the Old Testament," "Great Figures of the Old Testament" and "Great Figures of the New Testament" for the Teaching Company.
Levine received her Ph.D. from Duke University, and honorary doctorates from the University of Richmond, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, and the University of South Carolina-Upstate. She has been awarded grants from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. Her rich, humorous lectures will be filled with a great deal of knowledge. For more information, contact Tammy Alvis at 402-476-7565 or email her at tammy@fistplymouth.org.