News

Last Chance: Less Than Two Weeks Remains to Sign up for CLayM (DVD Study)

Get in on the ground floor as the Conference Lay Minister (CLayM) program expands to enable at-home study. The first cycle of CLayM@Home is scheduled to get underway by September 1st - so register now! The new CLayM@Home alternative allows participants to study largely on line or by DVD, making the training easier to accomplish for those with fulltime jobs or other constraints.   Applications are being accepted now – both for the traditional program hosted at the United Methodist...

Sign up for September Church Transformation Leadership Institute in Missouri

Churches are dying all over the country. Have you seen this happen? Is there anything sadder than seeing a church slowly dying for years and then having to close its doors for good? If you've experienced this first hand or seen it happen in your area, you undoubtedly realize that unless our shrinking churches transform now into growing, vibrant congregations, we will see more of them die on our watch. But how? Are you searching for a comprehensive process?   If so, sign up to...

Clergy Sexual Boundary Training: Dates Added in September, February, May

Are gifts from parishioners really gifts? Can pastors be friends with parishioners? What about that $500 check at Christmas from a parishioner – should the pastor accept it? What about going to a doctor who is your parishioner? Sexual Ethics Training isn't just about the obvious! Join your colleagues and explore the many dilemmas pastors, church staff, congregational leaders, and parishioners face in their relationship with each other. Dates have been added in September, February, and...

October Worship Design Studio Retreat at Lake Tahoe Is Open for Registration

You're invited to spend three days on the shores of Lake Tahoe, in the company of people who are passionate about planning meaningful and memorable worship – to be guided by Dr. Marcia McFee! Over the course of the October 24-27 Worship Design Studio Retreat, you'll move through the seasons of the liturgical year, and be steeped in music, visuals, texts, ideas, and inspiration – so that by the time you leave, you'll have thematic plans for the entire 2010-2011 year!   Online...

Disciple Online Groups Forming

Groups are beginning to take shape for the second year of online Disciple Bible Study, dubbed Disciple Online. Enrollment is open at www.BeADisciple.com/discipleonlinecourses for individuals who wish to participate in Disciple I, Disciple II, and Youth Disciple in an online format, taking part with others from around and outside this country.  Participants follow the standard Disciple format: Study the Bible on their own during the week, then meet with their group members at a set...

Transformational Leadership Course Being Offered in Great Northern District in October

Transformational leadership is the art of developing teams of leaders who are fully alive in God. Would you like that to describe your leadership style? Sign up for a two-weekend course in Transformational Leadership for Clergy and Laity, to be taught in October by Anne Dilenschneider, D.Min., at Fortuna United Methodist Church in beautiful Humboldt County, California (within the Great Northern District). Sessions will be Friday-Saturday, October 15-16 and 29-30. (Friday times are 7-10 p.m....

Don't Miss Adam Hamilton Webinar on August 26

Be sure to sign up for a free webinar on Thursday, August 26 from 8 to 10 a.m., Pacific time, with the Rev. Adam Hamilton, founding and senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas – one of the fastest growing, most influential mainline Protestant churches in the country. Since its founding in 1990, the Church of the Resurrection has seen its adult membership grow from four people to 13,000.   Adam Hamilton will be guest speaker at the 2011...

August Webinars: Human Trafficking, 'The Land Between,' UM Pastor Adam Hamilton

When Christine Caine, on a mission trip, met with victims of human trafficking, one young woman screamed at her, "If what you say about God loving me and wanting to rescue me is true – then why didn't you come sooner?" "Why didn't I?" Caine wondered in horror. She realized that none of the things that had kept her from "coming sooner" had been more important than helping these young victims.   After crying and begging forgiveness, Caine – a...

Celebrating Vital Small Congregations

Kings Beach United Methodist Church and its pastor, the Rev. Kathryn Dunning, invite pastors and lay persons to celebrate and share the ministry of vital small congregations at a workshop at Lake Tahoe on Saturday, August 21, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.  Reverend Dunning and her husband Rob have recently returned from participating in the Summer Collegium, a Lily Endowment project in support of small congregations at Virginia Theological Seminary. Small congregations make up the majority of...

Worship Design Studio 'Sneak Peek' Available at Special Price

What if: eight weeks before each liturgical season, you could get help from a worship designer, biblical scholar, music director, and visual-design-and-media company to jump-start your planning process and invigorate and guide your team? You can!   With your year-long subscription to The Worship Design studio, you become part of a "virtual" creative community, working on ideas for the liturgical year.   Marcia McFee, who designed and led worship for this year's...

Register Now for 'Geography of the Soul' Personal Formation, Leadership Development Seminar

The Fellowship of United Methodist Spiritual Directors and Retreat Leaders (FUMSDRL), an affiliate organization of the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, invites you to sign up for a national training seminar in Tucson, Arizona, Friday-Monday, October 22-25, to gain "a foundational understanding from various cultural perspectives in faith formation, and to learn how to expand ministry into diverse cultures." The seminar,...

Register by July 28 for Two-Part Transformational Leadership Course

The August Transformational Leadership course is fast approaching! This two-part, midweek (Tuesday-Wednesday) course is open to clergy and laity. It will be hosted at Nevada City United Methodist Church August 3 and 4 and August 17 and 18.   The course will teach the fundamentals of transformational leadership and include practice in strategically using these principles with real-life case studies.   Transformational Leadership faculty/consultant Anne Dilenschneider, DMin., will...

Early Bird Pricing Is Available for September Church Leadership Conference in Atlanta

Everyone engaged in ministry – clergy and laity alike – needs good positive opportunities for continuing education, and in The United Methodist Church, clergy of course are required to earn CEU credits for regular continued education. The IN Conference from Leadership Nexus is a fantastic opportunity for both! Take advantage of early bird pricing and sign up now for The IN Conference church leadership training, hosted at Dunwoody United Methodist Church, September...

Guidebook Filled With Details About UM-related Schools, Colleges, Universities, and Theological Schools

A new guidebook that provides a wealth of information about the 121 United Methodist-related schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools should help high school students easily compare tuition, degrees awarded, and possible financial aid. The Guidebook of United Methodist-Related Schools, Colleges, Universities, and Theological Schools will be useful for students, pastors, youth leaders, and parents who want to learn more about United Methodist-related educational...

United Methodist Church Lifts Sanctions From Claremont School of Theology

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The University Senate of The United Methodist Church announced on June 25 that it is lifting its sanctions from Claremont School of Theology, reinstating the School's full affiliation with The United Methodist Church and unfreezing church funding to the School. "We are extremely pleased that the University Senate has affirmed our School and our mission," said Rev. Dr. Jerry D. Campbell, president of the school. "I think that the review came about in the...

Register Now for October Leadership Institute With Adam Hamilton

Get a jump on next year's California-Nevada Annual Conference Session – join 2011 ACS guest speaker Adam Hamilton, the staff of the Church of the Resurrection, and thousands of United Methodists from around the country to "Prepare for a Future with Hope" at Leadership Institute 2010, October 7-8, in Leawood, Kansas. Sign up by Saturday and save lots of money!   Leadership Institute is an annual event that draws huge numbers of UM lay and clergy leaders for two days...

Mission Education Is for Everyone!

By Connie Hunter President, California-Nevada Annual Conference United Methodist Women It's not too late to register for the annual Mission Education event to be held at University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton the weekend of August 6-8. Although the Mission Education event is sponsored by United Methodist Women, everyone is welcome – men as well as women.   Participating will bring back memories of halcyon days in college – when our meals were prepared and dishes...

Deadline Is Near for 'Disney Keys to Excellence' Event in Modesto

The deadline to register for The Disney Keys to Excellence workshop for lay and clergy is Thursday, July 15. Don't miss out on the chance to take advantage of proven Disney strategies and techniques that can help you become a stronger leader. Sign up now for the one-day Disney Institute workshop, taking place Thursday, August 12, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., at Centenary United Methodist Church in Modesto.   Through experiencing successful Disney processes and the organizational structure that...

Disney Institute Hands out 'Keys to Excellence' at August Modesto Event

The renowned Disney Institute wants to hand you The Disney Keys to Excellence – at a one-day workshop by that name being held at Centenary United Methodist Church in Modesto, Thursday, August 12, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EXPERIENCE successful Disney processes and the organizational structure that supports them, EXAMINE the strategies Disney leaders employ to keep their teams constantly improving and reaching new goals, and EXPLORE values and behaviors that can make you a leader of strong...

Mid-Week Transformational Leadership Course Scheduled for August

"Transformational leadership is the art of living life in such a way that each day you become more fully alive in God. It is about being made different, rather than making a difference. It is about being God's, rather than being "gods." It is about radical discipling – because it is, fundamentally, about love." So writes Anne Dilenschneider, D.Min., who is offering a two-session mid-week course in Transformational Leadership for Pastors and Leaders, August...