http://www.kswestumc.org/news_home.aspnothing provideden-usTue, 9 Feb 2010 08:00:00 ESTTue, 9 Feb 2010 08:00:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=710http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=710WICHITAmdash;The Kansas West Conference Focus Team made the decision at its October meeting to explore a risk-taking mission by sending a delegation of 14 people to Zimbabwe to explore the possibilities of a partnership between the two conferences. The delegation leaves Wichita Jan. 28 and will return to Wichita Feb. 9. Rev. Linda Louderback, director of Connectional Ministries, organized the trip in conjunction with Rev. Phillip Musharu in Zimbabwe. The group will visit each of the six distriWed, 27 Jan 2010 14:41:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=709http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=709By Susan Cooper Associate director of Marketing and Communications WICHITAmdash;Rev. Dr. Susanna Southard, a Kansas East Conference elder and professor at Phillips Theological Seminary, believes the Jewish scriptures, commonly referred to as the Old Testament, ldquo;tells us about people acting like people in the real world. Sometimes itrsquo;s messy, but thatrsquo;s what makes it real in our lives. ldquo;All of this helps us learn who we are and how we can live in this world as people of faiWed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=708http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=708UDALLmdash;On Nov. 1, the Udall United Methodist Church celebrated 125 years of ministry. Established in 1884, the church has been an influence in Udall as a community of faith that could withstand even the destructive force of the May 1955 tornado that destroyed the town. More than 100 people, including three previous pastors, attend the 11 a.m. worship service and heard District Superintendent Rev. Gary Brooks give a message of hope for the future. All then gathered at the Community Hall forThu, 7 Jan 2010 15:16:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=706http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=706By Kelley Menke Special contributor SALINAmdash;ldquo;BLAST!rdquo; brought together 22 people from 10 Kansas West Conference congregations Oct. 17 at University United Methodist Church in Salina to learn more about leading and serving children in the church. The idea behind BLAST!mdash;Building Leaders and Sunday school Teachersmdash;is to provide quality and motivational information to volunteers and professionals working in childrenrsquo;s ministries. The event was planned by the Northern KThu, 7 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=707http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=707By Marion Renner Special contributor HAYSVILLEmdash;In an effort to ldquo;rethink church,rdquo; the Haysville United Methodist Women have coordinated efforts to help a homeless family each month this past year. The families were in crisis because of job loss, fire, abuse or an extraordinary expense beyond the means of the familyrsquo;s limited income. Although the UMW processed the needs and created a UMW fund to help these families, the entire congregation contributed labor, furniture, clothThu, 7 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=705http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=705By Kathy Koehn Special contributor QUINTERmdash;When a call came through the county emergency channels on Nov. 27 about a charter bus that had burned on I-70, a Quinter United Methodist Church member serving as a volunteer EMT began making calls. There was no hesitation on the part of the congregation to help the stranded passengers. The local church disaster-response coordinator, along with the director of Emergency Management for Logan and Gove counties and other church members, opened the Thu, 7 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=704http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=704WICHITAmdash;A new wellness program launching in 2010 seeks to empower Kansas United Methodist clergy to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles, providing a solid foundation for a balanced, sustainable life of ministry. The ldquo;Clergy Wellness Program,rdquo; developed by the Kansas Area Health and Wellness Committee, is a pilot project designed to identify individual health needs and develop personalized plans to address those needs through sustainable changes in behavior. In the pilot projeTue, 5 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=703http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=703By Kelley Menke Special contributor SALINAmdash;ldquo;BLAST!rdquo; brought together 22 people from 10 Kansas West Conference congregations Oct. 17 at University United Methodist Church in Salina to learn more about leading and serving children in the church. The idea behind BLAST!mdash;Building Leaders and Sunday school Teachersmdash;is to provide quality and motivational information to volunteers and professionals working in childrenrsquo;s ministries. The event was planned by the Northern KTue, 22 Dec 2009 12:04:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=702http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=702TOPEKAmdash;Kansas United Methodists raised more than $74,000 for the Humble United Methodist School in Uganda as a result of the Hope for Africa Childrenrsquo;s Choir tour through the state. The Kansas East Conference treasurer, Russ Hinshaw, sent $74,139.79 to the Advance Special on behalf of both Kansas conferences. Another $3,020 was mailed to the Kansas East Conference office during November, which also will be sent in. Additional donations were made directly to the Advance Special by localFri, 18 Dec 2009 10:13:00 ESThttp://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=701http://www.kswestumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=701By Susan Harvey Special contributor WICHITAmdash;The Kansas West Conference participants beat the Kansas East participants in the first annual walking challenge. The challenge started July 1. After the first six-week leg, which ended Aug. 12, Kansas West was ahead by a narrow margin. They had 121 walkers signed up with 19,675,814 steps or 9,837 miles. Kansas East had 142 walkers with 19,262,890 steps or 9,631 miles. Steps and mileage were tracked on the ldquo;America on the Moverdquo; Web siteFri, 18 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST