WESTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE
SPROUTS
September 16, 2014
A weekly communication for:
WDC Churches and Pastors
WDC Executive Board, Commission, Committee and Task Force members
Any content may be used in bulletins and newsletters and forwarded to congregational leaders and members.
WDC Sprouts is also available at: www.mennowdc.org (Publications)
IN THIS ISSUE:
*Pastoral Openings
*News and Transitions
*Announcements
Pastoral Openings
Congregational Information Forms (CIF) can be viewed at: www.mennowdc.org (Pastoral Openings)
WDC Associate Conference Minister
Buhler/Hoffnungsau/Inman (KS) churches – Youth Pastor
Eden Mennonite Church, Moundridge, KS – Lead Pastor (CIF coming)
Hanston (KS) Mennonite Church – Pastor
Shalom Mennonite Church, Newton, KS – Pastor (CIF coming)
Trinity Mennonite Church, Hillsboro, KS – Pastor
News and Transitions
Gilberto Flores, WDC Associate Conference Minister, will retire on January 31, 2015.
Condolences to Anita Kehr, Pastor at First Mennonite Church, Newton, KS, upon the death of her mother, Marilyn Yoder on September 15 in Goshen, Indiana.
Randy Smith began September 1 as Transitional Pastor at Grace Hill Mennonite Church, Whitewater, KS.
WDC Announcements
1. A BIG thank you to the 1,700 Western District Conference (WDC) members who completed the 20-question Discernment Task Force Survey. You also provided the Task Force with 500 pages of comments! The Task Force met on September 2 to compile the first 1,000 surveys and they are now working on the 700 that arrived in the last week. The full report of the Survey will be released at WDC Reference Council meeting at Eden Mennonite Church on Saturday, November 15, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Register at https://mennowdc.org/wdc-reference-council/ so we can plan for food and so you can receive materials in advance.
2. For Pastors and Church Leaders: The Western District Conference Executive Board encourages our churches to appoint delegates for Kansas City 2015 and WDC Assembly 2015 now and then encourage those delegates to participate in the WDC Fall and Spring Reference Councils. We believe that these will be important educational and discernment events that will prepare delegates for more informed participation and an attentiveness to Holy Spirit discernment. Contact Richard Gehring, WDC Moderator, at rbgehring@juno.com or Clarence Rempel, WDC Conference Minister, at clarencer@mennowdc.org for more information.
3. Pastors’ Day Apart – Thursday, October 30, 9 am – 3 pm, at Shalom Mennonite Church, Newton, KS. “Cultivating an Incarnational Church” with Brad Brisco, author and Church Planting Strategist in Kansas City. Register online by October 22 at: https://mennowdc.org/pastors-day-apart-october-30-2014/
4. Save the date, or get one or three of your youth to do so, for a Discipleship Now Retreat, November 14-16, 2014. D-Now is a weekend retreat for 6-12 youth who come from several congregations. It is a weekend of participation in disciplines of service, Bible study, prayer, silence, and others. It’s a chance to step out of the everyday hustle and listen. And it’s a chance for you to follow up with your youth after this experience. Start thinking about which of your youth are ready for a weekend that will challenge them to grow as followers of Jesus, and talk to them!
Mennonite Church USA Announcements
1. Dove’s Nest (www.DovesNest.net) ishosting its first national “Protecting our Children and Youth” Conference/Worship gathering in Omaha, NE, November 7-9. An exciting line-up includes keynote speaker, Deondra Brown (more info here) and eight breakout sessions featuring speakers from across the country addressing a host of topics related to protecting children and youth in faith communities. There will be times of worship. reflection, networking, and a special evening banquet on Saturday. CEUs are offered for social workers, counselors, pastors, and others. Registration is only $50, which covers snacks and meals on Saturday as well. A flyer with additional information is attached. More information, including online registration is also available at this link: www.DovesNest.net/2014Conference. Please print and post the attached flyer. – from Marlene Bogard, Dove’s Nest Board Member
2. Save the Date: Webinar on Israel-Palestine Conflict. September 21 is Peace Sunday. Do you wish you knew more about the Israel-Palestine conflict, but don’t know where to start? You’re not the only one. Jesus Weeps, an introduction and overview of this history and conflict, is a one-hour webinar sponsored by the Peace and Justice Support Network of Mennonite Church USA that will give you an overview of the basic history and current situation. It will be held on December 4 at 8 pm (EST). Register online now! http://www/pjsn.org/Resources/congregations/Pages/Jesus-Weeps.aspx
3. Every two years at the Mennonite Church USA Convention, the Delegate Assembly convenes to tend to the business of Mennonite Church USA. Convention in Kansas City, MO – June 30 – July 5, 2015 – will be no different. Delegates – representatives from Mennonite congregations, area conferences, and Racial/Ethnic groups all across the country – play an important part in shaping the church. They discern goals for the next two years of denominational work, give feedback to the Executive Board and the Mennonite Church USA leaders, and discuss statements and resolutions that guide the overall work of the church. But what exactly does being a delegate entail? How do you become one? Attached you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about who can be a delegate, how they are chosen, and the work that they do.
4. Bethel College will host Walter Sawatsky for the 2014 Menno Simons lectures, October 26-28. Sawatsky is professor emeritus of church history and mission at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He will be speaking on “Going Global with God in the Third Millennium: Why Telling the Story from a Global Perspective Matters.” Please see the attached flyer for details.
Western District Conference
2517 North Main, PO Box 306
North Newton KS 67117
316-283-6300; FAX: 316-283-0620
Email: wdc@mennowdc.org
Website: www.mennowdc.org