Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
NE Statewide Reconciling Network : ACTION - Send individual & group petitions 4 General Conf 2012 (Tampa FL)
To : RUM's and Reconciling Friends in NE and beyond
From: Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network of email friends
Remember : IT IS ANOTHER YEAR OF GREAT SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS!
Believe OUT LOUD -Take Reconciling on the Road - Give: Summer Email offering
Thanks to Jeanette Grenz, from WIDE IS GOD'S WELCOME group - KS East Reconciling Communications Contact - for Instructions ATTACHED on submitting a Petition to General Conference for the 2012 General Conference starting late April in Tampa, FL - as an INDIVIDUAL or GROUP of individuals, members of local churches -
NE did NOT overwhelmingly approve the GLBT friendly legislation in June in Lincoln as Kansas East did (see the note below) - so we would like our VOICES to be heard through Individual Petitions to General Conference from Individuals and Groups of Individuals - In MN and Cal Pac Conference the GLBT friendly Legislation was approved by about 80% too and in other Annual Conferences hopefully!
See DIFFERENT deadlines for online submission or USPS Submission and the directions are ATTACHED and one Petition is ATTACHED to send! See jeanette's info below!
Thanks Kansas East Reconciling folks in the Wide is God's Welcome network of friends!
Act today and send in this Petition or other GLBT friendly Petitions Individually or with folks from your local church who are UM members - before the deadlines!
Urge elected Delegates in NE to vote for legislation that affirms full partipation of all persons in our churches and communities! Send them letters, emails, meet with them personally - see the NE Conference website for info on those elected : www.umcneb.org
Maureen Vetter and Wendy Smith, NE Statewide Reconciling network contacts
www.RMNetwork.org www.nebraskarum.blogspot.com Facebook new group: search Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network and ADD Friends, join in the discussion and send info on local reconciling groups etc.
----- Original Message -----
From: wigw-kc
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 11:24 AM
Subject: Send individual and/or group petitions
As you know, the 2011 Kansas East Annual Conference overwhelmingly approved the WIGW-KC request to Amend ¶161.F in the Book of Discipline so it will be sent on to General Conference!
In addition, any group or individual in the United Methodist church can send a petition to General Conference and we think the impact would be greater if as many people as possible also submitted the petition. A copy of the petition and instructions for submitting it are attached to this email.
You can download the petition, fill in the needed information, and then email as instructed by September 27 or send through USPS by July 1st. I sent mine this morning and got a confirmation that it has been received.
The following people were elected in KS East Annual Conference - as our delegates to General Conference and will be voting on this petition as well as others:
Adam Hamilton, Church of the Resurrection, clergy
Rena Yocom, Edgerton (Charge Conference) clergy
Luke Wetzel, Aldersgate Olathe, laity
Oliver Green, Asbury/Mt. Olive, laity
Delegates to Jurisdictional Conference (alternates to GC):
Courtney Fowler, College Ave, Manhattan, laity
Bryce Bowers, Burlington, laity
Gary Beach, Conf. treasurer and Dir. Of Admin. Services and Connectional Ministries, clergy
Eduardo Bousson, Washburn campus ministry, clergy
In addition, we have 6 more alternates:
Randall Hodgkinson, Topeka First, laity
Wes Gately, Wamego, laity
Mary Brooks, Lyndon, laity
Jan Todd, Pleasant Hill, clergy
Nanette Roberts, Olathe Grace, clergy
Mark Holland, Trinity, KCK, clergy
If you want to talk to any of our delegates about their position concerning our petition and others, feel free to do so. They are representing us!
We are now on facebook – search for Wide Is God’s Welcome~KC and “friend” us!
Don’t forget to let us know if you change your email address so we can stay in touch with you.
Jeanette Grenz, Wide is God's WELCOME, Communications person, KS East
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Wide Is God’s Welcome - KC is to strengthen the Body of Christ through the full inclusion in the United Methodist Church of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
VISION STATEMENT
This mission will be fulfilled as we unite Kansas City area United Methodists for education, advocacy, and empowerment.
The mission of Wide Is God’s Welcome - KC is to strengthen the Body of Christ through the full inclusion in the United Methodist Church of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
VISION STATEMENT
This mission will be fulfilled as we unite Kansas City area United Methodists for education, advocacy, and empowerment.
NE Statewide Reconciling Network : latest news : Love on trial - being Missionaries, Activists in summer
RUM's and friends in NE and beyond : Summertime!
Our EMAIL Network is an OFFICIAL Reconciling Community for six years - did you know this? IT is time to support RMN again through our giving!
THANKS to all Reconciling Volunteers. AIDS Ambassadors who are Missionaries and justice Activists - reach out!
1) GET NEWS at www.RMNetwork.org on the lastest LOVE ON TRIAL - other info and resources!
SING A NEW SONG CONVO is this summer organized by MFSA and RMN - think about going!
2) SUBSCRIBE to FLASHNET the weekly email news from Reconciling Ministries Network
3) BECOME a Reconciling United Methodist online: www.RMNetwork.org go to SIGN on or JOIN US!
4) GIVE to our Summer Email Offering - to reach our Goal of $250 or more for Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network (our email network of friends) emails and actions by Reconciling volunteers in NE : write your love gift / check to RMN and send to : Maureen Vetter, 4422 Drake Lane, Grand Island, NE 6880l -- she will send them on from our NE network as our yearly commitment to RMN ministries and inclusive church advocacy!
So far we have sent in $220 to RMN from our Email Network this Summer 2011 - we would like to send more than $250 if possible to RMN this summer to show our support for RMN in NE!
Donors Summer 2011 : Iola and Loren Mullins, Betty Dorr and Friends at the RMN table in June, Cathy Denman for Maureen Vetter's Birthday, Wendy, Eric, Jenna, Brian Smith for birthdays of friends, Lloyd and Joan Byerhof for Jimmy Creech's birthday, Jim and Donna Lightbody for birthdays of friends, Maureen and Jay Vetter for birthdays of friends
5) HAVE A SUMMER of Spiritual Awakenings! Seek spiritual partners to renewal and gather strength --
rise up like EAGLES
Maureen Vetter, Wendy Smith, Contacts and many other volunteers for inclusive church and community
ps Sign the inclusive petitions sent our recently, check out our blog: www.nebraskarum.blogspot.com Go to our new Facebook today : Search on Facebook - Nebraska statewide Reconciling network - add friends -
share info - AIDS Walks Sept 18 in NE! Gather a team, do fundraising for UM Global AIDS fund all year round -reach out to all God's children! www.umcneb.org/AIDS and www.UMglobalaidsfund.org
Become an AIDS Ambassador today - write Andrewb@nap.org Read Adam's Gift by Jimmy Creech and other stories of affirming all of God's children - show movies, get together, meetup to share coffee, tea, art, music, stories, lamentations and about your spiritual lives and faith responses!
Krusing the Capitol, 2011, June
“I Want my Country Back”
by Lowen Kruse
That is the plaintive cry.
Back from whom?
From the poor, who never had it?
From minorities, who did not own it but are changing our cultural values?
From corporations, who have bought and paid for congressional control?
Back from farmers, from politicians, from labor unions, from educators, from the military, from conservationists, from the oil companies … the special interests in which we all have a part? Back from our latest priorities?
Back from anyone who has proposed a revised national agenda?
Going back is a tricky thought. As a young pastor, I heard the pious cry, “Back to God!” An older pastor asked, “How did we get ahead of God?” Is somewhere in the past the Golden Age? Is God not in our future? Was “The Force” pure in the past? Clearly our Founding Fathers did not think they had the permanent formula. They were on a journey, had many questions, and were looking for serious-minded travelers to aid in the journey.
We are on their and our journey. Our country has always been developing new models of economics and accepting ancient cultures in new forms. Middle East and Arab states have been on the journey for centuries but their people now declare they must take steps to find the common good.
Politicians have it easy. They supposedly were elected to represent us, but in this century corporate wealth selects the words and images for public postures. No need for them to listen to us. Put simply, politicians are the taillight, not the headlight. A few put out a vision, but unless the public adopts it, the vision does not translate into political action. We, the public, are in a contest to influence political action.
However, the good news is the public declares the policy. We decide who should be protected by the government and we are very slow to change our collective mind. For example, Social Security will be there for future generations. Guaranteed. The public overwhelmingly wants it. Elected and corporate leaders can announce a vision, but unless the public adopts it, the vision does not translate into political action. We, the people, are in a contest to influence political action. We are on a journey.
It was different in earlier simpler times. Washinton – Lincoln – Teddy Roosevelt – had a vision that guided public thought and thereby became the future.
FDR was a doubtful visionary, though he was bold. Hoover quietly started the changes that Roosevelt implemented, for he realized that every citizen has to be a part of the action to have a true democracy. FDR helped to develop that consensus through creative and far-reaching ways. The new ways were so far ahead of us we are still not quite sure what Social Security means. It enabled senior citizens to become volunteers and participate more fully in the community. In wholly new ways. Frankly, Fireside Chats are now replaced by expensive intimate-sounding ads (as, from oil companies and drug manufacturers.) Political think tanks generate a lot of misleading info for those ads. Where are the truth squads?
Ike, Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and Obama each called for change, but the call was the reflection of public sentiment. For Carter, the call to be moral on a global scale took the rest of his life. We have not bought in. For Reagan, the vision to be a leader in global economics found quicker assent because Ike and Kennedy laid the global foundation. He could posture as a conservative while taking the lead in tripling the deficit. However, he became a key in our journey because the public bought in.
We are not going to get our country back from the 1900s. Nor do we want to go there, in spite of the ‘free enterprise’ promotion by companies who lobby for a government big enough to protect them. We had that in 1890.
We are a work in progress. We will determine if our vote will outweigh the corporate vote. It can, if we think “journey.”
Open Hearts Reconciling community, G Island area: upcoming dates : Sept 18, Sept 19 monday night!
Open hearts folks : here are a few dates to get on your calendar for fall - see you then if not before - support pride events and other GLBT events, diversity events this summer!
Sept 18 : AIDS walks in NE (www.nap.org ) Get a team together to walk at Hastings college and U of NE at kearney in the AIDS Walks across NE - get friends together, colleagues, families, church friends, neighbors etc!
Sept 19 : MONDAY NIGHT - We are JOINING with Hastings PFLAG for our Sept gathering on a MONDAY NIGHT this year!! - This will be our Sept get together for Open hearts as we join with the Hastings PFLAG folks and the Hastings College alliance!
Get this on your calendar early as we will be providing the POTLUCK food for the Hastings College Alliance returning to Hastings College this fall! Our two groups are providing the food for that evening - I think the dinner will start about 5:30 PM but we watching for details - also a unique program too and often it is at the Student Union on the Hastings college campus - at the Hazellrigg union - be watching for details on this EVENT - this is the first time we are joining with HASTINGS PFLAG for an event other than supporting events together!
Coming out week : Oct 11 is Coming out DAY! Be watching for Special events in Nebraska! Get this week on your calendar as there are special events being planned at Hastings College chapel and around NE.
DIVERSITY SUMMER in Nebraska : Pride events in Omaha and Lincoln pride is in July!
1) Reading Challenge for Hassan this summer at TUMC, support Hassan one orphan at the UMC Orphange in Jalingo, Nigeria : read and get pledges or pledge yourself - bring in pledges by Aug 7 to Trinity UMC : Read CHANGE THE WORLD by Mike Slaughter (through cokesbury press) for $10 at our special price this summer at TUMC and discussions in July and Oct for Book share - dates and times TBA JOIN US in reading this book and any others you choose
2) Getting Active 4 AIDS 4 an AIDS Free world : get pledge forms at TUMC, G Island - canoe ride for most pledges by Labor day weekend : do by yourself or as a group
3) Ethnic Festival Grand island : this weekend! Art in the Park in July in Grand island! Support community!
4) FROGS store in Wolbach this summer : First Rural Organic Grocery store, Wolbach days this weekend!
5) GI YWCA Garden Tour day : july 7 The YWCA's goal is Eliminating Racism! Get tickets at Ace or call the YWCA in G Island for info
6) Grain Place Organic Farm Tour day July 9, Marquette, NE (see website) Support Locally grown foods, farmers markets, grocery stories : also NE FOOD coop online - check out events at PPRI or Praire Plains Resource Center, Aurora and their Ed programs : www.prairieplains.org
7) Read GLBT movies, books, have meetups, Rainbow Art shows and more : "Adam's Gif" by Jimmy creech is published! Find it online today - Read it and others renewing, enlightening books this summer - share books, movies for our Open Hearts Rainbow Crate this fall -
8) Give to the Summer Email offering for Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network as our yearly commitment as a Statewide EMAIL network of friends - all gifts go directly to RMN offices in Chicago for their many ministries this summer and with General conference coming next spring.
Write checks to RMN and send to Maureen Vetter, 4422 Drake lane, Grand island, NE 68801 - she will send them in for the statewide network of friends -we are to $220 and our goal is $250 or more this summer for GLBT ministries and giving support at the Amy DeLong trial, SING A NEW SONG convo coming and more!
Our Open hearts group is FIVE years old this Nov and our statewide group is SIX years old as an official network this fall - RUMOLA in Lincoln is 14 years old this summer and Omaha first umc has been a Reconciling congregation for 11 years - General Conference for the UMC is next April in Tampa, Florida - thanks to all volunteers in all of our groups and those doing emailing to get out info for events, meetups, gatherings! Give to your local Reconciling support group so that we can all send in our commitments to RMN each year!
9) Info on SING A NEW SONG CONVO is on the RMN website: www.RMNetwork.org Send prayers to Amy DeLong and all affected by the recent church trial in WI - for the story : www.umc.org or go towww.RMNetwork.org and future flashnets - sign up today as a Reconciling United Methodist online and sign onto the petitions, statements we have been sending out! Take action, tell your stories, take reconciling on the road to events and have a summer of spiritual awakenings!
10) Let's celebrate NY marriage equality about to become law in six states now! Let's celebrate Becca Preisendorf being the recipient of the Jimmy Creech Profile of Justice Scholarship this year - she is the 12th recipient so the witness of Jimmy lives on as it encourages students to be active in justice work! If you have a gift for the new GSA at GISH - make your check to GSA, GISH and get it to Becca or Cindi McDowell her mom.
Have a GREAT summer - Maureen vetter and Mena Sprague, Open Hearts contacts, email
PS SPECIAL THANKS TO MENA FOR HELPING OUT WITH EMAIL THIS SUMMER and Early fall!
Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network : Actions in NE: The Trial of Amy DeLong Has Begun : LOVE ON TRIAL
NE Statewide Reconciling United Methodists and friends: '
This is a time of pain and change, LOVE ON TRIAL - let's respond through our faith that gives us strength to know we are all CHILDREN OF GOD and we are ALL loved by God even during painful church trials, messiness and change!
We can get through this by our faith actions, responses - and becoming proactive - as givers, signers, activists and missionaries!
Actions: Send prayers, Sign Petitions, Give offerings, Write friends, Send love!
With the Trial of Amy DeLong this week and info below we have a few actions to send along with PRAYERS Daily this week ------- FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED in the trial in Wisconsin -
1) Rev Gil Caldwell sent us the info on the Petition by Church Within A Church and the link to sign on TODAY- let's grow the list of names from Nebraska and beyond:
Colleagues for your information; The 592nd signature on our statement is that of my long-time
friend and colleague; The Rev. Dr.Yap Kim Hao, former Bishop of the Methodist Church in
Singapore and Malaysia. It would be great if you could secure additonal signatures from the USA,
or international, gay and straight, regardless of faith or non-faith perspective and inclusive of all races.
Share with your friends and colleagues the following link for their signature:
Gil Caldwell
ps Would be great if persons at the Amy DeLong trial would sign (or others too)
2) Give to the Summer Email Offering for Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network -- as all of our gifts to directly to RMN for their ministries at the trial and SING A NEW SONG CONVO this summer - on behalf of our NEBRASKA Statewide Reconcliling network of friends!
Just make your love gift and check to RMN and then send it to Maureen Vetter, 4422 Drake Lane, Grand Island, NE 68801 - She will send it on to RMN on behalf of our network of friends in NE - We are at $120 sent in to Chicago offices for RMN - and hoping for $250 to send in for our yearly commitment. Last year we sent in over $500! We will list the donors in our email news -
3) Write friends about these actions and grow the circle of friends in Nebraska and beyond! WE have about 380 RUM"s in Nebraska and we want to get to 400 this summer! Go towww.RMNetwork.org to become a Reconciling United Methodist - do this action -
Send prayers of love and see the info below about LOVE ON TRIAL - from Reconciling Ministries Network - we are hoping that we can keep making change even through the deep pain and sadness of church trials for persons in loving committed relationships and doing loving ministry~
Check out our blog : www.Nebraskarum.blogspot.
Another Year of Great spiritual awakenings! Believe Out Loud! Called to Witness! SING A NEW SONG! Take Reconciling on the Road in Nebraska!
Maureen Vetter and Wendy Smith, Nebraska Statewide Reconciling Network contact, PRN contacts, local contacts and Email contacts! Recruit youth and young adults in local reconciling groups!
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