News

Saturday, June 3, 5:00-7:00 pm in the RecPlex Meeting Rooms. As clergy and laity come together from around the Conference, we have another opportunity to welcome our new Bishop - and get acquainted with her family.  In addition to Bishop Kennetha, her husband, Kee, and sons Keeton and Kamden will be present.  Light refreshments will be served.  Don't miss this informal opportunity to welcome our Episcopal family.  The Welcome Reception will be held in the meeting rooms directly across the foyer...

Contact: Liz Winders Director of Communications (515) 974-8907 liz.winders@iaumc.org For Immediate Release Special Held Iowa Annual Conference Session Approves Disaffiliation of 83 United Methodist Churches  Des Moines, IA — The Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church held a special session on May 23, 2023, via Zoom Webinar to vote on proposed Disaffiliation Agreements between the Iowa Annual Conference and United Methodist local churches seeking to leave The United Methodist ...

Annual Conference, the once-a-year meeting of United Methodists in Iowa, takes place June 2 – 4 at the RecPlex in West Des Moines. Lay delegates from each congregation and clergy gather for decision-making, learning, and inspiration. The meetings are open, and several may be of special interest to Laypersons:   The Laity Session begins at 7:00 on Friday evening (music from 6:45 p.m.) It includes a message for Laity from Bishop Kennetha, awards, and recognitions, a presentation on the Iowa ...

Seeing you in the heart of God By: Rev. Dr. Mary Lautzenhiser Bellon This poem comes from work in my contemplative prayer group. We allow ourselves to “see” each other in a time of silence during an interlude in our prayers together. We allow our imaginations and our spiritual core to evoke and bring images of each other as expressions on the journey.  Then we share these images with each other. What the images mean often becomes something to ponder and pray about  for each of our group members,...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers June 4, 2023 —  Trinity Sunday Genesis 1:1-2:4; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, Matthew 28:16-20 ? Rev. Martha Dalton Ward Our Three-in-One God Trinity Sunday follows Pentecost on our lectionary calendar, a reminder that with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus, we witness the ...

Beginning January 1, 2023, Rev. LaTonya Calderon began serving half-time at Windsor Heights UMC and half-time as the Interim Director of Leadership Excellence and Inclusion.    With the election of Bishop Rev. Dr. Lanette Plambeck, Calderon will take on some of the responsibilities of the prior Director of Clergy and Leadership Excellence role around leadership development while adding to it the Ministry of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility. She will collaborate with and...

Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai and the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church announce the following leadership staff transitions.      Rev. Bill Poland:   Rev. Bill Poland will retire on June 30, 2024, after 42 years of service to the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He will continue to serve as the Director of Connectional Ministries until his retirement next year.   Poland is a graduate of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. He is currently the...

The Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church mourns the death of Rev. Judith "Judy" K. Miller, who passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Visitation will be held Friday, May 19, 2023, from 4-7 p.m. at Christy-Smith Funeral Home, Morningside Chapel (1801 Morningside Avenue, Sioux City, IA 51106-0526) A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at Grace United Methodist Church (1735 Morningside Ave, Sioux City, IA 51106). Burial will be in Lakeview Gardens...

Laziness, sometimes By: Rev. Lee Roorda Schott Be busy, always.   It’s what I was taught, growing up. On our family farm there were always things to do. Getting ready for mealtime, and baking cookies and apple crisps. Getting laundry off the clothesline. Snapping beans, or pitting cherries, and helping get those and innumerable other fruits and vegetables canned or frozen in their time. Cleaning and mowing and dusting and weeding.    It’s not that I never had time to myself. I did. But by the ...

Submitted by Barb Oakland, Conference Nominations Coordination Committee Secretary The 2023 Preliminary Conference Ballot is now available on the conference website. There are some open positions for which interested individuals may submit a Leadership Pool Form to indicate skills and expertise. Both of these important resources can be found under the Nominations tab. A complete ballot will be published within the week leading up to Annual Conference. Thanks to all those willing to serve the ...

Click here to read the May Connection Newsletter.

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers May 28, 2023 —  Pentecost Sunday Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Acts 2: 1-21; 1Cor. 12: 3b-13; John 20: 19-23; John 7: 37-39 Rev. Paul Wilcox    Celebrating the Holy Spirit for a change Of the three Great Holy days of the Ancient Church, Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, it’s not hard to see which celebration gets ...

You have received an email titled, “May 23, 2023, Special Called Session Confirmation” from communications@iaumc.org. In the email will be what you need to log into the webinar. If you don’t see it in your inbox, make sure you check your spam or junk folder. Reach out to your District Administrative Assistant if you don't find it at all. This is for the May 23 AC2023 Special Zoom webinar, and you will receive a reminder email one week before, one day before and one hour before.  The session ...

Midwest Missions sends tangible resources to those in need to make an intangible difference in their lives through hope and empowerment. SPECIAL NEEDS FOR 2023 is used medical equipment, including: Walkers Crutches Wheelchairs Canes Shower chairs Orthopedic supplies THEY ALSO NEED gently used tools. AND Home Care Kits. Liquid household cleaners - 56-80 oz total (no spray bottles) Dish soap - 42-64 oz total Liquid laundry detergent - 100-150 oz total 1 scrub brush (with or without handle) ...

To donate by check, make checks payable to the Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, note what offering you are donating to on the memo line and mail to 2301 Rittenhouse Street, Des Moines, IA 50323 by June 30, 2023. Clergy Sustentation Fund A special fund has been set up to assist clergy with direct financial support from the Clergy Assistance fund when a desperate need does arise. For many years, this fund has been the dedicated offering during the Clergy Session of the Iowa ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers May 21, 2023 —  7th Sunday after Easter Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10,32-35; 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-11 Rev. Rebecca Campney Carver ? United in prayer We stood on a hillside to the east of Jerusalem at the site traditionally thought to be where the Ascension of Christ took place. It was the last full ...

Uncertainty! By: Rev. Cindy Hickman If there is one word to describe the world right now, that’s it. We are immersed in Uncertainty. Climate change. A Global Pandemic. Culture Wars. Political division. Drought. Derechos. Random violence. Daily revelations on social media. The economy. Add to that your own personal uncertainty—job changes, growing kids, aging parents, that twinge in your right knee on your early morning run. What once seemed rock-solid-certain now seems to be fractured and ...

Biblical Masculinity for Dads By: Pastor Nate Mason Ola Obisanya is my Dad Goal In case I haven’t mentioned it lately, Ted Lasso is one of the best sitcoms of all time.  If you’re not familiar with the show, it features a college football coach from Kansas (played by Jason Sudeikis) who becomes the head coach of a premier league football team (or as we call it soccer) in the UK.  Ted knows nothing about soccer, which is a nice entry point for people completely apathetic towards sports such as ...

Have you registered to join RAGBRAI’s 50th-anniversary bike ride with the #BeUMC team? #BeUMC is a grassroots effort built upon powerful stories of congregations and individuals living their faith while celebrating what draws people to The United Methodist Church and what United Methodists collectively aspire to be.   Register today and select the #BeUMC team. Riding with the team gets you indoor overnight sleeping, most of them in local churches in overnight towns, an outdoor shower trailer, a...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers May 14, 2023 —  6th Sunday after Easter John 14:15-21 By Pastor Rosa María Rodríguez Love and you will see me After the resurrection, Jesus bids farewell to his disciples giving them a commandment that, in the name of the love that they have for him, they should keep his commands.  And, upon fulfilling this ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Secure in the Lord May 7, 2023 – 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14 By Paul Burrow  So often this passage from John is used – almost exclusively – at funerals.  This is understandable because of the comfort that is provided in the words that Jesus speaks here.  However, if we ...

I am excited to introduce myself as the new Site Director of Wesley Woods. My name is Sean Gundersen, and I am originally from Hamburg, Iowa, in southwest Iowa. I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with degrees in Parks and Recreation Management and Administration. Since then, I have been working professionally in camp administration since 2014. I have had the pleasure of working at various organizations such as Camp Fire Iowa, Nebraska 4-H, and, most recently, at the Des Moines...

The Health Screenings Event, made available by the Iowa Conference's Well-Being Coordinator, Kae Tritle, is open to conference employees, and all clergy and spouses. This includes all local pastors, part-time pastors, commissioned, probationary, extension, retired clergy, elders, deacons, and ministry candidates, even if you aren’t on the conference insurance. It will be Saturday, June 3, from 6 am to 8:30 am at the RecPlex of West Des Moines at the Annual Conference session site.   Included are...

By: Nan Smith In my work as an outdoor environmental educator (interpretive naturalist), I led programming for all ages aimed at helping them to learn about their natural world. I led hikes through prairies and woodlands and taught about Iowa’s flora and fauna. I helped students to explore the critters of ponds, showed them how to catch and study insects, and I taught them ways to look and listen for birds.   What a life it was! I loved the work I did!  I believe my work was made even better, ...

Call for Iowa Delegation Nominees In the summer of 2019, the Iowa Conference elected delegates to serve at the 2020 (now 2024) General Conference.  The majority of these leaders are (still!) excited and willing to serve on your behalf, but we have had some vacancies because of changes in status, life, or exits from the denomination.  As we prepare to head into 2024, we want to bring this delegation back up to full capacity so we can serve you well.   In the wake of the delayed General ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Sheep and Shepherd 30 April, 2023 – 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-35; John 10:1-10 By Paul I. Burrow (burrowpi@yahoo.com) Some sermons are more difficult than others.  And, for me, Good Shepherd Sunday each year is a difficult one.  The trouble is – I don't know much about sheep.  I’m a city boy.  My...

From the National Weather Service: The Spring Flood and Water Resources Outlook is for the Quad Cities Hydrologic Service Area (HSA), which covers portions of eastern Iowa, northwest and west central Illinois, and extreme northeast Missouri. The flooding areas include the Mississippi River from above Dubuque, Iowa, to below Gregory Landing, Missouri, and its tributaries. The primary local river basins include the Maquoketa, Wapsipinicon, Cedar, Iowa, English, Skunk, North Skunk, and Des Moines...

Patrick Booth, a General Board of Global Missionary serving Cambodia in Southeast Asia, will visit Iowa from May 1 through May 8, 2023. Booth co-directs Project ARK (Advancing Resilient Khmer). Project ARK’S mission is to tackle poverty as a culprit of human tracking by equipping and restoring livelihood and dignity through the construction trade. Patrick is passionate about his ministry and has stories to share of God at work in Cambodia. Booth would like to schedule additional visits to Iowa...

Each year on the first Saturday in November, Iowa United Methodists "gather in" cash and other items for missions in Iowa and worldwide at the Ingathering events. A portion of the fund's collected returns to Iowa Hunger Relief agencies connected with our UMC churches. In Iowa, 229,500 people face hunger daily - and of them, 80,160 are children, according to Feeding America. A colored dot on this interactive map indicates each Hunger Grant awarded to Iowa UMC churches in 2023 and the size of ...

Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, along with the cabinet and Bishop's Operational Team, met in February with Emily Swanson, President of Holy Cow Consulting, to hear the results of the Landscape Survey. The Landscape Survey is like a Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) for judicatory bodies like the Iowa Annual Conference, providing a snapshot of where the conference is now. It points to our culture and areas for improvement. There was an overwhelming response, with 838 people completing the ...

Laity Day with the Bishop's programming focused on the goal of the Iowa Annual Conference to become an anti-racist conference. Hosted by Aldersgate United Methodist Church and held on April 15, 2023, this was the first time since 2019 that the annual event has been held. Bishop Kenntha led the morning worship and started off by asking those gathered to raise their hands if they had served communion before. "I want you to imagine being at your church or in a gathering like this and serving ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers April 23, 2023 —  Third Sunday after Easter Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35? By Rev. Katie Dawson Unrevealed until its season When Natalie Sleeth wrote, “Hymn of Promise,” she was inspired by a line from T.S. Eliot who wrote “in our end is our beginning.” In the ...

April 13, 2023 Dear Clergy and Lay Members to the Iowa Annual Conference,    In accordance with our standing rules and Paragraph 603.5 of The Book of Discipline, I hereby call for a special session of the Iowa Annual Conference on May 23, 2023, beginning at 6:30 p.m. CDT. The special session will be conducted via electronic conferencing using Zoom.    The special session shall be held for the sole purpose of voting on the Iowa Annual Conference Board of Trustees' recommendations for the ...

What a joy to gather in person for the first Laity Day in over three years! (Canceled by the pandemic and postponed when Bishop Laurie suggested we wait for our new Bishop to join us).   We will welcome Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai and have the opportunity to interact with her in a (relatively) small group. Bishop Kennetha will bring the message during morning worship, building on the theme of her installation, Remembering Who We Are. She will also lead the Communion Service at the close of the ...

[Your name here] By: Rev. Lee Roorda Schott “[Mary] turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ 16Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher).”  — John 20.14b-16 At Easter we almost...

Effective January 1, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service set the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) at: 65.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3 cents from the midyear increase setting the rate for the second half of 2022. 22 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes  14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations (this rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2022) See the article at: https://www.irs.go...

Every year, the In Mission Together team collects stories of how Iowa United Methodist Churches are in mission with their communities. These stories will uplift, inspire, and communicate to other churches how they can be in mission.    Minburn United Methodist Church writes that they collected clothing and household items for their “Buy Nothing Event,” where everything was free. People came to the church and could take as many things as needed. They ended up serving over 100 people, which for ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers April 16, 2023 —  First Sunday after Easter Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Ps 16 (UMH 748); 1 Pet 1:3-9; John 20:19-31 By Rev. Jim Perdue The wind of peace Most of us will work in one of two directions this Sunday. The first direction passes through Acts 2. In the first three Sundays of Easter, the lectionary trisects ...

Jasmine LaTriece Calderon is a senior at Johnston High School. She has always loved art. From being a little girl who loved to color to becoming a teenager who created cartoonish one-eyed characters. She has now evolved into creating digital art on her IPad but still favors her first love of pencil art. Her creativity has recently expanded into manipulating wire and beads into jewelry. She says, "I love art and have always been interested in art. I love the creative process and how you can turn...

An ecumenical group marched down the streets of Des Moines following two donkeys and waving palm branches for the Palm Sunday Procession for Peace, hosted by the Des Moines Faith Committee for Peace. About 60 people started at Des Moines Union Park United Methodist Church and finished with a worship service at Des Moines Central Community of Christ.    The march has been hosted since 2002 when it began as a peaceful protest against invading Iraq. "Because U.S. involvement in the wars in Iraq, ...

In Death, Shedding Life By Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai Episcopal Leader, Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church   Keeton Bigham-Tsai with a Chinook (King) Salmon caught while fly fishing on the Pere Marquette River. Photo by Ian Dwyer. “He is not here; for he has been raised,” Matthew 28: 6a Our eldest son Keeton loves to fish. He has loved fishing since he was three years old and spending hours with his Winnie-the-Pooh rod at a local pond. Keeton has gone on to more ...

Good Friday By Rev. Ron Carlson District Superintendent, Riverview Park District Read John 18:1-19:42 As we begin this devotion, I want to address a common question around this day. That question sounds similar to this: Why do we call this day “Good?” UMC.org tells us, “Our name for the Friday before Easter, "Good Friday," is most likely related to the English and the Dutch, the only two languages that use this term, which etymologists say is likely an alteration of the Germanic word, "Goddes,"...

Holy Saturday By: Rev. Dr. Mary Lautzenhiser Bellon Some years ago, I wrote this poem. I have shared it now and again with friends. But it is my best effort, I believe, on the nature of Holy Saturday as we await Easter morning. In our tradition, sometimes we overlook Holy Saturday. But if you remember your Apostle’s Creed, you know that some ancient traditions suggested that on Holy Saturday, Jesus descended to hell and redeemed it. This is sometimes called “the harrowing of hell.”  What a ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers April 9, 2023 —  Easter Sunday Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24; Acts 10:14-24; Col.3:1-4, Jn.20:1-18, or Matt. 28:1-10  By Rev. Wayne Clark The Last Laugh Have you ever thought of the Easter experience as being laughable? On Good Friday, Satan (or the Devil) and all the angels under Satan’s command laughed. They ...

As we prepare to gather for Annual Conference, we are looking for your help in “remembering who we are.” We are gathering digital photos of life and ministry, the people and the places of the Iowa Annual Conference. In particular, we would love to have photos of people serving together, baptisms, breaking bread, and historical photos. These photos will be used as part of our Annual Conference worshipful work as we surround ourselves with these images that ground our identity. Photos can be ...

Written by Mark Slocum, Director of Camping and Spiritual Formation It is with mixed emotions and a heavy heart that I share the departure of Chip and Laura Hutler from our Wesley Woods UMC Camp. Laura has been offered an opportunity of a lifetime and as Chip begins to explore retirement and his next steps, they have chosen to accept this new opportunity and follow where they are being called next. My emotions range from sad that they are leaving, so glad that they have been called by God to ...

April 4, 2023 Dear Friends in Christ in the Iowa Conference, As we focus on Holy Week and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are well aware that many in our state and beyond are struggling to recover from the storms and tornadoes of last week.  Those storms struck throughout the U.S., particularly in parts of the South and Midwest, including in parts of Iowa. The storms killed at least 32 people. And so many others lost homes and treasured possessions.     Another round of storms ...

Remembering who we are By Rev. Dr. Jaye Johnson Director of Congregational Excellence & New Communities of Faith Based on Exodus 14 and Mark 14:22-25 We have two cats. Every morning I am greeted by their insistent meows. Why? Because they want food! In fact, this morning, they were pawing at the door as I was not moving fast enough. They seem to forget I fed them yesterday or every day this week. They struggle to remember from one day to the next.  In Exodus, the people of God are not all that ...

United Methodist Communications Office of Public Information For Immediate Release April 3, 2023 United Methodist Communications Releases 2022 Annual Report Nashville, Tenn.: United Methodist Communications has released its 2022 Annual Report highlighting the agency’s communications initiatives and activities on behalf of The United Methodist Church around the world. “The past year was a time of challenges and celebration,” shared chief agency executive Dan Krause. “We worked to address emerging...

An attitude adjustment By: Rev. Bill Poland Director for Connectional Ministries and Interim Assistant to the Bishop   Read: Philippians 2:5-11   When I was going through my teenage years, I would often hear my mom say, “Watch that attitude!” or even more severely, “I will talk to your dad, and he might have to give you an attitude adjustment!” Let me tell you, attitude adjustments can be a painful thing! Those adjustments were necessary when I would forget who I was. I was often trying to be ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers April 6 & 7, 2023 —  Maundy Thursday and Good Friday By Rev. Bob Dean Some churches observe both holy days with congregational worship, others only one (perhaps joining in a community worship service on the other). To cover the two days, I’ve sought to give brief insight on each scripture lesson, along with ...

The Iowa Annual Conference's portion of the $30 million “Settlement Trust” ($526,252) will be sent whenever this fund is set up. ​ For Information, Contact Brandy Bivens – bbivens@gcfa.org  The Boy Scouts of America’s bankruptcy reorganization plan has survived its first appellate challenge. The General Council on Finance and Administration has provided a brief overview of what that means, and what might be next.  So, what’s the background? How did we get here?  In February 2020, The Boy Scouts...

Patrick Booth, a General Board of Global Missionary serving in Cambodia in Southeast Asia, will be visiting Iowa from May 1 through May 8, 2023. Booth co-directs Project ARK (Advancing Resilient Khmer). Project ARK’S mission is to tackle poverty as a culprit of human tracking by equipping and restoring livelihood and dignity through the construction trade. Patrick is passionate about his ministry and has stories to share of God at work in Cambodia. Although very short notice, Booth would like ...

Iowa ACEs 360 presented to clergy at the Iowa Conference’s Spring 2023 gathering of the Order of Elders, Order of Deacons, and Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members at Immanuel United Methodist Church in Des Moines on March 30, 2023.  Iowa ACEs 360 provides research, tools, and a network to empower people—and the entire state—to take informed actions that help all individuals heal from trauma and thrive for generations to come. Working as a coalition, they research the problem, test...

By: Rev. Cindy Hickman I think the entire Easter event, the journey to Jerusalem, the Palm Sunday demonstration, the Last Supper, the foot washing, standing before Pilate, suffering, the cross, the tomb, and Easter morning, the whole thing is a story of love. If God is love, then the Easter Story is witness.  With that in mind, I decided that this year every day during Lent, I would ask myself, “what does love look like today?” and go looking for answer. Lenten practices are easily forgotten, so...

We lament the closing of this historic place of higher learning and hold staff, faculty, students, and the community of Mount Pleasant in prayer. Below is the announcement of the closing of Iowa Wesleyan University. Dear Iowa Wesleyan Community,   We have a difficult and painful decision to share about the future of our beloved Iowa Wesleyan University.    It is with deep sadness that we announce the Board of Trustees has made the decision to close Iowa Wesleyan University at the end of this ...

Who we are supposed to be By: Rev. Ron Carlson Superintendent, Riverview Park District This is the fifth Sunday of Lent, if you are like me the Lenten journey has been at times a bit overwhelming. Work has been hectic. The weather is less than ideal, and you are ready for a change. This passage begins in a bad place too. A retelling of Ezekiel 37:1-14 Here in a valley with no name, everywhere you look all you see are piles of bones. As God leads me through the bones, I am amazed at how dry they...

Back in the Sabbath again By: Pastor Nate Mason Behold! My son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased!   Noah Isaac Mason joined us this month.  As soon as we found out we were having another boy, we knew right away this was a Noah.  I’ve shared before that Noah was a surprise baby.  We had planned on having two, but then God laughed at our plans, so Isaac seemed appropriate. I now have the privilege of spending twelve weeks getting to know my new family.  Privilege shouldn’t be exclusive, but ...

Who we are supposed to be By: Rev. LaTonya Calderon Pastor and Director of Leadership Excellence & Inclusion Read: Matthew 5:13-16   I find the season of Lent to be the most challenging season in our Christian year. As Rev. Dr. Michel Lundula stated in his first Sunday of Lent devotional, "It is a season of penitence, praying, fasting, self-denial, and engaging in spiritual disciplines as we reflect on the passion of the Lord." Maybe it's just me, but that does not sound like a good time. I have...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers March 26, 2023 —  Fifth Sunday of Lent Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45 By Rev. Dr. Gary Armstrong Graveyard hopes The lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels for the Fifth Sunday in Lent cause me to pause and reflect on some of the most sobering memories of places I have ...

The 2023 Iowa Annual Conference Session will be held in a hybrid format on Friday, June 2, Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4. The session will take place in person at the MidAmerican Energy RecPlex in West Des Moines and will also be offered virtually for those who choose to participate that way. The Call to Order and Episcopal Address will be at 1:00 pm on Friday, June 2. Clergy Session will be earlier that morning at a time and location to be determined, and the Laity Session will be at ...

Submitted by William R Fee On any given Tuesday morning, the lower level of Cedar Falls FUMC is overflowing with women sharing fellowship and treats as they happily cut, match and stitch quilt pieces. This is hardly your typical group of “Church Basement Ladies”; these are the Quilting Warriors of First Church! In 2022 alone, this band of sisters was responsible for approximately 230 quilts. They lovingly stitched over 80 youth quilts and distributed them to our partners in education school, to...

In January 2023, a 16-member Volunteers In Mission (VIM) group traveled to Panama to work at the Methodist Community Center in Cienaguita. The volunteers included twelve from Iowa, two from Illinois, one from Georgia, and another from Florida.  On the Sunday they arrived, Rhett Thompson, a pastor and the VIM coordinator, invited the group to worship at his church in Panama City. After worship, they headed on a long bus ride up to the Methodist Community Center in Cienaguita, their home and work...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers March 19, 2023 —  Fourth Sunday of Lent John 9:1-41 Rev. Mara Bailey What is true healing? I wasn’t going to do it. I was going to take the “easy road” this week (is preaching ever easy? I suppose some messages do come easier than others…) and share some recent thoughts on Psalm 23 and how it is a perfect ...

For years the Midwest Mission’s facility in Pawnee, Illinois, has been booked with volunteers—sometimes even one to two years in advance—and cannot add more space at its current site. Because of these restraints, their board of directors sought opportunities to expand their operations in the North Central Jurisdiction. They chose Jefferson, Iowa, as their new location because of Iowa’s Mission Ingathering and its strong historical ties to Midwest Mission. Midwest Mission is a Christian ...

Lent waits for no one! By: Rev. Melissa Drake Superintendent, Aldersgate District Read: Exodus 17:1-7 If you happen to be at my parent’s house on a Saturday morning when my niece and nephews are there, you have a 100% chance of getting “Oma’s Waffles” for breakfast. It’s the only thing the kids request for breakfast from my mother, because “Oma’s waffles” are the best waffles. And once the first waffle is ready, you will also have a 100% chance of hearing, “It’s time! Waffles wait for no one!” ...

In Mission Together (IMT) is looking forward to reading, celebrating, and sharing your mission stories of 2022. As you compile your mission accomplishments for the past year for the IMT Reporting (it was due February 15, but they are joyfully still receiving IMT forms), consider a simple write-up of your mission activities along with photos or video for posting and submit them to Sue Hattel, Conference Mission Education Chair at shattel220@aol.com. Your stories may be submitted throughout the ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers March 12, 2023 —  Third Sunday of Lent Exodus 17: 1-7   Psalm 95   Romans 5: 1-11   John 4: 5-42 Rev. Paul Wilcox  All wet The Old Testament and Gospel readings for this Sunday are all wet!  That is, they are linked by the image of water and our very basic need for it.  In Exodus, the Israelites grumble for ...

Just say the Word and I shall be healed By: Rev. Dr. Mary Lautzenhiser Bellon In Mark’s Gospel there is a story, repeated in Luke, of a man coming into the synagogue in Capernaum as Jesus was teaching. The scripture says the man had an “unclean spirit” and cries out, “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth?” And Jesus goes on to rebuke the spirit, “Be silent and come out of him,” and the unclean spirit does leave the man immediately.  (cf. Mark 1: 21-28; Luke 4: 31-37)   Because the man ...

The Golden Valley District Tour with Bishop Kennetha began on Saturday morning, March 4, with a gathering of Circuit Clergy and Lay leaders and a tour of the Coralville Community Pantry that is adjacent to the Coralville United Methodist Church. The church generously gifted land to the pantry to build a new 5,000 sq. ft. building located on the empty lot attached to the church’s existing site that opened to the public on January 21, 2023. The pantry was previously operating out of the former ...

My favorite American Idol is J.C. By: Rev. Dr. Moody Colorado Superintendent, Pictured Rocks District Read: John 3:1-17 and Matthew 17:1-9 Is idolatry a sin? If it is, then, America will have to repent of its popular TV Show, The American Idol. The show has produced twenty idols after twenty years of singers competing before the camera. The American audience votes to decide who wins the title. The most popular one is of the music of the church, Carrie Underwood. Her song, “Jesus take the Wheel,...

What little I can do By: Rev. Lee Roorda Schott It’s my week to write this Exile to Hope post. My fellow writers and the Communications folks who send it out know I’m always later than I’m supposed to be in getting it sent off to them. I had two really good ideas for what I wanted to write this week. But priorities—good ones!—got in the way and here it is Wednesday already and I really must send something.   One of those priorities has to do with the bills being introduced in this session of the...

Washington, D.C.  — Council of Bishops President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton will deliver a Mid-Term State of The United Methodist Church Address on March 2, 2023 at 1pm EST. The video presentation will launch on the official United Methodist denominational website at UMC.org/Renew and be shared on Facebook.com/UnitedMethodistChurch. The news comes on the heels of Bishop Bickerton’s Ash Wednesday message in which he encouraged United Methodists to "use the Lenten season to pray that God will ...

This first weekend of the Iowa Conference "Remembering Who We Are" tours with Bishop Kennetha began in the Riverview Park district on Friday, February 24, 2023. This tour included a visit to Wesley Woods Camping and Retreat Center, time with Simpson College students, a visit with the Smith Memorial Chapel chaplain and the Simpson Youth Academy program director, a reception at the Holy Grounds Coffee Shop, clergy and laity gatherings in Des Moines, and worship at Ankeny First United Methodist ...

Have you ever wanted to be a part of something bigger than the local church? Have you ever wanted to serve your church brothers and sisters in Christ? This opportunity might be for you! The Diakonos (Greek for a servant) Leadership Development program application is open for 15 high schoolers from around the state to assist during the Iowa Annual Conference 2023 session from June 1 – 4 at the RecPlex in West Des Moines, IA. Diakonos will help deliver communications, directions, aide and assist...

In January 2023, a team from the Bloomfield area returned to El Negrito and Subirana, Honduras. Clayton Eakins led this team of eight. Clayton, Marisela Sanchez, Mary Jo Johnson, Donna Olinger, and Linda Rowe were returning, and for the other three, it was their inaugural trip. The additional members were Clayton’s wife, Rhonda, Vince Tyson, and Rosalee Russell. The joy of the journey began the moment the van pulled up to the Honduran church when the children and adults came out of the woodwork ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers March 5, 2023 —  Second Sunday of Lent John 3:1-17; Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 By Rev. Rebecca Campney Carver At night The second Sunday in Lent, Year A offers up a rich collection of scriptures. Should a preacher focus on the call of Abram, combining it with the Romans passage on ...

Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church Liz Winders Director of Communications (515) 974-8907 liz.winders@iaumc.org For Immediate Release Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai installed as Iowa UM Conference’s New Episcopal Leader February 19, 2023, Des Moines, Iowa —"This is the church Wesley envisioned when he said, 'Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike.'  Wesley said we may not be of the same opinion, but can't we be of the same heart? Can't we have hearts centered in ...

The Iowa Conference's newest district superintendent, Rev. Dr. Michel Lundula of the Camp Clear Lake district, discerned his first appointment earlier this month, saying that he feels blessed about being a part of the cabinet.    "Making appointments is a process that requires prayers and discernment, and I've been in that process today. I've been blessed as a district superintendent to make my very first official appointment. That came after a prayerful moment, after a moment of discerning and ...

A Journey of 40 Days By: Rev. Dr. Michel Lundula Superintendent, Camp Clear Lake District Friends, on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, we started our Lenten Journey. Lent is a season of 40 days, without counting Sundays, that begins on Ash Wednesday through Saturday before Easter. It is a season of penitence, praying, fasting, self-denial, and engaging in spiritual disciplines as we reflect on the passion of the Lord.  The season of lent reminds us of forty days of Jesus Christ praying and fasting ...

What does love look like today? By: Rev. Cindy Hickman Before you read this, a warning: Lent always flips me out, wrecks me.   Lent, our 40-day journey to Easter, begins this week. Our Easter story is an act of love none of us can ever fully comprehend. A man, filled to overflowing with God’s grace, offered himself wholly and completely to a world that did not know him or accept him. He poured his blood into our brokenness as a healing balm. During Lent, I experience that incredible sacrifice as...

By: Rev. Doug Cue Superintendent, Golden Valley District Today we observe the ashes.  Ashes are burned.  They are spent.  They are black and they are grey.  Ashes are also universal…all things when put to the fire, given enough heat, will turn to ash.  Not only are ashes universal…they are a reminder, a painful reminder, that in this world all things are temporary…including us.   In the book of Genesis, God tells Adam… you are dust, and to dust you shall return…(Genesis 3:19b).  Friends,there’s ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, has called on fellow United Methodists to use the Lenten Season to pray that God will create within us a clean heart and a renewed spirit. “There is no doubt that as we absorb the realities of splintering, disaffiliation, and post-Covid, it is time for us as United Methodists to make the pivot away from what was into new and concerted efforts to reclaim, revive and renew The United...

The Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church would like to extend our condolences to the family of the Rev. Dr. Dennis Gordon Tevis who passed away on February 6, 2023. A memorial service was held at the Hornick United Methodist Church on February 11, 2023. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the United Methodist Church of Hornick, Iowa, and to Jonathan Blum in the Institutional Advancement Office at Morningside University, 1501 Morningside Avenue, Sioux City, Iowa, ...

The Iowa Annual Conference extends its condolences to the family of A. Roger Witke, who passed away on February 19, 2023. Services will be held Saturday, February 25, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, located at 3700 Cottage Grove in Des Moines. The family invites you to join them for a visitation from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 24, 2023, at Grace United Methodist. Roger practiced law for 45 years and was a very accomplished trial lawyer with Whitfield & Eddy Law ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers Feb 26, 2023 —  First Sunday of Lent Matthew 4:1-11 By Pastor Rosa María Rodríguez How to conquer temptations The temptations at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, historically remind us of the pilgrimage of the people of Israel through the wilderness on their journey to the Promised Land.  And, before ...

TO: Iowa Conference Pastors, Treasurers, Finance Chairs and Church Secretaries/Admins RE:  2022 Annual Statistical Reports Dear fellow servants in Christ,  The end of the statistical report submission period is rapidly approaching.  We have just 13 days left for completion.  As of this morning 34% of you have not yet begun the entry of your statistical information and 41% have started but not submitted.  If you have not yet started the process, please make this a high priority! Deadline is ...

A matter of perspective By: Nate Mason Happy Transfiguration Sunday! It’s that time of year again, where liturgical preachers look at their calendar and say “Why is this a thing?”  Of all the non-Christmas and non-Easter holy days, this one stands out as the most puzzling.  We get Ash Wednesday.  Perhaps it’s the visual/tactile aspect that helps us connect.  We get Pentecost.  Fire, wind, speaking in tongues.  Perhaps we like a spectacle.  But this one tends to be a head scratcher.   Six days ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers Feb 22, 2023 —  Ash Wednesday Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Cor. 5:20b-6:10; Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21 By Paul I. Burrow  Journeying through Lent with our eyes on Jesus Often we think of the season of Lent as a long road that stretches out before us.  The season of Lent is a journey that we take each year.  It...

Emerging Leaders — By Faith Magazine Reprinted with permission   In most of our UMC conferences, there are young (primarily but not exclusively) persons who show great promise as future leaders for their churches and/or communities. Their ability to get things done and inspire others cannot be ignored. In a time of uncertainty as the UMC faces schism, membership and a growing skepticism, gifted, high-performing leaders will be mandatory. We are providing space in our magazine to honor these ...

Last night I got a call from our 15-year-old son, Kamden, who is with my husband as he finishes his 9th-grade year at East Lansing High School. This summer, he and my husband, Kee, will join me here in Iowa. Kamden called to tell me that he had been evacuated from an after-school basketball game, because there was an active shooter near the Michigan State University campus. He is safe and at home, with schools in the area closed today to allow kids and teachers the space and time to process what...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers Feb 19, 2023 —  Transfiguration Sunday (White or Gold) Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 99 (UMH 819); 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-19 By Rev. Charles J. Downing Top of the mountain First, “transfiguration”? What does it mean? Most of us have not used that word since the last time we read the scriptures for the Sunday ...

Each year on the first Saturday in November, United Methodists gather for the Mission Ingathering at five sites across Iowa to offer cash and other items for missions in Iowa and across the world. A portion of the funds collected is returned to Iowa Hunger Relief agencies throughout Iowa. If your church is involved with a hunger project or wish to begin a program, you may apply for a portion of those available funds by clicking the link below and submitting an application. 2023 Hunger Grant ...

A matter of perspective By: Nan Smith When I worked as an interpretive naturalist for Story County Conservation, I was always given most of the winter outdoor school programming. I was the one who was usually tagged to spend hours upon hours hiking in the snow and cold, in order to hopefully provide children with a positive experience of winter. So, you might wonder why was I the lucky one tagged?  Well, my colleagues reasoned that since I grew up in Minnesota, I was ”Minnesota hardy.” They ...

February 10, 2023 Dear Friends in Christ in the Iowa Conference,   The number of dead from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, has already exceeded 20,000. That is not to mention the many injured, as well as the homes and infrastructure the quake destroyed. Let us hold all of the people of this region in prayer: prayers for those whose lives were lost and for their families—prayers for first responders and the medical workers trying to manage the crisis—prayers for those who...

Following Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai's installation service on February 19 at Ames Collegiate & Wesley Foundation, she will begin a tour of Iowa United Methodist Church's five districts.  Riverview Park district – February 24 – 26 Golden Valley district – March 3 – 5 Aldersgate district – March 18 – 19 Camp Clear Lake district – April 20 – 22 Pictured Rocks district – May 19 – 21 Bishop Bigham-Tsai's theme during this time and into the 2023 Annual Conference is Remembering Who We Are. Details...

Early Response Team (ERT) Training  — A Caring Christian Presence in the midst of Disaster   Now is your opportunity if you have felt called to volunteer after a disaster but didn't know how. An Early Response Team (ERT) training is being held Saturday, February 25 at Denison First United Methodist Church from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost of the training is $20, which includes lunch, materials, badge and background check. "This is great training to help people know what is the best and most ...

Would you like to write for the Memo? We are looking for new writers and would love to have you join the team. Please email Rev. Bob Dean and include a writing example.  Memo for Preachers February 12, 2023 – Sixth Sunday After Epiphany Texts: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37 Rev. Katie Z. Dawson (katied@iumc.org) Weighing Our Choices Before we go any farther diving into the texts for today, I want to invite you to stop and pause and make a list.  Write ...

The mission of Iowa Methodist Camps is to allow our youth to explore Christ’s love in a safe and welcoming environment. Our annual campaign has become vital to the sustainability of our outdoor Christian faith experience for both our youth and adults. The annual campaign celebrates relationships both with God and with one another. It is an opportunity to share a camp story and the importance of continuing this ministry for our youth. Over the past three years, these stories have been shared ...

February 3, 2023   This is a friendly reminder that your local church’s statistical reports are due by Tuesday, February 28, 2023. As of February 2, there are 398 out of 729 churches who have not started their report.    Please visit the Statistics page on the conference website at http://www.iaumc.org/stats to read through the User Guide which has instructions including the Username and Password. (If your church is disaffiliating in June 2023, your report is due by February 15, 2023.)   If you ...