THIS WEEK

Pray with us | July 6-12
    Dear God, I know that sometimes I forget to praise You. I know my faith weakens and I even doubt You when things are particularly bad. But, in the end I am always grateful that You love me unconditionally and see to it that I rise to a new day. We pray for all of God's people, but especailly these persons.

Summer Read Along Series | July 14, 21, 28
    Join Church and Society leaders every Wednesday in July on their YouTube channel for reading and discussion of a children’s book from our Sacred Worth Books database. Join July 7 as Emily Newman reads " We Are Water Protectors" by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade.

Soul Fill-up | Wednesdays 8 a.m. mountain time, 9 a.m. central time 
    Soul Fill-up is a mid-week time for church leaders to slow down. Let us pour into your soul and refill your cup during guided scripture reading, prayer, and meditation led by the Higher Ground program's spiritual directors. There is nothing to do or prepare—just set this 30-40 minutes aside for yourself and join us! Click here to join, Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. central time, 8:00 a.m. mountain time.

COMING UP

Mission u 2021 | Bearing Witness in the Kin-dom, July 15 - Jul 17, 2021
    The Mission u team made up of Deans, Cindy Yeager and Emma McKirdy-Wilsey, and Assistant Deans, Bonnie Ostenson and Connie Smith, along with our study leaders, Pastor Michelle Brennan of First UMC Jamestown, North Dakota, and Pastor Nancy Ellis of Faith UMC, St. Anthony, Minnesota, are looking forward to sharing a Zoom  Mission u experience with you. Pastor Michelle will be teaching based on the book, Bearing Witness in the Kin-dom: Living into the Church’s Moral Witness Through Radical Discipleship by Darryl W. Stephens. Her Zoom class will be July 15-17, 2021. Zoom sessions will be held on Thursday, July 15, and Friday, July 16 at 7:15-9:00 p.m., CDT, and also on Saturday, July 17 at 10:00-11:45 a.m. CDT. The deadline for registration for this class is July 8th.

Breaktrough Ministry Grants | Applications due July 31
    Apply for a grant to reach the next person for Jesus. Breakthrough Ministry Grants include outreach ministries, church/school partnerships, young adult/campus ministries, and culture of call.  The next grant application deadline is July 31.  Get the application and instructions here. For questions about the application process, contact Diane Weller in the Foundation office.

Investing in Leaders Grant | Apply by August 1
     The Investing in Leaders Grant is part of the Financial Well-Being Initiative funded through a Lilly Endowment Grant. This $5,000 annual grant to reduce educational debt is open to all active clergy in the Dakotas-Minnesota Area. Applicants must complete a course of personal financial education.  Learn more about the grant by viewing the application.  Contact Diane Owen for more information and any questions.

Financial Foundations Webinar | August 9
    Join us August 9 at 7 p. m central time for a webinar titled "Quickbooks and Your Church." You’ll learn about how to customize settings and reports to make QuickBooks work better for your church. Pastors, treasurers, finance committee members, and anyone interested in stewardship and generosity in the church are welcome to join.

Mission u | Pushout, August 12-14, 2021
    The Mission u team made up of Deans, Cindy Yeager and Emma McKirdy-Wilsey, and Assistant Deans, Bonnie Ostenson and Connie Smith, along with our study leaders, Pastor Michelle Brennan of  First  UMC Jamestown, North Dakota, and Pastor Nancy Ellis of Faith UMC, St. Anthony, Minnesota, are looking forward to sharing a Zoom Mission u experience with you. Pastor Nancy will be teaching based on the book, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique Morris.  Her Zoom class will be August 12-14, 2021. Zoom sessions will be held on Thursday, August 12, and Friday, August 13 at 7:15-9:00 p.m. CDT, and on Saturday, August 14, at  10:00-11:45 a.m. CDT.  Register by August 5th for this class.

RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rural church grants | $500 grants
  The United Methodist Rural Advocates are offering (10) Emerging /Impactful Ministry Awards to United Methodist  rural and town and country churches that are responding to specific needs in their communities. Applications must be filled out by a leader of the program and signed by the pastor and district superintendent and can be completed and returned electronically by October 15, 2021 or postmarked by the same date. Recipients of the awards will be notified by December 1, 2021. Apply here.

Saving Grace | Webinar July 20 or 26
    Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being  is a six-part study based on Wesleyan values that provides the tools you need to address the topics of saving, earning, giving, spending, and debt, along with helpful strategies for creating healthy relationships with money and possessions. To learn more about what Saving Grace can do for your church, sign up for the SAVING GRACE WEBINAR! Choose from Tuesday, July 20 or Monday, July 26, 2021, from 12:00 PM–4:00 PM (Central Time). A Financial Ministry Grant up to $500 is available to purchase the Saving Grace curriculum for your church. Contact Diane Owen if interested

People of God | #beUMC
    The People of God campaign is entering a new phase with the addition of #BeUMC. The hashtag invites church members to embody the church’s values, embrace its aspirations and remain with The United Methodist Church even in difficult times. Bring the message to your communications with the help of downloadable resources. Learn more 

Dakotas Conference Strategy Team | Values Workshop
  The Dakotas Strategy Team has developed a 4-hour workshop to assist churches in discovering and defining their core values. The workshop uses videos, personal refection, small group discussion, and large group conversation and consensus to help a congregation define their core values. This workshop is free and available to each congregation. A trained facilitator will come to the church to lead the workshop.  Details here

Summer of Kindness | Curriculum 
   The Summer of Kindness curriculum that ignites a playful spirit as we practice kindness. We've included six sections that help us understand kindness better. We will wonder together about Bible stories, offer a short prayer, play a fun game or activity, and then choose an act of kindness (or a few) from the Bingo Sheet! 

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS | ADS

Mitchell Downtown First | Family Ministries Coordinator
    Job description: In this full-time role, the Family Ministries Coordinator will oversee all discipleship ministries for birth through young adult; reach out to families both within the congregation as well as those in the surrounding community; and recruit, train and deploy volunteer discipleship staff for Children’s and Youth ministries. We are looking for someone who will consider this a ministry and not just a job. Access details

Dakotas Conference | Church Planter-New Congregation Developer
     The Dakotas Conference is seeking a planter/new congregation developer!   The opportunity exists in a college town in partnership with a center city UMC church that seeks to form a relevant new worship and discipleship community for young adults and new people.  Best applicants have entrepreneurial gifts, disciple making experience and an evangelistic heart.   For details, please contact ben.ingebretson@dkmnareaumc.org.

OTHER JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS |  VIEW ADS 
    Jobs available at Southern Hills, Canyon Lake, and Asbury UMC.