November 9, 2009
Iowa Conference News
No Room At The Inn
For the past five years, church members and friends eagerly lend their treasured nativity sets for display at Valley United Methodist Church’s No Room At the Inn Nativity Annual Event the first weekend in December. The dates and times are as follows:
Friday, December 4, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 5, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
A small group of dedicated women and men carefully unpack, catalogue and create elegant displays of nativity sets ranging from inexpensive nativity snow globes to “priceless” collector sets. The sets range from one piece sculptures to small stable sets to 17 to 50 piece nativity sets; some handed down through generations, some handmade while others have been received as gifts or purchased on vacations from all over the world.
Valley UMC’s Fellowship Hall is transformed with over 250+ nativity displays, draped in luxurious cloths, dazzling adornments, twinkling lights and votives to share with the community. Guests come back year after year, by busloads and from towns as far away as Ottumwa.
A children’s room has been added this year with whimsical accessories like antique bears, childhood pianos and high chairs, to show off the 75+ nativity ensembles made for children and by the Sunday School classes.
Guests are then treated to cookies and coffee or cider before leaving. Non-profit organizations each year selected by the group are the recipients of free-will offerings.
IRMS meets the challenge
At IRMS, a client call recently got our attention: "I have learned that someone in my youth group is cutting herself, and I want a way to approach that and other serious teen issues in a compassionate and productive way."
Hidden Scars: Silent Wounds (VT4867) addresses "cutting" through interviews with experts in the field and also with "cutters" and their families. Please preview before showing, and be prepared for uncomfortable reactions. (Junior High through Adult)
The Choking Game (DV373) exposes this game for the deadly activity that it is. Young people, physicians, and a parent help viewers differentiate between healthy and dangerous risks. Teacher's Resource Guide, activity sheets and fact sheets are included. (Junior High through Adult)
What Would You Do? (DV816) *NEW* includes four 2-minute video clips that illustrate how character is revealed through difficult choices. It encourages youth to discuss what they would do in each of four circumstances:
- Facebook Girls - someone gets smeared on Facebook
- A Good Samaritan? - an athlete encounters someone being bullied and beaten
- Money for the Movies - a student finds money in the laundry
- Prom Scheme - a teen encounters peer pressure
(Junior High-Senior High)
Coping with the Body Image Blues (DV728) *NEW* uses a mix of dramatic vignettes, humorous animation and real student interviews to analyze how a bad self image can damage self-esteem. It helps viewers understand that the media's image of the perfect body is heavily distorted. (Upper Elementary-Senior High)
Should I Say Anything? (DV786) *NEW* helps young teens understand that there is a difference between "snitching" and confiding concerns about a risky or dangerous situation. Resource includes a 39-page Teacher's guide with learning objectives, discussion questions, reproducible handouts, resource lists, and script. (Upper Elementary through Junior High)
Other teen issues can be searched by phrase or partial title in the catalog.
How Can I Get More Great Resources?
With more than 8500 resources in the IRMS library, there are certain to be many to enhance your ministries, sharpen stewardship and more. Just search the catalog. Or call the staff at 800-777-8661 or 515-277-2920 and ask about the topic you're working with. Or email questions@irms.org. If you are not a subscriber, find out how to join here.
Thank you Notes
At age 32, Sonia Holycross has "been there, done that" – lived in a broken home and joined a gang. But through the Circles™ Campaign, Holycross, a single parent of five and now an Americorps volunteer, has patched her life together, becoming stronger in the broken places. "The Circles Campaign is like mending a broken foundation with fresh cement," Holycross says.
To read the rest of this story, click here.
North Central District Lay Speaking Training 2009
Held at Forest City UMC
November 21st & December 5TH (You must attend both days)
9 AM - 2:30 PM **BRING A SACK LUNCH**
BASIC & ADVANCED
Basic: “Lay Speaking Ministries Basic Course - Participants Course”
Author: Sandy Jackson
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Advanced: “Lay Speakers Lead Small Groups”
Author: Thomas Hawkins
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**Please note: OPTIONAL Resources:
“The Christian Small Group Leader”
Author: Thomas Hawkins
All materials are to be purchased ahead of time by student through Cokesbury or The Upper Room. Order on line at www.cokesbury.com or www.upperroom.org by calling toll free 877-231-1594. Please send your registration form with the $10.00 registration fee to the District office: 620 2nd St. Ste. #1, Webster City, IA 50595. (Make Checks payable to: Iowa Annual Conference).
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER & FOR MORE INFORMATION!
IF YOU SHOULD HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THE DISTRICT OFFICE 515-832-2784 or email alanna.warren@iaumc.org
Is Your Church in Need of a Piano?
If your church is needing an upright piano, “in nice shape”, please check out the link on our website. Mercy Court received a new keyboard as a gift and would like to donate their piano to a UMC church. Click here for more information.
You Are Needed (in Nigeria)
Yes, YOU are needed for the 2010 Iowa work team in June if you are a person with knowledge of solar panels/refrigerator installation, water systems, well drilling and general construction/maintenance, plumbers and electricians. Librarians, elementary and theological teachers, office managers, computer technicians with IT experience are requested to join the team for travel to Nigeria.
Health Care professionals are needed to join the medical team in August 2010. An eye clinic will be held to perform free eye surgeries so any eye care medical personnel are desperately needed.
Persons able to spend longer than 3 weeks are welcome to participate as individual volunteers in Nigeria. An orientation will be held on Sat. January 30 in Des Moines. For additional information and application form contact: Beverly Nolte, 5221 Village Run Ave. #604, Des Moines 50317, 515 266 4186, e-mail: bnmedical@aol.com.
Loan Rates are on the Rise…If Your Church Needs a Loan or to Refinance an Existing Loan now is the Time.
The Iowa United Methodist Church Building Fund Trust makes loans to local churches for the purposes of building new buildings, renovation or additions to existing facilities, repairs, purchasing land or even buying a parsonage. The Trust also has refinancing options for high-interest loans.
Special rates starting at 5.87% available for applications received prior to November 30, 2009. After that date rates will return to the standard rate (currently starting at 6.25%).
Please contact us for more information:
Iowa United Methodist Church Building Fund Trust
churchloan@iaumc.org
2301 Rittenhouse Street
Des Moines, IA 50321
2009 November – Lay Speakers Corner - Iowa Conference
Laity Sunday was October 18th – I hope you all enjoyed sharing your gifts with your church. I would like to remind you of the challenge for each of you to share at least one idea with your church or at your charge conference - a new way you hope to use your talents as a lay speaker to further God’s kingdom in this upside down world. As charge conferences are taking place I want to remind all to make sure your paperwork is filled out and turned in so your district has the most up to date information possible.
The BOL met for a fall planning session – we are continually challenged with ways to communicate information to all laity and especially Lay Speakers. There are some districts that have information on their website for laity and others that don’t – there are lay speakers that don’t have Internet access – we need your help to get information to everyone and a way for everyone to share ideas to us. I would like to challenge each district to have a get together for the lay speakers and share ideas, and then have those ideas shared with me.
Several districts have set up District BOL to help plan training, set retreats, and help establish a better communication system within the districts – this seems to be working well and I would highly recommend each district looking into setting up their own board to help communications and utilize the talents of the laity. If you need more information please feel free to contact me.
I would like to be informed as you set your training schedules so I can try to share the dates. I am going to try to have the dates added to the Conference website as I get them.
If you are planning training of some of the older courses please check to make sure the materials are still available, I know some of the books are being revised, some are no longer available and others are changing textbooks to deal with out of print materials.
There is training planned in Knoxville for Feb 6th & 13th – for more details contact the South Central District; they also have plans for March training in Centerville.
The Southwest district had plans for April training in two locations and the Northwest District is also planning training for early 2010.
Please pass this information on to everyone you have an opportunity to. I hope to publish the next Lay Speakers Corner in Jan. Please try to keep me informed of training schedules in your area and let me know if I can be of any help.
Your sister in Christ
Jeanie Allen
rahobbit@hotmail.com or rahobbit@iowatelecom.net
319-696-2417
United Methodist and Other News
TeachUM Trip to Nicaragua
Bob and Regina Elgin have taken numerous teachUM teams to Managua, Nicaragua over the last few years out of Mason UMC, Mason, OH. The next trip is June 14-23, 2010. The Ohio River Valley UMC District continues as a sponsor even though the Elgin’s have recently relocated to Tennessee! Their new contact information is: 410 Morning Dove Drive / Vonore, TN 37885-5309 / <rrelgin@comcast.net>
The team in June will work with the children programs and preschools for the Nicaraguan Methodist Church, IGLEMEN. We will help build or do maintenance on a church building designated by the IGLEMEN Board. The team brochure and information page will be posted on the TeachUM webpage (umvimncj.org, click on the TeachUM menu).
Advent Hymn Texts Set to Christmas Tunes
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=13098&loc_id=17,897,902
There is often pressure to sing Christmas carols rather than Advent hymns during Advent. Using these Advent hymns that have been set to the music of familiar Christmas hymns may allow some churches to delay the use of Christmas hymns a bit longer. Advent begins November 29.
Dean McIntyre
Director of Music Resources, GBOD
PO Box 340003; Nashville TN 37203-0003
Email: music@gbod.org
Telephone: 877-899-2780, ext. 7073 (toll free)
Fax: 615-340-7055
GBOD Web site: www.gbod.org
Worship Web site: www.umcworship.org
Groundbreaking at Asbury Theological Seminary
Asbury Theological Seminary will hold groundbreaking ceremonies Monday, Nov. 9, at 11:15 a.m., to commence construction of a 30-acre family housing development. The event will be at the corner of North Lexington Avenue and Epworth Avenue, about one-half mile north of the seminary campus. The public is welcome. This pedestrian-friendly, sustainable community of high-quality rowhouses and townhouses includes 100 living units for seminary families in the north half of the development. The construction of these units, made possible through a $20 million donation from the Bill and Carol Latimer Charitable Foundation, represents the second largest gift in the history of the seminary. The family housing development is expected to reach completion in spring 2012. “I know the need exists for better student housing,” Bill Latimer said. “And we wanted to help meet that need at Asbury . . . If anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” The completed family housing development will feature 165 two- and three-bedroom living units, each unit providing more than 1,000 square feet of living space for seminary families.
About Asbury Theological Seminary:With multiple campuses, Asbury Theological Seminary is an interdenominational graduate school of theology committed to teaching the unchanging truth of historic Wesleyan Christianity through the most dynamic means available. Asbury offers a variety of degrees, including the master of arts, master of divinity, master of theology, doctor of ministry and doctor of philosophy in intercultural studies, biblical studies. Total current enrollment nears 1,600 students, representing 100 denominations and 31 countries. For more information, please visit asburyseminary.edu.
mid-week update is a ministry of the Communications Ministry Team
of the Iowa Annual Conference
