District News and Announcements – August 26

1. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF LEADERSHIP: LEADING BY IMAGINING
2. JESS HOFFERT STARTS AS DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS INTERN
3. ALL AGES CAMP – SEPTEMBER 3-5
4. WOMENS RETREAT ALERT!!! – SEPTEMBER 16-17
5. INTERCULTURAL WORKSHOP – SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 2
6. PASTOR CHRISTINA SINGH BOOK SIGNING – AUGUST 27
7. ROY UNRUH AND MILDRED MARTENS-UNRUH BOOK PUBLISHED
8. SHARON HEIEN—COURAGEOUS AND CONTAGIOUS WOMAN
9. DISTRICT BOARD REORGANIZES FOR 2011-2012
10. 2011 DISTRICT CONFERENCE
11. DISTRICT CALENDAR OF EVENTS
12. DISTRICT STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
13. ARCHIVES, DOCUMENTS, WEBSITES, BLOGS, PICTURES, ETC


1. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF LEADERSHIP: LEADING BY IMAGINING
THE PROPHET JOEL
Lois Grove, Minister of Leadership Development

    My husband, Bill, was working on a Lego project with our 6-year old grandson and Bill was having trouble with the instructions.  Isaiah looked at him and said, “Grandpa, you just have to use your imagination.”

    The setting in which Joel prophesied didn’t leave much room for imagination—the locusts had invaded the land and it affected the trees, the grain fields and eventually took away the joy of the people. It’s hard to vision a grand and glorious future when the present looks so dismal.  Joel is able to glimpse something bigger, however, and asks the people to rejoice and not fear, for God has not and will not abandon them.

    He takes his “imagination to the next level and assures them that after the restoration occurs something unimaginable would happen—God’s Spirit would be poured out in new ways. The part that must have been hard for the Israelites to grasp is that this Spirit would not be reserved for a special few, but would be poured out on all flesh and that included not only sons being able to prophesy (the highest form of preaching) but also the daughters as well.  The old would not be discriminated against, but would dream dreams and the young men would see visions.  Even slaves would be included in the Spirit’s blessings.

    The State of Iowa convened an education summit this past week and the conclusion was that we have been coasting along with little imagination as to how to break free from our old thoughts and patterns about how to educate our children for a world that doesn’t even look like the world most of us grew up in. On the denominational front, Bill and I recently participated in a Bethany Seminary meeting on reimaging ministries where the conclusion was that the Spirit of God has not changed, but how we respond to its leading in our life may be what needs to change, so that we can be empowered to be transformed leaders, full of a vibrant faith that is contagious to all.

    Blessings as you lead with imagination.

2. JESS HOFFERT STARTS AS DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS INTERN
Jess Hoffert is now serving as the District’s part-time Communications Intern.  He is a member of the Lewiston Church of the Brethren and the son of Gordon Hoffert and Uli Schorn-Hoffert.  Jess graduated from Drake University in May with a double major in magazines and broadcast news and is working at the Meredith Corporation in Des Moines.
“I’m very much looking forward to this new opportunity,” Hoffert says. “There are great opportunities to utilize our website in ways that bring the District closer together. We’ll be able to share photos, stories, and our prayer requests all in one spot. The possibilities are pretty much endless, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for our church through this new position.”
A big “thank you” to Hannah Button-Harrison who has served as communication intern since June and will end that work in September when she returns to college.  Hannah launched our new District website (www.nplains.org), helped do our first video-conference meeting over the internet, and researched various tools and issues related to setting up a virtual District Office.
A Communications Advisory Team (CAT) is working with our interns to provide encouragement, feedback, advice, etc.  The team met in June and August.  Current CAT participants include Bibek Sahu (UNI graduate student in Instructional Technology and Brethren missions worker in Sudan), Chris Peckover (UI doctoral student in Education, member of Lewiston congregation), Betsy Kuecker (Camp Pine Lake Manager), Daniel Butler (District Board Member), Brian Gumm (graduate student at Eastern Mennonite in M. Div. and Conflict Transformation and licensed minister), Josh Brockway (Director of Spiritual Life and Discipleship) and Tim Button-Harrison (District Executive).
The District website is located at www.nplains.org. Also be sure to “like” the Northern Plains District page on Facebook for event updates, photos and more.

3. ALL AGES CAMP – September 3-5
“Got Spirit? Finding God in the Everyday” is the theme of this year’s District All Ages Camp.  Come for CANOEING, HIKING, GAMES, WORSHIP, SINGING, CAMPFIRE, RELAXING, MEDITATING, & SMORES!  We will have lots of family and small group time for building community, playing games, and exploring what Sanctuary means for each of us as individuals and for us as a community.  We will explore the holiest spot of sacred space, that thin space where the distance between heaven and earth is very small.  Morning Praise and Vespers will be held in the new Chapel, and team building in our new “Outback.”
DEDICATION SERVICE FOR THE CHAPEL SUNDAY AT 1PM
CONTACT BARBARA AT 515-240-0060, bwlewczak@netins.net.  PLEASE RSVP BY AUGUST 25, 2011

4. WOMENS RETREAT ALERT!!! – SEPTEMBER 16-17
Now is the time to decide to attend Women’s Retreat which will be held at Camp Pine Lake Friday evening and Saturday, September 16-17, Hurry to sign up and attend this “once in a lifetime” opportunity.  You will be inspired, enriched, and entertained.  You will meet new sisters, reconnect with some you already know, and more importantly, draw another step closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
You have been reading about a few of the COURAGEOUS AND CONTAGIOUS women around us.  (See another story – #8 below.)  Well, this is the theme of this year’s retreat.  Each of our women and their guests can realize their own contagious courage as we experience the awesome gifts and ministry of our guest leader, Karen Knight.   She is a nationally known singer, speaker and actress and will give three presentations at the Women’s Retreat!
By now, your church has received a poster and registration folders that tell more about Karen and the retreat.  If you have not seen this information it is here online – page one, page two – or check with your church office or some of your leaders.  You can also call 641 895 0495 or email Marilyn Koehler – marilyn_k@hughes.net – for an on-line registration form.   Cost is $60/individual.  Congregations sending 6 or more get a group rate of $50/individual.   Send registrations and a check for your amount to Nancy Davis, PO Box 493, Ankeny IA 50021-0493.  Make checks payable to NP Women’s Retreat or Nancy Davis, Women’s Retreat.

5. INTERCULTURAL WORKSHOP – SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 2
“Turning Walls into Windows” is the title of a District Workshop on Intercultural Awareness and Storytelling to be held at Camp Pine Lake September 30-October 1 and at Ivester Church of the Brethren on October  2.  Workshop leaders will be Ruben Deoleo, Director of Intercultural Ministries for the Church of the Brethren, and Janis Pyle, former Church of the Brethren Mission Interpreter, writer and story-teller.  On Sunday there will be a special Worship Service followed by Love Feast and an Intercultural Potluck Dinner held at Ivester Church of the Brethren on October 2.
Register by September 26 to help the Camp prepare for meals and lodging.  Register by contacting Tim Button-Harrison by email (nplainscob@gmail.com) or telephone (641-485-5604), or mail (1211 Clark Ave., Ames, IA 50010).  Indicate your food and lodging needs.  Meals are $5.00 each.  Overnight lodging at the Camp is $12.00 per night.  Payment can be made upon arrival at Camp Pine Lake.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come.  Help get the word out to others by sharing information from the following links – general information, schedule, poster, bulletin insert.

6. PASTOR CHRISTINA SINGH BOOK SIGNING – AUGUST 27

  Church of the Brethren author and pastor of the Panora Church of the Brethren, Christina Singh, will autograph her recently published book, “From Krishna to Christ”, from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, August 27 at Brickstreet Café located on the Adel, Iowa town square.  Brickstreet Café will have coffee and pastries available for purchase during the book signing.

  “From Krishna to Christ” is a memoir of a young woman’s heartrending experiences of subjugation to the will of men in her family and the Hindu society, and the breaking of the shackles of bondage into the light of freedom.  It is a story of her journey and slow transformation from being a servile Hindu woman and worshiping Hindu gods of clay – namely Krishna, Shiva and Ram, to her faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and finally emerging as a mature and enlightened woman in spite of the difficulties and persecutions she faced in following Jesus.  The story starts from her childhood, from the day she encountered Christ in the form of a picture, and ends with her coming to Bethany Theological Seminary in the United States, and dedicating her life totally to God by serving as pastor in Panora Church of the Brethren.

  If you are unable to attend this event, copies of “From Krishna to Christ” can be ordered at www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com, Barnes and Noble bookstores, and other leading bookstores.

7. ROY UNRUH AND MILDRED MARTENS-UNRUH BOOK PUBLISHED
Roy Unruh, member of South Waterloo COB and past Moderator of Northern Plains District, has published, with his wife, Mildred Martens-Unruh, their life story.  After much encouragement, the two wrote their story in the book, “Two Feet Apart at the Altar: Four Love Stories and Five People.”  Little did Mildred realize at her first wedding that she was not only standing next to her first husband, but also two feet from her second husband. Walk with them through their joys and blessings of life, as well as tragedies and heartaches. Many questions and some answers are woven into the fabric of this real-life saga. Discover how God was perceived on their journeys.  “Two Feet Apart at the Altar” is available for purchase online www.createspace.com/3489405  (preferred site), Amazon.com and Kindle (electronic version).

8. SHARON HEIEN—COURAGEOUS AND CONTAGIOUS WOMAN
Sharon—the name certainly means Singing, Happy and Friend!  Sharon Heien is well-known in the area and the Northern Plains District for her musical ability, happy demeanor, friendship and willingness to serve God.
Sharon did not grow up in the church; she was invited to church by young friends and rapidly became a part of the youth group.  Then, as now, people enjoyed having Sharon as a part of anything they were doing including study and prayer groups, theater, Christmas musicals and pageants, and counseling groups.
Although Sharon didn’t go to graduate school, she was offered a graduate fellowship to work on her masters and at the same time continue study in a program which might have led to the Metropolitan Opera; instead she pursued a call to ministry which she has found very rewarding.  Sharon met a minister in the Disciples of Christ Church who became her husband, pastor and best friend; Sharon and Carl have been married 48 years.  They have served churches in three states—Colorado, Kansas and Iowa.  In 2006 after retirement from the Disciples Church Carl accepted a call to Fairview Church of the Brethren as interim pastor; Sharon very quickly was invited to accept roles in music. Sharon began her goal in ministry training in the Disciples Church.  In 2009 the Church of the Brethren licensed her to ministry, and she continued her goal in the TRiM program. Sharon has been a secretary, college and public school teacher, private voice and piano teacher, and Minister of Music.
Sharon is also a homemaker and mother of two sons. One son, Carl Jr. born with classical hemophilia, overcame all odds, and trained as a missionary to Africa where Sharon and Carl were able to visit.  After a long battle with hemophilia, AIDS and Hepatitis C, received from medications for the hemophilia, Carl Jr. passed away four years ago.  Son Mark lives in Washington state and has one daughter, Hannah, who is an active high school student.
Sharon was song leader for District Conference two years; this year she also led the Bible school class at district conference and is chair of the 2011 Women’s Retreat Committee.  The Retreat will be held September 16-17 and features Karen Knight, who is also a musician, speaker and dramatic actress.  If Sharon helped plan it, the conference will be exciting and fun; you will want to be there.

9. DISTRICT BOARD REORGANIZES FOR 2011-2012
The Northern Plains District Board reorganized on July30 at District Conference.  Here is the 2011-2012 Board Roster:
Executive Committee: Kathy Mack (Board President), David Whitten (Vice-President), Barbara Lewczak (Ministry Chair),: Rhonda Pittman Gingrich (Nurture Chair), Laverna Sincox (Stewards Chair), Judy Mill (Witness Chair).  Ex Officio on Executive Committee: Alan Oneal (Recording Secretary), Diane Mason (Treasurer), Ida Van Westen (Moderator), Roger Emmert (Moderator-Elect), Tim Button-Harrison (District Executive), Lois Grove (Leadership Development).
Ministry Commission: Barbara Lewczak (chair), Ernie Dicks (secretary), Lucinda Douglas, Paul Little, Daniel Butler
Nurture Commission: Rhonda Pittman Gingrich (chair), Brian Archer (secretary), Diana Lovett, Terri Hansen, Christina Singh, Alina Douglas
Stewards Commission: Laverna Sincox (chair), Conrad Douglas (secretary), Ron Steege, Beverly Brinegar, Sarah Mason
Witness Commission: Judy Mill (chair), David Oliver (secretary), Diane Nolt, Merlin Grady,
LaDonna Brunk, Brianna Goldman
Others: Nelda Rhodes-Clarke (Standing Committee), Dick and Karen Williams (Disaster Ministries), Kirby Leland (Camp Pine Lake Board Chair)
We also want to recognize those District Board members who completed their service: Linda Lantz, Mark Gingrich, Sandi Cox, Jeanne Helleso, Aaron Peter.  Thank you for your leadership!
District Board meetings are open to all.  Guests and observers are welcome.  Here are meeting dates/locations for the upcoming year: October 28-29, 2011 (Fairview Church of the Brethren), February 3-4, 2012 (South Waterloo Church of the Brethren), April 27-28, 2012 (Camp Pine Lake), August 3-4, 2012 (District Conference, Cedar Rapids Baptist/Brethren).    (To see the list of host congregations for District Board meetings since 2001 – click here.)

10. 2011 DISTRICT CONFERENCE
Look for a report and overview of the 2011 District Conference in our next e-newsletter.  In the meantime, check out some photos of District Conference on our Northern Plains District Facebook Page.  (And remember to “like” our Facebook page so you will receive updates and new photos as they are posted.)

11. DISTRICT CALENDAR OF EVENTS
—- 2011 —-
August 22-25, DE at Advanced Foundations for Church Leadership
September 3-5, All Ages Camp at Camp Pine Lake
September 5-9, National Older Adult Conference
September 8, Brethren Pastors Meeting, South Waterloo COB, noon
September 10, Church Development and Renewal Committee, Clear Lake Library 10:30
September 13, Brethren Pastors Meeting, Stover Memorial COB, 10 a.m.
September 16-17, District Women’s Retreat at Camp Pine Lake with Karen Knight
September 21, International Day of Prayer for Peace
September 30-October 1, District Intercultural Workshop at Camp Pine Lake
October 2, Intercultural Worship at Ivester COB followed by Love Feast/Intercultual Potluck
October 2, World Communion Sunday Love Feasts
October 8, Camp Board Meeting
October 12-13, DE at Pastoral Compensation & Benefits Advisory Committee
October 23-29, Northern Plains Disaster Work in Bellevue/Brentmont Tennessee
October 28-29, District Board Meeting, Fairview Church of the Brethren
November 5, Church Development and Renewal Committee, Clear Lake Library, 10:30
November 14-17, DE at Advanced Foundations for Church Leadership
December 4, Sue Bollinger Ordination Service, Lewiston (MN) COB
—- 2012 —-
January 22-26, Council of District Executives Winter Meeting

February 3-4, District Board Meeting (South Waterloo COB tentative location)

February 27-March 1, DE at Advanced Foundations for Church Leadership
April 27-28, District Board Meeting at Camp Pine Lake
May 17-19, Church of the Brethren Church Planting Conference
May 22-23, Iowa Ecumenical Leaders Annual Retreat
June 18-21, DE at Advanced Foundations for Church Leadership
July 1-7, Brethren Song and Story Festival at Camp Emmanuel, IL
July 7-11, Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO

August 3-5, Northern Plains District Conference, Cedar Rapids Brethren/Baptist Church

September 24-27, DE at Advanced Foundations for Church Leadership

July 7-11, Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO
—- 2013 —-
June 29-July 3, Annual Conference, Charlotte, NC
—- 2014 —-
June 28-July 2, Annual Conference, Columbus, OH
—- 2015 —-
July 11-15, Annual Conference, Tampa, FL
—- 2016 —-
July 2-6, Annual Conference, Greensboro, NC

12. DISTRICT STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
Tim Button-Harrison, District Executive, 1211 Clark Ave., Ames, IA 50010, 641-485-5604, nplainscob@gmail.com
Nancy Davis, Office/Financial Secretary, P.O. Box 493, Ankeny, IA 50021, 515-964-4816, npofficesecretary@gmail.com
Lois Grove, Leadership Development, 6 Grenville St., Council Bluffs, IA 51503, 712-326-8266, grove19@msn.com
Matt and Betsy Kueker, Camp Managers, 23008 W Avenue, Eldora, IA 50627, 641-939-5334, camppinelake@heartofiowa.net
Barbara Lewczak, Camp Program Director, 26505 195th St., Minburn, IA 50167, 515-240-0060, bwlewczak@netins.net
Hannah Button-Harrison, Communications Intern, 1211 Clark Ave., Ames, IA 50010, 515-460-5365, nplainscom@gmail.com
Jess Hoffert, Communications Intern, 708 16th Street Apt. 3, Des Moines, IA 50314, 507-429-0495, nplainscom@gmail.com

13. ARCHIVES, DOCUMENTS, WEBSITES, BLOGS, PICTURES, ETC
Archive of Newsletters
June 29, 2011
May 28, 2011
April 28, 2011
March 31, 2011
February 18, 2011
January 20, 2011
December 10, 2010
November 13, 2010
September 21, 2010
August 27, 2010
June 29, 2010
May 27, 2010
March 19, 2010
February 19, 2010
January 19, 2010

Documents
2011 District Directory
2011 District Budget
2012 District Budget page one, page two, page three
District Constitution and Bylaws

Church Development and Renewal Charter

District Membership Task Force Resources
Annual Conference Statement “The Meaning of Membership”
List of Resources for Membership Training
Background and Notes for Discussion
Where Do We Go From Here?

Weaving Our Stories Together Documents and Links
Logo – to use in newsletters, projections, etc
“Weave Us Together” song by Rosemary Crowe
District Board Fall 2010 Workshop Led by Janis Pyle

Brethren Heritage Day 2010: Stories and Poems
“Planting a Church on the Prairie” by Marlene Neher
“Pray for Us and We’ll Pray for You” by David Whitten
“A Cool, Soaking Rain” by David Whitten
“The Boastful Farmer” by Lee Hogle
  “The Race of Life” by Lee Hogle
“Total Nonsense” by Lee Hogle
Other Pieces
Harold Smith Eulogy by Tim Button-Harrison
Andy – An Angel in Overalls by John Mullins (on Barbara Wise Lewczak’s father)
Article on Panora’s organist, Esther Thompson

Websites and Blogs
Northern Plains District
Church of the Brethren
Camp Pine Lake
Northern Plains District Congregations: Cedar Rapids, Dallas Center, English River, Fairview, Hammond Avenue, Ivester, Lewiston, Living Peace, Open Circle, Panther Creek, Sheldon, South Waterloo.
Blogs: Brians Gumm’s Restorative Theology.
Samples of Public Communications from congregations of NP District
Press release for Ottumwa’s installation of Brian Archer, January 16, 2011
Article on Panora’s organist, Esther Thompson

DISTRICT PICTURE ALBUM
2011 District Conference by Earl Harris
2010 All Ages Camp by Rick Polhamus
2011 Camp Summer Intern Training by Rick Polhamus