News

Delay granted to defer decision on East Topeka UMC demolition

The Kansas East Conference Board of Trustees requested at the May 7 meeting that the Topeka City Council defer a decision on the conference’s request for a permit to demolish the former East Topeka United Methodist Church building located at 700 S.E. Lime.   “We are asking the council to delay making a final decision for a month to give interested parties time to pursue some other options that came to light during the community meeting,” said Rev. Kay Scarbrough, Topeka...

Heritage UMC pastor shaves head for Imagine No Malaria

Heritage UMC pastor, Rev. Russell Brown, has his head shaved in return for the congregation raising more than $3,000 for the Imagine No Malaria campaign. (photos by Cindy Svec) By Cindy Svec, special contributor The conferences of the Great Plains Area are raising funds for Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of the United Methodist Church to end the disease on the continent of...

Devotionals will help prepare for Uniting Conference

Fourteen Great Plains Area pastors have written a weekly devotional to prepare for the Aug. 22-24 Uniting Conference of the Kansas West, Kansas East and Nebraska conferences. The devotional will begin with Pentecost on May 19 and go through the week of the Uniting Conference. This is an invitation to be in prayer and devotional reading with other Great Plains United Methodists — laity and clergy — and to share this experience with your congregation. A strong spiritual foundation is...

Hinderliter to fill new youth-leader position

By Susan Cooper, Kansas communications associate director Part of the “re-imagining” for the new Great Plains Conference is an increased emphasis on working with local-church youth leaders. To help facilitate that, a revised, conference-level position has been created: coordinator of local-church youth ministry. Shane Hinderliter will be the conference coordinator of local-church youth ministry beginning July 1,...

'Playbook' for new conference presents changes for congregations

By Lisa Diehl, Kansas communications director Patrick Lencioni’s recent book, “The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business,” calls leaders of organizations (churches included) to have a playbook — a simple document outlining the answers to some predefined questions. The Great Plains Area Transition Team’s Plan of Organization draft can be viewed as an oversized playbook outlining missional priorities for the newly formed Great...

Kansas East youth take study trip to New York, D.C.

By Laura Ramsey, special contributor Youth from the Kansas East Conference outside the United Nations building in New York City during their spring break study trip. (photo by Laura Ramsey) Kansas East youth pose in front of the Capitol in Washington D.C. (photo by Laura Ramsey) Over spring break, 17 youth and six adults from the Kansas East...

Become an early responder

By Rev. Russell Anderson, special contributor Early Response Teams (ERT) meet a specific need in the early days after a disaster, such as a tornado, flood or ice storm. ERTs are not the first people into a community after a storm, but they are the first ones in after it has been cleared to by emergency management. People attending an Early Response Team training learn to tarp roofs. (photo by Steve Burnett) ...

Conferences to consider constitutional amendments

United Methodist conferences around the globe will be voting on four amendments to the United Methodist Church’s constitution during annual sessions this year. Proposed Amendment I would change Division One, Article VI of the constitution to add the word “pray” to the list of actions the denomination will take in relationship to other Methodist and non-Methodist denominations around the world in its ecumenical efforts. Proposed Amendment II would change Division Two, Section...

Ideas for your church to raise funds for Imagine No Malaria

The United Methodist Church is working to eliminate malaria deaths in Africa through the Imagine No Malaria initiative. All local churches in Kansas have been asked to host a fundraiser to support this life-saving campaign. If you haven’t already started planning what kind of Imagine No Malaria fundraiser your church will have, here are some ideas to help your congregation.   Worship focus: Have a 10-week focus during worship on the Imagine No Malaria campaign and...

Bakely appointed new Flint Hills DS

Rev. Claudia Bakely Rev. Claudia Bakely has been appointed as the new Flint Hills district superintendent, effective July 1, 2013. Bakely was born in Philadelphia, Penn., and raised in Camden, N.J. Her family moved to Kansas City in 1965. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in nursing degree in 1978 and practiced nursing for 25 years. She entered the Master of Divinity...

Hoyt UMC recovers quickly from kitchen fire

A water heater caused a fire in the kitchen of Hoyt UMC. (courtesy photo) A hot-water tank overheated March 10 at Hoyt United Methodist Church and caught the kitchen on fire. No one was injured in the fire. A neighbor and the fire department helped restrict the damage to the corner of the building. Additionally, the fire broke the water line, which also helped put out the fire inside the building. Church...

Take time to celebrate Native American Ministries

By Rev. Don Anderson, special contributor Each year, United Methodists across America celebrate Native American Ministries Sunday. A special offering is taken that is used to provide scholarships to Native Americans attending United Methodist seminaries. Half of the funds raised from the offering stay within the conference where it was collected. But there are other ways United Methodists are providing help to Native Americans. Within the boundaries of the Kansas East Conference, there are...

Jeffcoat hired as new Great Plains Area Board of Ordained Ministry registrar

Rev. Karen Jeffcoat Great Plains Bishop Scott Jones, in consultation with the area boards of ordained ministry, recently announced the selection of Rev. Karen Jeffcoat as registrar for the Great Plains Area Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM). She succeeds Rev. Micki McCorkle, who has been appointed to serve as small-membership church coordinator for the Great Plains Area. An ordained elder in the Kansas East...

Pastor uses basketball prowess to raise funds to fight malaria

By Lisa Diehl, Kansas communications director The opportunity to play basketball brought a young boy to church more than 40 years ago. Today, the man, a pastor in the Kansas West Conference, is using those skills to save lives in Africa. Rev. Kip Ryherd, left, with Mirranda, who helped at Ryherd’s free-throw challenge that raised money for Imagine No Malaria. (photo by Julie Ryherd) Rev. Kip Ryherd,...

Transition Into Ministry board announces 2013 class

The Transition Into Ministry (TIM) Board has announced the selection of Andrea Beyer, Kansas East Conference, Bill Gepford, Kansas East Conference, and Emily Cannon, Nebraska Conference, as the 2013 class of TIM associates. Beyer and Gepford recently were approved for commissioning and provisional membership by the Kansas East Board of Ordained Ministry. Cannon is an elder candidate approved for License as a Local Pastor in the Nebraska Conference. Each will receive an appointment to an...

Parsons District basketball tournament a winner for Imagine No Malaria

The Parsons District recently hosted a three-on-three basketball tournament at Parsons Wesley United Methodist Church to raise money for Imagine No Malaria. There were 17 teams entered from seven churches in the district. Most of the teams brought along their own “cheering section” of spectators who supported them in their...

Leadership team approves funds for campus ministry

The Kansas East Leadership Team approved a $9,500 grant for sidewalk improvements at the Pittsburg State University campus ministry. The sidewalk in front and to the side of the campus-ministry facility has been cracked and buckled for some time. However, recently a student in a wheelchair began attending events at the center, and this project moved up the priority list. “We had the entire sidewalk torn up and replaced,” said Rev. Josh Gooding, campus minister. “We hope this...

Join Hands on the Great Plains

In April, the congregations of the Great Plains Episcopal Area are invited to join together in service celebrating the coming together of The United Methodist Church across Nebraska and Kansas. The month-long effort culminates with Youth Service weekend April 27-28. The Hands on the Great Plains: Taking it to the Streets event calls upon congregations to seek partnerships with other community organizations to make a real difference in their communities. In mid-February, short planning videos...

New experiences await campers at Chippewa this year

By Susan Cooper, Kansas communications associate director As camping season approaches, excitement is building at Camp Chippewa, and change is in the air. “We’re working really hard on bringing new and different activities at camp—mixing some of the old with the new,” said Camp Chippewa Director Jessica Thompson. Download the 2013 camping brochure to see all the camps offered at Chippewa. ...

Staff positions announced for Great Plains Area

Bishop Scott Jones recently announced a number of appointments and staff assignments for the Great Plains Area. Effective July 1, 2013, Rev. Nancy Lambert will be the area director of Clergy Excellence and assistant to the bishop. She will serve as the staff leader for the Nebraska Conference in Lincoln. At that time, Rev. Carol Roettmer Brewer will become the associate director of Clergy Excellence for the Great Plains Area.  She plans to retire in 2014. The Great Plains Council on...