December 10, 2008
Iowa Conference News
It's Rainbow Covenant Time!
How many miles has your church traveled this year on the Rainbow Covenant Road? There's still time to qualify for Third Mile. Here's how: Payment of Apportionments in full qualifies every church for First Mile of Rainbow Covenant Recognition. Apportionments really are mission-giving, you know. Along with Church World Service, our Apportionments help right here in Iowa with children’s programs, Church Camp staff, campgrounds and retreat ministries, School for Lay Ministry which trains laypersons how to be more involved in ministry in Iowa churches. Youth group empowerment. Academy for Ministry Development, to teach pastors to lead Iowa UM Churches for growth. Planting new Iowa UM Churches. Supporting the program that provides nurses in local Iowa Churches. Just to name a few.
Apportionments are actually mission giving when you consider that our mission is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ that transform the world."
Many churches give generously to Ingathering, the Special Offerings and other projects that they could receive Rainbow Covenant Recognition, if only the first mile qualification of 100% payment of apportionments is made. Ingathering was a wonderful time to give generously to so many different Mission Projects supported by the United Methodist Church. Now's the time to check your missions giving for the year to see if you'll qualify for third mile, which includes giving to United Methodist Missionary support. Take note of the Iowans who are serving as Missionaries on page 9 of the Rainbow Covenant Book, get acquainted with them and discover ways you can support them. Go to www.gbgm-umc.org and click on missionary biographies.
Iowa's newest Church and Community Worker is Amy Spaur, out of St Luke UMC, Newton, IA. She serves in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, area in the Justice for our Neighbor program.
The purpose of the Rainbow Covenant program is to help churches develop an intentional approach to funding mission in the U.S. and globally. Each color of the rainbow represents a different aspect of mission. A Rainbow and a Road help us keep track of where we are and where we're going.
The Rainbow Covenant book is on-line at www.iaumc.org and each church received a blue-covered copy at Annual Conference. It is updated regularly on the website. If you have questions or comments, please take note of your District and Conference Rainbow Representatives on pages 46-47.
Thank you for your generous support to United Methodist Missions on the Rainbow Covenant Road.
NCJ Enrichment Event
Each year, the North Central Jurisdiction experiences a unique partnership as the Jurisdictional Urban Ministries Network and the Jurisdictional Town and Country Association sponsor a continuing education and enrichment event at the beginning of January. Click here to view the brochure.
Mission Trip Report
Each year the Conference Volunteers in Mission Coordinators provide information about the mission teams for that year to the Jurisdiction Offices, who compile reports for the General Board of Global Ministries. This information then becomes a measure of the scope of mission volunteering in the United Methodist Church. If your church or district or other entity had a work trip this year, please provide the information to us. It is important for us to do our best to provide complete and accurate information for the use of the GBGM so please report Youth trips as well as Adult trips. Please include all the work spent on Iowa disaster relief and recovery including one day trips. Your assistance with this is greatly appreciated!
We also need to include the mission volunteering projects of individuals and couples so please report time spent at McCurdy, Red Bird, MMDC, HPI, UMCOR Sager Brown, etc. as individuals or couples.
Thank you to all who have already reported!
Use the standard report form or provide the information list below to:
Dan and Jean Houston
1530 Quill Avenue
Madrid IA 50156 or djhouston@opencominc.com
1. Number on the team:
2. Where you went:
3. How many days you worked:
4. Any project funds you gave:
5. What the cost of food, travel and lodging was for the team or per member:
6. Value of medical supplies you might have donated:
6. Value of Anything else that you took or left:
7: Sponsoring church or district:
New Interest Rates - Fixed Interest Rate Investments
The Iowa United Methodist Foundation is offering great rates for fixed-rate investments. The Foundation offers the following rates (churches and agencies only):
3 months 2.40%
6 months 2.60%
1 year 3.30%
2 years 3.60%
3 years 4.25%
4 years 4.50%
5 years 5.00%
The Iowa United Methodist Building Fund Trust will pay 3.60% for a one-year investment. This investment is open to individuals as well as churches.
Interest rates may change without notice so you may want to call to confirm rates.
For more information contact Dave Harner – 515-974-8928 or e-mail: david.harner@iaumc.org.
Scholarships Available
The Iowa United Methodist Foundation will award approximately 175 scholarships to undergraduates, graduates and seminary students for the 2009-10 school year. These scholarships are possible because of generous United Methodists who have created scholarship endowments through the Foundation. All applications must be postmarked on or before February 15, 2009.
Go to our web site www.iumf.org. You can view the qualifications for each scholarship, and the applications are there also. Awards will be announced around April 1. Please follow the directions carefully as incomplete applications and/or late applications will not be considered.
Academy for New Ministry Development
The Academy for New Ministry Development will be having their next session on January 22, 2009 at Shueyville UMC in Swisher, Iowa. Shueyville UMC is located at 1195 Steeple Lane NE and their phone number is 319-848-7213. For a map and directions check out their website at http://www.shueyvillechurch.org/ under the Visitor tab. An agenda of the event is provided below.
We would like to invite all pastors and church leaders to attend the dinner, worship and presentation given by the host (teaching) church and Pastor Tom Carver. This is a great opportunity for you to bring a team of people and experience what is happening at another church so that it stirs the discussion and fans the flames for your own congregation. We ask that anyone not currently part of the Academy for New Ministry Development pay for their own dinner ($9/person). To register, please contact Barb Mann as soon as possible at barb.mann@iaumc.org. Thank you.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Dinner provided by teaching church
6:00 pm – 6:20 pm Worship at teaching church
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Teaching church presentation
7:30 pm – 8:00 pm Q & A
Youth Newsletter Now Available Online
The Winter 2008 Youth Newsletter is now available on the web at www.iaumc.org. Check out Youth Strike for Christ and other upcoming events!
2009 Conference-Wide Leadership Development Focus
In Spring, 2009 events will be held throughout the conference focusing on the topic of “Excellence and Fruitfulness in Ministry: Living the United Methodist Way”
These events will be “companion” events to the 2008 Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, but all churches are invited to participate. Whether or not you were involved in the Five Practice workshops in 2008, “Excellence and Fruitfulness in Ministry: Living the United Methodist Way” will have something to offer your congregation.
Events for the Southwest, South Central, and Northeast Districts will be held on Sunday March 1, 2009 from 2:30-5:30 pm.
Events for the North Central, East Central, and Central Districts will be held on Sunday March 8, 2009 from 2:30-5:30 pm.
An event for the Northwest District will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2009 in coordination with the Northwest district leadership event.
The Southeast District will focus on each of the Five Practices in a series of workshops scheduled for February 21, May 2 and September 19. The content of “Excellence and Fruitfulness in Ministry: Living the United Methodist Way” will be blended into these events.
More information coming soon!
United Methodist and Other News
Inauguration Week Activity Assistance for Groups
The Baltimore Washington Conference of the UMC is assisting groups who would like to attend the activities of Inauguration Week in Washington , D.C. Check out the live link below to find details. Please note on the website the contact information directly to the Baltimore Washington Annual Conference.
http://www.bwcumc.org/microsites/d/bethechangeyouwanttosee
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Rev. Rex E. Piercy, formerly (1971-2003) of the Iowa Annual Conference, will be hosting a ten-day Bible Land Pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan (with an optional 4 day extension to Egypt) which will depart Oct 6, 2009 from Chicago. The tour includes round trip transportation from Chicago, quality hotels, sightseeing with English speaking guides throughout, lectures, and much more. For the enjoyment of the travelers, all arrangements will be made in advance. Mark your calendar and join this wonderful tour. For further information, you may contact Rev. Dr. Rex E. Piercy, 1001 West Kirchhoff Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005, 847-392-6650 or pastorcucc@sbcglobal.net
A Website to check out:
Souper Bowl of Caring: http://www.souperbowl.org/
mid-week update is a ministry of the Communications Ministry Team
of the Iowa Annual Conference
