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District News

Western Waters District Lay Servant 2024 Fall Retreat

Posted on by Bode

The Fall Lay Servant Retreat will be held at Cedar Springs UMC from 4:30pm Friday, September 27 to 4:00pm Saturday, September 28. The registration cost is $30 and includes two meals and snacks. Participants will make their overnight accommodations if applicable. Lay Servant classes are open to anyone regardless of the district in which your church resides.

Click HERE to download and print the registration flyer.
Questions? Please contact Sara Wolfsen at [email protected] or (231) 830-4092.
 
Register Online HERE
 
Class Descriptions:
 
Introduction to Lay Ministry: The Basic Course
This course is foundational for all courses in Lay Servant Ministries. Participants are encouraged to discover and employ personal spiritual gifts as God intended and to consider the importance of exercising servant leadership, developing future leaders, remaining rooted in consistent spiritual practices, and being part of a group that holds members accountable in their discipleship. INSTRUCTOR: Sarah Zachow, Certified Lay Speaker, East Nelson UMC.
 
Advanced Course: Life Together in the United Methodist Connection (UM Polity)
This is a required course to become a Certified Lay Speaker and will give participants an overview of the structure and organization of The United Methodist Church. INSTRUCTORS: Pastor Jeff Swainston, Manton UMC and Jody Pratt, Certified Lay Speaker, Middleville UMC.
 
Advanced Course: Aging and Ministry in the 21st Century
This important course offers a rich learning experience that includes knowing more about the aging process and the developmental stages of midlife and older adulthood and how we can best shape our ministry. INSTRUCTOR: Retired Pastor Terri Cummins.

God Nudges Blog Post 8-5-24

Posted on by Bode

It has been suggested I share my story about the “Rainbow Cross Quilts” that I have been making.  It is a pretty simple story beginning in 2016.  I saw a pattern for a Rainbow Cross (my name for it) and thought that looks like it would be fun to make.  At about the same time my church was becoming a Reconciling Church.  So, I decided to send for the instructions and make it for the sanctuary.  I posted pictures on Facebook and a few family members and friends wanted one.  I just asked to be reimbursed for the cost of fabric I had to purchase and shipping cost.  So, I made a few more – 18 between 2016 and 2019.  Turns out I did not like the original design and bit by bit made little changes here and there with each quilt and like most quilters I have a stash of fabric to draw from and happy to put it to good use.

Then came GC2019.  What could I do to make a difference?  What could little old me do?  I’m generally a quiet person but always hope my actions speak louder than my words.  You guessed it – this was followed by a big “GOD NUDGE”.  “Wendy, make your rainbow crosses and give them away at no cost.”  OK…let’s do it.  So, I posted on Michigan Uniting Facebook page and my own Facebook page.  By then I had come up with two new designs and two sizes.  The requests started coming.  No two are alike, each one is unique.  Even though there may be more than one person asking for a purple and gold cross, different fabric is used.  Each person gets to pick out the two colors they want for the cross and what pattern they want for the rainbow.  I love hearing the reason for the colors – college colors, favorite colors, it represents something special in their lives, a symbol for a health concern are some examples. 

There was a time the quilted wall hangings were in Iowa to Massachusetts and Michigan to Florida, in homes, churches and offices.  It has become my little ministry.  I love making them, quilting is a spiritual thing for me.  I can sit at my sewing machine and let go of everything on my mind, my to-do list and have great conversations with God.  I pray for the person receiving the quilt each time I sit down at my sewing machine, each time I cut out the pieces and put them together on my design wall.  I read somewhere (I think on a t-shirt), “every thread is a prayer – every stitch is a heartbeat.” 

A long time ago, someone asked me if I had a goal of 100.  I laughed.  I couldn’t imagine making that many.  As I write this, I am beginning #118. I will continue to make them as long as they bring joy to others and to me in making them.  I think about how fun it would be to line them all up in one room and see the connection.  Because a fabric from one cross is in the next rainbow pattern and other fabrics can be traced from one quilt to the next.  I love the symbolism of being connected.  Some of the people that I have made one for are my family, some best friends, others are acquaintances, and so many people I have never met.  It makes me smile to see them pop up in someone’s FB post or get a message from someone that they saw the quilt hanging in a friend’s house, church or office and they would like one.  My answer is always yes, because of that “God Nudge” in 2019.  About the time my fabric stash was getting low for this little ministry, several people donated fabric from their stash – their “God Nudge” — making it possible to continue making the rainbow cross quilts for free.

Friends, we don’t always need words but we do need to act, we do need to watch and listen for the “God Nudges” in our lives.  They are there every day.  In closing, I am reminded of my favorite quote from Mother Teresa, “We can do no great things – only small things with great love.”

 

2024 Fall Church Conference Hub + SPRC Meeting Schedule

Posted on by Bode

The 2024 Fall Church Conference Hub schedule and the SPRC Zoom Meeting schedule are complete!

  • Please email your completed SPRC forms to Liz, 1 week before your scheduled Zoom meeting with DS Jodie.
  • Please email your completed Church Conference forms to Liz, 1 week before your scheduled Hub.

Click HERE to view the Church Conference Hub schedule

Click HERE to view the SPRC Zoom Meeting schedule

Click HERE to view the Church Conference Forms Checklist to keep track 

All 2024 Church Conference Forms are HERE

God Nudges Blog Post

Posted on by Bode

It has been suggested I write a blog for the WW District Lay Leader web page.  My reaction was, “what do I have to say that would be meaningful to others?”  After some thought, the same theme kept recurring.  I call it “God Nudges”.  From time to time, I will share my “God Nudges” (in no particular order) and personal reflections on how these nudges have impacted my spiritual journey.  It is my hope that sharing these stories, will encourage others to be more aware of the “God Nudges” in their lives because they are there, all the time, and the key is to respond. 

The hard part is deciding where to begin.  How about Good Friday 1989?  The date is forever etched in my mind and carved in my heart.  Our best friend’s little girl had been ill for a few days.  She quickly got worse and our friends decided they needed to get her to the ER.  But while doing that she collapsed.  9-1-1 was called.  She died.  She had celebrated her 13th birthday a week earlier.  What does Good Friday have to do with it…she died on Good Friday, March 24, 1989. 

For weeks I asked myself what can I do in her memory.  More than flowers, more than a donation.  You see, I wanted/needed to DO something.  Something that required my time.  I thought of a few things…like volunteering in a library (she loved to read) but never acted on any of things that popped into my head.  I hadn’t talked with anyone about this.

One night I woke up with a start and heard the words, “go to camp”.  I looked at my husband…he was sound asleep.  I looked around the room…no one was there (thank goodness).  Was it God?  OK…I will go to camp.  For about five years I had been asked by my pastor, Rev. Bill Johnson, to be one of the camp nurses at Christian Athletic Camp (CAC) where he was one of the Leaders.  It was one of our Conference Camps.  I always found an excuse to say, no I can’t.  The truth is, it was out of my comfort zone.  Well, the next morning was Sunday.  The first person I saw was my pastor.  I asked him if he needed a camp nurse this year.  “YES.  We do.”  OK, I am in.  I will be a camp nurse.  I hadn’t even told my husband yet or our children.  When I told my family they thought I was crazy…me going to an athletic camp.  You see my family are all athletes and love sports…I don’t have an athletic bone in my body, let alone muscle. 

I volunteered at CAC for 28 years.  I went in memory of my young friend. I think she would have gone to CAC.  I saw her in the faces of so many of the campers.  Serving at CAC had a profound effect on my spiritual journey.  I grew in my relationship with God…I learned to trust God and not be so afraid to step out of my comfort zone.  I learned He will hold me up.  You see, a church camp not only touches the lives of the campers but also the staff.  I will be forever thankful I heard that God Nudge in the middle of the night…and responded. 

Listen for the God Nudges in your life…they are there…trust…step out of your comfort zone.  Good things always happen.  Volunteer to serve at one of our Conference Camps.  It will be life changing for you and the campers.              

Blessings, Wendy

Visit Wendy’s Lay Leader page HERE

God Nudges Blog Post 6-5-24

Posted on by Bode

Greetings Everyone:

I am still thinking about all the good things that happened at Annual Conference and the wonderful worship as I write this blog.  And yes, getting my energy back…slow but surely.  How about you?  I said I would blog every other month and began thinking this was going to be late.  But hey, I still have the rest of June.  I am right on time. 

I had intended to blog about another “God Nudge” that happened in my life for this installment but I became distracted by a violet.  It will happen another time.

You see, I get so many “God Nudges” from nature.  They are there.  All around us.  Everyday.  But we go right on by without a second look.  I believe in caring for body, mind, spirit, and relationships.  One way I do this is going for walks.  I usually walk twice a day to achieve 10,000 steps a day.  I am not always successful for one reason or another (like meetings or quilting).

A few weeks ago, on a walk around the neighborhood I noticed a little green leaf in the sidewalk.  I walked on by without giving it much thought.  But on subsequent walks the green leaf got bigger.  Strange it was still in the same spot and had not blown away.  Last week there was a bud.  This week it fully caught my attention…a beautiful violet growing in the middle of a crack in the sidewalk.  “God Nudge”.… such perseverance, such strength in this little violet.  How did it continue to grow?  It must have gotten stepped on?  How did that little seed fall into just the right spot in the middle of the sidewalk?  Did it get trampled on?  By me?  I hope not…if I did, I am sorry.  Yet it popped right back up in all its beauty.  I wonder.   If this little violet can grow in the middle of a sidewalk, get walked on.  I can too.  Well, maybe not in the middle of a sidewalk.  But I will continue to be aware of ways I can serve God with the gifts and talents I have been given by God.  I will carry on…no matter how old I am/feel.  Even on those days that I am tired, or feeling like I have been trampled on.  I will persevere like this little violet.  I will grow in my faith.   Oh, one more thing about this pretty little violet.  It was in the middle of two cracks in the shape of a cross.

Friends, look around you, be aware of nature, listen to the birds, feel the sunshine on your face.  Be Blessed.  See and hear the “God Nudges.” They are there all the time…even in the middle of a sidewalk.

Blessings, Wendy

A message of hope from General Conference in Charlotte NC

Posted on by Bode

May 4, 2024

Dear Friends in Christ in The United Methodist Church in Michigan,

Many of you have heard about what happened at the postponed 2020 General Conference. Delegates made three historic major changes in the United Methodist Church, referred to by those in attendance as “The Three R’s” – Regionalization, Revision of The United Methodist Social Principles, and Removal of language that limited the participation of LBGTQ+ people in the church and was considered harmful by many.  I have outlined key actions taken at the General Conference below.

 While there are moments when things move slowly during plenary sessions, the news from the General Conference these past two weeks came in torrents. For many, it might have felt like drinking from a fire hose.  There were legislative petitions to track, not to mention the commentary offered by different groups with different perspectives or agendas.  I encourage us all to take time to breathe, pray, and digest all that has happened.

As you know, I have long favored widening the table in The United Methodist Church, expanding our tent.  Pastors can now officiate at the weddings of parishioners without worrying if those parishioners are in a same-sex relationship, or if they might face ecclesial charges. Persons can respond to the call of God on their lives, and Boards of Ordained Ministry can discern those calls, regardless of the sexual orientation of the person being called.  

For those troubled by these developments, I would say we are now genuinely agreeing to disagree without fear of church penalties and punitive processes.  Appointments will continue to be made taking account of church and community context.  Churches and pastors will make decisions about weddings.

While I will write more about the General Conference next week in my blog, I would like to conclude by sharing my hope that our United Methodist Church will be able to focus more freely on staying centered in the risen Christ and staying grounded in our Scriptures.  I hope we will focus on engaging, in Spirit-filled ways, in the mission to which we are called, making disciples of Jesus Christ so that people can experience the healing and freeing grace of God in their lives and so that the world may be made more just, loving, and compassionate.

I look forward to sharing this journey in ministry with you all.

Grace and Peace,

David Alan Bard
Michigan Conference

Versiti Blood Center of MI Needs Local Churches!

Posted on by Bode

Faith Community Church of Coopersville has asked for the message below to be shared:

Our Church, Faith Community Church of Coopersville (formerly Coopersville UMC) is proud to offer our surrounding communities the opportunity to SAVE A LIFE right where we live. Versiti Blood Center of Michigan supplies our local hospitals with blood daily needing 600 units a day. We all can be heroes and give the gift of life.

Offering blood drives at your Church is a great way to get people in your doors and a great Outreach for your Church. You can keep a list of donors to contact and notify them of upcoming blood drives. Through our drives here in Coopersville, I have compiled a list of 800 names over the last 10 years.

I am Kris Brandt, the coordinator for our drives and I would love to help you get started. Please contact me and I will get you in touch with a Versiti representative in your area. The opportunities are endless for your church to serve your neighbors in life changing ways! Get in touch with me!

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 616.997.9225
Website: faithccc.com/versiti-blood-drives
Facebook: CoopersvilleBloodDrives
Location: Faith Community Church, 105 68th Ave. N, Coopersville

Michigan Delegation Attends General Conference: April 23-May 3

Posted on by Bode

The 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 – May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The last General Conference was set to happen in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2020, until the pandemic made it necessary to postpone the quadrennial legislative event until 2024. 

Michigan delegates, along with delegates from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. will attend the 11-day gathering, which is expected to attract about 5,500-7,500 people.

Michigan Conference Communications will provide complete daily coverage.  Sign up for the daily update and watch the evening live Facebook coverage during plenary sessions HERE.

As the highest legislative body of The United Methodist Church, General Conference revises The Book of Discipline and The Book of Resolutions while also initiating amendments to the denomination’s constitution. Proposed legislation is in the Advance Daily Christian Advocate and available for review and download.

Approved 2024 Budget + 2024 Local Church Ministry Shares

Posted on by Bode

The 2024 Western Waters District Budget and Ministry Shares are available in the links below. The district’s local churches have approved the 2024 district budget and ministry shares.

“With over 40 churches reporting votes, the 2024 Western Waters District Budget passed unanimously.  Thanks everyone for your input and support!” ~ DS Jodie Flessner

Letter to Churches

2024 Budget Narrative

2024 Budget 

2024 Ministry Shares by Church

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Western Waters District