Transformation Volume 5 Issue 2
Ministry Magazine
of
The Desert Southwest Conference
Engaging
g n i t c e Conn
ld r o w e h t g n i m r fo s n a Tr
Embracing our call together
Special Issue | Desert Southwest Conference Communications | www.desertsouthwestconference.org
Contents
Special Issue
Contents Sharing the stories
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We have homework
4
Community healing and wholeness
6
Apportionments giving connection
8
New technology connects United Methodist Churches globally
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Where did they go? Connecting with visitors
14
Rebuild Oklahoma
16
Connecting churches and communities using social media: start simple 18 Sharing our resources media center media for ministry 20
2
Better together
21
Communication connection
22
Transformation Special Issue
Artwork created by Ink Factory
Young adults: Transformation through missions 12
M inistry M agazine
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Publisher’s Pen
Sharing the Transformation stories Special Issue T he D esert S outhwest C onference
Volume 5, Issue 2 Contributors
Randy Bowman, Christina Dillabough, Melissa Hinnen, Bishop Bob Hoshibata, Ellen Johanson, Laurie Lineberry, Mark Maddox, Jim Nibbelink, Colin Noonan, Robert Rynders, Chris Spencer, United Methodist Communications. For general inquiries or subscription information, e-mail: communications@dscumc.org, call 602-266-6956, or mail Communications Department, 1550 E. Meadowbrook Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85014-4040. Transformation magazine was published by the Communications Department of The Desert Southwest Conference and will remain available online by going to www.desertsouthwestconference.org/ transformation. Individual articles and photos may be used by DSC churches and organizations. Views in Transformation come from representatives of official Conference groups or by request of Conference staff. Viewpoints may only be those of the writer and may not be representative of the entire Conference. Questions about the reproduction of individual articles or photos should be directed to Christina Dillabough, Conference Director of Communications (602-266-6956 ext. 225 or cdillabough@ dscumc.org).
by Christina Dillabough, Director of Communications
S
tories open opportunities to engage new people towards new ministries and discipleship. This issue of Transformation magazine highlights some of the various connections and partnerships from local churches to the General Church to celebrate the amazing work possible through The United Methodist connection and inspire the reader to try something new. Through our missional efforts we have reached people that are in and outside of our communities and demonstrated the love of God. What happens to those people after the work is done? How has that work transformed our own lives? Through effective storytelling new life is breathed into ministry but more importantly, discpleship is nurtered. We might be making assumptions that those already in ministry with us know about the expectations, the resources, and the ways to access our various connections as United Methodist people. The mission of the Church is to partner with God to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. While the world is transforming, our ministries and methods must transform as well in order to remain effective. Communications is one area in which every ministry can and must continue to transform. For this reason, I share with you that all of our Conference’s communication channels have been assessed and many are in the process of transformation. For example,
Christina Dillabough
Transformation magazine and the Desert Connection newsletter will be combined as an online publication that is geared to the leaders of the local church. The redesigned publication will offer stories of ministry and opportunities around each of the four priorities in the Strategic Direction of The Desert Southwest Conference. A step-by-step list to recreate or partner with the mission, ministry, or opportunity written about will be inlcuded after each article. The money saved by not printing the magazine will be used to cover membership fees for every church in our Conference to order resources from the Regional Media Center library. Although Communications is a ministry in itself, it is also a vital part of every ministry. The Desert Southwest Conference Communications is a resource intended to assist local churches in their ministry and connect people with the information, insight, and tools necessary to do God’s work. Contact communications@ dscumc.org to find out more about the new media library, communications training opportunities, or to get connected with another ministry area. We are here to help as your partners in ministry. † Special Issue Transformation
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Artwork by Ink Factory
WE HAVE HOMEWORK
“F
By Bishop Bob Hoshibata
rom now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-21) These words from Paul’s second letter to the Christians in the church in Corinth were the foundation of my last sermon at Annual Conference in June. 4
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They were selected to be reminders as we departed from the conference, to return to ministries in our local churches or ministry settings. And the key words that I was hoping would stand out in the minds of those who were present were: 1. if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new; 2. through Christ, God has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 3. we are ambassadors for Christ. As I reflect on this first Annual Conference together, I realize that when we first came together for the opening plenary session in the large room we renamed “The Imaginarium,” we did not know each other very well. I had been serving as your bishop for only 10 months and this was the first time I would have the opportunity to meet so many of you and to share with you who I am and what I hope our
future working together would be like. At the end of the conference, I felt that we had journeyed together through our worship, our holy conferencing, and our fellowship to start our relationship as a conference and a bishop. And I felt that we had done well in laying the foundation for good partnership in ministry. Most of all, I was pleased that there was a feeling of energy and hope. And I believe those few days set us off on a journey working together as laity and clergy for the vitality of our annual conference. Stated succinctly, as an annual conference, we are working to unite all of us in our mission of empowering leaders who create vital congregations. My fervent hope is that those who were present at Annual Conference took seriously the charge I issued. I shared that as we were sent out, scattered to the various places of ministry, my hope was that all of us were ready, willing, and able to empower others in our congregations to be partners in the challenging task of creating vitality in your congregations.
Earlier in the conference, I shared the story of the great artist, Michelangelo. As a sculptor, Michelangelo was known to spend long moments just gazing at a raw piece of marble. He would spend this time imagining. And as he looked at the marble, in his mind’s eye, an image would emerge in the stone. Only then would the great sculptor take up his tools and begin chipping away at the masterpiece hidden within the marble. You and I are being called by God to be sculptors, creators, of a different kind of work of art. God is calling us to be creators of vitality in our United Methodist congregations in this, our Desert Southwest Conference. I have shared in “Living the Connection” on www.desertconnection. org, in detail what I believe a vital congregation is. I know there are many other scholarly persons who have other ideas, but this represents my best attempt at trying to define “vitality” in our ministry settings. Briefly, a vital congregation is one that: 1. knows its context and the demographics and issues in the neighborhood surrounding the church campus; 2. has a sense of its mission and vision and sets goal for the future based on what God is calling it to do; 3. has a system in place for measuring its success by the number of lives touched by sharing what being a disciple of Jesus Christ means with those in the neighborhood; 4. has a system of accountability
Bishop Bob Hoshibata addressing the Annual Conference. Photo by Don Benton
in place to periodically evaluate our commitment to one another. This is what we should be working for! Vitality in our congregations! Imagine what the church would be like if we were all working diligently to create this vitality. To assist us and to inspire us to do just that, we have words that the Apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Christian church in Corinth. He was speaking of the way in which the power of faith in Jesus Christ can bring about transformation and change in our churches, in our neighborhoods, and in the world. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! At Annual Conference, we tried some new things. We did some things differently and we experimented. I asked you to be courageous and give these changes a try; not to immediately refuse to try. And for the most part, those who were at Annual Conference were willing. Trying new things is in concert with how I know God. I believe that God is a God of change and that our faith in Jesus Christ puts us squarely in the position of being change agents. Change is God’s way of bringing us in harmony with God’s intention for us. Our churches, our neighborhoods, our lives and the lives of others become better when we work to effect positive changes. So I am convinced that we need to try new ways of being the church. We need to use our creative energy to discover new and different ways of
sharing the Good News with others. God calls us to live out our faith as risk-taking followers of Christ, knowing that some of our new ideas will work and others may not. Remember that refrigerator sticker that says: “May all your mistakes be new.” We know that mistakes are inevitable. The challenge is to not be afraid to try something new, and to learn from our mistakes and failures. The tragedy would be that we refuse to even try something that may bring a person to know Jesus Christ. There is so much more for us to do. We need to continue our efforts to take the Good News to the world. As we do so, we should remember that if we are going to take seriously our role of being ambassadors for Christ, our work is just beginning. As your bishop, I want to participate with you in efforts to bring vitality to our congregations and ministry settings. Using our Four Priorities (www.desertsouthwestconference.org /strategic-direction) as our guide, I anticipate that as we work alongside each other, there will be a blossoming of new faith communities in some creative and exciting ways. There will be experimentation with some new forms of worship and new places for worship. New and dynamic creative leadership development will be a strong emphasis. And there will be new and different expressions of ministry to those in need. As you can see, there is still much God asks us to do. There are people outside the doors of our churches that are longing to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ which you already know! Imagine! Can’t you imagine a church that is vital, alive, and at work to bring about transformation in the lives of persons and communities in the name of Jesus Christ? That’s what our church can be. But to get there, we need to do much more. That is why I say: We have homework! † Special Issue Transformation
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COMMUNITY
HEALING AND
WHOLENESS By Chris Spencer & Jim Nibbelink Photo by UMNS
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ommunity healing and wholeness through hands-on mission has been the goal of the ongoing partnership between The Desert Southwest Conference and the congregation of Belmar First United Methodist Church in New Jersey. Since the fury of Hurricane Sandy left much of the northeast coast of the US flooded and windswept, members of the DSC community have been contributing dollars, materials, and elbow grease to help restore the people of Belmar to a sense of security and getting back to feeling something approaching normal. Both the church and the parsonage were left uninhabitable. After great effort, it is now possible to use one room of the church, and the congregation is again able to worship in their own space. Much work remains to be done. The vision of the congregation is to re-purpose a portion of their building to include sleeping spaces, plus restroom and shower facilities to accommodate mission workers now and people in need of temporary housing in the future. The parsonage is 6
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still not suitable for living, with lots of renovation needed. Our Belmar partnership presented all of us with a great opportunity to get involved on a personal level by participating on a mission team, either through physical work or by building personal relationships with Belmar members who are facing tough times, many of whom are still not back in their homes. The caring presence as a worker or a caregiver has gone a long way towards restoring the Belmar congregation. Here is how Red Mountain United Methodist Church built their relationships: Sixteen youth and five adults traveled to New Jersey in June to provide Superstorm Sandy Relief. Jimmie Payne and his youth team of 6 worked in the home of a widowed and retired veteran and his son, who is mentally challenged. Their home is approximately 20 miles north of Belmar. The home was not livable. The kitchen and bathroom floors were severely water damaged. Over the course of 4 days, the team pulled out the old sub floors, shored up the joists, and put
down new sub floors and underlayment. When they left on Thursday evening, the floors were ready for the tile crew to come in and finish the rooms—putting the father and son one step closer to moving back home. The team departed feeling blessed to have had the opportunity to help someone who has dedicated his life to helping others. They were also excited to rejoin the rest of the group on Friday to provide additional helping hands at the church in Belmar. Another work team at Belmar split their crew in order to tackle more projects. Part of the crew worked in a “gathering room.” They added R7 insulation between metal studs, secured the insulation with brackets, then dry walled, mudded, and taped. They learned about radiator heat and how difficult yet necessary it was to insulate and dry wall behind 2-feet high radiators that were very close to the walls. The rest of this crew worked on the landscaping. They pulled out dead bushes, dug up roots and stumps, trimmed existing bushes, raked, edged,
and cleaned up a very overgrown courtyard. The real challenge was a pile of debris in the back yard that was also the back yard of the parsonage. The pile was about 15 feet high and seemed unending. The pile contained lath, molding, insulation in trash bags, sand, broken drywall, leaves, branches, wiring, and stuff that came out of the parsonage when they mucked it out. Most of the debris pile had long rusty nails sticking out and had been rained on multiple times including the first couple of days we were there. The team cleaned up the pile of debris filling up two dumpsters. They hung 17 new doors within the church. Some of the team cleared out the church fellowship hall so that they would have a bigger space in which to worship and encourage growth. Lastly, the contents of the parsonage attic were unloaded—5 previous pastors’ worth of stuff. All in all, 21 folks put in approximately 8 hours each for 5 days, plus some hours that
first Saturday, which tallied to 840 hours. New Jersey is grateful for the team’s help, but the experiences and memories of this trip will live in the hearts and minds of the youth forever. Everywhere the team went, they met great people. The hosts in Red Bank were especially gracious. Church members fixed the evening meal on July 4th and the team enjoyed fireworks over the water with some time at the shore. The entire team was overwhelmed by their experiences and for the help and support from the congregation. The Red Mountain team worshiped with Belmar on two different Sundays. They saw the altar piece that was rescued by the pastor and transported to our Desert Southwest Annual Conference for a blessing, and then returned to New Jersey. What an honor it was when the team was asked to sign the back of the piece, symbolizing a bond of caring and concern between Belmar and DSC!
We celebrate the excellent work in fund-raising and volunteer efforts that has come from our Conference-wide efforts. The Desert Southwest Conference has contributed $70,000 to the reconstruction efforts for Belmar First United Methodist Church. Although fund raising for Belmar officially ends on December 31, 2013, we can now focus on training work teams. Every church can form a traveling work team made up of members from one congregation or from two or three congregations. If you would like more information or would like to register a team for a mission trip, contact Chris Spencer at clspencer7@me.com or Bill Sanford at bilsan612@yahoo.com. Chris or Bill, co-coordinators for DSC Volunteers in Mission program, will get you set up with everything you’ll need to be on your way to lending a loving hand to our partners at Belmar You can read basic requirements on the website: www.afuturewithhope. org. †
Members of Red Mountain UMC traveled to New Jersey to help Belmar First UMC after Hurricane Sandy in June. Photo courtesy of Chris Spencer and Jim Nibbelink Special Issue Transformation
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APPORTIONMENTS GIVING
CONNECTION
By Randy Bowman, Conference Treasurer
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pportionments are one of the most significant ways in which we United Methodists can remain connected to each other and to the world at large. They allow our contributions to touch not only others in our own congregation, but also to reach out to those in need throughout our Conference, our country, and indeed our entire world. Your apportionments support many different mission areas. The first and foremost of these is general church apportionments. These funds support the many agencies which serve as resources to each local church and as faithful extensions of the local churches in mission work on national and global levels. For example, they support UMCOR so that 100% of
Hat distribution at Justa Center. Photo by Colin Noonan 8
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disaster relief contributions (such as those made for Hurricane Sandy last year) can go to those in need. General church apportionments also support Imagine No Malaria so that 100% of those contributions can go to end deaths in Africa from this treatable and preventable disease. Apportionments help start new United Methodist congregations. There may never have been a greater need to bring the light of Christ to the world, and the success with which we are able to start new congregations may very well determine the future of our entire denomination. So the next time you’re in the Northwest Valley, for example, stop by Spirit Song United Methodist Fellowship and see a new church that you are helping to support. Apportionments allow us to touch many lives through our support of UMOM, Wesley Community Center, and Justa Center in Phoenix; TMM Family Services in Tucson; and United Methodist Social Ministries in Las Vegas. Each time you contribute your apportionments, you are helping to feed,
house, and provide hope to those with the greatest need in our communities. All through the ministries of these outstanding social service agencies. Apportionments support camping and outdoor ministries, which offer potentially life-changing experiences in beautiful natural settings. It is experiences such as these that can become important parts of our spiritual formation and even lead someone to feel the call to ministry. Apportionments help the poorer churches to pay their clergy so that the
Photo courtesy of Mingus Mountain Camp.
church can continue its ministry. These are sometimes rural churches that offer the only Christian worship opportunity for miles around. Apportionments allow us to provide training and resources to churches throughout the conference. For example, through apportionment support
UMNS Photo
many churches are participating in the Don Nations coaching program that is helping revitalize churches throughout our conference. Apportionments support the campus ministries at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, as well as the ecumenical campus ministries at Northern Arizona University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. The future of our denomination and society depend on the quality of education of succeeding generations, and this is our effort to make sure that we are successful with this education. Apportionments support the School of Theology at Claremont, an important seminary in our denomination that provides many leaders for our conference. Apportionments enable our churches to unify and expand financial
support for the recruitment and education of our future pastors and bishops. They help us meet the increased needs of the clergy in our conference, including vital continuing education and spiritual formation efforts. Apportionments help fund Africa University, which continues the development of the first private university for young men and women from all over Africa. These funds allow college training in agriculture and natural resources, management and administration, theology, education, health sciences, and humanities and social sciences, as well as graduate courses in a number of other areas. It was truly a blessing the year many of us in the Conference were able to witness firsthand the wonderful work being done at Africa University. Apportionments provide financial support for institutions of higher education that have historically served the educational needs of black students in the U.S. These funds help maintain challenging academic programs, strong faculties, and wellequipped buildings. These are just some of the ways that you can see how important your church’s apportionment contributions are to the ministries of our conference, our church, and our world. We know that some of us may be worn
down a little from economic and other challenges we have faced in the past several years, but conditions have improved and many of us are doing more than OK. It is time for those of us who can to reach out and provide a needed helping hand to our beloved church. I am again reminded of the verse from Exodus 17:10-13: So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands
2013 Ordinands Photo by Don Benton
grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. This verse offers a word of hope that together we can do mighty work. Sometimes we’re Moses, in need of being picked up. Sometimes we’re Aaron and Hur, capable of doing the heavy lifting. But together we are always the Israelites. Together we are always the United Methodist Church and together we will be victorious in our quest to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. † Special Issue Transformation
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NEW TECHNOLOGY CONNECTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCHES
GLOBALLY N
ashville, Tenn.: Find-AChurch, the online directory of United Methodist churches, is going global. A mapping project is expanding Find-A-Church to include information on churches outside the U.S. for the first time. The church’s online directory will begin to provide a resource for global communities by collecting church names, locations, GPS coordinates, names of pastors, local cell phone numbers and other information for United Methodist churches in Africa, Europe and the Philippines—data that has never before been accessible (even within the church). Over the past year, United Methodist Communications, the denomination’s communication agency, has spearheaded a mapping pilot project that will begin allowing congregations outside the U.S. to access and share information, beginning with the Democratic Republic of Congo and
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United Methodist Communications Office of Public Information
the Philippines. By the beginning of 2014, the mapped areas will extend to other countries within Africa and throughout the Philippines. The goal is for people looking for United Methodist churches, hospitals and educational facilities in Europe, Africa and the Philippines to be able to locate them online, while churches will be able to share information about their ministries, from eliminating deaths from malaria and training health workers to educating children and providing communication technology. “For over a decade, people in the U.S. who are interested in beginning or continuing a relationship with The United Methodist Church have been able to locate churches in their area using Find-A-Church,” said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. “Now we’re working to help people to find a United Methodist connection in
their area, wherever that may be.” There are an estimated 13,000 congregations outside the U.S., but the likelihood that there are many more unmapped United Methodist ministries around the world has driven the church communications agency to take on the challenge of literally putting unidentified churches on the map. “We call ourselves a connectional church and a global church, and yet we have no idea where our members are,” said Bishop John Yambasu of the Sierra Leone Episcopal Area. “A map that tells us exactly where a church is located in each annual conference will give us a better understanding of who we are and how connected we are.” United Methodist communicators in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Philippines participated in a pilot with United Methodist Communications to gather information about church locations in those countries using FrontlineSMS, a text messaging
Web image from ushahidi.com
system that does not require the use of the Internet. Pierre Omadjela Tangomo, Director of Communication and Development in Central Congo, sent out 158 FrontlineSMS messages to several communities in July. Nearly 129 SMS messages were returned from pastors serving at nearly half of the villages where local United Methodist churches are currently located with necessary mapping information. Because The United Methodist Church has been growing so rapidly in Africa, many of the village church locations are very new and do not appear on any current map. According to Tangomo, there have been challenges to tracking down these points of worship and their leadership, but he and others are very excited about future possibilities that go beyond collecting names and addresses. The software will also allow de-
veloping communities to report on real-time crises like earthquakes and other natural disasters. The public will be able to report what they see and then share that information online. United Methodist Communications worked with Ushahidi, a non-profit tech company, to utilize their mapping software for this major undertaking. Ushahidi often works with companies and others who need information collection tools and channels for encouraging participation. Erik Hersman, the creator of Ushahidi, said that so far The United Methodist Church is the largest faithbased map project for Ushahidi. “Faith-based non-governmental organizations like The United Methodist Church are just at the nascent stage of using new technologies,” he said. “The United Methodists are using the most important Ushahidi tactics to tell a story and reach local communities.” Ernani Celzo, Communications
Ministry Coordinator in Baguio, is coordinating the mapping project in the Philippines. Celzo has plans to use mapping to monitor programs and ministry, disaster response, monitoring and tracking, mobilizations and even “evangelization” of the airwaves. “I find it an exciting platform because every time I map an unfamiliar location, I say, ‘Oh there’s a United Methodist church in this area!’” Celzo said. “It’s really cool when you see lots of red dots on the map.” † Media contact: Diane Degnan ddegnan@umcom.org 615-742-5406 (w) 615-483-1765 (c) United Methodist Communications, 810 12th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37203 United States www.umcom.org www.ushahidi.com Special Issue Transformation
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YOUNG ADULTS:
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH MISSIONS By Melissa Hinnen, General Board of Global Ministries
Diamond Pate is one of several young adults who are being commissioned as missionaries through the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. Photos courtesy of Melissa Hinnen
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s a high school student, Diamond Pate’s faith journey moved her into leadership roles in her local church and The Desert Southwest Conference. Observing her pastoral gifts, her youth leader asked her if she had considered ministry. “I knew I was not qualified, I couldn’t do that,” Pate recalls with a smile. Later, when her college friend Brad Kenn told her about the United Methodist young adult missionary program, Pate was at first resistant. “I again thought, I am not qualified. I can’t do that. But I finally realized that instead of running away I needed to start listening to what God is asking me to do.” She continued, “I am qualified to put God’s love into action.” On August 12, 2013, Pate and 28 other young adults who have answered God’s call on their life were commissioned by the United Methodist 12
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General Board of Global Ministries as US-2s and mission interns. Between the ages of 20 and 30, they come from eight countries, rural towns and big cities, and different socio-economic backgrounds. They are sent out to serve for two years with organizations around the world, sharing God’s love through acts of mercy and piety. GENERATION TRANSFORMATION The 2013 mission intern and US-2 class represent a transition for the young adult missionary program. In 2014, Global Ministries is launching a Generation Transformation Fellows program that will build on aspects of these historic United Methodist programs. “Global Ministries is committed to offering mission service opportunities for young people all around the globe,” says Judy Y. Chung, associate
general secretary of missionary services. “As young people are mobilized to serve in mission, integrating faith and justice, the movement will inspire and transform the world.” Three different programs offer a variety of options for young adults who are interested in missionary service: GLOBAL MISSION FELLOWS sends young adults ages 20-30 out of their home context for two years of mission service. This is a faith- and justice-centered opportunity that grew out of the historic US-2 and Mission Intern programs. The Global Mission Fellows aim to engage with local communities, connect the church in mission and grow in personal and social holiness. “The program’s revised structure will better reflect Global Ministries’ motto of connecting the church in mission,” writes Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee, the program’s execu-
"I FINALLY REALIZED THAT INSTEAD OF RUNNING AWAY, I NEEDED TO START LISTENING TO WHAT GOD IS ASKING ME TO DO."
two months to two years. Volunteers serve at placement sites all over the world, including the United States. Every effort is made to accommodate placement preferences. The rolling application deadlines Global Mission Fellows and Global Justice Volunteers are Nov. 15 and Jan. 15. These programs develop strong young leaders who are committed to building just communities and a peaceful world. To learn more about Generation Transformation, visit www.umcmission.org/youngadults or e-mail gmfellows@umcmission.org. †
KEEP READING
to learn more about GENERATION TRANSFORMATION
and how it’s impacting lives of young adults
DIAMOND PATE
tive secretary. “Local United Methodist leaders—be they lay leaders, pastors, missionaries and/or campus ministers—will provide mentorship and support, helping Fellows navigate opportunities and challenges that arise when pursuing a life of mission.” GLOBAL JUSTICE VOLUNTEERS is a short-term service opportunity for young adults ages 18-30. Small teams of volunteers spend 10 weeks during June, July and August exploring the links between faith and social justice. They work with grassroots organizations around the world.
www.umcmission.org/GT @umcmissionGT gmfellows@umcmission.org
INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS offers individuals and couples the flexibility to volunteer for a period of Special Issue Transformation
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W H E R E D I D T H E Y G O ? CONNECTING WITH VISITORS B Y R E V. M A R K M A D D O X
Photo by Jerry Siegel
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am blessed! Seriously! I have been given the gift of pastoring a growing congregation. I’ve watched God touch the hearts of a lot of people over the past few years and it has been amazing! God can do some great things. In case you aren’t familiar with Sanctuary’s story, we chartered in late 2009 as a United Methodist Church. Before then we were a stalled/failed/ dying new church startup. When I was appointed at Sanctuary we had between 12 and 19 people in Sunday in worship. Today, not even 4 years out of chartering, we are averaging over 250 and projections have us hitting 300 by the end of the year. God is good! I’ve heard many people say that “it isn’t about numbers” or “it’s quality not quantity.” I understand these arguments, but for me they are moot. A very large percentage of the people at Sanctuary are the unchurched and
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the nominally churched or those who are disenfranchised, disengaged or have been disgusted with church. We try really hard at Sanctuary to make sure our church services are setup to be comfortable and truly welcoming to
better; it is doing one hundred things 1% better. This wasn’t meant to be taken literally, but I think Mike meant that we have to look at everything we do. I have really tried to do this, but I mainly focus on what we do
"WE TRY REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE EVERY AREA IS SET UP FOR THE FIRST TIME VISITOR" anyone who has never been to church while at the same time keeping the “sacred” part of church sacred. My previous District Superintendent, Rev. Mike Pearson, would tell you that it isn’t doing one thing 100%
Sunday mornings. From the way the facilities look, to the way we prepare our worship services, to our worship bulletins, to the slides, to the people in the pews, to the nursery, and even our Sunday Schools, we try really hard to
make sure every area is setup for the first-time visitor. Try to put yourself in a visitor’s shoes. If you can’t think that way, ask someone who has never been to your church to be a “mystery shopper” some Sunday. You might be surprised what you are missing or ways that your church is “unwelcoming.” Many of the things we do in our churches Sunday morning can cause our first time visitors to feel isolated, unwelcomed, or even uncomfortable. We’ve all heard the horror stories of a visitor asked to move because they were “sitting in my pew.” But there are other ways we make visitors feel unwelcomed. For example, there have been countless books and articles telling us not to have new visitors stand up to be recognized during our services. Are you still doing that? What a great way to make someone feel uncomfortable! Many of the people coming in our doors (especially the unchurched) want to be anonymous, but for many churches we pounce on a visitor because we get so few! Then, after ½ the congregation pounced on them, we embarrass them further by making them stand up or point them out during the service. Of course many churches just do the opposite: they ignore new people and never follow up with them. Look at your systems for new visitors. How are you greeting them? Does anyone show them around? Does anyone answer their questions? Do you collect information on them? If you do, do you follow up? Think of their entire visit from the time they drive up to the time they leave. What are you doing well? Where are the areas of opportunities? At Sanctuary we work very hard to make sure everyone feels welcomed, but we try even harder to make sure we don’t make people feel unwelcomed (there is a difference!) Just walking into a new place is scary and can be an uneasy feeling for many
people, why do we want to add to that? (Remember the 1st of Wesley’s 3 Simple Rules, “Do No Harm.”) This same understanding needs to be felt and heard in our sermons. Early in my career I read Leading Beyond the Walls by Rev. Adam Hamilton and Sermon Seeds by Rev. Dottie Escobedo-Frank. These two books taught me something very important: sermons shouldn’t be boring and they need to be relevant. If you haven’t read those two books, I recommend you do so as soon as possible. The bottom line for church growth is that we have to look at everything we do. If we want to see transformation happen in our community or our world, we have to have transformation happen first at the local church level. That means we have to go beyond being “friendly” and we have to embrace what it means to be welcoming. Remember, church growth isn’t doing one thing 100% better; it’s taking an honest look at every single thing we do Sunday mornings, and then looking at ways to do each thing a little bit better. †
5 CHARACTERISTICS OF WELCOMING CHURCHES THEY HAVE A GREETING TEAM Having one person standing at the door passing out bulletins does not mean a church has a “greeting team.” The friendliest of the friendly placed at multiple entry points around campus can create a great first impression!
THEY HAVE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Never assume that everything printed in bulletins or posted on websites is read (or understood). A designated place that’s easy to find to get more information on ministries and programs is a great resource for visitors who have questions.
THEY GET INFORMATION A “connection card” or “information card” is a quick, easy way to get basic information from visitors. A quick announcement every Sunday that says "We’re glad you’ve decided to visit, please fill out one of the information cards so that we can get to know you better."
THEY FOLLOW UP Nothing screams “WE DON'T CARE ABOUT NEWCOMERS” more than requesting contact information and not doing anything with it. Following up with newcomers by phone (not email!) no later than a day or two after they’ve visited says "we value new people!"
THEY PUT THEMSELVES IN THEIR SHOES Rev. Mark Maddox is the Pastor of Sanctuary United Methodist Church in Tucson, Arizona and Chairperson of The Desert Southwest Conference Evangelism Committee.
By always looking at the church experience through the lens of a visitor, churches are more likely to catch barriers to entry that easily go unnoticed.
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sIDE BY sIDE WE WORKED TOGETHER TO
REBUILD OKLAHOMA
By Laurie Lineberry
W
hen I was a young girl, I remember hearing about the good things that my church, through UMCOR, was doing throughout the world. It made me proud to be a United Methodist. Church wasn’t just about Sunday; it was about helping people in need every day. Any time there was a disaster anywhere in the world, I would hold my breath until I heard UMCOR was involved. I didn’t need to hold my breath very long! UMCOR and the United Methodist Church are first to arrive on-scene and last to leave disasters, generally years later. I just knew when I grew up; I wanted to be involved with UMCOR and help people, too. Throughout the years I have given to many UMCOR special offerings, but I always wanted to DO more. I wanted to be UMCOR. But I was busy with college, then my career, and raising my daughters. My girls came first. But I never gave up my dream of being a part of what I considered some
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of the best work the United Methodist Church does. Last year I attended the first UMCOR training in The Desert Southwest Conference. After a day of training and testing, I became an UMCOR-certified Early Response Team member. Then I waited. My youngest daughter graduated from college in May, 2013. In June, I joined an UMCOR-trained Early Response Team and found myself in Moore, Oklahoma three weeks after it was hit with the worst tornados in Oklahoma history. Only days after the Moore tornado hit, all UMCOR-certified ERT members in The Desert Southwest Conference received an e-mail from the Conference asking team members to consider participating in the clean-up once the Oklahoma Conference asked us to come. UMCOR-trained teams can’t help unless the Conference with the disaster asks other Conferences for help. By the end of the first week after
the tornados, we had a team identified, comprised of members of both The Desert Southwest Conference and California-Pacific Conference. However, because the Oklahoma Conference request for help came later than was anticipated, the make-up of our team changed dramatically! Our original team leader was now not able to go and many Desert Southwest Conference members now had calendar conflicts where two weeks earlier they did not. So what started out as a Desert Southwest team with some CalPac members, ended up being a CalPac team with some Desert Southwest members, joined by a member from a Texas Conference. An amazing and wonderful part of being United Methodists is that we were 10 people from six different churches, spanning three different Conferences but because we all had the same training, and we were all UMCOR-certified, we were able to work very well as one team. We “lived” at Goodrich Memorial
UMC in Norman, Oklahoma while we were in mission in Oklahoma. We had air conditioning at night, a kitchen to cook our meals, flushing toilets and two showers. Our host church practiced extravagant hospitality. They were amazingly gracious people, ensuring we had everything we needed, every day. They coordinated and sponsored at least three dinners for our work team. They wanted to thank us for coming to help Oklahoma and truly appreciated us being there. They blessed us in so many ways. If you are a church near a disaster, consider hosting United Methodist work teams. Besides the actual physical labor that we performed, we were able to
east but the tornado totally destroyed it. The cleanup crew had quickly arrived at her house and tossed what was left at the curb for the front-loader to remove. She told us it all happened so fast and she was in such shock, she didn’t really see what people did to help. So she was observing the work crews on other lots now, to work through her grief. When we were de-constructing the house, an old pickup truck with three locals drove up and stopped. The men offered us ice water, which we gladly took. The days were hot and humid and the work was taxing. The icy water provided us a refreshing break.
WE CAME TO OKLAHOMA TO PROVIDE HELP IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE TORNADOS. WE LEFT, BLESSED BY THE PEOPLE WE CAME TO SERVE. touch lives. The ERT team performed debris removal on three lots, tarped the roof and two sides of a house damaged by “ tornado shrapnel,” and completely de-constructed a house that was too far damaged to be saved. While working, many people stopped to thank us for coming. They handed out ice cold water and sack lunches and just wanted to express their thanks and appreciation for the help. Team members then had opportunities to talk with the people and listen to their touching stories. One work day we were doing debris removal on a lot in the path of the tornado. A woman came up and asked if she could take our pictures. In any other situation, that would be a weird request. Here, in the aftermath of this disaster, nothing was unusual. We stopped our work to pose for her and then started a conversation. We asked if she lived nearby. She told us her house use to be about a mile to the
This is when the three shared a story from their water-dispensing mission: the prior week they were handing out water to workers. They shared that at the first house were a group of Christians, the house next door to that had a team of Muslims, and the house next to that one had a group of Jews working. They handed out water to teams at each house and continued on their water mission. Later that afternoon they drove the same route they had that morning. What they discovered surprised and pleased them. They found all three work teams, the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims, all working together on one house, as a team. We came to Oklahoma to provide help in the aftermath of the tornados. We left, blessed by the people we came to serve. I believe that is what happens when people are intentionally Christ in the world…all involved are blessed. †
Early Response Teams from The Desert Southwest Conference and Cal-Pac Conference worked together to rebuild homes and clear out debris in Moore, Oklahoma after the community was hit by one of the worst tornadoes in Oklahoma history. Photos courtesy of Laurie Lineberry and Polly Turner. Special Issue Transformation
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Connecting churches and communities using social media:
W
hen Rev. Brian KempSchlemmer and I began our work as co-pastors with City Square Church, a new United Methodist faith community in Downtown Phoenix, we knew social media was going to be a huge component of how we got the word out about this new church and would be the primary way we communicate with our participants. I’m obsessed with social media and I know that reaching and communicating with a younger audience requires heavy use of Facebook and other social platforms. If your church doesn’t use social media, then it’s missing out and could be in danger of not reaching an entire generation. Social media has become an important way for people to connect to churches, whether they be current members or potential new visitors to your congregation. Many churches, however, are overwhelmed by social media. New social media platforms are constantly being added and it’s hard to know which ones your church should be present on. Ultimately, the more platforms your church can interact on, the better. However, it’s not wise to try and jump into everything at once. Where do you start if your church isn’t using social media or is but isn’t seeing great results? My recommendation would be to start simple, start with one platform and become really good at it, before adding additional platforms. By far, the most popular social media network is Facebook. Facebook has over 1.1 billion users (you read that right) and chances are, even if only a few people in your congregation are on Facebook, the vast majority of people in your community are using
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START SIMPLE
Facebook. Our City Square Facebook page is the primary way we communicate about our events, activities, and how God is working in the city and through our faith community. We have over 400 “Likes,” but we didn’t get there over night. We share at least one update on the page, each day. Pictures are particularly effective, especially when they are from our worship service or a recent event. We also share recent articles about current issues that have potential to generate conversations, we ask questions, post inspirational quotes, and we invite others to pray for our community and those in need. What has been most successful for us is when we get people to interact with our page. The more people interact, the more those interactions show up across Facebook, even to users who haven’t “liked” our page. As a result of our ability to be consistent about posting quality content on our City Square Church Facebook page, people we didn’t know have found out about us, through Facebook, and then visited one or more of our programs, in person. The best example of this was when we had our first “Theology Pub.” We created an event through our Facebook page, invited people we thought might be interested in the event, then regularly-shared posts about Theology Pub on our page, leading up to the day of the event. We thought maybe 5-6 of our regulars would show up to the first one, but because of Facebook and an intriguing event concept, the word got out and 22 people showed up, many of them first-time visitors to one of our events or programs!
BY REV. ROB RYNDERS
We use other social media platforms, especially the micro blogging platform, Twitter, since it’s the second most popular social network and we’ve found it’s a great way to support and interact with local businesses and non-profits. Other popular social networks we use, to a lesser extent are Instagram and Google Plus. Every social media platform is constantly changing, which can make jumping into social media for the first time, or keeping up, difficult and intimidating. There are, however, some resources out there that can help you keep up. The website Mashable.com is how I stay up-to-date with all the social media trends and constant changes in the social media world. They offer guides for beginners for many platforms. If this all still sounds intimidating for you, find a few people in your congregation who are tech savvy to be a “social media team” for your church and are able to manage and maintain your church’s profiles, accounts, and content. If you don’t have anyone in your church who feels comfortable administering and managing your social media profiles, use it as an opportunity to build a new relationship in your community. Brian has a saying that, “every deficit is an opportunity.” Find out what businesses and organizations around your church are doing social media well, visit them, introduce yourself and ask if you can learn from them (be sure to ask them how you and/or your church can support them, as well, then follow through with that support). Creating and maintaining an effective social media presence for your church on the internet can be difficult and slow going at first, but the rewards make the effort well worth it. †
If your church doesn’t use social media, then it’s missing out and could be in danger of not reaching an entire generation.
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Sharing our resources
MC W
e hear stories, over and over again, about the effectiveness of using video in small group settings. People share at a deeper level, lives are changed by the presentations, and people feel comfortable inviting friends. “Thank you for sending us Faith Out Loud. It was inspiring and created good discussion in our Sunday School class. Personally it motivated me to write out my own faith stories, so that I can be ready to share them when an opportunity arises in hopes that God can use me to speak to someone. Each segment is about 10 minutes long. We listened and discussed two segments a week...this gave us the chance to talk out loud about our faith—in essence it was sort of a practice. We decided that we may request the DVD again for the larger congregation to experience.” -Barb Polly, Chelan UMC “Recently our church’s Health Ministry and Care Team scheduled a Caregivers meeting. I requested several films on aging from the Media Center. When they arrived two of us reviewed them and thought they were excellent, but we weren’t sure how we might use them for this particular meeting since we had invited the Clackamas County Social Services Program Coordinator for Family Caregiver Support to speak. On the day of our meeting the speaker called and cancelled her participation due to a family emergency. What could we do? I quickly reviewed the Media Center films again and decided to use A Late Frost: Reflections on Aging. The
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Transformation Special Issue
MEDIA CENTER media for ministry By Ellen Johanson, Regional Media Center Manager
meeting turned out to be an extremely successful event and we want to thank the Media Center for being there and allowing us to use their films for several weeks.” -Jean Northrup, Lake Oswego UMC The Regional Media Center serves approximately 187 churches in Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Washington by providing a media lending library. The churches from The Desert Southwest Conference have joined this partnership as the newest members. Churches from The Desert Southwest Conference can access the library resources at no cost except for shipping and handling which amounts to $7.00 per item. Thanks to this partnership churches big and small have access to powerful video resources that can make starting a new ministry or revitalizing a community almost effortless! The materials from the Media Center can be used in many ways. From one-room Sunday School classes, to leadership development, the Regional Media Center has it all. Bible study material, documentaries, discipleship resources, worship elements, Christian Education videos for children, youth, young adults and adults are all available. With more than 2,500 titles there is something for everyone! “This is just a quick note to tell you how much I appreciate all your help. Our church in Bonners Ferry, Idaho is small and we are always trying to make our dollars go as far as possible—so getting an excellent 6 or 8 week curriculum for our Roundtable
(Adult Sunday School) for only $7 postage is my idea of a bargain! Our class (usually 10-12 adults) really enjoys the DVD lessons and they are so easy to lead, with a simple format of an interesting DVD message by well-known speakers and a leader’s guide full of questions to stimulate discussion, along with pertinent Bible passages. We’ve gotten a lot out of all the series that you have recommended. It’s sort of hard for me to tell from the catalog just what would fit our group, so your suggestions have been helpful. UM Pastor Adam Hamilton is one of our favorites, but we also really liked Philip Yancey, Joni Erickson Tada, John Ortberg and others…so thanks from all of us at Bonners Ferry UMC.” -Jo Len Everhart, Education Chairperson The Regional Media Center stays relevant and well equipped because great care and hours of research goes into filling the library shelves. Feedback from subscribers also helps. We’re happy to have you aboard and hope you take advantage of all that the Media Center has to offer from digital downloads through The Work of the People website to curricula through Weaving God’s Promises and Living The Good News websites. †
DSC churches can request log-in information to regionalmediacenter. org by contacting Ellen Johanson at: media@regionalmediacenter.org Call: 1-800-755-7710 ext. 313
BETTER
TOGETHER
“Blended” youth group becomes overnight success By Colin Noonan, DSC Communications
L
ast summer, Chandler UMC was experiencing many of the same issues that plague youth groups everywhere. Generally low attendance combined with a lack of volunteer leaders presented challenges that made it difficult for Steve Gregory, Director of Christian Education at Chandler UMC to see the growth and energy that every vital youth group needs. A simple invitation to host a youth event with another church was just what Chandler UMC needed to change that. During a recent Mingus Mountain Camp, Sarai Case, Associate Pastor at Tempe First UMC and Gregory worked out a plan for a combined youth event. “We were talking, and thought that it would just be fun to do something together with our youth groups,” said Gregory. The original idea was to combine the two groups for a single event. Eventually that one event snowballed into what’s known today as “The Hub,” a blended youth group made up of six different churches from Chandler, Mesa, Phoenix, and Tempe. The partnership between Chandler UMC and Tempe First UMC quickly grew into new vibrant youth group that connects youth from all around the Valley. Other churches that joined the partnership are St. Matthew UMC (Mesa), Dayspring UMC (Tempe), The Bridge UMC (Phoenix), and Jacob’s Well UMC (Chandler). Gregory knew that by partnering with other youth groups they could go beyond just trying something different. “If we come together as a community, we have the
Photo from Chandler UMC “The Hub” is a blended youth group made up of 6 different churches from all over the Valley that formed out of a partnership in August 2013.
potential to reach more students.” When “The Hub” launched in August 2013, they saw 75 students at their first event. Since then, their Sunday afternoon gatherings have averaged around 40 students. But while the numbers may have plateaued for now, Gregory knows that there are long-term benefits to the partnership approach. “We’re seeing more friendships being built among the students, which means they’re building relationships beyond the walls of their own church.” Aside from the relational and attendance benefits, “The Hub” also allows for leaders to “share the load” when it comes to planning and programming. Gregory has experienced a weight lifted from his own shoulders as all six churches have rotated different responsibilities that go into creating a fun and friendly environment where young people want to be.
When asked what the future looks like, Gregory shared a vision that goes beyond the Sunday afternoon gatherings. “We’re looking into doing some joint mission trips in the future. January 2014 is going to be a ‘Month of Service.’ Each week will be dedicated to a different service project. We really want our group to be hands-on and get into the community to serve in mission.” “The Hub” is a thriving community with six groups meeting on Sundays at Dayspring UMC, 1365 E Elliot Rd., Tempe. Gatherings include lunch, games, worship, and time for small groups and socialization. If you’d like more information about “The Hub” or are interested in partnering with the group, contact Steve Gregory at christianeducation@chandlermethod ist.org . † Special Issue Transformation
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COMMUNICATION
CONNECTION The Communications Department of The Desert Southwest Conference works hard to ensure that local churches and leadership are supported and connected.
BUT HOW?
DSC Notes Real-time email alerts on a range of topics from prayer, to missions, to young people's ministries. DSC Notes are targeted, which allows the end user to subscribe to items of interest to them. Translation: You get what you want. Find out more and subscribe at: WWW.DESERTSOUTHWESTCONFERENCE.ORG/DSC-NOTES
Video Improving efforts to communicate the stories of The Desert Southwest Conference in a hyper-visual world, DSC Communications is a resource for local churches creating videos that share about what God is doing in the lives of the people in The Desert Southwest Conference. YOUTUBE.COM/DSCCommunication VIMEO.COM/DSCUMC
Website WWW.DESERTSOUTHWESTCONFERENCE.ORG Online resource for local churches, leaders, and visitors looking for resources and more information on areas of UMC interest in The Desert Southwest Conference.
Desert Connection WWW.DESERTCONNECTION.ORG Digital newsletter for church leaders with Conference news, event information, and ministry highlights for the purpose of equipping leaders with useful resources for creating new communities of faith, transformational worship, and new leadership development. 22
Transformation Special Issue
Weekly Digest End-of-the-week e-mail containing a feature article, the week’s DSC Notes, and upcoming week’s list of meetings and events. Subscribe by contacting communications@dscumc.org
Social Media @DSCUMC General DSC news and updates @DSCCOMM Tips, tools, and resources about technology and communications FACEBOOK.COM/DSCUMC Web-based tool for interaction about news, articles, pictures, and more from the Conference and partners in ministry PINTEREST.COM/DSCUMC A source of ideas and inspiration to be used as a resource for local churches and leaders BISHOP-BOB.TUMBLR.COM Prayers and thoughts from Bishop Bob Hoshibata
Trainings
Media Center WWW.REGIONALMEDIACENTER.ORG The Regional Media Center is a lending library that gives churches access to more than 2,500 video, DVD, curricula, music, discounted or free access to Christian Education websites, and much more!
The DSC Communications Department hosts and facilitates trainings to help local churches sharpen their communications efforts and strategize the ways they connect and communicate with their community. Contact communications@dscumc.org for more information.
Design Resource Conference-wide print resources, feedback and consultation about local-church publications, and custom logo and graphic design help Contact connumications@dscumc.org Special Issue Transformation
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To all of our subscribers, contributors, photographers, and readers,
Thank You
We trust that God has used Transformation magazine in The Desert Southwest Conference to advance the Good News and make new disciples of Jesus Christ. This is the final issue of Transformation magazine but the entire digital collection will remain available at www.issuu.com/dscumc. The redesigned Desert Connection will continue the work of Transformation, highlighting the priorities of the Strategic Direction of The Desert Southwest Conference in a continuing effort of leadership development, building new faith communities, supporting social holiness, and providing ideas and opportunities for transformational worship. Visit www.desertconnection.org.