Apply for a grant for a church-school partnership

Are you thinking about starting a church-school partnership? Funds from the 2017 Kids Count Miracle Offering will be awarded through the Breakthrough Ministry Grant application process.

Breakthrough Ministry Grants are offered to churches and related organizations from the Dakotas United Methodist Foundation and Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Grants will be awarded quarterly. Applications are due on January 31, April 30, July 31 and October 31 every year.   Click here for a grant application.

Lay Speaking and Preaching Retreat

The second annual Lay Speaking and Preaching Retreat will be August 25-27 at Lake Poinsett Camp and Retreat Center. The retreat starts at 6:30 p.m. on August 25 and ends around 8:30 a.m. CDT on August 27.

The retreat is open to all who are interested in gaining experience, receiving feedback and practicing speaking and preaching in a safe and nurturing environment. Consider inviting someone you know of, who may be interested in the event.

This is also a great opportunity for those seeking to renew their Lay Speaking status or to become a Certified Lay Speaker. Attending this retreat counts as advanced course credits for those seeking to keep up their certification.

Click here to register.

Annual Conference resources

Well, it's a wrap—the 2017 Annual Conference is now in the books.  If you are looking for a way to share some of the highlights and exciting things you experienced at Annual Conference, click here.  The AC 2017 wrap up page has a bulletin insert, links to photos, news stories, videos and more.

2017 Journal

The 2017 Journal will be published in September 2017.  If you did not get a chance to order a printed copy of the Journal, you can place an order by e-mailing Susan Punt here.  There are two volumes to the Journal. Volume I will feature the businesss of the annual conference—minutes, business of the annual conference, hisotorical record, memorials, service records, rules and policies and statistics.  Volume II features the directories—clergy, lay and church.  The price for Volume I is $25. The cost for Volume II is $15. 

Summer office hours

Summer office hours for the Dakotas Conference office are: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon, CDT.

Send us your VBS highlights and stories

We know that many churches will host a Vacation Bible School (VBS) this summer.  We would love to hear the stories and share some photos about the highlights.

Click here to fill out some information so we can feature your VBS.  Please send your photos to Dakotas Conference Communications here.

Mission u is around the corner

Dakotas Conference 2017 ‘Mission u’ will be held July 13-16 at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD, and July 20-23 in at the University of Jamestown in Jamestown, ND.  Click here for a registration form. The theme for this year is: “Learning Together for the Transformation of the World”.

In-depth themes this year will be:
Living as a Covenant Community–Covenants are found in the Bible from the moment God created man and woman until the last page of Revelation. As we grow to understand the divine covenants made by God with our ancestors, and thus with us, our faith and our lives will transform. Through this study, we will come to marvel at our covenant God, grow in our love for God, for each other, and for our neighbors near and far. Rev. Matt Richards will be the presenter.

Missionary Conferences of UMC in USA–The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, Red Bird Missionary Conference, and the Alaska United Methodist Conference are a hybrid of home and internal missionary work. The aim of this study is to give an overview of these three missionary conferences in The UMC, the contexts out of which they grew, and their current engagements. Dawn Armstrong will be the presenter.

Climate Justice: Call to Hope and Action –This study will deepen your understanding and awareness of climate change and its impact on God’s creation. It offers participants biblical, theological and ethical insights as the basis of their advocacy on climate justice in churches and in the public sphere. Rev. Marty Toepke-Floyd will be the presenter.