The CEU News Continuing Education Update April 2020 A Publication of the Wesley Leadership Institute Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church
Events - Coming Soon! Check the Holston online calendar for a full listing of future events. Please note that many events previously listed have been cancelled due to the virus. April 2020: Clergy Counseling & Criminal Liability April 1 Online 0.1 CEUs
In this seminar you will learn: • Common attributes of state laws that pertain to counseling • Potential risks involved with pastoral counseling •
Preventive steps to minimize risk
Covid-19, Stimulus, Payroll and Churches April 3 Online 0.2 CEUs This CFA webinar will cover how to receive help with payroll expenses and the contents of administrative actions taken by the IRS and the Department of the Treasury in light of the pandemic. Work Together, People! How to Put Your Church Space to Work April 18 Online 0.2 CEUs Participants in this webinar will be shown how to connect with neighbors, facilitate ministry, and generate revenue through approaches such as co-working. You will learn to create financially sustainable work spaces that dismantle loneliness in your own neighborhoods. 5 Things to Minister to Those w/Early Dementia Aoril 22 Online 0.1 CEUs An estimated 5.8 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, and that number is climbing. How can churches respond? How can churches equip caregivers? What can churches do to be more welcoming of those with dementia? The Committee on Older Adult Ministry has partnered with Discipleship Ministries to produce a webinar that explores these questions. June 2020: Music & Worship Arts Week June 21-26 Lake Junaluska, NC 2.5 CEUs (As of publication date, this event is still happening.) This annual event , hosted by The Fellowship, is designed for worship leaders, musicians, artists, dancers, actors, and pastors of all denominations who seek education and renewal in a spirit of inclusivity and grace. (more resources on page 4) 1
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Check & Print CEU Report Apply for CEU Credit Event Evaluation Form
Due to the coronavirus, the number of onsite events available to clergy for CEU credit has diminished considerably. I have posted some webinars in the event section for credit. If you know of any online seminars coming up in the next few months that you think might benefit your fellow clergy and possibly qualify for credit, please send me an email with all the details. I will post it on the Holston calendar and add it to future newsletters. I am inserting a new document from Chuck Salter of MissionInsite. They have several tools that you may find useful in the area around your congregation during these times of uncertainty. If you still need to register, you can do so here. This is a great resource for our conference clergy and, since you may have more down time due to meeting cancellations, etc., this might be a great time to check out their reports and do a bit of research on the people in your church area. If you need assistance or want me to generate a report for you, just call me or send an email. Since the conference office is closed, if you call our direct number at the conference, the call will be forwarded to us at home. (See numbers at end of newsletter.)
We are praying for you at this time and hope you will do the same for us. May all of you stay healthy and blessed!
A Message from Our Director... For those of you that know me, I always have my little book with my daily and weekly goals. It helps to order my life. Many of those goals are the result of the interactions that I have with various people. I answer a lot of questions. I resolve issues. I try to make things more efficient. I respond a lot to those around me. Being homebound, I have noticed a change in the requests and problems that typically come my way -- they have gone way down. So the last couple of days I have been pondering what to do with my time and what I could do differently. I watched a facebook webinar this afternoon that has given me an idea. I was able to ask a question of the presenter along these lines: “How do I structure my time when I tend to respond a lot to people's requests, and no one is requesting anything right now?� (continued on page 4) 2
Book Review Worry Less, Live More God’s Prescripton for a Better Life - by Robert Morgan How do you bury worry before it buries you? Worry, which is essentially a strain of fear, is a rational response to real pressures and problems. Life is harder than we expect. Even the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace Himself, admitted, "Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). He said, "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33). Once He even said, "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?" (John 12:27). Our souls are easily troubled. The world and its trials seem to only increase. In nearly forty years of pastoral counseling, Rob Morgan has seen a lot of changes in our culture. People are anxious, and everyone seems increasingly tense and taunt. We're overextended, running on empty, and often running late. We're worried and we're weary. One moment we're alarmed about global politics and the next we're frustrated with a clogged commode or a cranky boss. Stress can have a way of keeping us on pins and needles from dawn to darkness. In this book Pastor Morgan leads the way through the investigation of the Bible's premier passage on the subject of anxiety. Philippians 4:4-9 is God's most definitive word about overcoming anxiety and experiencing His overwhelming peace. Dissecting the following eight practices this vital passage promotes will help you to wage war on worry: • The Practice of Rejoicing • The Practice of Gentleness • The Practice of Nearness • The Practice of Prayer • The Practice of Thanksgiving • The Practice of Thinking • The Practice of Discipleship • The Practice of Peace When we study and employ these practices effectively, we have the power to erase anxious thoughts and compose our minds with peace in any situation. Robert J. Morgan is a writer and speaker who serves as the teaching pastor at The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville. He is the author of The Red Sea Rules, The Strength You Need, Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation, Then Sings My Soul, and many other titles, with more than 4.5 million copies in circulation. He is available to speak at conferences and conventions. He and his wife, Katrina, have three daughters and sixteen grandchildren. Contact him at www.robertjmorgan.com.
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The presenter suggested that I think about seeds. I am planting them all the time, and most of the time I am reaping the harvest of what I have planted. Now, though, the harvest has slowed down. That doesn't mean, however, that I should just sit back and wait for a new batch of crops to come in. Instead, I need to plant the seeds of a crop that might not mature for a few more weeks or months. I liked that analogy. It has given me new direction in my "work" during this time of working from home. My goal is to plant lots of seeds. To foment some new ideas. To make a reality out of some of the things that I have been dreaming of doing.
Perhaps, your "normal" has been disrupted...don't worry. Create a new "normal" and see where God might be leading you. Dust off some of those old dreams and give them new life. Who knows, in a few weeks or months those dreams might become the new driving force for your ministry and work. - Terry Goodman
Additional Resources (webinars on demand): Practical Strategies for Church-Based Community Transformation May 16 Online 0.2 CEUs
Conflict: A Good Thing! 1.0 CEUs Leading Innovation for Church Leaders 0.15 CEUs Small Membership Congregations: Focus on Being Effective 0.1 CEUs Small Membership Congregations: Part II: Nurture, Outreach, Witness 0.1 CEUs Evangelism & the Context of Small Congregations 0.1 CEUs Phone: 865-293-4147
CONTACT INFO: Director: The Rev. Terry Goodman terrygoodman@holston.org
Phone: (865) 293-4135 Website: Wesley Leadership Institute
Admin. Asst. & Editor: Sue Weber 4