1

GPconnect ndash April 8 2020

Bishop to host online Maundy Thursday service including message communion

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr will host a conferencewide online communion service via the conference website at 7 pm CDT Thursday April 9

The livestream event featuring music liturgy prayer a message from the bishop and communion will be visible from wwwgreatplainsumcorglivestream

Participants are asked to have some form of bread and juice if possible Crackers and water are suitable substitutes

The congregational excellence team is providing a virtual Stations of the Cross service for Good Friday It can be viewed and downloaded here

Pandemic prompts schedule change for annual conference session

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted changes in the schedule for the 2020 Great Plains Annual Conference session Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr sent a letter to clergy and lay members of annual conference Wednesday April 8 notifying them that to ensure their safety he had consulted with the ministry area directors and decided to change the scheduled May 27-30 session Under the revised schedule annual conference now will be a one-day conference call to tend to items that cannot be delayed Then a more complete annual conference session will be conducted Oct 1-3 in Grand Island Nebraska The October session will include the memorial service to honor deceased clergy and clergy spouses Decisions are still pending for ordination and the honoring of retiring clergy Read more about the decision

2

Bishop shares reflection on final saying of Jesus from the cross

In the sixth of seven special episodes for the ldquoIn Laymanrsquos Termsrdquo podcast focusing on the final sayings from Christ on the cross Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr shares his reflection on Luke 2336 ldquoFather into your hands I commend my spiritrdquo

The bishop shares his thoughts with host Todd Seifert on how Jesus turned over His spirit to God after being beaten and mocked and tortured by his captors

Download the podcast

Conference provides Zoom licenses for appointed clergy

Clergy across the Great Plains Conference have been getting more and more acquainted with the video conferencing software Zoom thanks to an action by the conferencersquos Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) and both the Kansas Area United Methodist and Nebraska United Methodist foundations

CFampA agreed to use up to $200000 of its undesignated reserves to purchase annual Zoom licenses at a negotiated reduced rate for pastors appointed to local churches and extension ministries located within the boundaries of Kansas and Nebraska Both foundations also donated funds from limited amounts of undesignated monies they had at their discretion

About 10 of the total has been allocated for grants of as much as $500 in matching money for churches to enhance streaming and recording technologies (More information on grants is available toward the bottom of the page at wwwgreatplainsumcorgworship-tools)

ldquoThis is a tremendous partnership between CFampA the conference office and our foundations to help equip our pastors for ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyondrdquo said Todd Seifert conference communications director ldquoWe were able to secure a good enough deal that all of our clergy could have his or her own license to conduct large group meetings and even webinars We know some smaller congregations already have used Zoom to worship and many of our medium to large churches are using it to conduct small groups Bible studies and just to check in with parishioners for congregational carerdquo

3

The plan as approved by CFampA calls for the conference to buy the licenses for clergy for the first 12 months with no cost going to the local church The second 12 months of the two-year deal with Zoom requires churches to reimburse the conference for half of an annual license at the discounted rate which will be somewhere between $62 and $78 for the second year

ldquoZoom is helping right now during a time when we are mostly sheltering in placerdquo Seifert said ldquoBut this is really an investment in the communications infrastructure of the conference that will pay dividends after the crisis has passed too Churches will be able to use these licenses for meetings Bible study to bring in shut-ins who otherwise would miss out on interaction and to allow for networks to meet easier despite in some cases great distances between member churches

ldquoI want to publicly thank the members of CFampA and the Kansas Area and Nebraska United Methodist foundations for their willingness to provide such an important tool to our pastors and churchesrdquo Seifert continued

Clergy with any questions related to Zoom can consult instructions and links to helpful short videos on myriad subjects found toward the bottom of our clergy resources page

Send us photos of your unique Easter celebrations

Easter 2020 will be like none other Christians in our time have seen Longtime traditions are being put on hold Gatherings are unadvised Many families will be apart But knowing United Methodists in the Great Plains like we do youll make the best of the situation Were looking for pictures of how you your family and your church members are celebrating Easter this year Well compile them in an online photo album to remember this holiday that will be talked about for generations to come Email your photos to infogreatplainsumcorg so we can share them with the rest of the conference

More coronavirus news from Great Plains and beyond

bull Rev Adam Hamilton talks about how the virus has changed Church of the Resurrection and how this Easter is the most important of his career with KMBZrsquos ldquoDana amp Parksrdquo

4

bull Prairie Village Asbury UMCrsquos alternative to Easter egg hunt among celebrations in KC bull Winfield Grace UMC Kansas Veterans Home team up to make masks bull From United Methodist News Service Being the church at the epicenter of the pandemic bull UMNS Chaplains comfort share grief during COVID-19 bull UMNS New law helps churches amid COVID-19 bull UMNS New Easter hymn written for coronavirus era bull UMNS In East Ohio food distribution shifts with COVID-19 bull Discipleship Ministries Worldwide virtual choir to sing lsquoChrist the Lord is Risen Todayrsquo airing

Friday bull Stories of creativity compassion continue in Great Plains bull Stay up to date with our coronavirus page

Clergy Excellence

Clergy resources available on coronavirus page of GP website

When we were considering all the ways that we could help equip clergy for 2020 we never would have imagined that we would be experiencing a global pandemic The ripples of these weeks are spreading into each of our lives and churches

Clergy church staff and lay leaders are innovating stretching and thriving as you reach to meet new challenges And yet wersquore all carrying burdens and facing challenges in which we could never have imagined Yet God continues to invite us into deeper ways of learning and trust New life is sprouting in places and some ground is lying fallow And all of it is for Godrsquos glory

In the midst of this quickly changing season the Clergy Excellence staff are identifying and curating resources that can nourish your practices and nurture your soul As yoursquore asking questions and identifying possibilities would you take a look at the Clergy Resources section on the Coronavirus section of our website And know that we are holding you in prayer as you lead others mdash and yourselves mdash during this new season

--Rev Ashlee Alley Crawford Clergy Excellence

For clergy during pandemic Holy Week its about surviving one day at a time

The worldwide pandemic and the Christian world are intersecting this week in the days leading up to Easter

5

Holy Week is a profound week in the life of the church the Rev Shelly Petz writes in her Clergy Faith amp Wellness blog It also looks incredibly different right now from what we have known I invite you to consider how it is you need to process this now or next week or sometime to process your grief thoughts questions and experiences

Read her blog here

Equipping Disciples

lsquoCatch Firersquo with Easter season sermon ideas devotional

Has your church decided on the next sermon series Are you looking for guides for devotions and ideas for Sunday sermonsdevotions to share a word of Hope each week in the Easter season Check out ldquoCatch Fire in 50 Days Joining the Movement of Godrsquos Mission in the Worldrdquo Following Easter you are invited to participate and receive sermon outlines multimedia support small group templates and daily devotionals for April 12 to May 31 More will be posted at greatplainsumcorgholy-week with a registration link if you would like to receive a book and further tools sent directly to you for the series The Great Plains Daily Devotional for the 50 Days of Easter will include daily devotionals from Catch Fire in 50 Days You are welcome to copy the devotionals or resend the devotionals to your congregations You may repost the daily devotionals or distribute them You can sign up for the Great Plains devotionals via email every day at greatplainsumcorgdailydevotions Read more information here

--Rev Nicole Conard Congregational Excellence

6

Video available from lsquoTelling Old Story in New Wayrsquo webinar

Jason Moore Midnight Oil Productions conducted a 90-minute workshop of ldquoTelling the Old Story in a New Wayrdquo on Tuesday This seminar and its recording is only for Great Plains Conference churches

It is a primer on shifting practices from in-person to virtual how to offer worship beyond online (for the technologically challenged) best practices for creating worship that lasts beyond the moment and guest readiness guide and tips to offer a deeper sense of community Below is the recording and handouts

Enjoy viewing it from the link provided but please do not share through any social media

Check out the workshop here (Webinar begins at the 2000 mark)

For resources links and the handbook to go along side

Despite uncertainty Camp Fontanelle is continuing to plan for summer

Camp Fontanelle continues to plan for the summer even with the uncertainty of what that may look like The camp encourages people to continue registering to attend summer camp If by chance the current COVID-19 pandemic affects how summer camp will look individuals and families will be contacted with options

Canceled Events Currently three events have been affected by the directed health measure mandated for Washington County The annual Easter Family Fun Day to be held on April 5 and the May 2 and May 9 Service Days at camp have been canceled Site Director Trent Meyer says if there are individuals who would like to come out to camp and help clean repair and prepare the camp for the summer season contact him at 402-459-0686 No more than 10 can be gathered in one area but there is much that needs to be done and volunteers can be spread throughout the camp Meyer will work with those individuals in organizing a date time and project Early Bird Discount Extended The Early Bird special for the Guardian Angel and SonShine camps have been extended through April 30 This special gives 50 off each registration to these adult and child camps The discount will be applied by the camp through the April 30 date If there are questions about registering please contact Communications Coordinator Jane Van Horn at jvanhorngreatplainsumcorg or 402-278-0526 Camp Newsletter The spring newsletter has been postponed until there is more concrete information

7

on how the pandemic will affect programming at camp It is also being postponed for the health of the volunteers who gather to assemble the letter Communications will continue via email and Facebook If you have not liked the camp FB page please do so If you are not on the email list please contact Van Horn to be added Continue to pray for the camp your community and those affected by this COVID-19 outbreak

-- Jane Van Horn Camp Fontanelle

Mercy amp Justice

Embracing and affirming all persons regardless of country of origin

The United Methodist Social Principles state ldquoWe recognize embrace and affirm all persons regardless of country of origin as members of the family of God We affirm the right of all persons to equal opportunities for employment access to housing health care education and freedom from social discrimination We urge the Church and society to recognize the gifts contributions and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all We oppose immigration policies that separate family members from each other or that include detention of families with children and we call on local churches to be in ministry with immigrant families para162(H)

During these times filled with fear and uncertainty because of COVID-19 there are many groups of people living with additional trauma In one of these groups are the over 700000 dreamers or DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court whether this program will be ended or can continue Dreamers have been living here for decades having been brought to our country as young children To receive deferred action (being allowed to get a work permit and not being deported for two years at a time) they had to undergo strict background checks and submit many documents

Over 25000 doctors physician assistants and nurses are DACA recipients Thousands have been working as teachers and paraprofessionals in our schools and continue to work with their students long-distance during this pandemic

Rev Orlando Gallardo Parra a member of the Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church and a DACA recipient shares

ldquoImmigration is a touchy subject for some It has been highly politicized Democrats vs Republicans Conservatives vs Liberals etc Yet what does our faith tell us to do as Christians Jesus made it clear to us in the Gospels that we ought to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves The story of the

8

Good Samaritan comes to mind Jews and Samaritans didnt like each other In the story Jesus wants to make a point about who our neighbor is

ldquoWe would like to say that our neighbor is that nice lady across the street Our neighbor is the handsome guy who waves at us almost every morning Yes they are your neighbors Jesus says Yet how about those undocumented immigrants that you dont like They are the good Samaritans How about those who wear MAGA hats Yes they are your neighbors as well We have to love everyone even those people that we dont like

ldquoIt is time to set politics aside and focus on what really matters Our primary purpose as Christians is to be witnesses of the Gospel We witness by the way in which we live our lives How do we love our neighbor 1 John 420 reads Those who say I love God and hate their brothers or sisters are liars for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen As Christians we cannot say that we love God while at the same time we scream at immigrants to go back to their country When we do this we are not being faithful witnesses of the gospel

ldquoSo Jesus reminds us to love God with our heart soul and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves Who is my neighbor you may ask God says everyone even the least of these so love themrdquo

If you are interested in finding out more about the Great Plains Immigration Rapid Response Team please contact Sandy Sypherd at ssyherdwindstreamnet or Andrea Paret at amparet08yahoocom

Great Plains churches make dreams come true through partnerships

The Great Plains Mercy amp Justice team is sharing stories and letters from students we are supporting through our International Partnerships It is exciting to be connected to people from around the world Godrsquos love has no borders

ldquoMy name is Stella Uziel Gideon from Taraba state in Nigeria I am studying at Africa University in the College of Health Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CHANS) as a second-year student majoring in medical laboratory sciences My educational aspiration consists of acquiring a bachelorrsquos degree in any biological or health science that would assist me in pursuing a medical career as a doctor On the other hand my career vision is to one day be able to provide affordable health care services There are many things that I am certain about in regard to myself and two of them are an unquenchable thirst for learning and my mission of making a significant difference in the lives of others Waking up each and every day and seeing my dream coming true gives me extra energy to work hard and appreciate the opportunity given to me

ldquoI always dreamed of achieving so many things in my life but I never thought it could be this easy for me to achieve my goal The Great Plains Conference through this special scholarship has so far helped me to

8

Good Samaritan comes to mind Jews and Samaritans didnt like each other In the story Jesus wants to make a point about who our neighbor is

ldquoWe would like to say that our neighbor is that nice lady across the street Our neighbor is the handsome guy who waves at us almost every morning Yes they are your neighbors Jesus says Yet how about those undocumented immigrants that you dont like They are the good Samaritans How about those who wear MAGA hats Yes they are your neighbors as well We have to love everyone even those people that we dont like

ldquoIt is time to set politics aside and focus on what really matters Our primary purpose as Christians is to be witnesses of the Gospel We witness by the way in which we live our lives How do we love our neighbor 1 John 420 reads Those who say I love God and hate their brothers or sisters are liars for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen cannot love God whom they have not seen As Christians we cannot say that we love God while at the same time we scream at immigrants to go back to their country When we do this we are not being faithful witnesses of the gospel

ldquoSo Jesus reminds us to love God with our heart soul and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves Who is my neighbor you may ask God says everyone even the least of these so love themrdquo

If you are interested in finding out more about the Great Plains Immigration Rapid Response Team please contact Sandy Sypherd at ssyherdwindstreamnet or Andrea Paret at amparet08yahoocom

Great Plains churches make dreams come true through partnerships

The Great Plains Mercy amp Justice team is sharing stories and letters from students we are supporting through our International Partnerships It is exciting to be connected to people from around the world Godrsquos love has no borders

ldquoMy name is Stella Uziel Gideon from Taraba state in Nigeria I am studying at Africa University in the College of Health Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CHANS) as a second-year student majoring in medical laboratory sciences My educational aspiration consists of acquiring a bachelorrsquos degree in any biological or health science that would assist me in pursuing a medical career as a doctor On the other hand my career vision is to one day be able to provide affordable health care services There are many things that I am certain about in regard to myself and two of them are an unquenchable thirst for learning and my mission of making a significant difference in the lives of others Waking up each and every day and seeing my dream coming true gives me extra energy to work hard and appreciate the opportunity given to me

ldquoI always dreamed of achieving so many things in my life but I never thought it could be this easy for me to achieve my goal The Great Plains Conference through this special scholarship has so far helped me to

9

pay for my school supplies my food and my room amp board The scholarship awarded to me has pushed me to continue pursuing my medical laboratory science degree and my dream of becoming a successful laboratory scientist The scholarship has lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school which is learning

ldquoTo the Great Plains churches I want to say thank you for helping students like myself achieve such an important step in life Thanks to you I am a few steps closer to this goal Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community I hope to one day be able to help students achieve their goals just like you have helped merdquo

Disaster Response

No UMCOR kits for AC send to hospitals health departments schools

Due to the revised date of Annual Conference we will not be gathering UMCOR Relief Kits for delivery to our Salt Lake City Depot If you have completed kits in preparation please check with your local hospitals and health departments for donating Cleaning and Hygiene Kits Check with your local school system for donating your School Kits We apologize for any inconvenience that has caused

-- Rev Hollie Tapley disaster response coordinator

Resources

Combating loneliness amid COVID-19 crisis

Although important for public health social distancing and isolation practices are beginning to take a toll Here are tips for church leaders to combat the loneliness experienced by their flocks families and even themselves

Read more here

10

Administration

Nebraska UM Foundation announces COVID-19 Emergency Fund grants

Due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation is announcing a COVID-19 Emergency Fund grant opportunity available to Nebraska United Methodist churches Due to the generosity of several donors a matching gift and the Foundationrsquos Gifts from The Heart funds the Foundation currently has over $35000 available to distribute to Nebraska Churches Of these donations $2000 has been designated to support the new Technology Grant effort provided by the Conference

These grants are available to support Nebraska churches as they continue to navigate through this crisis Any Nebraska United Methodist Church in need is welcome to apply You do not need to have an account with us to be considered

There are 112 grants available in the amount of $300 each The grants are made for the following areas of funding

bull Mission and Ministry to include but not limited to mission and ministry line items in a churchrsquos general budget ie Christian education or youth group choir Bible study etc

bull Greatest Needs to include but not limited to operating costs and technology needs not covered under the Conference grant

Grant applications will be processed and awarded on a first-come first-served basis Only one application per church will be accepted The grants will be given out on a rolling basis should the emergency fund continue to grow through generous donations If you would like to donate to this fund please visit our website at wwwnumforg or call us at 402-323-8844

The application deadline is Friday April 17 Grant checks will be mailed by the end of April To apply online please visit our website at wwwnumforg

Thank you to fellow generous United Methodists who made these grants possible

--Nebraska United Methodist Foundation

11

Resources guidance available on Paycheck Protection Program Loans

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) can provide churches and other non-profits with funds to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs plus other expenses through a loan from the US Small Business Administration If your church is interested in the program the Great Plains website has helpful resources and links at wwwgreatplainsumcorgppp

Please note churches are free to get an application started immediately but the conferencersquos legal counsel advises that congregations should get approval from their Finance Committee and Church Council (or equivalent) before taking out a PPP loans Model resolutions for those actions can be found at our PPP-dedicated page

If your church has a PPP-related questions and you are struggling to find an answer wersquore here to help You can contact Assistant Treasurer Niki Buesing at nbuesinggreatplainsumcorg or accountant Darci Koci at dkocigreatplainsumcorg Niki and Darci have years of accounting experience and have both gone through the complete PPP loan application process

--Scott Brewer treasurerdirector of administrative services

Finance Friday Webinar off this week will return on April 17

In commemoration of Good Friday there will be no Finance Friday webinar during this Holy Week Our next webinar will be at noon CDT11am MDT on April 17 Wersquoll talk with Rev Dr Dustin Petz executive director of the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation To join the conversation on April 17 via Zoom please go to httpszoomusj954636464 or connect directly via the Zoom app using Meeting ID 954-636-464

--Scott Brewer

12

Across the Connection

Wichita Saint Mark hosting Holy Week conversation

Wichita Saint Mark UMC is hosting a Zoom conversation about Holy Week with religious leaders from Wichita and across the country at 7 pm Friday on its Facebook page

In other news

bull Prayers donations help in aftermath of storms bull South Carolina woman cooks dinner for church in thanks bull Houston pastor still preaching after guilty plea bull African worshippers find home in Michigan

Newsletters

bull Communication Essentials April 8 2020 bull Leading Ideas April 8 2020 bull Discipleship Ministries Childrenrsquos ministry April 7 2020 bull A sermon for every Sunday April 7 2020 bull The Source April 7 2020 bull Ministry Matters April 6 2020 bull Mission Link with Dr David Upp April 2020 bull Discipleship Ministries Worship Planning April 6 2020 bull Leading Ideas Talks April 4 2020 bull Ministry Matters April 2 2020 bull Equipping Disciples April 2 2020 bull Safe Gatherings April 2 2020 bull Nebraska United Methodist Foundation April 2 2020

13

Blogs and commentaries

bull lsquoHow the Virus Stole Easterrsquo With a nod to Dr Seuss South Carolina blogger Kristi Bothur depicts the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath for churches and their pastors in poetic form ldquoThere wonrsquot be church services and egg hunts are outNo reason for new dresses when we canrsquot go aboutHoly Week started as bleak as the restThe world was focused on masks and on testsldquoEaster canrsquot happen this yearrdquo they proclaimedldquoOnline and at home it just wonrsquot be the samerdquo

bull From under the sea to social distancing Before entering ministry the Rev Chris Yost served six years in the US Navy including 423 days aboard a submarine Yost pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Greenville Texas shares tips for those challenged by social distancing and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic

bull Shadow side of social distancing United Methodist Deaconess Darlene Marquez-Caramanzana from the Philippines reflects on how social distancing while a public health necessity magnifies social inequities

Classifieds

bull Chief financial officer needed at EmberHope Youthville bull Communications director needed at Schweitzer UMC Springfield MO bull Lenexa UMC Seeks full-time director of youth ministries bull Davidson NC UMC is seeking a full-time director of youth ministries bull Salina Trinity UMC seeks organistaccompanist bull Part-time organist needed at First UMC Wichita bull Summer program staff positions open at Camp Lakeside