District Conference Announcements: February 2016

This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song: Looking Ahead to District Conference

Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, Moderator

As we look ahead to the Big Meeting, August 5-7, 2016, when we will gather as brothers and sisters for the 150th time, celebrating a long history of continuous ministry in the upper Midwest, the District Conference Planning Committee invites all of the congregations in the district to participate in a couple projects.

150 Random Acts of Kindness
In the months leading up to District Conference, we want to challenge the congregations in the district to collectively engage in 150 random acts of kindness—or to put it another way, 150 acts of ministry—within your surrounding communities. We are celebrating a significant milestone in our life together, but we don’t want to focus solely on the past. As God’s people we are part of a continuing story. What better way to celebrate that than to actually embody our identity as a “sent people” and to reach out in service to those in need. As you engage in your random acts of kindness, take pictures of your efforts. Send your pictures and stories to Hannah Button-Harrison communications@nplains.org for publication in the district newsletter and possibly on the website AND bring a copy of your pictures to District Conference for inclusion in a collage that will celebrate the ways we are still engaged in vital ministry in the upper Midwest.

Symbols of Congregational Ministry
The District Conference Planning Committee also invites each congregation to bring something that represents your congregational story to District Conference. The Northern Plains District is comprised of its congregations; without the congregations there wouldn’t be a district. We are not sure if we will use these items as part of the worship center or as part of a different display, but we know we want to create a visual representation of the congregations that make up our district. The possibilities are endless. The item you choose to bring might be an historical artifact, it might be a piece of art, it might be a symbol of a long-time and continuous ministry in which you are engaged, it might be a symbol of new vitality. Hopefully the selection of the item won’t be a unilateral decision made by the pastor or a small committee, but a decision made by the congregation as you reflect together about your story and the ways your story intersects with God’s story.

Moderator Visits
Just a reminder, as a transplant to this district I now call home, I have a strong desire to visit as many congregations as possible between now and District Conference. During those visits, I want to talk about the importance of remembering and faithfully living into God’s Story—in word, song, and action—and I want to listen to the ways in which your own stories have intersected with God’s Story. To schedule a visit, please contact me at 612-239-6214 or rpgingrich@yahoo.com.