Archive for the ‘United Methodist Church’ Category

Now serving with Rev. Dr. Shelly Petz!

August 24, 2009

Dustin & ShellyAs many of you know, Shelly and I are both ordained clergy in the UMC.  In December I was appointed to Goodland and Shelly was placed on Family Leave.  However, we are very excited that the Goodland congregation and Bishop Jones took action to have us both appointed here.  Thus, as of July 1, 2009, we are both serving the Goodland community!  We appreciate the faith and vision of the congregation to hire both of us, and we look forward to what God will do in and through our ministries together!

Shelly and I will be co-pastors and will share in all aspects of our ministry.  We each have different sets of gifts and graces, and so we will seek to employ them to be most effective.  Actually each of our various gifts complement well the other’s and so it ought to be a joy to work together again on the same team.

Posted in Church Leadership, Clergy Couples, Goodland United Methodist Church, United Methodist Church, Young Clergy | Leave a Comment »

40 Days of Prayer

May 18, 2009

Starting today the 18th of May, there is a prayer campaign – 40 days of prayer – for the purpose of renewal of the United Methodist Church, and I pray for the whole church.  It is being facilitated by Ben Simpson, who has organized forty young clergy authors to write prayers, then to organize themselves and others to be in prayer for direction, confession, and purpose.

I am blessed to be able to include these prayers within my weekly radio devotions (see the page with links).

I see this as an important ministry as we near the end of the Easter season, as we celebrate and remember Christ ascending, calling the early church to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit….and to pray!  They were to wait and pray, so that they might be given direction and purpose.  As we move towards the Day of Pentecost may we be open to the power of the Holy Spirit, that it might convict us, mold us, and call us forward into renewal and transformation.

God, use us and these forty days to ignite a fire of purpose and vision!  Amen.

Posted in Church Leadership, Goodland United Methodist Church, Ministry, United Methodist Church, Young Clergy | Leave a Comment »

Bishop Jones comes to Goodland

January 22, 2009

Bishop Scott Jones, of the Kansas Area of the United Methodist Church, will be in Goodland on Saturday and Sunday of this week, January 24th and 25th.  He will be here to connect with the congregation and to lead in worship.  Here are the details of his schedule:

  • Saturday evening worship – on January 24that 5:30pm (in the sanctuary).
  • Sunday morning Q&A session with the Bishop from 9:15am to 10:15am (in the parlor).
  • Sunday morning worship – on January 25that 10:30am (in the sanctuary).
  • Community Potluck following worship, approximately at 11:45am (in the fellowship hall).

Here is a link to learn more about Bishop Scott Jones. 

I hope that you will come and join me in welcoming him and growing with his leadership!

Posted in Church Leadership, Goodland United Methodist Church, Kansas Area, United Methodist Church | Leave a Comment »

How are you called?

January 19, 2009

This past Sunday, I preached about how we are all gifted for ministry and called by God to be in service to/with others (you can listen to the sermon here).  I shared my call story and invited everyone to be open to God’s Spirit leading them to recognize and live out their own callings. 

I included in the bulletin the following list of opportunities to be in ministry, hoping to help the congregation discern God leading them in their lives.  May it also spark better understanding for you in your calling!

Possible means of being Gifted and Called by God

 Below is a brainstorming list of ministries within the local church ministry and beyond it, to which God may be calling you to use your spiritual gifts.  Some of these ministries are already in place and you are invited to join them.  Others are opportunities for us, as God calls us, to use our gifts and graces.  May you be open to God’s leading! 

  • Be a part of a vision team for big picture and future direction of the church.
  • Offer coordination for the nursery care on Sunday mornings.
  • Be part of a team to offer lay congregational care – visitation, prayer, phone calls, etc.
  • Join those who prepare the elements for communion and organize servers.
  • Join the hospitality (Shepherd) team for welcoming new people.
  • Be part of the team organized to follow-up with new visitors.
  • Join the website team as we work on a new site – help create content & multi-media.
  • Help to follow up with persons who have not been present in worship to check in.
  • Organize opportunities for people to get connected to our ministries.
  • Connect with the students and staff of the Northwest Kansas Area Technical College.
  • Facilitate a cassette tape and CD ministry for people who cannot attend worship.
  • Help the church with better communication through a newsletter – be the editor!
  • Organize a prayer team and prayer ministries – prayer room, prayer vigil, chapel – etc.
  • Be a Parish Nurse – working to strengthen the health of our congregation.
  • Be the Camp Lakeside coordinator for our congregation – to help students participate.
  • Become a team to actively organize service opportunities in our community – and doing so in connection with other groups: Genesis, other churches, the city, etc.
  • Join to strengthen our ecumenical connection – be the person of contact
  • Organize a spiritual retreat – a Sabbath Retreat
  • Teach and facilitate discipleship classes – Disciple Bible Study, and others
  • Be a part of a fellowship team – organizing sports and recreation opportunities.
  • Take the lead to organize a mission trip – near by or further away.
  • Join to find best options to have projection in our worship space with a screen.
  • Get trained and facilitate equipment within the technology booth.
  • Be a sponsor and/or chaperon for the youth ministries with the directors
  • Be a mentor for a future confirmation class.
  • Join a ministry to strengthen the stewardship (financial, energy, etc.) of our church.
  • Help lead or facilitate in the worship ministries at Good Samaritan & Wheat Ridge – Sunday worship (within the ministerial alliance) or 3rd Thursdays.
  • Be our Disaster Response Coordinator.

 How might God be calling you to use your gifts and graces for others?

Posted in Church Leadership, Goodland United Methodist Church, United Methodist Church | Leave a Comment »

Economic Advisory Committee

January 11, 2009

Six weeks ago, while I was in transit – in the midst of our move at the end of November – I was invited to be a part of the Economic Advisory Committee for the General Council of Finance and Administration of the United Methodist Church.  I had worked with the recently elected General Secretary, Moses Kumar, when he served in Eastern Pennsylvania, and he invited me to be on the committee.  In so many ways I find this a great honor and I am excited about being able to bring a local church perspective to the meetings and visioning of this committee. 

Our first meeting was on December 5th, the Friday before my first weekend at Goodand UMC.  It probably wasn’t the best timing for me, but I enjoyed the work we did and helping connect my new congregation to the larger ministry of the United Methodist Church.  The committee sought to gain a sense of our current economic situation (in the U.S.A. and around the world), while also doing our best to assess what we can expect in the coming months.  A report was crafted; here is a link to it in pdf.  I invite you to read this report.  I was quoted in the report, and would enjoy to hear your thoughts of my comments.

How do you see the current economic situation affecting your ministries?  How might this recession shape or give new focus to your church community?

Posted in Church Leadership, GCFA, United Methodist Church | Leave a Comment »

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