WESTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE

SPROUTS

May 12, 2015

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 can be viewed at:  www.mennowdc.org (Pastoral Openings)

Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, Goessel, KS  – CIF will be posted soon

Beatrice Mennonite Church, Beatrice, NE – Pastor

Buhler/Hoffnungsau/Inman Mennonite churches, Kansas – Joint Youth Pastor

Eden Mennonite Church, Moundridge, KS – Pastor

Grace Hill Mennonite Church, Whitewater, KS – CIF will be posted soon

Shalom Mennonite Church, Newton, KS – Pastor

News and Transitions

Rosie Jantz’s ordination service will be held at Tabor Mennonite Church, Newton, KS on May 24 at 3 pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Our sympathy to Nancy Kauffmann, Mennonite Church USA Denominational Minister (in Elkhart, IN), upon the death of her husband Joel on May 8.  Joel was the author of Pontius’ Puddle.

Cleo Koop, pastor at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, Inman, KS, has resigned effective August 1.  He will become the Director of the Disaster Management Program at Hesston College.

Sandra Martinez has been appointed as the Interim Pastor at Iglesia Menonita Monte Horeb, Dallas, TX.

Jennie Wintermote will begin as Supply Pastor at New Creation Fellowship Church, Newton, KS on June 1.

WDC Announcements

  1. “What is the church or community challenge toward which you sense God calling you?” The Leadership Transformation Grants with the Kansas Leadership Center, Wichita, are a unique opportunity for pastors and lay leaders from across Western District Conference to hone skills in leadership. The three-day seminar You.Lead.Now.is valued at $800 and includes registration, meals, and lodging. Go to kansasleadershipcenter.org or call Clarence Rempel, 316-283-6300 to find out more. Scholarship applications are available at https://mennowdc.org/grants/. Twenty-two of the 34 WDC scholarships have been granted. Apply now even for fall usage. June 1 we will begin to release scholarships to South Central Conference.
  1. Join us for a Pastors’ Lunch Table Talk on the Rainbow Resolution–Thursday, May 21, 12:00-1:30 at the Western District Office conference room.  We’ll dialogue around the premises of the Rainbow Resolution and test how well they sustain their conclusion.  Do they add up?  Could they be made stronger?  Brad Roth, pastor of the West Zion Mennonite Church in Moundridge, will spark the conversation with some friendly challenges to the Resolution.  Bring your own lunch–water provided.  To connect via the internet, notify Nancy Funk at wdc@mennowdc.org or 316-283-6300.
  1. Are you interested in hearing about how Jesus and the Bible inform how we do Anabaptist faith formation?  Come and hear Andy Brubacher Kaethler speak at the Anabaptist Faith Formation launch on June 12!  Are you interested in learning how worship shapes our faith?  Come and hear Rachel Miller Jacobs preach at the Anabaptist Faith Formation launch on June 12!  Register at:  https://mennowdc.org/anabaptist-faith-formation-launch/
  1. Western District Conference can send one delegate for every 1000 members or fraction thereof in our area conference to the Mennonite Church USA convention.  The following persons have been appointed by the Executive Board to be WDC delegates at Kansas City 2015:  Norma Duerksen, Kathy Neufeld Dunn, Howard Garver, Richard Gehring, Anita Kehr, Norma Johnson, Wendy Funk Schrag, and Diana Schunn.
  1. Being a kitchen helper is a hootin’ good time!  Olivia knows this because she once was the designated carrot peeler and potato chopper at Camp Mennoscah.  No fancy skills are needed just the ability to follow instructions, a willingness to have fun, and maybe a mischievous look in your eye.  Helpers are needed for June 7-13, July 19-25, and July 26-31.  Contact us at olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org or 620-297-3290.  Free tee shirts and camper discounts are available!
  1. Head cook needed!  Camp Mennoscah needs a head cook for the weeks of June 29-July 2 and July 5-9.  These positions come with a stipend or a camper discount.  Share the fun with a friend and be co-head cooks!  Olivia is happy to answer questions.  You can bug her at 620-297-3290 or olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org.
  1. We think summer youth camps at Camp Mennoscah are snazzy and great and more fun than a bee’s knees!  We’d like to add your new-to-Camp Mennoscah friend to our Bring a Friend program–a free tee shirt for the returning camper and a free tee shirt for the new camper!  Who would have thought?  Both a fun week of camp and a cheerful camp tee shirt to remind you of the good times throughout the year.  Details of the BAF program can be found in the camp catalog or call 620-297-3290.  It’s less than a month to the first week of camp.

Mennonite Church Announcements

  1. Do you love the excitement of global sporting events?  Then make sure you register to participate in the Mennonite World Cup at Assembly this July!  In between worship and workshops, join in with Anabaptist brothers and sisters from around the world in sports, games, and other fun.  For more information, search on “sports” at mwc-cmm.org.

 

  1. How do we develop healthy communities?  Who gets to be part of those communities?  Laugh, cry, think, and be inspird by Ted & Co., Shane Claiborne, and others!  Learn, fellowship, and be inspired by colleagues from around the world!  It all happens at the Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship (MHF) Annual Gathering 2015, July 19-21 in Harrisburg, PA.  All healthcare workers, past, present, and future, from medical, mental health, and chaplaincy professions, along with their families are warmly invited.  Grants are available for students, volunteers, and those outside the US and Canada.  A children and youth program is available for ages 0-18.  For more information and registration, go to www.mennohealth/gathering, email info@mennohealth.org, or call 1-888-406-3643 (toll free).
  1. Help Wanted:  Mennonite Mission Network is looking to fill a few final positions in three of our programs for this fall. Apply by June 1. For more info, contact JohnM@MennoniteMission.net.
    Service Adventure Unit Leaders
    : Live in a unit house with a small group of youth and offer support as they serve and live in Christian community. Positions open in Albany, Ore. and Albuquerque, N.M. Age: 24+, term: 2 years.
    Journey International
    : Grow spiritually, learn passionately, and serve in Indonesia as a teacher or digital media content creator. Ages 18-27, term: 1 year.
    Mennonite Voluntary Service
    : Serve, live, and grow in places like Chicago, Madison, San Antonio, and Kansas City. Age: 20+, term: 1-2 years.

 

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