THIS WEEK

SPRC Online Training | March 21
    If you have new members of Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), have recently received a new pastor, or haven't been through a training in a while, join Diane Owen, Area Director of Clergy Well-being, Dan Bader, District Superintendent, and Rev. Susan Nienaber, Director of Congregational Vitality for the Minnesota Annual Conference, for an online (Zoom) training.  They will cover how to support your pastor's well-being, the role and responsibilities of the SPRC and the SPRC chair, nominating members of SPRC, staffing structures, providing feedback, dealing with conflict and concerns, and the SPRC role in the appointment process. The SPRC on-line training is March 21 at 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.  CT,  5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. MT. Registration is available HERE.

Discernment Retreat | March 25 and April 29
    A discernment retreat is the entry point for those exploring a call to pastoral and lay ministry. Participants are equipped and inspired to serve as a leader in various ministry areas inside and outside your congregation. This Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course is a foundational course designed to equip new church leaders and renew current leaders in The United Methodist Church. It explores: personal spiritual gifts, servant leadership, each leader's role in developing future leaders, the importance of consistent spiritual practices, the core ministries of leading, caring, and communicating, and much more. Register here.
Dates and time:
Part I:  March 25, 2023, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. central time; 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. mountain time.
Location:  Conference Office, Mitchell, SD, and Zoom
Part II:  Saturday, April 29, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. central time; 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. mountain time.
Location: Conference Office, Mitchell, SD, and Zoom

Clergy Candidate Forum | March 28, 2023 at 3pm CDT
    Rev.  Sara McManus, the registrar for the Dakotas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, is hosting another forum for clergy candidates for ministry on Tuesday,  March 28, 2023, at 3 p.m. CDT, 2 p.m. MDT. Get the details to join by Zoom.

COMING UP 

Clergy Well-Being Grants
    The 2023 Clergy Well-Being Resource Grant is now accepting applications! The Dakotas-Minnesota Area offers our clergy this grant of up to $1,000 for first time applicants and up to $500 for those who received a grant in 2022. Funds could be used for a health coach, spiritual director, gym membership, hiking boots, a creative arts experience, a course on resilience or trauma, and more.

Excellence in Clergy Leadership Scholarship | March 30 deadline 
    Scholarship deadlines are approaching! Both the Dakotas Conference and the Dakotas | Minnesota Foundations have partnered with GBHEM for the Excellence in Clergy Leadership Scholarship. Find the application for this scholarship and others here. 

AC Call for Petitions, Resolutions, and award nominations | Due March 31
    It is time to gear up for the 2023 Annual Conference. Do you have a resolution, petition, or specific legislation you would like to have considered at the 2023 Dakotas Annual Conference, being held June 8-10, 2023, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota? All proposals for petitions and resolutions for the Dakotas Annual Conference Session must be submitted electronically, by March 31, 2023. Several awards will be announced at annual conference. Some are chosen by the cabinet, some by CCYM, and some via open nominations.

Builders Club Winter 2023 | Piedmont Grace UMC
    Grace UMC in Piedmont invites everyone to join them on their journey in following Christ and discovering God’s grace. One way they want to do this is by installing a new digital sign that will help invite people to events and church, as well as share God’s love through scripture and messages of hope. Join the Builders Club and donate today.

Codependent No More | Group Coaching for Clergy
    Mondays, April 17-July 3, noon-1 p.m., online. Clergy, take this time for your own health. For 12 weeks, join this small group led by Stephanie Moore, mental health counselor, and gain tools to end codependence.

Education Debt Reduction Workshop | April 18
    Explore the Latest on Education Debt Reduction in a virtual workshop on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, from 1:00 – 2:15 pm CT. Anyone with Educational Debt is Invited. LSS Financial Counseling and the Dakotas-Minnesota Area UMC are providing ongoing support and workshops on federal student loans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Loan forgiveness is actually happening, and Individuals in our annual conference and beyond have had their loans forgiven. This workshop will provide information, explore your options in repayment, and help guide your next steps. Bring your questions and a friend. We are here to answer questions, listen to your concerns, and share success stories. All are invited. No charge for this informative workshop. Zoom link for the workshop registration. More info.

Scripture Circles | Starting in April
    A scripture circle is a sacred time to stop, turn aside, to marinate in the original language and context. This space allows pastors to savor the Spirit without critique or agenda. Pastors’ busy schedules demand so much! The Dakotas annual conference wants to pour back into you. So we are offering a facilitated, zoom discussion based on the needs and thoughts of each clergy in the group. We have set them up as cohorts for depth of relationships and discussion. Get the details here.

Out of the Ashes | A Service of Lament in a Season of Disaffiliation
    Join Discipleship Ministries, Thursday, April 20 at 11 a.m. CDT for an online worship experience intended to help us speak into the pain of the moment. This worship experience is the beginning of a series of opportunities to gather and share and look forward to a renewed expression of our faith and our church.

Incubator Training | April 26-28
    Join this online training, April 26-28, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., central time, for an onboarding discovery process to prepare new church planters or those exploring restart church projects. Learn the skills and tools of a church planter. You will make a plan that can be put into action.

Lay Ministry Academy | April 28-30
    Lay people are called to do more than sit in the pew, they fill out many roles in the United Methodist Church. How can you make 2023 the year you answer God's call to serve? Attend upcoming training for laity.  Attend Discipleship and Congregational Care, Part 2 of the Lay Academy at First UMC, Pierre South Dakota. This training will be in collaboration with the Congregational Care workshop. Register here.

Practical Church Leadership Program |July 2023-July 2024
    Applications for this graduate certificate program through Dakota Wesleyan University are now being accepted; 85 percent of the $7,500 tuition cost is funded. Apply by May 1.

Clergy women's retreat | April 30-May 2 
    Come and enjoy the serene surroundings, worship, conversation and company of other United Methodist clergywomen at this year’s retreat. Located outside Marvin, SD, the Abbey of the Hills. Bible women: Their stories of art will be the theme, April 30 to May 2, 2023. Get the details and register here.

Festival of Homeletics | May 15-19
    “Preaching Hope for a Weary World” is the Festival’s response to the hardships and heaviness that have been our reality the last few years. Members of the Dakotas Cabinet invite you to join them in Minneapolis, May 15-19 to hear from outstanding preachers from diverse backgrounds, traditions, and ministry settings. For those who might be interested in coming in a day early, are invited to join Bishop Lanette and some of the cabinet to attend the Minnesota Twins / Chicago Cubs game on Sunday (Mother's Day). Get the details here.

Bishop calls special session | Aug. 15
    After consultation with the Dakotas Appointive Cabinet, Bishop Lanette Plambeck is calling a special session of the Dakotas Annual Conference for August 15, 2023, beginning at 7:00 p.m. central time and 6:00 p.m. mountain time. The session will be entirely virtual. This will be the final called conference for disaffiliation in 2023.

RESOURCES

On the journey to Jerusalem | Week four 2023 Lenten Study
    In week four of our Lenten study, Luke: The Outsiders, Outcasts, and Outlaws, Rev. Ben Ingebretson explores Luke, chapter five, On the Journey to Jerusalem. “Blind Bartimaeus is calling out. Zacchaeus is climbing up a tree. There is lots of fuzzy foggy thinking here, but still a sense that something is unfolding," states Ingebretson. "Friends, if you feel like you are in a foggy place, keep following, keep tracking with Jesus."

Reclaim. Revive. Renew.| Midterm State of The UMC Addres
    Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, president of the Council of Bishops, recently delivered his midterm State of The United Methodist Church Address, calling all United Methodists to root themselves in Christ and become a reclaimed, revived and renewed people of God. A new discussion guide offering relevant Scripture readings and conversation starters will help you dive into conversation with other UMs and discover more about who Christ is calling you to be. Access the guide here.

Midwest Distribution Center expands
    For years the Midwest Mission’s facility in Pawnee, Illinois, has been booked with volunteers—sometimes even one to two years in advance—and cannot add more space at its current site. Because of these restraints, the board of directors sought opportunities to expand their operations in the North Central Jurisdiction. They chose Jefferson, Iowa, as their new location. Read the details.

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS | View all Ads

Dakota Wesleyan University | Campus Pastor
    Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota (a university affiliated with the United Methodist Church) invites applications for the full-time position of Campus Pastor. Start date is negotiable, but a June or July 2023 start date is highly desirable. See the job description and application here. 

Sioux Falls First | Facilities Director
    Sioux Falls First is looking for a Facilities Director. The Facilities Director will be responsible for the church building, grounds, and day-to-day facility and security needs. Get the details here.