WI Conference Weekly ENews - May 11, 2022

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Disaffiliation Task Force: Ten Steps Before A Church Vote On Disaffiliation

Leadership in your congregation believes that during the limited window of possibility which exists until December 31, 2023 the time is right to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church under the criteria specified by the Book of Discipline’s new Paragraph 2553. The recommendations in the report of the Disaffiliation Task Force to the 2022 Wisconsin Annual Conference include multiple steps involving the local church and the United Methodist-appointed pastoral leadership that shall be taken before your congregation votes on their future relationship to our denomination. Read more

Invite Wisconsin Council Of Churches Staff To Your Church This Summer

The WCC staff is available to preach, lead adult programming, and offer other resources to your church on a variety of topics ranging from church vitality to faith & pandemics, immigration, advocacy, non-partisan justice and peace ministries in congregations, emotional intelligence in ministry, community outreach, refugee resettlement and more. 

Click this link to see all the topics we are available to preach and teach on. Reach out to our staff today. Note: Deaconess Johnna Georgia is away on parental leave and unavailable this summer.

Corrected Location- 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, 455 S. Jefferson, Waterford, 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. This will be an opportunity to celebrate what God is doing in our congregations as we honor two who have served with us.

The Anti Racism Task Force Cultural Competency Forum:
Building A Multicultural Church : Applying What We Have Learned

You are invited to continue your journey to cultural competency by registering for Building a Multicultural Church: Applying What We Have Learned. This forum will review basic concepts covered in the previous Cultural Competency Forum sessions and will offer a model for application in the local context. Case studies will be presented to practice application in three church types. Participation is free of charge to Wisconsin Conference clergy and laity. This forum will take place via Zoom on Saturday, May 21 from 10:00am- 12:00pm. Registration deadline is May 20 at noon. Learn more

School For Ministry at Green Lake Conference Center, Oct. 2022

All clergy in the Wisconsin conference are invited and expected to attend School For Ministry 2022 for learning and sharing. We welcome and encourage retired clergy to join us. Our guest will be Dr. Rodolfo Nolasco Jr., the Rueben P. Job Chair in Spiritual Formation and Pastoral Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He also is Director of the Rueben P. Job Institute for Spirituality and Spiritual Formation. Dr. Nolasco works with mind-brain theory and how it influences spiritual formation. He will address:

• How life events can affect the brain
• Spiritual substance
• Self-care balanced with care for others
• Renewal, revitalization and rejuvenation

Participants are eligible for 1 CEU for attending and participating in School for Ministry. CEU certificate sent upon request to Lori at ldenoyer@wisconsinumc.org
Learn more

Celebration of the Hispanic/Latino Pentecost Emergence

This Saturday, May 14, will be the Celebration of the Hispanic/Latino Pentecost Emergence, which is the Wisconsin Conference Strategy to plant new Hispanic/Latino ministries and revitalize the existing ones. Bishop Hee Soo Jung will be the speaker. The Event will be at 3:00PM at Vida Nueva UMC, 919 Schwartz Street, Green Bay, WI 54302.
View Flyer

National Council of Churches Announces Interim President and General Secretary

Washington, DC – Today, the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) welcomed Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie to her first business meeting of the NCC Governing Board as Interim President and General Secretary. Bishop McKenzie started in the position on April 1, 2022, and has immersed herself in the work of the organization. This initial period of exploration culminated in a Board retreat held last week in Montgomery, Alabama with programming that built upon NCC’s current priority, the “A.C.T. NOW to End Racism” initiative that was started in 2018.

“The National Council of Churches is blessed to have Bishop McKenzie in this key leadership role. She brings the necessary insight, expertise, and ecumenical commitment to the Council” said Board Chair, Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, who is also the Presiding Bishop of the Fifth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Read more

Discipleship Ministries- May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, for celebration and recognition of the cultural and historical contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to the United States. Resources, including hymns, history articles and prayers, are available to help with the celebration.
See resources

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

Opportunities to Support Midwest Mission: Ingathering at Annual Conference & Distribution Center Trip in August

Midwest Mission is one of eight cooperating depots in the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Supply Network. Midwest Mission distributes UMCOR supplies in response to disasters within the United States.  In addition Midwest Mission distributes their kits internationally to those in need during times of crisis. Both UMCOR and Midwest Mission make a number of kits to meet needs. UMCOR eliminated its school kit because it is no longer requested, while Midwest Mission has a high demand for their student kit. And those kits need to have exactly the same items in each for a number of reasons – so everyone gets the same thing, to meet shipping criteria, etc. You can see all the kit patterns here. All supplies are given free of charge regardless of gender, race or religion.
Read More about Volunteer Opportunities
Donation Form

Wauwatosa UMC Presents: Being An Alzheimers Caregiver Featuring Former Gov. Martin Schreiber 

Governor Schreiber had been, until recently, a caregiver for his wife Elaine who lived with Alzheimer’s disease for 18 years. He will speak on what he feels is the most important campaign of his life: to talk about the challenges of being an Alzheimer’s caregiver. He will share what he has learned, which is included in his award-winning book, "My Two Elaines: Learning, Coping, and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver." It is an especially important time for the former governor to be with us, as our church is observing Mental Health Awareness Month all through May. "My Two Elaines" is a guide for Alzheimer’s families and caregivers as well as a love story that spans more than 60 years. He speaks about the need for caregivers to build support systems and self-care, which are among the things he failed to do early on. Learn more

Date: Friday, May 13, 2022
Time: 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
Cost: 15.00 ($10.00 for the book; $5.00 for lunch)
Wauwatosa Ave United Methodist Church
www.waumc.org
To register or for more info: please call the church office at 414-453-0700 or e-mail Pastor Deb Hasting at revdeb_hastings@outlook.com

Wisconsin Council Of Churches-
Recording of Covid-19: Where Are We Now?

The recording of the WCC's latest webinar presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is now available.

Click here to be taken to the recording.

UMC Support Online Webinar- Tell Your Ministry Story: Understanding Video for Digital Disciple Making 

Videos are a major source of internet traffic today. Creating video content for your church can be an incredible outreach opportunity for your ministry. UMC Support's Andrew Jensen will walk through the specifics of creating a powerful video that highlights your people, your ministry, and their positive impact on your community. Learn more

Thursday, May 12, 2:00PM  Central Time

Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge

GCORR recently launched the Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge, which starts on Juneteenth. Check out the resource webpage which now features weekly prayers and litanies, and will soon include French, Korean, Spanish, and Tagalog translations.