WI Conference Weekly ENews - November 2, 2022

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Calling for Prayer Following Tragedy in Korea

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung has issued a call to prayer following the tragic crowd surge during Halloween festivities in Seoul, South Korea, that killed more than 150 people. In his prayer, Jung cites Isaiah 40:1: “Comfort, O Comfort my people, says your God.” The Rev. Ioan Sauca, acting top executive of the World Council of Churches, also expressed great sadness and extended condolences on behalf of the global ecumenical fellowship.
Read bishop's statement
Read World Council of Churches statement

The North Central Jurisdictional Conference Begins Today
November 2-5, 2022

The North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) Conference will be in session Nov. 2-5 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Delegates from the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Illinois Great Rivers, Indiana, Michigan, East Ohio, and West Ohio Annual Conferences will come together to elect three new bishops after two years of delay due to COVID.
 
Every four years, the five jurisdictional conferences in the United States (Western, North Central, Northeastern, Southeastern, and South Central) meet following General Conference to elect and assign bishops to replace those retiring. Due to the postponement of General Conference and the inability to gather in person, those elections have been delayed, and some of the current bishops have been asked to provide episcopal oversight for more than one area.

With the next General Conference now scheduled for 2024, the Council of Bishops requested a ruling from the Judicial Council to determine if they could call a regular session of the Jurisdictional Conference ahead of General Conference. That ruling was in the affirmative and stated that the Council of Bishops could call such a session for the “election and assignment of bishops for the limited purpose of effectuating a continued episcopacy in the United Methodist Church.”
Read more / Updates & Livestream Links / Access Daily Agenda

Weekly Lectionary Gatherings for Clergy
Tuesdays at Noon / Begins November 22 / Greenfield Memorial UMC

Rob Odum and Tom Garnhart invite colleagues to join them for weekly gatherings. The intent is to build collegial relationships and to probe the lectionary for the following Sunday. Bring a Bible and a bag lunch if you wish. We will begin with informal conversations and end with prayer. Lessons will be read out loud. Conversations about what we've heard will follow.

Why listen to the word? Virtually all of scripture was intended to be heard by the ear rather than seen by the eye. Even letter writer Paul expected Corinthian letters to be heard when read to the congregation by a literate member. Focusing on written texts without having heard them can distract us from their main point.

Contact Rob at <robdodum@gmail.com> or Tom at <tgarnhart@mac.com> for further information. Let Rob know if you plan to attend.

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!

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 

United Women in Faith
New Website Coming for UWF

NEW YORK — A new member website will debut in the spring and an e-store site should be up and running by the end of the year, United Women in Faith board members were told at their virtual semiannual meeting on Oct. 7-8. The board approved a total operating budget of $25.8 million for 2023, including more than $4.1 million in grants and scholarships and more than $5.5 million for membership programs and resources. Tara Barnes reports. 
Read story

United Methodist Student Day Resources

On Nov. 27, we have the opportunity to support scholarships and low-interest loans that help young leaders achieve their dreams. The United Methodist Church has long been committed to making education affordable and attainable for young people across the world. Your gift will build up the next generation of leaders who can change the world for Christ.
Get resources

Midwest Mission Distribution Center
International Shipments #46 & #47 to the Dominican Republic and Honduras

On Oct. 21, we were blessed with two shipping containers arriving back to back!

It has been harder and harder to get shipping containers on time. This has made it difficult to get resources to those who need it in a timely manner. We would appreciate your prayers for available shipping containers, trucks, and drivers so that we can continue doing what we do here as efficiently as possible. With both containers arriving last Friday, we sent off two international shipments - #46 and #47 for the year. 

Wisconsin Council of Churches
Resetting the Table: Building a Culture of Dialogue
December 7 & 8th from 2:00-4:30pm, Online

Differences surrounding moral and social issues have created frictions and challenges for many faith communities and leaders. 

Resetting the Table’s sought-after workshop equips religious leaders with tools to support faith communities to listen and speak across differences with honesty, dignity, and grace. 

The program provides participants with road-tested exercises they can bring back to their own institutions as well as a chance to experience and model rich dialogue across differences among participating faith leaders.

Join us December 7 & 8th from 2:00-4:30pm on zoom for this powerful, hands-on workshop. Learn More & Register Here

Wisconsin Council of Churches
Taking a Stand for Racial Equity
November 15, 6:30pm, Online

Join us for our November Taking a Faithful Stand for Equity meeting as we organize across the state of Wisconsin on local issues of equity and justice. The November speaker will be announced soon. Sign the pledge to be notified of all upcoming events. 
Sign up Here

Discipleship Ministries
Webinar on Pandemic Lessons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Rev. Ken Sloane will lead a free webinar at 6:30 p.m. U.S. Central time on Nov. 15 about the lessons learned by the church from the COVID-19 pandemic. Sloane is director of stewardship and generosity at Discipleship Ministries.
Learn more
Register