WI Conference Weekly ENews - August 16, 2023

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Youth 2023 Bus Trip

Youth and adults from: Arlington UMC, Cargill UMC, Hudson UMC, Peshtigo UMC, Still Waters UMC, and Onalaska UMC joined the Wisconsin Conference Bus Trip for 2023. Heading to Youth 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida., July 25-28, 2023. The Youth 2023, is a global UMC gathering for youth, held every four years. The 45-person group stopped in Roswell, and Atlanta, Georgia.

There they stayed at M25 Mission Camp and created a small carnival for those experiencing homelessness. The following day the group attended the church service at the Roswell UMC and then packed 180 meals at the 7 Bridges to Recovery. The group then traveled to deliver the meals and pray with the homeless people in the parks, on the streets and under bridges. Thank you for the generous giving that allows our youth to experience these events that are meaningful to their lives and will never be forgotten.

Hispanic Youth Camp Report, Lake Lucerne 2023
WI Conference Hispanic Committee

Last August, from the 3rd to the 5th, we bore witness to an exhilarating chapter in our history: our annual Hispanic Youth Camp at Lake Lucerne. It was an experience that truly left a mark on our hearts.

Collectively, both the team and attendees immersed themselves in an experience filled with camaraderie, games, music, teachings, and, of course, delicious food! Moreover, our camp was a genuine celebration of diversity, with young people from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico sharing their cultures and unique forms of expression. Read more about the Hispanic Youth Camp

Free Webinar: Accountable Reimbursement
UMC Support Online Learning

Are you looking to establish sound financial practices within your ministry or church? Do you want to ensure that your reimbursement policies are transparent, accountable, and align with best practices?

An Exploration Of Fresh Expressions 
Sept. 30- October 1, 2023, First Congregational Church (Plymouth, WI)

Are you excited to reach new people with fresh expressions of Church? How do you inspire your congregation to express their faith in new ways? ... to take risks and try new things?

The Wisconsin Conference of Lay Servant Ministries is thrilled to be able to bring this in-person workshop to Wisconsin on Saturday, September 30, 2023 and Sunday afternoon on October 1, 2023 to help answer these questions. The workshop will be held at a First Congregational, a fully accessible church in Plymouth, WI (The Cheese Capital of the World).

This workshop is being underwritten by the NE District – Circuit 12 Laity Committee to provide an affordable means for everyone to attend. In addition, this training has been approved by the Wisconsin Conference Board of Laity for Advanced Lay Servant credit and by the Board of Ordained Ministry for CEU credit for ordained clergy. Read more about Fresh Expressions

For detailed and registration information, please click here.

School For Ministry 2023
October 4 - 6, 2023, Green Lake Conference Center

All clergy in the Wisconsin conference are invited and expected to attend School For Ministry 2023 for learning and sharing. We welcome and encourage retired clergy to join us. Our guest will be Dr. Ron Bell who serves as Director of Healing and Resilience for Discipleship Ministries and The Upper Room. He is passionate about emotional formation and the intersection of faith and mental health. This year's theme is Journey in the Spirit – Re-membering, Re-connecting, Re-newing: A theological and spiritual perspective for finding emotional stability amid shifting and unequitable terrain. Finding and creating healing and hope in the midst of challenging times.

Participants are eligible for 1 CEU for attending and participating in School for Ministry.
Learn more and register

Upper St. Croix Parish UMC Finally Able To Host VBS With Help From The WI Foundation
By Pastor Jenny Lee

Upper St. Croix Parish UMC (Central-Grantsburg, Atlas and St. Croix Falls) couldn't have VBS for a long time. But this year, we received a $1500 grant from The Wisconsin Foundation. The grant meant a lot to our congregation, encouraging us with hope. We were able to start Sunday School, and could hold VBS this year. Twelve young kids, five youth kids, and more than twenty adult volunteers working together.

VBS was held Aug. 7th- 10th with a "Minecraft World" theme, which kids are familiar with in their game world. We tried to connect with the kids' favorite things and church life, and help them grow in faith as well as a lovely world in a healthy way. We successfully made it. We are grateful to The Wisconsin Conference for supporting our local church's ministry.

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

Share Your Event To Our Calendar!

We're looking for events that celebrate local church communities across the state. Help us spread the word about your upcoming event by sharing it with us here!  Please be sure that your submission provides complete details. Subject to our editorial review, we will add your event to our Events Calendar and share it in the weekly Enews. Submit your event here 

30 Days Of AntiRacism Begins September 1st
UM Religion & Race

Join us this September for 30 days of antiracism. Each day we will engage in an activity that helps us to become more antiracist in the ways we think and act. Share your progress with a picture or a reflection using #30DaysAntiRacism.
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Guatemala To Receive Needed Supplies
Midwest Mission Distribution Center

On Thursday, August 3, Midwest Mission sent a shipment to Guatemala. This shipment was particularly exciting, because it included 180 school desks. These desks are made at Midwest Mission using bleacher wood that has been donated from schools or churches that are replacing their old bleachers. We are able to take the wood and repurpose it for those in need. 

In developing countries, many schools do not have desks for children to sit at and do their work. Many kids sit on the ground, or use a table that is not meant for school work. Having a good, purposeful surface for school work creates a conducive learning environment, empowering these students to create a better future for themselves.

If you know a school or church that is replacing their wooden bleachers, please reach out to our Operations Manager, Brad Walton, at brad@midwestmission.org Read more

Special Sundays Raise Money, Awareness
United Methodist Communication

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist Church promotes Special Sundays that raise awareness and celebrate generosity in annual conferences and churchwide. Diane Degnan offers a guide to these annual observances.
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