News

Old Mission follows the Yellow Brick Road for VBS

By Susan Cooper Associate director of Communications FAIRWAY—This summer, Old Mission United Methodist Church in Fairway hosted Vacation Bible School with a Kansas-based theme: The Yellow Brick Road. “We have fun writing an original curriculum each year for our congregation and community,” said Karen Eisele, VBS director. The VBS leadership team felt the Yellow Brick Road theme was the most rich in symbolism and visuals during the nine years they have created their own...

Churches can learn from non-profit approach to fundraising

By Lisa Elliott Diehl Communications director TOPEKA—People give to organizations when they believe in the mission, have high regard for staff leadership and know the organization is fiscally responsible. “We in the church have got to understand what our people are thinking and get beyond the message that we’re in the church so people should give,” said Rev. J. Clif Christopher, founder of the Horizons Stewardship Company and a United Methodist elder in the Arkansas...

Yates Center UMC reaches out to community

By Rev. Russ Anderson Special contributor YATES CENTER—“What if?” It was not a very complicated question posited by the United Methodist Change the World campaign back in April of this year. “What if … on one weekend all around the world, 11 million United Methodists came together to work in their local communities?” “What if ... we unite globally to fight a preventable, treatable disease that kills one child every 30 seconds?” “Would...

Church members invited to pray for and with college campuses

New school supplies, check. Overpriced books, check. Fast food gift cards, check.  Prayer guide, check.  As we approach the fall semester, there are millions of students who are returning to study math, education, art, history and many other areas of study.  They are doing this in order to receive a great education and get a well-paying job.  Being educated and having a solid job are great things, but even better is when a student has a sense of God’s presence in...

Fort Hays campus ministry students play variety of roles

Back in the day, when someone was very busy, people would say they wore a lot of hats. At the United Methodist Campus Ministry at Fort Hays, students don’t wear hats, but they do wear a lot of different t-shirts. Programming begins on Tuesdays. For Chat-n-chew, a free weekly meal for 25 – 35 college students at 5:30 p.m., we wear really old t-shirts.  Somebody usually needs to brown hamburger, wash dishes, or some other messy job. Just before the meal, we change into...

Living Water youth leads mission day camp

By Lisa Elliott Diehl Communications director PIPER—Lindsay Albracht was looking for a project to do for her Girl Scout Gold Award, the equivalent of the Boy Scout Eagle Award. The Living Water congregation wanted to host a couple of different mission outreach events this summer in place of Vacation Bible School. The two needs collided, and Albracht planned a day camp for refugee children in the Piper area. Sixteen refugee children attended camp at Living Water June 14-17. “The...

La Gonave project first to get underway in partnership

TOPEKA--A project to build a manse, or parsonage, on the island of La Gonave, Haiti, will be the beneficiary of an appeal from the Star Thrower Society in the Kansas East Annual Conference. The project is one of three specific needs identified by Gesner Paul, president of the Haitian Methodist Church, and included in the partnership agreement adopted by members of the Kansas East Conference at its annual session June 10 at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. “Our conference has...

Anderson attending Global Young People’s Convocation

OLATHE, Kan. -- Miriah Anderson, a former Kansas East Conference Council on Youth Ministry president, is one of five young adults from the South Central Jurisdiction chosen to attend the Global Young People’s Convocation July 20. Five youth and five young adults were chosen to attend from each jurisdiction and the central conferences of the United Methodist Church. “There will be two aspects of the conference,” Anderson said. “At Convocation, I hope to grow spiritually...

Buesing hired as new assistant treasurer for KEC

By Susan Cooper Associate director of Communications TOPEKA—When Niki Buesing was interviewing for the assistant treasurer position for the Kansas East Conference, she asked the hiring team how long they expected it would take for the person filling the job to be comfortable doing it. The answer was 13 months—an annual cycle and a bit more. Buesing thoroughly impressed the hiring team with her interview and her references. Rev. Gary Beach, director of Connectional Ministries and...

ABIDE program helps Blue Mound UMC revitalize

By Marvé Ralston Special contributor BLUE MOUND—Nestled in a small town consisting mainly of a gas station, café, bar and two churches is Blue Mound United Methodist Church. The building was built in the late 1800s. This past year, it received a new roof and a new upstairs kitchen and fellowship hall. Worship attendance has increased by 40 percent, and the congregation is more visible to the community as well. This is no small accomplishment in a town boasting 285 in 2008,...

Conference Board of Church & Society sends letter to Sen. Brownback

Honorable Senator Sam Brownback United States Senate 303 Hart Senate Office Building Washington D.C. 20510   Dear Honorable Senator Brownback,   The Kansas East Conference of the United Methodist Church gathered at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection June 9 to 12. During this annual meeting there was discussion of United States policy and support of maternal health and international family planning.   As a body we voted to ask you to support increased...

Transition Team seeks help with big questions

The Kansas East members of the Nebraska-Kansas Episcopal Area Transition Team asked conference members to help answer three big questions with which the team has been wrestling. The questions were presented during the transition team’s report to the Kansas East Annual Conference June 10. “We’ve been telling you in the past that the day was coming when the South Central Jurisdiction would assign only 10 bishops to the annual conferences in this jurisdiction,” said Bishop...

Church is uniquely placed to eradicate poverty

LEAWOOD - When Rudy Rasmus and his wife, Juanita, arrived at St. John’s United Methodist Church in downtown Houston in 1992, their mission was really clear. “We had to step over our mission to get into the room,” Rasmus told the Kansas East Conference June 11. “We’re in downtown Houston, surrounded by a homeless community. The mission for us was right at the front door. Instead of repeatedly stepping over our mission to get into the sanctuary, we invited our...

Ordination speaker focuses on paths to justice

LEAWOOD - Ten were ordained and six commissioned for ministry at the 2010 Kansas East Annual Conference Service of Ordination and Commissioning June 11. Rev. Diana Chapel was ordained a deacon and elected to full membership in the conference. As a deacon with full membership, Chapel will serve as a bridge between the church and the world, preparing people within the church to live out their faith in the world. Revs. Stephen Cady, Barbara Clinger, DeFisher, Kara Eidson, Josh Gooding, Caren...

2010 Annual Conference business wrap-up

Conference votes to send letter to senator The Kansas East Conference voted to send a letter to Sen. Sam Brownback supporting federal funding for international family planning efforts. The vote followed a report from Katey Zeh, who is on staff at the General Board of Church and Society. Brownback, who opposes funding for family planning, heads the committee that will be considering funding for international family planning, Zeh said. She had letters with her that conference members could sign...

Conference charged to love, offer kindness

LEAWOOD - Luke 10 served as the inspiration for Pastor Rudy Rasmus’ final words to members of the 2010 Kansas East Annual Conference. Before dissecting the parable of the Good Samaritan, Rasmus talked about Jesus’ teaching style. “My father-in-law had a training method that drove my wife crazy when she was a child,” Rasmus said. Her father would explain the task to her, and show her exactly how to do it. Then he would send her to do the task, and come check on...

Testimonies highlight the need for Bridges ministries

LEAWOOD - Rev. Gary Beach and Mary Lou Reece, president of Reece Construction Company and wife of Bishop Scott Jones, shared the principles of building a good bridge, for roads and for growing the church into the future in the 2010 Bridges to the Future capital campaign report. “We’ve raised $1,743,364.40 for Bridges to the Future during the worst recession in recent history,” Beach said. “We are a people of faith. We’re a part of God’s construction...

Task Force shares resources to end poverty

LEAWOOD - A year ago, the Kansas Area Poverty Task Force was appointed by Bishop Scott Jones. June 11 they shared a list of resources and a testimonial from someone enrolled in a program to end poverty in Harvey County with the Kansas East Annual Conference. Judy Nickelson, task force member, said the group has defined poverty as a lack of access to resources, not only financial, but also educational, spiritual and any others that help to achieve health. Wanda Pumphrey and Jenica Hinshaw...

Deep, trusting relationships key to changing world

LEAWOOD - Fourteen pastors’ ministries were celebrated at the 2010 Retirement Service at the Kansas East Annual Conference. Revs. Howard and Lois Johnson gave the dialog sermon. The Johnsons sermon focused on developing deep and trusting relationships. The first story they shared was about an accident they had seen on I-70. They didn’t look particularly closely at who was involved because they assumed they didn’t know anyone who was in it. They found out later that they...

Progress mixed on conference goals

LEAWOOD - In his annual address to the conference, Bishop Scott Jones spoke of the times in his ministry when he was frustrated by not having ways to measure the value and the fruitfulness of what he was doing.   “What's our mission and how do we know how well we're doing?” he asked. That question should be on the agenda of every administrative council meeting in every local church, on the agenda of the Leadership Team of the Kansas East Conference, and on the agenda of...