News

Quinter UMC helps during bus crisis

By Kathy Koehn Special contributor QUINTER—When a call came through the county emergency channels on Nov. 27 about a charter bus that had burned on I-70, a Quinter United Methodist Church member serving as a volunteer EMT began making calls. There was no hesitation on the part of the congregation to help the stranded passengers. The local church disaster-response coordinator, along with the director of Emergency Management for Logan and Gove counties and other church members, opened...

Seminary scholarships help ensure the future of the United Methodist Church in Kansas

Christopher Eshelman is a student at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City and a part-time pastor at West Heights United Methodist Church in Wichita. Scholarships and grants enabled Eshelman to attend seminary and answer his call to ordained ministry.     A potential crisis is looming for ordained United Methodist clergy in the Kansas. There currently are 330 ordained clergy members in the conference. Over the next 20 years, approximately 230 of them will reach the mandatory...

Experience with three bishops provides model for third new SCJ bishop

By Lisa Elliott Diehl Area communications director Newly-elected Bishop James Dorff has worked closely with three bishops as a district superintendent and area provost for the Dallas Area. With their different styles, Bishop William B. Oden, the late Bishop Rhymes H. Moncure Jr. and Bishop Alfred L. Norris, have given Dorff an idea of what qualities are important in a bishop. As a member of Oden’s cabinet, Dorff said he liked to watch the bishop think because he was a thinker and...

Central Ave. members take steps to reach out, help others

WICHITA—During the past year, the members of Central Avenue United Methodist Church in Wichita have started working on mission and outreach projects, something the congregation hadn’t been doing. On Valentine’s Day, they had a special supper with donated food and table decorations and some small prizes that were given away after dinner to raise money for the Council of Bishops’ Hope for the Children of Africa fund. They served 26 people and raised $350 for the fund. A “Care Tree” was set up...

Ideas offered for 'Bridges' pledging

By Sue DondlingerKansas West Conference capital campaign directorAs the congregations of each United Methodist church in Kansas begin to think about how they will fund their “Bridges to the Future” pledge, members may be hoping to be inspired with one great idea. While I have seen a couple of marvelous ideas, it seems that the most successful churches have used a variety of funding methods. Let me suggest all or some of the following methods: Produce an internal pledge card for your church...

Trousdale's new church home to replace tornado-damaged building

By Lori LambSpecial contributorTROUSDALE—The last time members of the Trousdale Methodist Church congregation met at their 90-year-old church was to bid an emotional farewell to the building after it was heavily damaged by a tornado on May 5. Trousdale UMC is the only church in the community and often served as a community center for the rural area. The building was demolished in July, and Sunday worship has been held in the members’ home. On the evening of Oct. 28, the group gathered for a...

Make use of tax advantages when giving to 'Bridges to the Future'

By Sue Dondlinger Kansas West Conference capital campaign director The closer we get to the end of 2007, the more calls I receive from people who want to donate to the Kansas West Conference “Bridges to the Future” capital campaign through their IRA, stock certificates or mutual funds. A brokerage account has been established to accept gifts of stock and gifts from mutual funds, as well as IRA transfers. Each of these avenues is an excellent way to donate to a charity, and each...

Visual theology reveals God's beauty

By Quin HeavrinSpecial contributorRev. Dr. Don Saliers led the 2007 Academy of Spiritual Formation’s Wednesday-morning main assembly Oct. 3 at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita. The five-day seminar’s theme was “The Soul’s Oasis” and focused on the Psalms, worship and spiritual life. Saliers, author and former professor of theology and worship and director of the master of sacred music program at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga., explored worship and how it forms individuals with...

Kansas West Conference students awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships and grants

The General Board of Higher Education recently awarded 27 Kansas West Conference students $62,153 in scholarships and grants. The board aims to foster Christian leaders for the work of making disciples. They will have awarded $5 million in scholarships and loans to more than 3,000 United Methodist undergraduate and graduate students around the world by December 2007. The money for these awards comes from three Special Sunday offerings taken at United Methodist churches. These offerings are...

General Conference delegate profile: Rev. Pat Ault-Duell, clergy delegate leader

HUTCHINSON—Rev. Pat Ault-Duell was elected as the first clergy delegate to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church by the clergy members at the 2007 Kansas West Annual Conference. She is leading the Kansas West Delegation along with Dixie Brewster, the first-elected lay  delegate. Ault-Duell is currently the senior pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson. She is married to Rev. Tim Ault-Duell, who is the pastor at South Hutchinson United Methodist Church....

Volunteers find UMC strong in face of suffering in Zimbabwe

By Rev. Dr. Kennedy Mukwindidza Special contributor On July 4, 14 volunteers from Florida, Kansas, Illinois and Ohio converged at Indianapolis International airport to fly to Zimbabwe for a mission trip. The team arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe, July 6 and traveled to Mutare the following day. The team was part of the Compassionate Consultation Initiative Project - Zimbabwe (CCIP-Zimbabwe), which is building a skills training center in Zimunya near Mutare. Zimbabwe is experiencing an extremely...

United Methodists Release State of the Church Report

United Methodists Release State of the Church Report Survey Data Explores Attitudes, Opinions   Nashville:  A new report from The United Methodist Church on the state of the church reveals that United Methodist core beliefs are clear, but a variety of attitudes and opinions exist about other issues.  The first-of-a-kind effort gathers survey data, research, and essays from a cross-section of leaders to present a comprehensive overview of the denomination.   “With this...

UM disaster relief center accepting volunteers, assisting storm victims

HAVILAND—The Kansas United Methodist Disaster Relief Office has opened in Haviland to coordinate all United Methodist volunteer efforts and provide case management for Kansas storm victims. Anyone interested in volunteering for storm recovery work should contact the disaster relief office at 620-862-5422 or click to email UMC Recovery Center. Work teams should be scheduled at least one week in advance. There are many ways to help. Volunteers, can do office tasks, work at clothing-distribution...

UMCOR Helps Kansans Rise from Statewide Damage

NEW YORK, May 10, 2007—Storm damage in Kansas is widespread from a violent weather system that blew through the Midwest May 4 -5.   “An entire community was destroyed in Greensburg but nearly the entire state is suffering insult from the powerful phenomena of nature,” report Shirley and Joe Edgerton in a statewide assessment.  They are UMCOR-trained disaster response volunteers for the Kansas East Annual Conference.   Wind and rain caused severe damage in the state...

Bishop establishes second fund to assist churches

We are deeply saddened at the tragic tornados and flooding in Kansas this weekend. The community of Greensburg clearly suffered the worst, but other communities have also been affected deeply. We are praying for the victims of the Greensburg tornado Friday evening as well as those who suffered loss in the tornados on Saturday and Sunday evening across Kansas. We continue to pray for those who are experiencing flooding following the heavy rains associated with this group of storms. A...

Bishop issues disaster fund appeal

Kansas Area Bishop Scott Jones has issued a special appeal for funds for the Kansas Area Disaster Fund. A tornado struck the city of Greensburg in southwest Kansas Friday May 4, leveling most of the community. The Greensburg United Methodist Church and church parsonage were heavily damaged or destroyed by the storm. Dodge City District Superintendent Rev. Kendal Utt has spoken with Rev. Gene McIntosh, pastor at Greensburg. McIntosh and his family rode out the storm in the basement of the...

Young adult ministry is vital to church's future

By Susan Cooper"Kansas West Connection" editorYoung adults are the future of the church, but they can present unique challenges to local churches. Julie O’Neal, General Board of Discipleship, addressed issues related to “Gen-Xers” and “Millenials” in her workshop, “Young Adults – Who, What, When, Where” at the “Passing on the Faith” event in Salina March 31. O’Neal said Gen-Xers are usually defined as young people who were born from the late 1970s to the mid ‘80s and are often pessimistic,...

Hesston UMC's Souper Bowl a winner

HESSTON—Members of Hesston United Methodist Church put up a display in the front entrance of the church for their Souper Bowl to encourage the congregation to bring donations of cans of soup and boxes of crackers. The display was built to resemble a miniature football field with stadium seats. Two large stockpots were labeled with the names of the teams competing in the NFL championship football game and decorated with team-color ribbons. People placed their cans of soup in the pot of the team...

Advertising survey online

The Kansas West Conference was one of several across the country that was selected to air United Methodist ads during Lent through Igniting Ministry. Take the Igniting Ministry survey to help us evaluate the success of these spots. The commercial aired was called "Finding Yourself." You can view it online HERE. The annual conference has received more than $200,000 in matching funds for this type of advertising since 2001. To be eligible to participate in this program, each grant recipient...

Area Bishop writes letter in support of Bush Library

The following message was sent by Bishop Scott J. Jones to his colleagues on the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church on Monday, January 15, 2007. It is released with his permission.   Bishops, While Bishop Wilson and others are free to share their views about the possibility of the George W. Bush Presidential Library being located on the SMU campus, I want to share another perspective. The proposed relationship between the Bush Library and SMU is an important step forward...