Dear clergy sisters and brothers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and all members of the Iowa Conference, I am writing to you during this Holy Week with a word of encouragement and hope. I give thanks for the amazing ministry that each one of you has in the Iowa Annual Conference. Your deep faith and your fervent desire to share the love of ...
Members of the Antiracism Leadership Team will be contributing personal narratives in a series of articles about the importance of helping The Iowa Annual Conference to become fully antiracist at all levels of ministry. By: Rev. Dr. Lanette Plambeck, Director of Clergy and Leadership Excellence and member of the Antiracism Leadership Team As ...
"If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated." - Carter G. Woodson 2020 witnessed many tragedies and hardships. The global pandemic caught us all off-guard and left us all struggling to be alone together. Political divisions ...
By: Nitza Dovenspike, member of the Iowa Annual Conference Anti-racism Leadership Team Complicity is defined as an involvement in a crime or something that is wrong. The word is sometimes confused with complacent which is more about going along with the current situation, the status quo. Perhaps complacent is a softer adjective or noun the ...
Rust College is the oldest of 11 HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) related to the United Methodist Church. The Iowa Annual Conference has had a special relationship of encouragement and support with Rust College for many years and would like to introduce or reintroduce the Iowa United Methodist family to why Rust is so unique. ...
Siblings in Christ of the Iowa Annual Conference: In recent weeks, we have seen the escalation of hate crimes and violence across Iowa. In the small community of Stuart, a family discovered racial epithets spray-painted on their home. Near the college town of Grinnell, authorities are investigating an apparent homicide after witnesses discovered ...
August 21, 2020 To the saints of God in the Iowa Annual Conference, Grace and peace in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Where did the summer go? It’s getting toward the end of August, and our children and youth have already begun or are about to return to school in a variety of configurations due to COVID-19. After the conclusion of ...
Believe. Serve. Grow. "We aim to empower young people as world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ, to nurture their faith development, and to equip young leaders." - Young People's Ministries of The United Methodist Church. On Monday, July 27th, Madeline St. Clair and Grace Kiboko – two young leaders of the Iowa Conference – joined Bishop ...
Bishop Laurie introduced The UMC Black Ministers Caucus presentation saying, “We need our church to say something. We need our church to do something. I give thanks to the Iowa United Methodist black minister caucus for the advocacy. Thank you for the Anti-Racism Task Force that we have begun here in the Iowa Annual Conference. Pastor Cephas ...