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Pastor Paul Witmer, Minister of Reentry and Congregational Care for Women at the Well at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women at Mitchellville, Iowa, will be coming to the Waterloo area in August to offer a Reentry Team Training. It will be at Kimball Ave UMC on August 12, from  1 - 4 p.m.  For more information, contact Pastor Paul Witmer, Minister of Reentry and Congregational Care for Women at the Well,  wellreentry@iaumc.org; 515-313-6916 (cell) Reentry teams are faith-based teams of...

You are invited to join a new Iowa Interfaith Power & Light initiative called "Faith for Energy Equity." We are kicking off this initiative with workshops for faith leaders in Iowa to connect with one another and to imagine a shared response to energy inequity in our communities. There are three sessions. If you are in a faith leadership role, please register for the workshop nearest your location. If you would like a faith leader who you know to join the workshop, please help us spread the ...

On Thursday, June 28, seventy-two laity and pastors from United Methodist churches in Dubuque County, along with the Maquoketa UMC, came together at Grand View UMC to participate in a conversation and share information about our future possibilities as a United Methodist Church. This informational meeting, organized by Pastor Tom C. Shinkle, was a way for all local United Methodists to come together, listen, and learn, in a safe space where everyone’s questions were treated with love and grace. ...

Participants broke out into smaller groups for workshops to further explore different topics including mental health, discipleship, Justice For Our Neighbors, benefits and mission education.  Two different workshops discussed mental health—a topic becoming increasingly important.  One workshop gathered people in small circles to have conversations that prepared participants to lead similar conversations in their local churches.  The other workshop held a panel with mental health clinicians ...

By: Morgan Frideres   It’s hard enough being a college student. Many young adults are also exploring their call to ministry in the United Methodist Church—and they need your support.  Lewis Cox, an upcoming junior at Simpson, didn’t realize his call right away.  “I always thought that had to be a burning bush moment or God speaking through a thunderstorm, but that’s just not my story,” Cox said.      Instead, he saw a progressive call, noticing how his gifts, passions and talents best serve...

The following is a transcript of the Iowa Conference Conversations Podcast featuring Maggie Biggs, Conference Treasurer and Director of Administrative Services, and Communications Director Rev. Dr. Art McClanahan. Art:  Maggie Biggs is the Iowa Annual Conference Treasurer and Director of Administrative Services. Maggie this third Annual  Conference coming up to present the treasurer's report and the statistics to the yearly gathering. It's two days ahead of time now. How are you looking forward...

Food pantries, free clinics, and education opportunities are just a few of the things the congregation of Greenfield United Methodist Church has its hands in after a Rural Poverty Workshop held in November 2017 at the church. It has joined forces with other churches, the school, and local Crisis Intervention and Community Action services to begin relationship building with those struggling in the community.   “Many people in our community have been transformed in their thinking toward those who ...

A beloved community was in full bloom at the spring Order of Elders, Order of Deacons, Fellowship of Local Pastors & Associate Members Gathering on April 26, 2018. Clergy gathered at Ames First United Methodist Church to address the common anxiety in the Iowa Conference around the upcoming General Conference sessions.   “Today is an opportunity to be together, take a deep breath, and address our common anxiety about where our church is right now,” said Rev. Scott Lothe, an Orders planning ...

In a move to align resources and talent in the Iowa Annual Conference, Bishop Laurie Haller has appointed Rev. Dr. Jaye Johnson as the Director of Congregational Excellence, and Rev. Dr. Lanette Plambeck as the Director for Clergy and Leadership Excellence.   Johnson, the South Central District Field Outreach Minister since 2013, has effectively served congregations in Iowa through the Healthy Church Initiative (HCI).   “I can’t wait to work collaborative with the other directors, the cabinet, ...

This year, from October 9-12 Iowa will serve as host to the National Christians Engaged in Faith Formation Conference called ‘curious.church’ (www.curious.church). The Conference will offer a diverse lineup of educational opportunities with workshops, keynotes and worship all highlighted. The conference will also feature authors and speakers Brian McLaren, John Roberto and Mary Scifres as well as United Methodist Bishops Laurie Haller from Iowa, Cynthia Fierro Harvey from Louisiana and Tracy ...

There is no way that we can be prepared for everything that “could” happen but we can discuss and be ready for many things. In 2017, a total of 108 fatalities happened in places of worship in the United States. So far in 2018, we have 18 confirmed occurrences of guns in school with two of these resulting in fatalities. There is no “one” training or plan that will work for every church or community. Catie Newman, IAUMC Disaster Response Coordinator has compiled some resources to start the ...

The Daring Way.™ Show Up. Be Seen. Live Brave.™  The Daring Way™ is a one-day workshop based on the work of Dr. Brené Brown. Participants can take this opportunity to learn how to show up, be seen and live brave in the challenging arenas of life. In this workshop we will learn about how to understand shame and move through shame towards wholeheartedness. Through experiential learning, we will explore key components of Dr. Brené Brown's research regarding shame, vulnerability and wholehearted ...

The Walk to Emmaus is a lay-driven weekend experience that’s about spiritual renewal and formation, and Jeff Anderson and Dick Pipho are two of its biggest proponents within the Iowa Conference. “It’s an opportunity to meet Christ in a new way, as revealed through other voyagers,” says Dick, who explains that participants “spend three days with pilgrims who come through the walk, a series of talks, and group activities and so on.” But first, it may help to recall what the Walk to Emmaus derives...

The Simpson Youth Academy, which includes a 10-day residence on the Simpson College campus each summer, offers a unique opportunity for high school juniors and seniors in the Iowa Annual Conference. “We’re creating a community of adult mentors and high school students that are together exploring deeper questions about their faith, about social justice and service, and about vocation,” explains Rev. Eric Rucker, the program’s director. Founded by the Lilly Endowment and Simpson College, the Youth...

“When we look at healthy boundaries, we’re looking at how can we respect and honor those differences and be aware of how we relate to each other in ways that feel good and safe for everyone involved,” says Rev. Andrea Severson. She, along with Rev. Amy Spangler-Dunning and Rev. Diane McClanahan, all from the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, is leading a series of 16 workshops on healthy boundaries this fall and continuing into early 2018 across eight districts in the Iowa Annual ...

“It’s an alternative to the educational program offered by our seminaries,” explains Dr. Dennis Tevis, the director for the Upper Midwest Extension Course of Study. “It’s a 20-course program that covers things that pastors need to know in serving congregations, from congregational care, to preaching, to Old and New Testaments, to historical theology and contemporary theology.” Part of the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, the Upper Midwest school serves part-time ...

There are many devoted disaster response teams in the Iowa United Methodist community, but a new style of post-crisis care is emerging in the conference.   “Our whole motivation in disaster ministries is to be a caring, Christian presence in the midst of disaster,” said Rev. Catie Newman, the Iowa Disaster Response Coordinator. “Now, we'll have a Spiritual Care Team.”   The first of many Spiritual Care trainings was held at the Conference Office on Oct. 23. The training started from the ground ...

Ryan Christenson, Northwest District Field Outreach Minister shares ideas for churches to expand their prayer life and mission.