Month: June 2024

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Congrats to Peggy Riley

Our very own Peggy Riley has been assigned to serve as the Lay Pastor of Riley United Methodist Church. She’ll start her responsibilities there on July 1, 2024, but will continue to work as the youth director here.

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Parking Lot Striping

From Anna Kozak: Bayer Construction will begin striping the parking lot tomorrow, June 20, 2024. We will need to let it dry, so it will be blocked off all day. We should be able to drive on it starting Friday morning.

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Becoming a Dementia Friendly Church

Last night, I was one of 22 people attending a presentation from Dementia Friendly Manhattan. Dementia Friendly Manhattan is working to make Manhattan a dementia friendly community. According to the presentation, “A dementia friendly community is a village, town, city or county that is informed, safe, and respectful of individuals living with dementia, their families and caregivers and provides supportive options that foster quality of life.”

College Avenue United Methodist Church wants to be part of that. To be certified as a dementia friendly, we’ll need a total of sixty people to complete the training (which takes an hour to an hour and a half). We’re a third of the way there; more training sessions will be offered in the fall.

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The North Central Kansas District

At our meeting last week, the Great Plains Annual Conference approved a redistricting plan. The new districts will take effect on July 1, 2024. College Avenue United Methodist Church will be in the North Central District, which also includes Salina. Our new District Superintendent will be Karen Rice Ratzlaff. There’s no need for anyone to worry. We’ll all be fine. You probably won’t notice the difference unless you serve on a district committee.

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Working Today, Taking Friday Off

Anna is taking this Friday off. It’s far easier for me to get things done when Anna is on the clock. Therefore, I’ve moved my day off from Today (Tuesday, June 11, 2024) to Friday (June 14, 2024).

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Advocates for Inclusion Membership

Yesterday was the founding meeting for Advocates for Inclusion. This group is a Reconciling Ministries Community within CAUMC (like a Sunday School Class). All who join affirm the CAUMC statement of Inclusion and the Reconciling Ministries Foundational Statement. Other than that, members are free to choose their level of participation in group activities. So far, we have 35 people signed up. If you missed the meeting, you can drop by the church office to join.

Reconciling Ministries Foundational Statement:

We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.

College Avenue UMC Statement of Inclusion:

At College Avenue United Methodist Church, we strive to live in ways which respect the dignity of others, communicate compassion, convey hospitality to others, promote spiritual growth, strengthen our sense of community, and enhance our discipleship. We affirm God’s grace is available to all, without exception, and we welcome the full inclusion of all God’s people to participate in all aspects of the church’s life and ministry. We stand against the exclusion of any people, and believe that we can love one another even though we may not think alike. The love of God is shown in the living example of Jesus Christ, and we commit ourselves to advance this Christian message of inclusion and justice. 

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Advocates For Inclusion

From David Procter:

Following the church service on June 2, we will gather and celebrate the official launch of the “College Avenue United Methodist Advocates for Inclusion.” Anyone can join this Reconciling Ministries Community that will work to advance social justice and inclusion for socially disadvantaged groups, prioritizing LGBTQ+ inclusion. It will emphasize helping families and our church community. This group will not only focus on education but also serve out its mission, working as allies, advocating with legislators, and volunteering with organizations working with at-risk groups. This group will work to live out Christ’s example of “You will know we are Christians by our love.”

The June 2 meeting will be an organizational launch where we will publicly affirm our commitment to the mission of the Reconciling Ministries Network and the specific goals and expectations of the “CAUMC Advocates for Inclusion.” Light refreshments will be provided.