Advocate for Native American Ministries Sunday, World Communion Sunday, and United Methodist Student Day

Nurture. Advocate. Give.

As a member of your local church or annual conference you can help champion the cause for the churchwide Special Sundays by becoming an advocate.

As an advocate, you would have three primary tasks:

1. Speak with your pastor about collection of each Sunday.
2. To lead the effort to celebrate and give to the Special Sundays offerings year-round, either through the local church or by encouraging your friends to give to these ministries online.
3. To speak to other congregations to garner support for the Special Sundays offerings.

Advocates will be provided with presentation information and a planning guide. These materials may be adapted to fit your audience. To become an advocate, please email us at SpecialSunday@umcom.org with your contact, local church and conference information. We will schedule a telephone session to allow you to ask questions and receive additional information about your role as an advocate.

Native American Ministries Sunday gifts help to develop and strengthen Native American ministries within the annual conference, provide scholarship for Native Americans attending UM schools of theology and other approved by the University Senate of the UMC and expand the number of target cities in the Native AMerican Urban Inititative.

World Communion Sunday gifts result in scholarships distributed by General Board of Global Ministries with at least one-half of the annual amount for ministries beyond the US; the Ethnic Scholarship program and the Ethnic In-Service Training Program.

United Methodist Student Day gifts support United Methodist scholarships and the UM Student Loan Fund, administered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Annual conferences participating in the Rebate Program may award one or more merit scholarhips to UM students. Participating conference may awared scholarships to UM students who reside in the conference and who attend or will attend a United Methodist-related college or university.

How to help
1. Give online or through your local church.
2. Give a gift in someone's honor. (birthday, anniversary or a memorial)

Native American Ministries Sunday
World Communion Sunday
United Methodist Student Day

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey
Web Producer
http://www.umcgiving.org/
United Methodist Communications
lcarey@umcom.org

Giving means thinking positively

“Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times.” (Ephesians 5:16 The Message)

Tax time has passed. Aside from the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, it can be one of the most stressful times of the year for many people. For many it means paying at least a bit more to pay that bill in full. Still others are excited to finish the task because they’ve been planning and looking forward to the “gift” they’re receiving with their refund.

The number one reason for marital breakdown is financial conflict. Therefore, tax time is also the time to take extra care in your relationships as you review receipts, checkbooks, and 1040 forms.

Even if you didn’t lose your job in the recession, chances are you’re worried about the economy and how it may affect you and those you love. What about your church? How are those in your church weathering the financial storm of the last few years? Has the recession provided new opportunities for spiritual growth and ministry? Or, has it encouraged conflict and “blaming” to run rampant in meetings and parking lot conversations?

Remember that when finances are tight, tempers tend to be short. How can we be care-full in our ministry? Let’s remember that the primary mission of the church is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

Perhaps in these difficult times, we might do as Paul instructed the Ephesians to “make the most of every chance we get” to live the love that is ours through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are “desperate times,” so let’s outdo one another in love when we’re tempted to give in to the “crabby bug.” Pastors and leaders can only work with the resources at hand. Whether you still have a well-paying job, you’re unemployed, retired, or you’ve settled for a lesser-paying job, together let’s find a way to give our time, talent, and treasures to say “THANK YOU” to God for the blessings we’ve received.

--adapted from WI ann conf newsletter

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey
Web Producer
http://www.umcgiving.org/
United Methodist Communications
lcarey@umcom.org

To Learn how you can be good stewards in the United Methodsit Church, click here.

2009-2012 UM Handbook Jeopardy Game

Want a FUN way to learn more about the United Methodist Church?

Try our "Jeopardy Game".

Created by Rev. Barbara Ross, North Royalton UMC, East Ohio

CATEGORY: The Church Today/General Information

Question #1

For 10 points:

The answer is . . .

*Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and world
*Creating new places for new people and renewing existing congregations
*Engaging in ministry with the poor
*Stamping out the killer diseases of poverty by improving health globally

Your answer must be in a form of a question.

Click here for a PDF of the complete game.

God owns everything

Christ didn’t hold back on his love when he willingly went to the cross for us. God didn’t hold back and make the cross the last word. God who owns everything also offered everything for our sake. We, in turn, are called to share that Good News. If we believe that all we have is a gift from God, then we affirm a faithful distribution of God’s gifts in the world.

Consider these affirmations, written by Bishop Bruce R. Ough of the West Ohio Annual Conference, as you decide how much of your time, talents, and treasures you will offer to share the Good News of Christ’s love with the world.

• I know God wants me to redistribute some of God’s money and time to care for my family. (See 1 Timothy 5:8)


• I know God wants me to redistribute some of God’s money to the state. (See Mark 12:13-17)


• I know God wants me to redistribute some of God’s time to worship and pray. (See Psalm 42:1-2)


• I know God wants me to redistribute some of God’s money to the poor. (See Luke 12:33-34)


• I know God wants me to redistribute some of God’s money to the building of God’s kingdom. (See Leviticus 27:30-33)

--adapted from WI Annual Conference newsletter

God Is Still In Control!
Miss Lladale Carey
Web Producer
http://www.umcgiving.org/
United Methodist Communications
lcarey@umcom.org

To Learn how you can be good stewards in the United Methodsit Church, click here.

Peace with Justice Sunday at work in the Yellow Stone Annual Conference

"It isn‟t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn‟t enough to be-lieve in. One must work at it." Eleanor Roosevelt

Peace with Justice Sunday, created by the 1988 General Conference, is one of the six church-wide special Sundays. Peace with Justice Sunday is traditionally celebrated the first Sunday after Pentecost. This year‘s date is May 30. Congregations may select an alterna-tive date that works for them.

The special offering for Yellowstone Conference for 2009 was $6,342. Half of this amount went to the General Board to allow the United Methodist Church to have a voice in advocating for peace and justice in the United States and around the world. $3,171 re-mained in our conference to be administered by Guiding Values. A grant of $3,000 was given to High Plains Initiative on American Indian Studies for the purpose of providing scholarships to attend Gathering 2010 which will be held in Bismarck, ND.

"Blessed are the peacemak-ers for they shall be called the children of God" --Matthew 5:9 KJV

--Submitted by Mary Trembly, Guiding Values team leader

Please give generously. You can give anytime during the year. Make check payable to your local church and note “Peace With Justice Offering or give online, click here. Open the door to Justice. To get involved, you can contact the Peace with Justice Coordinator in your annual conference. Together, we can work together for a faithful and loving world for all and bring hope for our future.

To learn more visit www.umcgiving.org/pwjs

God Is Still In Control!
Miss Lladale Carey
Web Producer
http://www.umcgiving.org/
United Methodist Communications
lcarey@umcom.org

Former Wisconsin Governor, Lee Dreyfus, is pictured here next to his 7-foot-tall monument, carved in the shape of Wisconsin. The simple epitaph etched into the red granite stone is, “Tithe Your Time.” Dreyfus died on January 2, 2008. He was raised with the expectation of public service. In 1980 he said, “You gave time to the church, you gave time to the needs of the public. It was absolutely taught by my mother and father that you give, and if you had more capability, you were obligated to give more.”

Many people ask how they might give in times like these when the giving gets tough. Some ideas for “tithing your time” include:

• Offering the professional skills you’ve accumulated. If you’re an accountant, offer to help with the books or the annual audit.
• Offer to help in the areas of your interests. If you’re a scrap booking junkie, offer to help with bulletin boards.
• Offer to learn a new skill or try a new activity. If it’s been years since you helped in the nursery or with Vacation Bible School, try it again this year.
• Put on your walking shoes and get pledges for the CROP walk or any other philanthropic walk/run in your area.

For more year-round stewardship ideas, feel free to contact us at:

Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation, 750 Windsor Street Ste 305, P.O. Box 620, Sun Prairie, WI 53590-0620, 1-888-903-9863 or wumf@wumf.org

--adapted from WI Annual Conference newsletter

God Is Still In Control!

Miss Lladale Carey
Web Producer
http://www.umcgiving.org/
United Methodist Communications
lcarey@umcom.org

To Learn how you can be good stewards in the United Methodsit Church, click here.

BEGIN AGAIN

Every moment in space and time comes with an opportunity to begin again. Woven into the year since early civilization, are the recognitions of seasons that permit us to start over...wiping out the old and embracing a clean slate open to new possibilities. Below are some basic points to consider as you begin again.

Begin with Grace
You are here today because God has sustained you. Something in addition to and beyond your effort has kept you. God continues to bless you to be here on earth. God's wonderful grace abounds. Hallelujah!

Begin with Thanksgiving and Celebration
If you begin with the acknowledgement of the gift of grace in your life, it should not be too difficult to move on to thankfulness. Praise God! God's goodness is all over your existence. Give God the praise. Celebrate God's goodness each day.

Begin with Purpose
Put God in the very center of your life. If life is going to make sense it is due to your theology. In other words, your belief in God and how God is at work in your life is essential for a meaningful life. The Bible tells us what God expects:

• "Be fruitful and multiply" Genesis 1:28
• " ...do justice...love kindness and walk humbly with your God" Micah 6:8
• "...love God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27
• There are two truths about what God places on your heart to do. One: it is not easy, and two: it is possible. A great year awaits you.

I believe you are here because God has more for you to be and do.

Begin with Forgiveness
We can learn from history but we cannot change it.
We must stop beating ourselves up because of the past.
The past may be filled with a basket of valuable lessons, but you cannot rewrite the past.
We must look forward now.
The player who is preoccupied with the last dropped ball is losing ground on catching the next one.

Begin with Focus
Distractions have one purpose and that is keeping you so busy that you do not have time to satisfy your deepest longings. You must concentrate! If you keep your hands filled with good tasks, you will not have any room for the most important things in your life. You cannot do everything that the world asks of you but you can do all that God has anointed you to do. If you do what God is calling you to do, there is one thing for sure...you will have the best year of your life. Do not be afraid; God promises you a wonderful future! Have a blessed and Spirit-filled New Year!

Remember, God's will for us is good. We must do the rest.

---Bishop James R. King, Jr. Resident Bishop, South Georgia Conference

God is still in Control!!!

Miss Lladale Carey
Web Producer
http://www.umcgiving.org/
United Methodist Communications
lcarey@umcom.org

To learn more about the connnectional system of the United Methodist Church, click here.