WI Conference Weekly ENews - April 20, 2022

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You are Invited to a Retirement Celebration and Farewell for District Superintendent Forrest Wells and Congregational Leader Jorge Luis Mayorga

The South East District retirement celebration and farewell for Rev. Forrest and Rev. Jorge will be centered on worship with music from our many ethnic ministries at Community United Methodist Church, Jefferson, WI on May 21, 2022 at 9:15am, followed by light refreshments at 10:45am. 

Rev. Forrest has completed seven years as District Superintendent and 43 years of ministry since being ordained Deacon in 1979. Rev. Jorge has completed five years as the Director of Congregational Development for the Conference and was previously a District Superintendent for our district. He has served in ministry in Wisconsin since 1993.

Both Rev. Jorge and Rev. Forrest will retire from full time work, but will remain active in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Wisconsin Conference Disaffiliation Task Force Recommendations Prepared

The postponement of General Conference 2020 for the third time resulted in a heightened interest among some United Methodists to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church. Conscious that a limited right to depart exists through December 31, 2023, as adopted by the 2019 Special Called General Conference, waiting to see what additional action might be taken by General Conference in 2024 is a future of  unknown outcomes. Bishop Jung established a Disaffiliation Task Force in Wisconsin to clarify criteria and procedures for congregations seeking to separate “for reasons of conscience regarding a change in the requirements and provisions of the Book of Discipline” on specified matters of human sexuality, or “actions or inactions of (the) annual conference” related to those Disciplinary provisions. The task force based its work on the 2019 General Conference legislative language which addressed the issue of how a church might leave the denomination while retaining their building and other assets, which are held in trust for The United Methodist Church. Read more

Wisconsin Conference United Methodist Women in Faith
Mission u 2022

Great news—COMMUNITY is God’s desire for us! Join Mission u 2022 as we reflect on the community that Jesus is calling us to be! This year, as we study Luke 13, we find ourselves in a period of disruption and uncertainty. In the midst of a devastating pandemic, divisive political climate, unaddressed systemic racism, ecological crises and economic turmoil, we turn to the stories of Jesus that have anchored Christian communities for two millennia. Our newly designed Mission u 2022 is more flexible than ever. You may choose to do an in person class or a Zoom class. The text for the class, Who Can We Be Together?, will be available soon.

In Person Class: July 28- July 30, 2022 ( Thursday evening - Saturday afternoon)
                             Christ United Methodist Church, Watertown, WI
Online Zoom Class: July 12, 14, 19, 21 (4 evening sessions)

Speakers at Mission U 2022    /   Mission U Registration Form   /   More Information

Rising Sun Camp Spring Fundraiser

Rising Sun Camp- a camp designed for children who have an incarcerated parent- invites you to a Spring Fundraiser on Sunday, April 24, 2022 from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at Schlitz Mansion, home of Tim Baack and John Sheaffer, 2004 West Highland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53233. Come and enjoy a snack and beverages while you tour the historic Schlitz Mansion, built in 1890. 
Suggested Donation: $25
R.S.V.P. to jplybeck@gmail.com

WI Annual Conference Volunteers Needed

First Aid Assistance: Volunteers able to provide immediate first aid assistance to attendees. If you can provide that assistance, please check the appropriate box on the registration form.

Greeters and Ushers: Greet attendees and guests coming to Annual Conference. We need volunteers to offer a smiling face, warm welcome, and possibly answer simple questions as folks arrive. If you are interested, please check the appropriate box on the registration form or contact Connie Meyer at 608-837-3382 or constanceemey@gmail.com

Tech Crew: Committed and responsible volunteers to work for the Tech Crew/Stage Crew. Must be 12-years-old or older, by June 1, 2022. In some cases, this time can be approved for community service hours towards graduation (check with school). Download the application here. Applications must be submitted to Angela Ullrich at aullrich@wisconsinumc.org by May 2, 2022.

Registration Booth: Volunteers are needed for two hour shifts to help with checking in registrants. This involves making sure attendees are registered and handing out name tags/lanyards. Help is needed on Friday, June 10th from 9:00am to 5:00pm. On Saturday and Sunday, help is needed from 8:00am to 5:00pm. If you are interested, please check the appropriate box on the registration form or contact Lori Denoyer at (608) 837-7328 or ldenoyer@wisconsinumc.org by May 2, 2022.

More Flexibility Coming for Retirees

GLENVIEW, Ill. — New options are coming for United Methodist retirees through the LifeStage Retirement Income program announced by Wespath Benefits and Investments. New possibilities include an annuity contract that guarantees an annual income from age 80 until death and a plan to increase Wespath retirement payments until participants earn their maximum Social Security benefits at 70.
Read press release

Church Court Faces Resolutions on LGBTQ Inclusion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — The Judicial Council, The United Methodist Church's top court, released four rulings. Two stem from annual conference resolutions about LGBTQ inclusion. The other two dealt with procedural matters. Heather Hahn reports.
Read story

Sun Prairie United Methodist Church Confirms 19 Youth

On Sunday, April 10, Sun Prairie United Methodist Church confirmed 19 youth! We were glad to be able to be back in person this year for Confirmation Classes with 20 youth, 21 mentors and 3 leaders. We met every Wednesday evening as well as other events such as a Confirmation Retreat, serving at Sunshine Supper, our monthly Food Drives, Faith in Action Day and a Christmas Party with the High School Youth Group. These kids have a heart for serving in missions and were eager to be part of any opportunity that included serving others. We are blessed to have this fine group of youth in our church family!

Share Your Story!

We are called to share the good news in all the ways we can. Sharing your stories is way for us to be in community together. Every church has a story to tell and we want to hear about them and what is happening in the life of your church.  We want to hear from churches around our conference so if you have a story that you would like included in an upcoming ENews please use the link below and fill out the form.  We would love to have pictures to accompany the story! Submit story here

Zimbabwe United Methodist Share Bounty

HARARE, Zimbabwe (UM News) — On the first Sunday in February, the Rev. Daniel Mutidzawanda hauled a giant pumpkin into the sanctuary of Chisipiti United Methodist Church as part of a celebration lifting up the first harvest of the season to God. “What started as a small seed … has now blossomed into a big act of worship in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area,” said Joseph Mushambi, who initiated the first fruit offering in 2010. Kudzai Chingwe has the story.
Read Story

2022 UMC LEAD Conference

UMC LEAD is excited to announce that this year we will be offering an online version of the 2022 LEAD Conference. While the in-person event was held in San Diego in January, the online conference will consist of the recordings of the 2022 talks as well as opportunities to interact with other LEAD participants.

The event will be held on Friday April 29th and Saturday April 30th. The schedule can be found on our schedule page.

LEAD creates space for Christian leaders to be vulnerable and courageous, connects them around their hopes for the future, and equips them to bring those hopes into reality. LEADers see a vision of the kin-dom of God and are willing to go through hell to get there. We support them on the journey.
More Information