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Bishop Schnase stresses need for radical hospitality By Susan Cooper Associate director of Communications SALINA—Missouri Area Bishop Robert Schnase told attendees of the 2009 Kansas West Annual Conference that vibrant, fruitful, growing congregations have things in common, and there are certain things they have to do well to fulfill the mission of the church. He addressed the conference in three sessions May 20 and 21. Schnase is the author of the popular book, “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.” The five practices are radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. “The first thing they have to do is practice radical hospitality,” he said. “Why are we supposed to welcome the stranger? It’s because someone created a space for us and invited us into the life of the church.” A sustaining welcome at critical points of people’s faith journey keeps them in that life. The apostle Paul warned people not to neglect hospitality because they may have entertained angels unawares. Jesus said, “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” The apostles asked him when they had done that, and he replied that whatever is done for “the least of these” is done for him. Schnase said radical hospitality is reflected in fruitful congregations’ prayers, worship, mission—in everything they do. He said each local church should ask, “Why has God put this congregation here?” “It’s so we can address the needs around us,” he said. Using the word “radical” with hospitality ratchets it up and makes people examine if they are really doing their highest and best. Radical hospitality radiates out and is seen in every facet of the church. “I’m not saying go back and form a radical hospitality committee. But isn’t that the United Methodist way?” Schnase joked. “When we talk about radical hospitality, it’s a spirit that needs to be embodied in every element of the church … every element of the church’s life.” Schnase offered the example of Vacation Bible School. Local churches often host VBS so the members’ children can have a fun week in the summer and give the parents a break. “If that’s the reason, load the kids up and take them to the mall. That’s not a compelling reason to do VBS,” he said. VBS should be an opportunity for the children and grandchildren to learn about Jesus and learn the songs of the faith. But churches that practice radical hospitality take it another step. Children in the community are invited to learn the songs of the faith and learn about Jesus. “That’s a huge difference—not just for our own children and grandchildren—but to reach out to the kids in the community. Radical hospitality stretches us,” he said. There also is a difference between a church sponsoring a youth team or scouting group and actually getting to know those children, Schnase explained. The congregation should commit themselves to getting to know them, to be at their opening game and to go to the awards ceremony at end of the season. It should be more than just letting them use the facility. “It has us thinking our ministries through in a whole new way,” he said. Schnase said church trustees feel good when they know the roof of the building is sound, the mortgage is paid, and other material elements of the church are in good condition. However, trustees should question whether the facility is attractive, easy to find and accessible to all people in the community. He said he has seen churches with the playgrounds overgrown and the equipment rusted. “You might as well put up a sign that says, ‘We haven’t seen a child in 50 years and won’t see one for 50 years.’ “Sometimes the building speaks another message: If you can make it up the steps and slide along the pews like everyone else, you’re welcome here,” he said. It’s important to remember that offering the invitation and welcome of Christ is expressing God’s gracious love. Schnase then talked about the other practices of fruitful congregations. He said passionate worship really connects people to God and to each other. It can take different forms, whether formal, contemporary or blended styles, but it’s worship that is so engaging, people walk away feeling that they really experienced God. There’s an almost palpable sense of expectation when people come to the service. But he warned that there’s a sense at many churches that people are just going through the motions. “About five minutes before the service, it’s just dawning on them that they’re having worship. They’re picking up last week’s bulletins, checking the sound system. “If we don’t think this is the most important hour of the week, we’re not going to have passionate worship,” Schnase said. Passionate worship requires rethinking every element of worship. He said worship leaders should take time, perhaps twice a year, to walk through every part of the service and ask themselves why each part is done and what needs to be adjusted to make the worship experience more engaging. Radical hospitality offers the invitation and welcome of Christ to create a sense of belonging. Passionate worship creates a desire to know more about God. Intentional faith development produces growth in the knowledge and faith in God. Schnase said intentional faith development is relational. “We cooperate with the Holy Spirit by putting ourselves in the body of Christ,” he said. Congregations should look at the demographics of their members and the surrounding community to offer ministry that helps each person grow in grace and in fellowship with God. There doesn’t need to be a minimum number of people to have meaningful Bible study. “If you have two people who are committed, they will be enriched by that experience.” Schnase said risk-taking mission and service is loving those who are outside our comfort zone. He said he has visited congregations in Missouri where the members put a box outside the sanctuary in November to collect food for poor people to have at Thanksgiving. The food is given to the Salvation Army for distribution. “It’s a good way to teach children mission and service, but it’s not putting anybody out to bring a can of corn and a can of green beans three weeks in a row,” he said. Risk-taking mission stretches beyond what’s comfortable. Schnase said extravagant generosity happens when we realize that everything we have is God’s. “At some point, hopefully, we realize that. In a moment of humility, we realize we have to give it all back,” he said. The widow in the Bible gave, out of her poverty, all that she had. She gave, not according to her means, but beyond her means. “It’s about the growth and generosity of human spirit. What’s the opposite? Greed, selfishness? We don’t need to join in that chorus,” he said. The practice of tithing puts God first. Schnase said the five practices are all essential or the church will eventually die. It’s the adjectives—radical, passionate, intentional, risk-taking and extravagant—that give the practices their power. “You can interchange the adjectives with the practices, too,” he said. On Thursday morning, Schnase delved more deeply into the practice of radical hospitality. He asked the session attendees to think about the last 10 people who had joined their church and what brought them there. “The true system of most United Methodist churches is that we hope and pray that six new United Methodist families move into our neighborhood this year, that two or three visit the church and one or two join our church,” he said. “This system of hope and pray—there’s two main things wrong with this.” The first is that it’s an entirely passive system. “It assumes there’s good Christian folk who will find our church, and some pressure outside the door will push them into the church,” he said. “This used to work, because the entire society and culture pushed people into our churches. Today, it sucks people out of the pews and out of the door.” The second problem with the “hope and pray” approach is it assumes that some congregation somewhere in the world is doing the hard work of converting non-Christians to Christians who will “show up at our door someday.” Schnase said 60 percent of the population has no faith background. “We’re waiting for them to show up and value what we offer—waiting for them to come to their senses and recognize that organ music from 300 years ago is valuable,” he said. “How do we go halfway toward meeting the next generation?” he asked. When Schnase was pastor at First United Methodist Church in McAllen, Texas, the congregation decided to reach out to the students attending nearby Pan American University. They started new Sunday school classes at 9:45 on Sunday mornings. About 12 students came the first week, but attendance dropped after that. They changed the teacher, then they changed the curriculum, but attendance kept dropping. “We had no idea what we were really asking these young people to do—squeezing them into our mold. ‘Come be like us and act old,’” Schnase said. “In a moment of revelation, it occurred to one of our staff members to meet with the college kids and ask what would be helpful. We ended up having a gathering for them from 9 to 11 on Sunday nights, twice a month, with pizza in someone’s home across the street from the campus. It blossomed and grew.” Schnase said United Methodists have “go to” instincts from John Wesley, but it’s become a “come to” church. Wesley took the gospel to the people. Schnase believes a come-to approach stopped working about 40 years ago. “We need to look at how we reach the unchurched and help them move toward following a life of Christ,” he said. “What do churches look like that do that?” Schnase said the purpose of the church is not for those who are already there. An element of intentionality is needed. Congregations should determine where in the life of the church they have maximum contact with people outside of the church, such as Easter or Christmas Eve services or mission projects. Many churches host fall festivals, which often are used to raise money for missions or other projects. “Let’s view a different purpose for this event,” Schnase said. “Let’s engage people in a positive way to offer them a deeper relationship with God.” He suggested redoing the church’s bulletin board, or putting one up, and including things that tell people about the church’s ministry. Put the ticket table right by the bulletin board so everyone sees it. Print brochures—with pictures in them—that tell the story of life of the church, not just the worship times. Include an upcoming event, preferable one that’s going to occur a week or two after the fall festival. He said to use the congregation’s most outgoing people as greeters and engage attendees as they come in the door. Identify who might be new in the community, and introduce them to the pastor as a way of integrating them. It’s important to pray together before the event and ask God to provide the moment and the eyes to see the moment to offer God’s grace. “It’s like scattering seed. A few of those people may hear what they need at the right time and be there,” Schnase said. “That’s a first step of getting out of a passive posture and into an active posture.” Timeliness and efficiency also are important in the lives of fruitful congregations. If someone sees a natural disaster on television and has conviction that something needs to be done to ease the victims’ suffering, that person doesn’t want to hear that the church’s mission committee will look at the issue at some time in the future. “We’ve got to figure out how to be more agile and responsive,” Schnase said. “It can be a little risky. You’ll deal with some wild ideas sometimes. But the old system is strangling the life out of the church.” He asked session attendees to consider if every person in their church is offering the invitation to God’s grace the same way that the attendees do, would their church be growing or dying? He said it’s not just the evangelism committee’s work to offer that invitation. “We’ve been entrusted with a personal message. We have to find our own voice, find what’s comfortable, to give the welcoming message to a life of faith,” Schnase said. “Commit yourself to share that message once a month with someone.” Conference celebrates United Methodist radical hospitality By Lisa Elliott Diehl and Susan Cooper Director and associate director of Communications SALINA—Stories celebrating the radical hospitality of the United Methodist Church and the Kansas West Conference were the focus of the Mission Celebration at the Kansas West Annual Conference May 20. The emcee for the event was Richard Walker, a member of Trinity Heights United Methodist Church in Newton and of the Connectional Ministries Council. The guest speakers were Jose Olivas, community developer for Western Kansas Mexican American Ministries (MAM) in Ulysses, and James Wilson, who has served as a lay witness and as pastor at Walton UMC. Olivas attended McCurdy School in Espanola, N.M., a United Methodist ministry, and graduated in 1967. He has served as a representative of the Kansas West Conference on the board of the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas, another United Methodist mission school. “The church has always been there,” Olivas said. “Since we’re connectional, we’re always trying to help people.” He’s a product of the church’s radical hospitality, and he has paid it forward by being on the board of Lydia Patterson and by working at MAM. Wilson is active in the Disciple Bible Study program in Kansas prisons. The program is an outreach ministry of the conference’s Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries (CJAMM) task force. A former inmate, he realized through his time as a District Superintendent Assignment pastor that he has a passion for Christ and has spiritual gifts that make prison ministry a good fit for him. One Sunday at his home church, two people approached him about becoming involved in Disciple Bible Study in prison. Wilson took it as a sign, and he called Don Peter, who was instrumental in bringing Disciple to prison inmates. “[Prison inmates] know they have faith, but they’re not always sure how to walk and live in that faith,” Wilson said. “There’s a wide scope of ministries—county-jail ministries to ministries inside the prison. We also have some re-entry programs.” CJAMM also brings radical hospitality to people outside the prison walls through programs that minister to inmates’ families. “We not only minister to those inside the prison, but we also minister to those outside,” he said. Through videotaped testimonies, several people shared stories of United Methodist hospitality during the celebration. Cecilia is a student at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina and a graduate of Lydia Patterson Institute, which provides a Christian education primarily for youth from Juarez, Mexico, who otherwise would not be able to attend high school. Through the schools’ hospitality partnership, she now is attending the university on a scholarship. She has become active on campus and at University UMC in Salina. Another recipient of radical hospitality is Tawana and her children, who came to United Methodist Open Door in Wichita for assistance after a trip to the emergency room put her into debt. “They ran all these tests and racked up this huge $4,000 or $5,000 bill, and my insurance didn’t pay for a lot of it,” Tawana said. “It was right at the renewal point, when they sent the bill through, and the insurance kicked it out. I still to this day don’t understand it. It can happen to anyone.” She found out about Open Door through a friend who was already utilizing the program. At the agency’s Klothes Kloset, she got winter coats and clothing for her children. Through Open Door’s Vision Quest program, she was connected with a Kansas West Conference member and her family, who purchased Christmas gifts for Tawana’s children. “It was our saving grace, really, because I don’t know what would have happened,” Tawana said. “My family couldn’t have given to me as Open Door did. I’m thankful that they’re there.” Radical hospitality also can be experienced at local churches. The congregation at Salina’s Trinity UMC recently got a surprise when members of another church were asked to come and conduct a friendliness audit. “We thought we’d be in good shape,” said Bev Cole, a church member. “Well, we weren’t.” To help raise members’ awareness of welcoming, a tip from the welcoming checklist was published in each week’s newsletter, including “Wear your nametag” and “Look for somebody you don’t know in worship.” “We’ve done major signage for each room,” said Joseph Coachman, who attends Trinity. “It’s not expensive and very utilitarian. It can be changed quickly.” Signs were added for visitor parking as well, and greeters were posted at the doors to welcome people as they came in. A coffee house was established in the fellowship hall. Chuck and Donna DeLaney are new members of Salina Trinity UMC. They started attending the church after they lost their daughter to cancer. Their daughter was a member at Trinity. “There wasn’t a day that went by that people from the church didn’t stop and visit her,” Chuck DeLaney said. “We started attending the church and decided to join,” said Donna DeLaney. “There’s an expression that we really try to attend to,” Cole said. “All means all. We don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t come and take their journey here.” But emcee Walker pointed out that it’s not just about welcoming those who come to our churches or our agencies. “Some people are in situations where society has turned their back on them,” Walker said. Rev. Paul Wilke, chairperson for the Connectional Ministries Council, provided the conclusion to the celebration. He invited conference attendees to think of some holy headlines that they would like to read in the newspaper about God’s work through United Methodist churches in Kansas and write them on paper posted on the wall in the Bicentennial Center arena and near the Board of Laity booth on the concourse. Retirees share stories of hospitality By Lisa Elliott Diehl Director of Communications SALINA—The Kansas West Annual Conference recognized nine retirees during the 2009 Retirement Service. Revs. Curtis Cadenhead, Frank DeFisher, Nancy Goddard, Jim Pollom, Gerald Pringle, Don Swender and Linda Toms participated in the service May 20. Revs. Carl Evans and Kay Kincaid, who both live out of state, were not present. The retirement service was led by Revs. Craig Hauschild and Shelly Petz and Bishop Scott Jones. The retirees shared, through video, the story of their ministries. The service featured reminiscences from the retirees between the verses of the hymn “I Love to Tell the Story.” The interview questions revolved around the theme of radical hospitality and times they had encountered it in their ministries. Cadenhead, pastor of Augusta United Methodist Church, said a woman came up to him at one of his churches and told him the one thing she loved about the church is that United Methodists were always trying to eat their way to Jesus. “I find that there really is no greater act of hospitality than to open your home or open your church and let people come in and be themselves and get fed physically, and in the conversation get fed emotionally, and when you do this in the church, the spirit of the Lord is present,” Cadenhead said. “When you eat in somebody’s home, you take a portion of that person away with you through the meal that’s shared and the fellowship, and I like that.” DeFisher, pastor at Medicine Lodge United Methodist Church, recalled how the congregation at his first church in Lebanon, Kan., reached out to a woman in the community who was in need after he had invited her to the Christmas open house at the parsonage. Another young woman in need experienced hospitality through the Sterling UMC, Goddard said. Without any prompting, one of the women folding bulletins asked if she could contact the young woman. “She knew nothing of this young woman’s story and how lonely she was,” Goddard said. “That’s the church. That’s hospitality.” Pollom said an Alcoholics Anonymous group began meeting in the church basement at one of his appointments, and the group members became an active part of the congregation. “You never know what the reaction is going to be in a small community,” Pollom said. “The church just opened the doors, opened up personally and just embraced these folks. One of the things that did for the church is that it taught it when people come in, it’s not what they can do for the church, but when people come in, what can we do for you? How do we meet your needs and make you more comfortable or make your life better? That’s what a caring church is about.” Swender’s congregation in Ohio took on a project of radical hospitality for an entire community. The congregation had been working toward a capital-improvement project, but instead it chose to put the $40,000 it raised toward helping an impoverished community outside town get water lines. The $40,000 became seed money for a grant that enabled the community to not only get water lines but get sanitary sewer lines installed as well. “We never have a worship service,” Pollom said. “We have a worship experience, and the service is when we go outside the doors. That’s when we do our worship service—when we reach out to others.” Goddard said her greatest hope for the church is that United Methodists will truly have open hearts, open minds and open doors. “That you take care of people and you love them even if they don’t look, act or talk like you do,” she said. Pollom said his greatest hope is that United Methodists become the church that Jesus Christ calls them to be and not program themselves to death. “God, it’s your church; it’s not ours. You tell us where you want the church to go, and, as leaders of the church, we’ll attempt to get there,” he said. “I think that’s God’s decision. I think he’s truly calling the church to be more out-front. When it comes to the morals and values of the community, that the church sets those and doesn’t falter. We need to be direct about who we are and bold.” DeFisher agreed. “My greatest hope is that we get back to the basics, make the main thing the main thing,” he said. “Let the Holy Spirit control us rather than the other way around. I want to control the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, but here’s what I want you to do and stay within these boundaries. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to control and lead us.” Swender said he hopes the church never loses its love of telling the story. “[Jesus] lived singing love. He died singing love. But he rose in silence, and, if the story is to be told, it’s up to us to tell it,” Swender said. Bishop Jones offers encouragement for ministry at ordination, commissioning By Lisa Elliott Diehl Director of Communications SALINA—Nine people were commissioned for ministry, and six were ordained elders in the United Methodist Church at the May 21 Ordination and Commissioning Service for the Kansas West Annual Conference. The service was at Kansas Wesleyan University in Sam’s Chapel. Rick Branson, Charles Danforth, Christopher Eshelman, Justin Lefto, Kelley Menke, James Taylor III, Adam Thompson, Margaret Triplett and Mark Chambers were commissioned for ministry. Nicole Conard, Marvin Ewertt Jr., Daniel Kim, Sandra Moore, Stephen Spencer and Brenda Fluellen were ordained elders. Bishop Scott Jones brought the message, “Seeing the Invisible.” Rev. Bob Cousins, Hays District superintendent, helped a blindfolded Jones toward the front of the stage. “We live in a paradox,” Jones told the candidates. “Our job is to help people believe in the invisible.” Jones launched into an explanation of science’s approach to determining the existence of the invisible components of matter and energy. Some, Jones said, take that philosophy so far they would argue that if they can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. “There are people where this materialistic approach has a different meaning,” he said. Their materialistic approach is, “I want as much stuff as I can get.” “Our calling is to be a people of faith,” he said. “To take people with a blindfold on and teach them they have a blindfold on because, when you have a blindfold on, you don’t know it.” Jones compared the very beginning stage of faith to having a crack in the blindfold. You can just begin to see the light on the other side, but you don’t see well. You are just beginning to gain a sixth sense, a spiritual sense. “Our job is to get people to take off their blindfolds,” he said, as he pulled off his own blindfold. “If you know me well, you know taking off the blindfold means things are very fuzzy. I can see the candidates here in the first couple of rows, but if you’re sitting out there in the middle, I don’t know if you’re there or not.” As these “baby” Christians become more mature in their faith, they begin to see clearer, he said as he pulled out his glasses. “They get the right prescription,” he said, putting on his glasses. “They become more and more able to see the invisible.” In his book, “The Sacred Canopy,” author Peter Berger describes faith as a sacred worldview. “It’s like going through the door to Narnia,” Jones said. “It’s like moving into a completely different world.” When you meet someone different from you, if you’re living in a world of unfaith, you respond like that person is a threat. “We can analyze a lot of the world’s conflicts by unfaith,” he said. But if you’ve accepted Christ, when that different person walks in, you respond in faith and love because diversity builds up the body. The challenge for today is figuring out how to take materialistic people and bring them to faith. At times, it might seem impossible, like the mission of Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. “There will be times when the ministry is so hard and so bad you’ll feel like Don Quixote,” Jones said. “You’ve given yourself to something that’s important. Your calling is to remember you’re not Don Quixote. When your journey gets hard, I invite you to look around at your sisters and brothers. They’ve got stories to tell. They’ve got encouragement for you. There’s nothing better than the journey from darkness to light. This is a great deal. Welcome.” Memorial Service celebrates lives of those who have crossed over By Susan Cooper Associate director of Communications SALINA—At the 2009 Memorial Service at the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Rev. Rick Just shared the message, “Crossing Over.” Just, who is the pastor at Leoti United Methodist Church, told the congregation that a great cloud of witnesses has gone before them and is cheering them on. “We celebrate the lives of the saints who have crossed over the Jordan into the heavenly home because of Jesus. Because of their witness, others can and will cross over that river,” Just said. He based his message on the scripture reading of Joshua 3:14 - 4:7, which describes how representatives of the twelve tribes took stones from the Jordan River to serve as memorials of the people of Israel. God had told Joshua to cross the Jordan and for the Israelites to sanctify themselves because the Lord would do wonders. The waters of the river parted so the priests could take the Ark of the Covenant into the water, allowing the people to cross over the river. The goal was to get to the other side. “Isn’t that what it’s all about—to get to the other side?” Just said. “The ark was lifted high—in sight for all to see.” Just said that the Israelites had fixed their eyes on the ark, and they could see that someone had gone before them. They had gotten to the other side. A representative was chosen from each of the 12 tribes and told to take one stone and carry it with him to wherever he went so it would be a sign to the children. “When I was in high school, I had a tradition of carving my name in many places I shouldn’t have. In Marion High School, you can see, ‘Rick was here,’” Just said. “That wasn’t very smart to do.” One teacher told him he would have to sand every one off, but he didn’t do all of them. “In a very small but insignificant way, people knew I had been there. “In a much more important way, the 12 stones would be a memorial to the tribes of Israel. There was a reminder, if anyone would ask. We all need to be reminded of important things from time to time in our lives,” he said. “[Those reminders] restore, renew and encourage us to live more faithfully.” Just said the Memorial Service was an opportunity to remember brothers and sisters in Christ who have crossed the Jordan and reached the Promised Land. “We celebrate their lives. Others will cross over,” he said. “We have a story to tell to the nations, and we are reminded to tell it. All peoples of the earth will know the Lord is mighty.” Members of the congregation were invited to go to the center stage to light candles for the saints in their lives. Those who had lost loved ones since the 2008 Annual Conference also received a rose. The memorial roll consisted of Revs. Gary Appleton, Loren Chapman, Bill Dial, Thomas Stone, David Trott, Leroy VanVerth and Donald Viets and Pastor Ken Walker. The clergy spouses were Ruth Beardless, Harriet Berg, Dora Bishop, Ruby Borchers, Mildred Bumgarner, Nancy Calvert, Geneva Davis, Frances Dunlap, Zella “Roberta” Faulkner, Bertie Jeffries, Carol Little, Bessis McMinn, Pauline Nelson and Ruth Wattenbarger. Lay member Ed Cook also was honored. On her way to the 2009 Kansas West Annual Conference, Connie Senseman, a lay member from Hugoton, was killed in a traffic accident. During the service, the praise band, “Rusty Pennies,” provided music, and Rev. David Bell and Akiiki Daisy Kabagarama read the memorial and served as worship leaders. Bishop Scott Jones gave the benediction. 2009 Annual Conference business briefs Marketing and Communications Council Pastor Jeff Slater, chairperson, presented the Marketing and Communications Council report. He introduced Ken Sloan of United Methodist Communications, who made a presentation explaining “Rethink Church,” which is an outgrowth of the “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.” Igniting Ministry campaign. Sloan urged conference members to change the word “open” from an adjective to a verb. Churches in the Kansas West Conference recognized as Certified Welcoming Congregations were Goodland, Hutchinson Trinity, Mankato Harmony, McPherson First, Mentor, Mulvane, Rose Hill, Salina First, Salina Trinity, Wichita Mt. Vernon and Winfield First UMCs. A motion to designate September as “Open House Month” was approved. The council report was approved. Board of Ordained Ministry Revs. Tom Sheldon, chairperson, and Dianne Tombaugh, registrar, presented the Board of Ordained Ministries report. Candidates in the process of certification for specialized ministries are Vickie Donaldson, Matt Johnson, Stacy Jo Pullins, Lori Richey and Eric Strader. Kimbra Burnett is newly certified in Christian education. Jane Cooper was elected to the Committee on Investigation for Diaconal Ministries. Other positions on the committee are vacant. Course of Study graduates Kathy Aeillo, David Giesler, Michael Roberts and Jim Rice were recognized. The probationary deacons are Kelley Menke and Margaret “Peggy” Triplett. The probationary elders are Rick Branson, Charles Danforth, Christopher Eshleman, Justin Lefto, James Taylor, and Adam Thompson. Mark Chambers’ orders from another denomination were recognized. Being received as full-member elders are Nicole Conard, Marvin “Billy” Ewertt, Daniel Kim, Sandra Moore and Stephen Spencer. Brenda Fluellen, whose orders were previously recognized, is received as a full-member elder. The report was approved. Nominating Committee Dixie Brewster, chairperson, and David Bell, committee secretary, presented the Nominating Committee report. Charlie Cadwell will remain as a co-lay leader of Wichita East District. Brewster called attention to an addendum that corrected errors in the report and was distributed to conference members. The nominating report was approved with the understanding that additional changes were still being made to the report. Revs. Jerre Nolte, Nathan Stanton, Dianne Tombaugh and Phil Morris were elected to the nominating committee. Immigration resolution The resolution, “A Call for a Just and Humane Comprehensive Immigration Reform Resolution to Create an Orderly, Fair System That Reflects Our Values” was presented by Rev. Ken Hathaway, Hispanic Ministries chairperson. The resolution proposed that the Kansas West Conference:
Jill Foss, conference lay leader, presented the Board of Laity report. Two resolutions were presented. The resolution to designate Oct. 23-31 as Red Ribbon Week, a way to bring awareness to the seriousness of alcohol abuse, was approved. A resolution to celebrate clergy appointments in local churches also was approved. Moving Committee Pastor Ross Olson presented the Moving Committee report on behalf of the chairperson, John Paul Jones, and members of the committee. Pastors making moves continue to be responsible for arranging their moves. The report was approved. Board of Pensions and Health Benefits Steve Stephens, chairperson, and Carol Jackson, conference benefits assistant, presented Board of Pensions and Health Benefits report. Stephens noted that it had been a difficult financial year. As of Dec. 31, 2008, the Kansas West Conference Deposit Account with the General Board of Pensions had lost $5,747,158. The 2010 Kansas West Conference average compensation is $54,362, a 3.1 percent increase. The CRSP defined benefit rate will be 10.65 percent of plan compensation and the CRSP defined contribution rate shall be 3 percent of plan compensation. The Pre-82 pension rate for 2010 is set at $648 per year of service or 1.19 percent of the 2010 conference average compensation. Death benefits for 2010 are $50,000 for active participants, $18,102 for retired participants, $12,068 for participants’ spouses and $9,051 for surviving spouses. 2008 was the first year the Kansas West Conference participated in the HealthFlex health insurance plan. The loss ratio was 118 percent, primarily because of 11 large claims totaling more than $819,000. The board is considering a number of options to help contain costs. The board agreed to make a one-time grant to the 2010 budget in the amount of the actual expenses for pension and health insurance for clergy and lay employees on the conference payroll, not to exceed $469,044. The board also increased their funding of the benefits office to $128,486 to adjust for inflation. The “Resolution Relating to Rental/ Housing Allowances for Retired or Disabled Clergypersons of the Kansas West Annual Conference,” listed on pages 59-60 of the Annual Conference workbook, and the board’s report were approved. Rural Life Sunday A resolution to designate the third Sunday in May as Rural Life Sunday was presented by Rev. Elin Colglazier on behalf of the Rural Issues Task Force. She recognized task-force members and asked conference members to promote Rural Life Sunday celebrations on the third or any other Sunday in May. The resolution was approved. Asbury Park and Wesley Towers Recognition Day Jay Anderson presented a resolution to establish a recognition day with special offering for Asbury Park and Wesley Towers retirement communities on behalf of the Retirement Home Advocacy Committee. The resolution was approved. Kansas Health Foundation resolution Kansas Area Bishop Scott Jones introduced Steve Coen, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. Jones expressed gratitude for a grant of $1.5 million for a partnership between the Kansas West Conference and the Kansas Leadership Center. Jones presented a resolution to change the Kansas Health Foundation bylaws, which stated that at least 51 percent of the foundation’s directors be members of the Kansas West or Kansas East conferences of which one member must be a district superintendent in the Kansas West Conference or any successor conference. The resolution proposed changing that stipulation to state that the district-superintendent member may be from either the Kansas West or Kansas East conference. The resolution was approved. Council on Finance and Administration Carl Nord, chairperson, presented the narrative portion of the Council on Finance and Administration report. He was assisted by Robin Hathaway and Brad Zimmerman, members of the council’s executive committee. Zimmerman gave a review of 2008. Hathaway presented changes to the report. The Kansas West Conference will apportion churches the total amounts budgeted in three funds: 1) Conference Ministries, 2) General Church Apportionment and 3) Jurisdictional Apportionment. For 2010, the Mission and Ministry Fund rate will be 11.85 percent, apportioned according to the same formula as previously. The amount of local churches’ apportionment for 2010 will be reduced by 10 percent. The district superintendent salary determination will change from the Council on Finance and Administration to the Personnel Committee. A motion to amend the report was made by Wichita East District Superintendent Rev. Cheryl Jefferson Bell to add Vida en Cristo at Brookside UMC in Wichita, to the list of ethnic congregations. The motion to amend passed. Retirement Home Recognition Day will be added to the list of conference Special Sundays as an editorial change. The CFA narrative report was approved as amended. Nord presented the budget report. He was assisted by assisted by Revs. Don Hasty and Geniese Stanford, members of the council’s executive committee. The 2010 proposed amount apportioned to local churches is $5,132,463. The conference Board Pensions and Health Benefits is contributing $128,486 for benefits administration and making a one-time grant of $469,044. $51,532 will be transferred from reserves, making the total budget $5,781,525. The proposed expense plan was $4,146,556 for Conference Ministries, $1,576,945 for General Church Apportionments and $58,024 for Jurisdictional Apportionments. The motion to adopt the budget passed. Structure Committee Dirk Hutchinson, chairperson, presented two resolutions on behalf of the Structure Committee. The first resolution proposed additions to the organizational structure of the Kansas West Conference by adding the Extended Cabinet to the structure, and the second proposed eliminating the Joint Committee on Incapacity, since the 2008 General Conference does not require it if the functions are being handled in other ways as they are in Kansas West Conference. Both resolutions passed. Board of Equitable Compensation Rev. Phil Morris, chairperson, presented the Board of Equitable Compensation report. He called attention to the recommendation for minimum compensation amounts: $34,680 for full ministers (elder or deacon), $32,640 for probationary elders or deacons or associate members, $30,600 for full-time local pastors and $21,420 for student local pastors attending seminary. The report was approved. Board of Trustees Pete Marcus, chairperson, presented the conference Board of Trustees report. He said the May 19 fire severely damaged the conference office in Wichita. A new Hays District parsonage has been completed. No action items were associated with the report. Personnel Committee Rev. Tom Schneider, chairperson, presented the Personnel Committee report. At the request of the Council on Finance and Administration, the following statement was been made a part of the Personnel Committee policies: “The salary for each district superintendent shall be at least 140 percent of the actual conference average salaries for full-time ordained elders appointed to local churches in the previous year (not including parsonage or housing allowance in lieu of parsonage).” The Personnel Committee adopted the following policy statement on housing allowances for conference staff: “Conference staff who are clergy may request that the Personnel Committee designate part of their salary as a housing allowance.” A motion to amend the report was made by Rev. Pat Ault-Duell to add that salaries for district superintendents shall be presented to the Annual Conference each year for approval. The district superintendent salary for 2010 shall be $68,851. The amendment passed. Dodge City District Superintendent Rev. Kendal Utt moved to add the dean of the cabinet to the Personnel Committee. The amendment was approved. An additional motion by Rev. Tom Schneider was made to amend the report by changing the word “salary” for conference staff who are clergy to “remuneration.” The motion to amend passed. The Personnel Committee report passed as amended. Awards Rev. Greg Lindenberger and Bishop Jones presented Harry Denman Evangelism Awards May 20 to Robert “ Bob” Grauer, Wilson UMC; Douglas Hye, First UMC in Wichita; and Rev. Troy Bowers, First UMC in Salina. Rev. Glenn Patterson and Bishop Scott Jones then presented John Wesley Fellows awards to Lloyd Hamrick and George Houle. Kim Moore was the emcee for the Awards Luncheon May 22 and presented the following awards and recognitions:
Resolutions were presented and approved to close four churches: Atlanta, Hayes, Wichita Wesley and Wichita GracePoint UMCs. Following each vote to close a church, a prayer was offered up for the past ministries and those touched by the ministries of each of the congregations. Offerings Four offerings were collected at Annual Conference. Totals listed are as of May 23; additional donations are being tallied. The Opening Worship offering of $4,013.18 will benefit United Methodist Open Door, Western Kansas Mexican American Ministries and GraceMed Health Clinic. The Seminary Scholarship Endowment offering at Ordination and Commissioning was $2,196.25. These funds will be added to the endowment for conference scholarships for seminary students. An offering of $1,837.42 was collected for the Youth Service Fund. A portion of the offering will stay in the Kansas West Conference for ministries with youth. A special offering was taken by vote of the Annual Conference for Connie Senseman, a lay member from Hugoton who was killed on her way to the annual session. The $716.55 collected will be given in her honor to Hugoton United Methodist Church. Conference launches Early Response Team training DODGE CITY—The first Early Response Team training for the Kansas West Conference was April 18 at First United Methodist Church in Dodge City. The training was provided in partnership with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The Early Response Team is a new facet of the conference’s disaster-response ministry and will provide a caring Christian presence in the aftermath of a disaster. The team is neither a first-response group of emergency workers nor a recovery, rebuild or repair team. It fills a specific need in the early days after a disaster to establish the presence of the church. While there are specific tasks assigned to the Early Response Team to prevent further damage to a family’s personal property, such as tarping, debris removal and cleaning out homes, Early Response Team members will reassure survivors that the church cares for them and is present to provide immediate assistance. Early Response Team members must be team players, and flexibility is necessary. They are required to attend a basic disaster-response training and Boundary Awareness Training, which includes a background check, before receiving their nationally accepted identification card. Teams need to be able to leave on short notice and be self-sufficient to stay in the difficult circumstances of a disaster area. Chapel Hill UMC receives grant from UM Health Fund WICHITA—Chapel Hill Fellowship, a United Methodist Church in Wichita, has been awarded a $3,300 Healthy Congregations grant from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund in Hutchinson. The grant helped establish a healing ministry to serve the congregation and surrounding community. Betty Leader, grant project director for Chapel Hill, said the grant funding is being used to provide a three-part education and health-ministry program that emphasize the health of the whole person. “It’s wholeness we’re after, not just the physical,” Leader said. “We’re really talking about self-care of the whole person.” The church hosted classes on Wed-nesday mornings in June, primarily for church members. A weekend event is planned for October, which will be advertised to the public. Beginning in January, there will be a 14-week period of classes that will address healing in such areas as memories, grief and concepts of God. The Health Fund’s Healthy Congregations Grant program provided start-up grants of up to $5,000 to Kansas United Methodist churches to stimulate the development of comprehensive congregational health and wellness ministries. The Healthy Congregations Grant program, which concluded in December 2008, has been superseded by the new Healthy Congregations Covenant program. The covenant program represents the Health Fund’s reaffirmation of its health partnership with local United Methodist churches across the state. The Health Fund’s grant-funding resources come from an endowment established in 1986 by the Kansas West Conference of the United Methodist Church from a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Wesley Hospital in Wichita. Resource center starts rebuilding inventory process WICHITA—The Kansas Area Resource Center was destroyed by the May 19 fire at the Kansas West Conference office. The entire on-site inventory of the resource center was lost, so only resources that were checked out to churches were not destroyed. Churches that are finished using checked-out resources should return them by using the bags and tags provided. Mail the bags to KARC, 9440 E. Boston Suite 120, Wichita, KS 67207. Do not use the drop box at the conference office. “I appreciate everyone’s patience during this time of rebuilding,” said KARC Director Nancy Cadwell. Those with overdue items are asked to locate and return them as soon as possible. If the item cannot be located, contact the resource center immediately at 800-745-2350 or karc@kswestumc.org. Items that were checked out at the time of the fire will be the only resources available for several months. The resource center director is creating a list of items that will be available for check-out, which will be posted on the conference Web site when it is complete. Clients will not be able to use the automatic request as in the past. Instead, they will need to contact the resource center by e-mail with requests for items. Anyone with outstanding user fees is asked to take care of them as soon as possible. These fees will be used as “seed money” to purchase more resources to add to the small collection. Kansas West issues 'Get Healthy Walk Challenge' to Kansas East SALINA—A walking challenge has been issued between the Kansas East and West conferences. The challenge begins July 1 and ends Oct. 31 and is open to all clergy and laity in the conferences. Participants may keep log their steps or miles by using a pedometer or treadmill or by keeping track of time spent doing moderate-intensity exercise, such as jogging, bicycling, doing yard work, swimming or doing housework. Fifteen minutes of moderate-intensity exercise counts as one mile. Participants will walk in increments of six weeks and may participate during any six-week period during the challenge or complete the entire challenge. Kansas East and West miles will be tallied and a winner will be announced at the 2010 Annual Conference sessions. The winner will be recognized with a banner. A certificate of participation will be awarded to each participating congregation. To register and to record miles, go to the America on the Move website. The instructions for registration are: Go to http://aom2.americaonthemove.org. Click on “Individuals.” Click on “Get involved today.” Select which description is most accurate: I am an individual who is interested in my health and wellness. Click on “Join a group.” Enter registration code RKW148554. The Kansas West Conference group is “KWCUMC.” Fill in personal information and follow the prompts. All personal information is confidential. Confirm the information and exit. An e-mail confirmation and tools to record progress will be sent.
For more information, contact Susan at lsharvey@cox.net or 316-775-6324. Symbols and rituals shape our lives and identities in powerful ways. The reading of appointments by the bishop at the end of Annual Conference re-minds us all of the nature of United Methodist ministry. We are a connectional church with an itinerant ministry and itinerant episcopacy. Sometimes people have asked why we take the time to read the name of each local church and the people assigned to serve them. I am always happy to hear the question because it becomes a teaching moment to re-member who we are. After the two Kansas Area Annual Conference sessions, I have once again heard the question because people say that the decisions have already been made, and people who don’t know can get the news in other ways. Why do we take the time to do it? The first point is a general one about ritual and identity. Note that I have hyphenated “re-mind” and “re-member.” When we perform rituals, we often reinforce our self-understanding. There are powerful forces offering us different ways of thinking about our lives and our purpose. When we perform rituals, we once again shape our minds in the highest and best ways possible. When we pray, God not only listens to our requests, but God’s grace re-minds us of who we are and whose we are. An act as simple as saying “thanks” before a meal shapes our lives. Reading appointments—even if there is no new information in them—has a similar function on our ecclesiological identity. However, there also is what the scholars call a “performative function” in the reading. The appointments are not fixed until the bishop reads them. Just as the recital of vows at a wedding is the culmination of many promises made, people are not really married until the ceremony is performed. It is in the reading of appointments that people are actually sent to serve those churches. A second point has to do with why United Methodists use an appointive system for matching clergy with congregations and mission fields. A biblical answer is to talk about the apostolic nature of ministry. Christ called disciples to follow him, and the leaders were called apostles. “Apostle” means one who is sent. The earliest Christians did not wait for the rest of the Roman Empire to come to them and ask how to be saved. They sent Paul, Barnabas and many others out to preach and gather people into congregations. When Francis Asbury was challenged to show why Methodist bishops were true bishops, he argued that our itinerant general superintendency was more apostolic on the biblical model than the diocesan episcopacy of other churches. But let us talk about the practical advantages of itinerancy. Some churches, notably the Roman Catholic, regard their bishop as the real pastor of the church. The priest is the bishop’s assistant, who leads the congregation in the bishop’s absence. This allows the priest and bishop to have very long tenures in the diocese and church. But all of the power resides with the bishop. In most Roman Catholic dioceses, the bishop owns all local church property personally. In other congregations, notably Baptist and non-denominational churches, the congregation is seen to be an independent church. They determine their own doctrine and ordain anyone they choose. Connections with other churches are weak. They hire and fire their own pastors. Many of them have long intervals of interim pastors when there is a change, and many smaller churches have great difficulty in attracting a new pastor. In addition, the congregation often experiences conflict with each other as they try to decide questions like, “Should we fire the preacher?” or “Should we hire this pastor?” I have been told that at any given time, one-half of Presbyterian churches in America do not have a regular pastor. At any given time, there might be two or three of the 690 United Methodist churches in Kansas that are in that kind of transition. United Methodist clergy offer themselves for service to Christ through the United Methodist connection. They make sacred promises to go where they are sent and collectively take on responsibility for leading the mission of the church in the geographical area that is their annual conference. Thus, when I read the appointments and lead in prayer for the churches district by district, it is an opportunity for each clergy person to re-member and pray for those mission outposts. If someone is serving in one part of the conference, he or she should care deeply about the missional effectiveness—in biblical language, “fruitfulness”—of the churches in all other parts of the conference. When the cabinet and I are deliberating about appointments, the primary question we are asking is, “What appointments will maximize the missional effectiveness of all the churches in Kansas?” For every Christian church, someone has to be asking that question. Our United Methodist way is to give that responsibility and authority to the bishop and the cabinet, in consultation with appropriate clergy and congregations. All of us need to understand our connectional identity and the itinerant nature of United Methodist ministry and re-commit to living that way to the glory of God for the sake of God’s mission. BISHOP'S BLOG Follow the Leader Yesterday, I preached at an Ecumenical Worship Service in Topeka. It included Lowman UMC and several other congregations in their neighborhood and focused on a blessing of the palms. It was a powerful way to begin Holy Week! My message focused on following the leader. Holy Week is a time of recommitting ourselves to the triune God as the leader for our lives. Who you follow does make a difference. Many in modern society are practical atheists—they follow their own desires or thoughts. Others follow false gods of various sorts. Christians are by definition those who acknowledge God the father and seek to be obedient to his will. They are disciples of Jesus who wish to serve others. It is of deep significance that Christ calls us to follow him, and his path was one of sacrificial service for the good of others. We are also empowered by the Holy Spirit whose work of inclusive love and inspirational evangelism leads all of us to change lives and transform communities. May this Holy Week help all of us to recommit to following the leader revealed in the Bible.
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