THIS WEEK!

Amplify Dakotas
    Churches across the Dakotas now have a powerful new tool for ministry: the Amplify Dakotas channel, which officially launches this week. With Amplify Dakotas, United Methodist clergy and laity across the conference will have the benefit of enjoying the same rich library of Cokesbury resources that Amplify Media has long provided in addition to content created for and by leaders in the Dakotas Conference. This resource comes at no cost to Dakotas United Methodists thanks to the support of a grant from the Dakotas Connection Initiative. Learn how to register here. 

COR Leadership Institute | Oct. 1-3
    Join fellow church leaders October 1 – 3, 2025 for three days that will inspire you to RISE – to new challenges, above limitations, and as a voice of hope. With transformative worship, practical teaching, and meaningful connections, you’ll leave equipped with the tools and renewal you needfor ministry today. In-person and online options available.

 LUKE-ACTS 2025 - Reflections & Resources

Luke-Acts Reading 
     In Chapter 14, we encounter Paul and Barnabas in Lyconia. After performing a miraculous healing, the people begin to refer to Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes—the names of Greek Gods—and begin to perform sacrifices in their name, a practice common to their pagan religion, despite Paul and Barnabas’ admonition. How often do we live out our faith through practices and paradigms that we learn from the world around us – consumerism, capitalism, over working, etc.? Additional Resource: Devotion on Acts 14 from the North Georgia Conference of the UMC

RESOURCES

Enneagram and Gratitude | Virtual Course
    We are excited to invite you to a brand-new opportunity this fall: Enneagram and Gratitude, a four-week virtual course designed especially for clergy and those who walk alongside them in ministry (spouses, lay leaders, etc). This course will explore how our Enneagram type shapes our spiritual practices, with a special focus on the practice of gratitude. Together, we will reflect on the unique ways each type encounters God, the barriers we face to living from a grateful heart, and how to cultivate rhythms that deepen gratitude in daily life and ministry.

Course Details:
    Tuesdays, November 4, 11, 18, and 25
    11:30 AM – 1:00 PM (ET)
    Online via Zoom
    .5 CEUs available
    Cost: $200

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

DakYouth | Oct. 10-12    DAKYOUTH is an annual youth event like no other and is for both middle school and high school youth in the Dakotas Conference. Youth gather from all around the conference to learn about leadership, discipleship, and service. This year’s theme, “Living For God,” is centered on Job 23:11, challenging and inspiring youth to walk faithfully in their everyday lives. Rev. Rachel Billups will bring powerful messages as the main speaker, and VOTA will lead an unforgettable time of worship. Register today and reserve your hotel rooms before they’re gone! View and share the promotional video. 

Preaching Institute | Oct. 7-9
    Faithful Preaching for Our Times is a homiletics conference that gathers pastors, theologians, scholars, and activists to explore just and liberative approaches to proclaiming the gospel. Together, we will examine how preaching can confront the forces that distort truth, suppress justice, and silence the vulnerable—while embodying a faith that resists, liberates, and restores in sustained ways. Through workshops, plenaries, and worship, this gathering invites preachers to engage their prophetic vocation with theological depth and bold imagination for the challenges of our time. Learn more and register here. 

Shoebox Christmas - Dates and Locations
    Spirit Lake Ministry, Tree of Life Ministry, and some individual churches are preparing to reach over 6,000 children with Christmas shoeboxes. This is an opportunity for you to reflect the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christ into our communities by ensuring that no child feels forgotten on Christmas morning.
     Each year, people like you pack shoebox gifts according to these guidelines and bring them to a collection site. Then, volunteers collect your shoebox gifts from these sites around our Dakotas Conference and get them ready to distribute. Your shoeboxes need to be at the nearest collection site by November 16 to arrive in time for distribution at the many schools across the Dakotas. Your gifts make a huge difference!

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS | View all Ads

Jobs Available
    We're hiring! The following positions are open across the Dakotas Conference.
    Find more information on our Conference website.
    Administrative Assistant | Dakotas & Minnesota United Methodist Foundations
    Part-time Campus Ministry Director | First UMC, Brookings, SD
    Part-time Coordinator of Children’s Ministries | First UMC, Yankton, SD