Twin Cities District
Connecting United Methodists in Minneapolis and Saint Paul
Transforming Lives

Liz Lopez, Superintendent	July 2010
Pamela Pettit, Editor	(612) 230-6146; fax (612) 870-1034 twincitiesdistrict@minnesotaumc.org www.minnesotaumc.org/twincities

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In This Issue

• Learnings from Liz
• Developing Congregations
• Strengthening Clergy and Lay Leadership
• Training and Equipping Events
• Global Health and Connection
• Eliminating Poverty in Community with the Poor
• Superintendent's Calendar 

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Last Opportunity!

Estimated apportionments for 2011 have been sent to every church. Please contact BJ Olsen at the conference office by July 15 with corrected data or to confirm that the data is correct. Phone: (612) 230-6138. Right or wrong, that data will be used to calculate the final 2011 apportionments first thing on July 16. There will be no recalculations after July 15!

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Learnings from Liz . . .

Monitoring the Health of the Minnesota Annual Conference for the Implementation of its Vision/Mission

Measurement #1: +1 

Congratulations to: 

• Chad and Stinna Koppes, baby James
• Leah and Todd Rosso, baby Olive
• Tyler and Eleanor Christiansen, baby Wesley
• Rachel and Jerad Morey, baby Abraham

for helping us move towards +1 in new members! 

Blessings,

liz

 

Welcome the following new appointments to the district

Rev. Donna Dempewolf has been appointed to Living Spirit UMC after serving five years as Associate Pastor of White Bear Lake UMC.	Rev. Sarah Lawton has been appointed to the newly merged Grace and Trinity UMC after serving the past two years at Fosston and Erskine UMC's.	Rev. Rachel Morey has been appointed to Mosaic UMC, a new church start in Brooklyn Center, after serving Riverview UMC in Brooklyn Park for four years.

Rev. Carrie Binnie has been appointed to Discovery UMC after serving as an Associate Pastor at Messiah UMC for three years.	Rev. Jae Woo Park has been appointed to Korean Evangelical UMC after PhD studies at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Not pictured: 

Rev. Deb DeMeester will be serving as an interim at First UMC.

Rev. Lori Nielsen will join her husband, Rev. Chip Nielsen, serving at Arlington Hills UMC.

Rev. Paula Colton will be serving at Hennepin Avenue UMC.

Rev. Cynthia Williams will be serving at both Camphor Memorial UMC and Park Avenue UMC.

Rev. Peter Boehlke and Rev. Pat Hinker will be serving an interim year at the newly merged Hamline Church. 

Thank you for your years of service  

We celebrate the ministry of Rev. Greg Garman and Rev. Pat Hinker who retired this year. 

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United Methodism's Four Foci for the Quadrennium 

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Updates from MissionInsite: (your conference provided demographics source) www.MissionInsite.com

• You may now upload congregants on the new MissionInsite Interface. Please take time to read the instructions for uploading congregants. Look for "Congregants" in the "Tools" menu.
• Mosaic Impact: A new ministry lifestyle application. Discover the household types around your church to develop contextually relevant ministry. Especially helpful for leadership, hospitality, education, small groups, and outreach. To start using this feature go the to "Help" menu, select "Documents," and download the "Mission Impact Guide."
• Psychographics: This application is useful insight for after you have done all the research for demographic trends and lifestyle segment expectation. It is especially useful to design intercessory prayers for relevant worship; focus training for mentors and small group leaders; and develop educational curricula for youth and adutls. The smaller the research area, the more revealing the psychographic data. Pay special attention to those viewpoints that are well above or below the state average. Click "Build Report" and choose "Viewpoint." Then choose from the seven categories to receive insight into the local uniqueness within the designated mission field. 

If your church has not started using MissionInsite please contact Vivienne at (612) 230-6150 for set-up information.

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Caring and Sharing 

 

Sympathies to

• The family of Rev. Toby Horst, who died June 3.
• The family of Jean Noren, former conference employee, who died June 3.
• The family of Rev. Joseph Harley Thompson, who died June 22.
• The family of Rev. William Kvale, who died June 29.

Prayers for

• Immigration Policy Reform. Minnesota has been assigned to pray during the week of July 11 to 17.
• Helen Reiners, wife of Rev. Ken Reiners, recovering from surgery.
• Tornado victims.

Congratulations to

• Doris Acton, Parish Nurse at Normandale Hylands, on having a clinic named after her in Sierra Leone because of the work she has done with OC Ministries.
• Olivet UMC on becoming a Minnesota Conference historical site.
• Rev. Carrie Binnie, Rev. Leigh Brown, and Rev. Carol Zaagsma, on their ordanation as full elders.
• Rev. Sarah Lawton on her commissioning as an elder.
• Rev. Kay Schroder-Hacklander and Cynthia Williams on their commissioning as deacons.

Join in our connectedness by praying with our district superintendent for the following churches, their pastors, parish, and leaders:

• Centennial
• Fairmount Avenue 
• Hennepin Avenue 
• Korean Evangelical
• Minnehaha
• Recovery Church 

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Faith Communities and Federal Funding with Joshua DuBois, the Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, July 13. Breakfast presentation from 8:30-9:30 a.m.; workshop from 9:45-11:30 a.m. Learn more about how your faith community can partner with the federal government to build the common good. To be held at the Sabes Jewish Community Center (4330 Cedar Lake Rd S, St. Louis Park). This event is part of the Inter-Religious Breakfast Dialogues sponsored by Representative Keith Ellison's office. RSVP to Betty Folliard.

Faith Community Emergency Preparedness Workshop: ready, set, go! July 15, 8:30-11:30 a.m., Currie Conference Center (1200 Currie Ave N, Minneapolis). Each organization attending will receive a toolkit to assist you with developing your organization's emergency plan. Register at www.surveymonkey.com/s/Mpls. For further information contact Mary at (952) 563-8995. Offered in partnership by City of Minneapolis Emergency Preparedness and Bloomington Public Health with support from Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Medical Response System.

Mission-centered Ministry: Aug. 13, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Brooklyn UMC, Brooklyn Center, led by Doug Anderson of the Rueben Job center. Align ministry consistent with the mission of your church. Explore current models of service, evangelism, faith sharing in small groups, testimonies in worship, and invitational evangelism. $25/person or $100/congregation. Register at https://events.minnesotaumc.org.  

Disciple Bible Study Facilitator Training: Choose either Aug. 23 at Advent UMC, Eagan, or Aug. 28 at Fairmont UMC, Fairmont, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Help people discover God's Word for themselves. $75 includes lunch and materials. Register at https://events.minnesotaumc.org.

Advanced Lay Speaker trainings: Sept. 11, Aitkin UMC, Go Preach! $30, register by Sept. 1; and Sept. 24-25, Riverside UMC, Park Rapids, Dancing with Words: $30, register by Sept. 14. For information and registration contact Marion at (218) 837-5054.  

Basic and Advanced Lay Speaking Training: Sept. 25, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Faith UMC, Olivia, $20 includes materials and lunch. Advance reading required. (From Your Heart to Theirs: Delivering an Effective Sermon, for the Advanced class) Contact Audrey Asp at (507) 752-7809 for information and registration by Aug. 15.

The IN Conference: Sept. 14-16, Atlanta, GA, a chruch leadership conference: invite, involve, inspire, invest, integrity. Speakers include Dan Reeves, Bishop Larry Goodpaster, Bishop Mike Watson, Dan Kimball, Dr. Jan Love, and Dr. Bob Pierson. Visit the leadership nexus website for more information. Register by Aug. 15 for a discount.

Church Transformation Leadership Institute: Sept. 14-16, St. Louis, MO. Learn how to turn churches from decline to growth, what the common factors for growing churches are, and receive the tools to go back and begin the process. Featured speaker is Bob Farr, Director of Congregational Excellence for the MO UMC Annual Conference. He grew his last church from 350 to 1200. This is part of the Healthy Church Initiative. Register with Ken Willard at (636) 346-7172. 

Christian Educators Fellowship: Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to noon, Cross Winds UMC, Maple Grove. Jan Slagter will lead the session on Advent Festival. Contact Karen at (651) 423-2475 for further information.

Stewardship Leadership and Best Practices for Ministry in Challenging Times: Sept. 23, Normandale Hylands UMC, Bloomington, led by Dr. Lovett Weems, director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Receive proven ideas for enhancing stewardship resources for ministry in challenging times. $35/person or $100/church team of five to eight. Register at https://events.minnesotaumc.org. 

Inward, Godward, and Outward: Three Basic Ministry Movements for a Strong Small Church:  Sept. 29, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sebeka UMC, for lay and clergy in teams, led by Julia Kuhn Wallace, formerly of the GBOD. Cultivate a positive church identity that attracts people; utilize the "Means of Grace" to develop growing, active disciples; and begin a new ministry that will transform lives in your community. $20 (includes lunch). Register at https://events.minnesotaumc.org. 

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Planning Ahead?

October:

• 2—UMW Annual Gathering, Grand Rapids
• 3—World Communion Sunday
• 7-9—UMM Four-counference Rally, Arlington SD
• 7-10—Leadership Institute, The UMC of the Resurrection, Leawood, KS
• 9—Fall Urban Congress, St. Anthony Park UMC
• 15-17—NCJ Commission on Religion and Race: Challenging Business as Usual, Milwaukee, WI
• 18—Methodist Matters II, Normandale Hylands UMC, featuring Rev. Dr. David Bard on Methodism and Beanie Rankin from GCFA on membership records 
• 22-24—Native American Ministry Fall Retreat, Northern Pines
• 22-25—National CEF, Loiusville, KY

November:

• 5-7—JUMYs
• 12-14—Exploration of Ministry for ages 18-24, St. Paul
• 28—UM Student Day special offering

2011 Christian Home Month Theme: Families Called to Justice

Jan. 29—The New Leadership Required by a Mission Field in Change, Normandale Hylands UMC

February:

• 4-6—UMYs
• 25-26—Confirmation Gathering, Good Samaritan UMC
• 25-27—Passion for Ministry

April 2—SPLASH 2011~Energizing Your Children and Family Ministry! Centennial UMC

May 31-June 3—Annual Conference

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Clergy Training and Equipping Events

Clergy Benefits Academy: Oct. 4-6, West Des Moines, IA. Register by Aug. 27 at www.gbophb.org; "Events & Education."

Realizing the Promise: Applying Adaptive Leadership Strategies to Large Church Systems (200+ AWA): Online training August 2010-May 2011; Oct. 4-7 at CrossRoads UMC, Lakeville. Learn using personal and congregational assessment tools, coaching, and webinars. Registration is on the conference website.

The New Reality Conversations Road Tour: Be in conversation with Bishop Dyck and Cindy Gregorson arount the new realities affecting their life and ministry. Sept. 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Eden Prairie UMC; Oct. 1, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Brooklyn UMC; Oct. 18, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Centennial UMC; and Oct. 18, 2:30-4:30 p.m. at Hennepin Avenue UMC. See the Clergy Matters page on the conference website for further information.

Rethink Church: The Lab: First Thursday's, Oct. through May, 9 a.m. to noon. Read, talk, process, and dream new ways of being church and use tools of adaptive leadership. Contact Cindy Gregorson for further information. 

Living Our Call: A Reconnect to Call Retreat: Oct. 26-28, Villa Maria, Frontenac, led by trained facilitators from the Center of Courage and Renewal. Register on the Conference website.   

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Upcoming Fellowship Events and Celebrations

West African Cultural and Family Day: July 31, 2 p.m., at the Center for Families (3333 N Fourth St, Minneapolis). Activities are free, although donations will be accepted, and include cultural performances, art, sports, food, and much more. Contact Edmund at (612) 276-1571 x205 for more information.

 

New Day Gala of Stars: Aug. 22, 4-7 p.m., Cross Winds UMC, Maple Grove, $50/person with all ticket sales going directly to New Day outreach and ministries. New Day UMC is a new church start in the Big Lake area. Come and be spoiled with fabulous food, lively entertainment, and inspiring stories of God's life-changing activities. Have your picture taken with stars such as Jack Sparrow, James Bond, or Marilyn Monroe. Enjoy movie trivia and participate in the silent auction. Church groups are encouraged to donate a theme basket for the auction. Visit www.shop.NewDay-UMC.org for further information and reservations. 

 

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Resources

 

Microsoft Office 2010 is now available from TechShop for 82% off the retail price. Visit www.techshopministry.org or call (888) 346-3862. A ministry of UM Communications.

Live chat with InfoServ: InfoServ, the UMC's official information service, now offers an online "live chat" feature that allows customers to communicate directly with representatives. "Chat with InfoServ" enables real-time conversations for those who have questions about UM beliefs, practices, ministries, and more. Visit InfoServ and click on "Chat with InfoServ." Customers may submit questions via e-mail. Answers to the most frequently asked questions are also available online.

Ethnic Local Church Grants: Aug. 10 is the deadline to apply for an Ethnic Local Church Grant from the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS). The grants are to strengthen ethnic minority local churches through education, advocacy, or leadership development as they engage in social justice. The project must focus on needs identified by ethnic local churches as they address one or more chronic social problems or concerns. The intent of the grants program is to provide start-up money. Therefore, priority goes to first-time applicants. For more information, contact Rev. Neal Christie at (202) 488-5611 or visit www.umc-gbcs.org: click on the Leadership Development tab, and then on GBCS Grants.

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Focus 3: Global Health and Connection

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Prayer Service for Immigration Policy Reform: July 11, 4 p.m., Arlington Hills UMC (759 E Co Rd B, Maplewood). The Minnesota Conference has been assigned to pray for immigration policy reform during the week of July 11-17.

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Outreach Opportunities  

Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee program needs volunteers to help newly arrived refugees with services such as driving, enrolling in classes, setting up apartments, welcoming at the airport, and more. Volunteer as an individual or a group. You can choose to work with one family for several months or join a weekly list of volunteer opportunities and respond to the opportunities that interest you. Currently refugees are arriving from Bhutan, Burma, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Iraq. No special training is required—orientation is provided by Refugee Services. Extend Minnesota hospitality to our new residents. Contact Kristin at (612) 870-3600 to learn how to get connected.  

Joyce Preschool, a bilingual preschool at Joyce UMC in Minneapolis, needs volunteers Aug. 12, 1-3 p.m. to assist teachers getting ready for Back-to-School Camp. Volunteers are also needed throughout the year to read, help with activities and events, and provide office support. Contact Natalie at (612) 823-2447 to sign up. 

 

Vaction Bible School Teams needed: VBS or yourth sports camps are needed in the oil spill areas of Louisiana July 12-16, July 19-23, and Aug. 9-13. Contact Larry at (225) 346-1646 for scheduling your team.

 

Disaster Recovery Sites: Click here for updated lists of disaster recovery sites and where volunteers are needed.

 

Wadena Tornado Recovery: Donations are being accepted at www.givemn.org or Wadena UMC (23 Dayton SE, Wadena, MN 56482). If you give on-line please let Wadena UMC know so the people will be aware of how other Methodists are helping.

 

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Focus 4: Eliminating Poverty in Community with the Poor 

 

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You’ve probably heard the adage "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."

Food pantries and clothing closets offer a quick fix and a simple, temporary solution to some of the problems homeless people face. However, the problem of homelessness is usually deeper than a meal or a change of clothes. What if your church could empower homeless people to regain a sense of identity, purpose and worth? 

Below are five ideas to get your church thinking about a holistic ministry approach with the homeless.

1. Provide a place of grace. Shelters are available in the evenings, but clients must leave early in the morning. In many states, police can arrest homeless people for loitering in parks or around buildings. Where are the homeless supposed to go during the day? Set up a room where people can gather for a couple of hours each day. Have a phone available for local calls. Gather volunteers to serve as hosts and friends to visitors. They might also assist in connecting people with agencies and medical care.
2. Encourage good hygiene. Solicit donations of sample-size toiletry items and make hygiene kits. Inside a zip-close bag, place a washcloth, a comb, deodorant, a bar of soap, shampoo, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Some churches may offer shower facilities as well as restrooms. Set specific days and times in which the bags and the facilities are available.
3. Develop a job-training program. Persons released from an inpatient 12-step program or from prison often lack the skills or developed work ethic to be employable. Seek ways in which your church could employ someone while teaching them a marketable skill or trade. Job possibilities might include custodial work, grounds keeping, vehicle maintenance, painting or working in the church kitchen.
4. Offer a place for learning. Some homeless people still have a steady stream of income but no money-management skills. Offer one-on-one money-management and banking classes. Establish a place where people can receive help with job applications and learn interviewing skills. Consider cooperating with an alcohol- and/or drug-rehabilitation center to sponsor people who wish to receive treatment but cannot afford it. Teach people to read and write.
5. Develop a GAP (Getting At the Problem) ministry. Get to the problem that is the source of the other problems. Maybe people cannot work because they don’t have childcare. Provide childcare for the family. Is transportation an obstacle? Work with your local bus company to purchase low-cost bus tickets for people to get back and forth from work. People may be intermittently homeless because they don’t know how to manage their money. Be the teacher who helps someone learn budgeting and priority spending. People who struggle with mental illness may need someone to help contact physicians, schedule appointments and get the medication they need. How can your church fill in the GAP?

What else can your church do? Look around, listen carefully and talk to those who are homeless. See where the needs of the community and the gifts of your church intersect!

Article taken from the June 8 MyCom publication from United Methodist Communications

Simpson Housing Services is having a fund raising opportunity. Watch the Minnesota Twins from the Budweiser Roof Deck at Target Field on Sept. 4, 6:10 p.m. Tickets are $100 each and the majority is tax deductible. Call Julia at (612) 455-0865 for more information.

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Liz's Calendar: (off on Fridays)

July:

 

1-11	Vacation
12	Clergy Conversations, Centennial
13	out of office
14	Clergy Conversations, Park Avenue
15	Clergy Conversations, Camphor Memorial
19	Clergy Conversations, Brooklyn
20-21	First 100 Days
22	Clergy Conversations, Spirit of Hope
26	Clergy Conversations, Excelsior
28-Aug. 2	School of Congregational Development

 

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Reach New People!

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