March 10, 2009
Iowa Conference News
The Iowa Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministries’ Student Day Merit Award scholarship application is available online. Student Day Merit Scholarships are intended for Iowa United Methodist students who will be attending a United Methodist college, university, or seminary during the 2009/2010 year. Scholarship criteria can be found on the application form. Please note the March 15, 2009 deadline and that each church is entitled to make only one nomination. The application can be found at http://www.iaumc.org/page.asp?PKValue=1003 click on “UM Merit Award Application”. Questions should be directed to Medea Saunders, pastor@grace-umc.com.
Bishop’s Award for Ecumenism
Every year the Bishop's Award for Ecumenism is presented by the Commission on Christianity Unity and Interreligious Concerns to clergy and/or a lay person/youth for displaying exceptional ecumenical characteristics. This annual award is given to persons who have been a witness, through action in the community, to justice and other values affirmed by Christian faith, and who has demonstrated a commitment to Christian unity. The CCUIC is seeking your help in nominating persons who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in transcending religious and racial barriers in promoting Christian unity, justice for all and harmony among people. The nomination form is emailed to pastors/local churches or can be accessed on conference website. Click Here for the 2009 Ecumenism Award Recommendation Form
Sea Container Heads to Nigeria
On March 4th, about 13 persons helped to load the sea container enroute to Chicago, on to New York and eventually will arrive in Lagos, Nigeria by the end of March. It was a warm, breezy day that made it early for the volunteers to move 1,166 boxes, 2 metal beds, 3 solar refrigerators, 2 PETS among other things.
Bishop Trimble was on hand to pray over the contents sent with Christian love from Iowa. The value of the contents would probably be about $200,000 +.
It takes many hands to put all of this together. From the persons in the local church, to the InGathering committees, to numerous churches who are finding a new home for a variety of items their church no longer needs or wants and bringing it to the trailer, for our photographer, for Russ Potter who goes to open the trailer accommodating deliverers from across the state. Those of you who helped with the loading did a huge service. All of this is immensely appreciated by our Nigerian recipients. We are literally God's hands and feet. Thanks to all.
School for Ministry Registration Discount Ends March 10th
March 10 is the last chance to get the registration discount for the 2009 School for Ministry. Paid registrations must be postmarked no later than March 10. Information about the event and a downloadable registration form is available at: www.schoolforministry.org
If you have questions, contact DeLane Wright at dewright@mchsi.com
General Accessibility Audit Available
Every church should expect to have members with disabilities. In order to better serve the entire congregation, the church can use the Accessibility Audit to determine if their building or buildings have architectural or physical barriers that restrict or prevent anyone from having full access to the ministries of the church.
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United Methodist and Other News
Revised Baptismal Ritual Now Available
The GBOD Worship Web site now has, in addition to an article about the revisions made to the baptismal ritual, the full baptismal ritual itself revised to align with all of the changes that have occurred up to and including the 2008 Book of Discipline.
The new resource, called “The Services of The Baptismal Covenant in The United Methodist Church as Revised to Align with the 2008 Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions,” is available at: http://www.gbod.org/worship/baptismal-ritual-revised.pdf.
Persons looking for guidance on receiving new affiliate and associate members may visit: http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=43820&loc_id=9,824.
While a PDF version of the full texts is now available, GBOD is still in the process of developing several other formats to deliver this resource, including a Word document, HTML, and booklet-form PDFs for congregations to print to insert in their hymnals or pew racks as needed.
GBOD was granted permission by The United Methodist Publishing House to develop and publish online this new resource for congregations under the copyright of The United Methodist Publishing House.
In addition to the changes made to the ritual texts by the 2008 General Conference, the new resource updates language about membership clarifying the terminology about how we receive baptized and professing members and persons from other denominations. This clarification is based on “By Water and the Spirit” and changes to paragraph 225 in the 2008 Discipline. The changes also include instructions (in italics) that offer guidance for the role of Deacons in Full Connection in the sacrament.
The ritual as it appears in The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) and The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992) was created before The United Methodist Church instituted the Order of Deacons (1996).
While changes to the rubrics have not been specifically approved by General Conference, the 2008 Book of Discipline authorizes the General Board of Discipleship to offer new resources to the church that “set forth and interpret the biblical and theological basis for corporate worship… consistent with the doctrines of The United Methodist Church” (Paragraph 1114) and to “prepare revisions of the ritual of the Church and approved orders of worship for recommendation to the General Conference for adoption” (Paragraph 1114.4). This new resource, and the family of additional formats that will accompany it, are offered to the denomination in that spirit.
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. Visit www.gbod.org for more information or call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7017.
mid-week update is a ministry of the Communications Ministry Team
of the Iowa Annual Conference
