Pastor’s Ponderings

T h e P o s t e r i s p u b l i s h e d m o n t h l y b y F o r t D e s M o i n e s U n i t -e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h , 6 2 0 5 S W 9 t h S t , D e s M o i n e s I o w a 5 0 3 1 5 -

5 5 1 6 . T o c o n t a c t u s , p h o n e

5 1 5 . 2 8 5 . 6 5 4 5 , f a x 5 1 5 . 2 8 5 . 3 7 4 0 , o r e - m a i l t o f t d s m u m c @

q w e s t o f f i c e . n e t C h e c k u s o u t o n t h e

w e b : w w w . f d m u m c . o r g

P a s t o r K a t h y ’ s p h o n e i s

5 1 5 - 2 0 1 - 3 6 3 4

Volume 13 Issue 3

March 2016 The Poster

FT . DES MOINES

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Pastor’s Ponderings 2

Nut Sale Distribution 3

Scholarship Time 3

Prayer Corner 4

Council Highlights 4

Calendars 5-6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Information for The Poster should be in the Church office by the 4th Tuesday of the month prior to being pub-lished.

Office Hours

8:00 a.m. -

12:00 noon

Monday to Friday

Sunday Worship 9:45 a.m.

Holy Communion is the first Sunday of

the month

Palm Sunday - March 20; 9:45 a.m. Worship at 9:45am; process with palms

Lenten Study - March 20, at 7:00pm & March 22, at 10:00am. This will be the last session of the series John: the Gospel of Light and Life by Adam Hamilton.

Holy Thursday - March 24; 7:00 p.m. Worship with Holy Communion, reminding us of the Last Supper

Good Friday - March 25; 7:00 p.m. Worship remembering the death of Christ Easter Sunday - March 27; 9:45 a.m. Festival Worship Service followed by Easter Morning Brunch.

2016 Camp Books Are In!!!

Pick one up in the church office, in Fellowship Hall or go online to www.iaumc.org/camps. Sign-up for your favorite activity or the week that works for you. Scholarships available.

Youth attending from Ft. Des Moines UMC will have contributions of $100 from the Memorial Fund, $50 from the Women’s Christian Fellowship and $25 from the Gen-eral Budget for a total of $175 to-ward their camping week. Registra-tion forms need to reflect this so that the church is billed for this amount rather than the family pay-ing this portion of the campership fee.

I am going to use my newsletter article this time to update folks on the change in pastoral appointments that will be taking place at Fort Des Moines

(continued on page 2)

Church Conference

Sunday, March 20

Following the worship service

To vote on moving to

a half-time pastor

All members of the congregation will be allowed to vote at this

meeting so it is important to be present.

Pastor’s Ponderings Continued...

Volume 13 Issue 3 Page 2

cause of ongoing financial issues it has been deter-mined that the church can no longer fully support a full time pastor. Although the official congregational vote has not been taken yet, there has been general agreement since last fall that the church cannot afford to continue paying full time pastoral salary and benefits. Financial assistance was requested and received from the Conference’s Equitable Com-pensation Fund and the Conference Board of Pen-sion and Health Benefits to pay half of my salary and benefits through the end of the appointment year (June 30) so that any change in appointments could happen at the start of the new appointment year. (July 1st)

Since this is the case, our District Superin-tendent Dave Weesner has been working with the rest of the Appointive Cabinet toward appointing me to a new full time appointment and appointing a pastor to serve Fort Des Moines on a half-time basis. The first half of that task has been completed. I have been appointed to serve the United Methodist Church in Rock Rapids starting in July. (More about that appointment in the next newsletter.)

The Appointive Cabinet works very diligently at trying to match the gifts, graces, needs and inter-ests of each pastor in the Conference with the minis-try needs, hopes, and preferences of each church. This involves written communication and conversa-tions between the D.S. and pastors and between the D.S. and members of the Staff Pastor Parish Rela-tions Committee (SPPRC) so that each D.S. knows the pastors and churches in his or her district and their hopes, needs, preferences, strengths, weaknesses, etc. I trust it also involves a lot of prayer and dis-cernment as the members of the Cabinet move through the “appointment season.”

It also involves a lot of faith and trust on the part of pastors and churches; trust that the District Superintendents listen and have a good picture of what pastors and churches want and need, and faith that ultimately God is guiding the process, and so it can be trusted.

Having never been on the Cabinet or a mouse in the corner at any of their sessions, I don’t know if my understanding of everything that goes

on during the appointment process is completely

(continued on page 3)

(continued from page 1)

UMC when the new appointment year begins July 1st. While I’m at it, I thought I would review how the whole process of appointing pastors to churches works in the United Methodist Church. As most of you know, unlike some other denominations where a local church needing a pastor would go through a search process where they would interview various candidates and eventually hire the one they thought was the best fit for their church, the United Method-ist Church uses a system where pastors are appoint-ed to churches.

In the Iowa Annual Conference, the Appoin-tive Cabinet is made up of our current Bishop, Bish-op Julius Trimble, and our eight District Superinten-dents. They have the task of appointing pastors to serve each of the United Methodist congregations throughout Iowa. According to the Conference’s 2014 statistics, there were 783 churches, which had memberships ranging all the way from 2 to 2,796; so the Appointive Cabinet is charged with quite a task.

There are some exceptions, such as licensed local pastors, but the majority of pastors in the Unit-ed Methodist Church serve under what is called an “itinerant system.” Put simply, it means that we agree to go wherever we are sent and stay until we are appointed elsewhere. Appointments to any giv-en church (or churches if appointed to a multiple-point charge) are for one year at a time. So, each year a pastor is either reappointed to continue serv-ing their present church/charge, or they are reap-pointed to a different church/charge.

In the fall of each year every church or charge informs their District Superintendent (D.S.) whether they feel it is best for their current pastor to be reappointed for another year, or if they feel a change in pastors is necessary. Also, every pastor informs the D.S. whether they are requesting to be reappointed to their current church or are re-questing a change in appointments.

So, a change in pastoral appointments can come at the request of the pastor, at the request of the church, or occasionally might be initiated by the Appointive Cabinet, based on the current needs within the Conference.

In the case of Fort Des Moines UMC, be-

Volume 13 Issue 3 Page 3

Pastor’s Ponderings Continued

accurate or not. What I think and hear happens is that there is a wall or board in the Cabinet meeting room that has the names of all the churches that need a pastor and all the Pastors that are up for ap-pointment. Each church is considered individually, and as it is considered, the D.S. in charge of that church provides information to the other members of the Cabinet about that church; its ministries, its strengths and challenges, and what they have identi-fied as qualities or ministry strengths they are hop-ing for in their new pastor. Then all of the D.S.s are given the opportunity to suggest what pastors they feel would be a good fit for that church. Eventually (I trust after much prayerful discernment) they de-termine which pastor they want to offer that partic-ular church to.

After that has been determined (And here is where a pastor is personally involved and so my knowledge is first-hand so is much less fuzzy!) the D.S. of the district where the church is located con-tacts the pastor and visits with them about the pos-sible appointment. If based on the initial infor-mation, the pastor has no “compelling reason” for saying “no” to the appointment, then arrangements are made for the pastor to visit the church, see the parsonage (if applicable) and meet with the church’s SPPRC Committee.

At that meeting, which involves the mem-bers of the SPPRC, the D.S. and the prospective pas-tor, the committee members and the pastor have a chance to get to know more about one another, ask questions, etc. At the end of the meeting, the D.S. asks the pastor to step out, and then visits with both the SPPRC and the pastor individually and asks for their decisions as to whether it seems like a good match and the Cabinet should move forward in final-izing the appointment. At that point either side could decide that there are “compelling reasons” to ask the Cabinet to reconsider the appointment.

So, that is more or less how the appoint-ment process works. In some ways it may seem like a system that allows pastors and churches very little say or choice. After all, I’m not told all of the churches that are looking for a pastor and asked which one I would like to be appointed to. And each church isn’t given a profile of all the available pas-tors and asked to choose one. So it does involve

and the people involved. And again, trusting that God is guiding the process.

On the other hand, both the pastor and the church has the opportunity to ask for the appoint-ment to be reconsidered if there are any “red flags” during the process that raise concerns that the ap-pointment is not going to be a good fit for either the pastor or the congregation. While I have not experi-enced it first-hand, I do know of times when an ap-pointment has been turned down and the Cabinet had to “go back to the drawing board” so to speak.

For me, it really does all come down to trust. I trust that my D.S., Dave Weesner, knows me well enough to speak for me during the appointment pro-cess and discern what church would be a good fit for me. And, since I have agreed to serve under an itin-erant system, I have to trust that God is in the pro-cess and that wherever I go, God will go with me.

As for Fort Des Moines and who will be ap-pointed to serve here, at this point, that is still un-known. Dave Weesner has recently met with mem-bers of the SPPRC to talk about what is hoped for in terms of the qualities, ministry strengths, etc. in the pastor appointed. And he has scheduled a Church Conference for Sunday, March 20th immediately after worship for the official congregational vote to be taken on approving the change to a half-time pas-tor. At some point in the next weeks or months the SPPRC will be contacted about meeting with the pas-tor that is being appointed, and then if there are no concerns raised during that meeting, the appoint-ment will be announced to the congregation.

I hope and pray that just as I trust myself as a pastor to the United Methodist appointive process, that all of you will trust Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church to that same process; believing that God will be at work in the midst of it. Just keep in mind these words from Jeremiah 19:11:

“For I know the plans I have

for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and

not to harm you, plans to give

you hope and a future.”

Pastor Kathy

Ft. Des Moines UMC, it’s programs and leaders; Bhutanese Nepali Truth Church in Iowa, it’s programs and leaders; Those who are home bound and their care-takers; And we especially name Paul White, Michael Anderson, Gloria Roeder, Francis Zeliadt, Fred Drew, and Jean Volz. Congratulations to Elaine Thayer and William Bean on the birth of daughter Emilee, on Jan. 17.

April Birthdays 6 Karen Eis 7 Mae Wells 8 Kari Nalevanko 11 Jacob Norris 12 Pat Hamman 14 Sam Crise 16 Larry Seid 16 Kate Mikovec 18 Sam Sides 19 Amanda Jones 24 Sara Alexander 26 Judy Prothero 27 Heather Dillard 28 Lori Carlson 29 Mallory Crane 30 Lora Houck

April Wedding Anniversaries

1 Craig & Pam Cave 20 Nick & Kari Nalevanko 24 Doug & Val Brooks 27 Pat & Jeri Crane

April Baptismal Anniversaries

3 Tammy Bernard 3 Brad Carlson 3 Judith Prothero 6 William Fisher 6 Dennis Garland 14 Brian Kent 15 Zack Norris 15 Scott Johnson 17 Emily Keller 17 Mitch Keller 17 Nicole Little 20 Eric Little 21 Sheryl Jacobsen 21 Beverly Miller 22 Madison Dinan

March Birthdays 3 Kambra Xayaphiou 5 John King 9 Twilla Dillard 10 Lucy Garland 11 Jerry Swigert 11 Stefanie Lee 11 Jasmine Miller 12 Josh Lee 13 Connie Keller 13 Jonathan Dinan 15 David Miller 17 Lois Horn 18 Jim Meier 19 Jake Carruthers 23 Emilee Jones 24 Virginia Simmons 24 Eloise Coen 27 Rickie Ramsey 28 Addison Hartmann

March Wedding Anniversaries

14 David & Sherri Little 31 Mike & Carol Holmes

March Baptismal Anniversaries

2 Kristina Norris 9 Alexandra Newton 12 Jean Pease 22 Renee King 25 Pamela Cave 27 Carlin Peer

Prayer Corner Cause for Celebration!

February Finance Report

General Account Income $ 11,608.06 General Account Expenses $ 13,617.76 Designated Funds Income: $ 612.00 Trustees Income: $ 1,325.00

Year-to-Date Total Income $ 22,883.46 Total Expenses $ 26,898.12

($3,000.00 was put back into savings)

Vacation Bible School - July 11-14

Again this year the young people (age 3 through 6th grade in the fall) of Ft. Des Moines UMC are invited to attend Vacation Bible School/Day Camp at Christ Lutheran Church, 6411 SE 5th St. Registration information will be available soon. Mark your calendar and make plans for your children to take part in Vacation Bible School this summer!

Volume 13 Issue 3 Page 4

Central Air Unit Expires

The central air unit at the parsonage has blown it’s last breath of cool air. Four bids have been received to replace the unit. (The unit will be replaced in the spring.) Donations toward the cost (about $3,000.00) of replacing the parson-age central air unit can be given through the offering plate (indicate “central air” on the memo line), or by mailing your check to the church office: 6205 SW 9th St, Des Moines IA 50315. Your gen-erosity is appreciated.

Remember to do the FUNdraising calendar during the month of March. The sheets were in the last is-sue of The Poster, can be found on the website (www.fdmumc.org), or on the table in the hall near

A Reminder from the Financial Secretary

To receive credit, your designated offering dona-tions (designated funds - food pantry, mission, Bid-well, Ingathering, Special offerings, repair, trustees) must be placed in the Sunday offering plate or mailed to the church office so it can be recorded in the giving records. If you give your donation directly to the person in charge of a specific designated fund program there is no way to tie your donation to your record and you will not receive credit for it.

All checks need to be made payable to Ft. Des Moines United Methodist Church, not to the desig-nated fund.

Please don’t forget your regularly scheduled giv-ing when contributing to special designated offer-ings and specific project offerings.

Memorial donations can be placed in the Sunday offering, mailed to the church, given at the funeral home or given directly to the family.

In-Kind donations of anything purchased for use at the church cannot be added to your year-end giv-ing statement. Keep your receipts and turn them in at the office for a letter indicating that you gave these items. Then you will be able to take your letter with you when you file your taxes.

Volume 13 Issue 3 Page 7

Tired of writing checks?

The cost of checks getting too high?

Sign up to have your

contributions automatically deducted from

your bank or credit union account?

Contact Lora Houck at 515-613-2350 for

more information or to get

an authorization form.

Looking for a wedding shower, graduation or birthday gift? Don’t forget the church cook-book is still available for $15.00. Contact the church office or see Debbie McCloney.

From the Church Secretary

The results are in from the most recent trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN and we are set to go ahead with the Bone Marrow Transplant beginning on March 11. During this 4 to 6-week stay as an out-patient in a Transplant House, Paul will undergo treatment to make his stem cells grow more rapidly. This will be a time of fever and pain for him. His stem cells will then be separated from his blood and stored to be returned to him after a high dose of chemo has “cleaned his body” of any cancer cells still floating around. His immune system will be non-existent at this time and the chemo will cause him to be very tired and feeling very poorly. When daily blood tests show that his body is ready, his stem cells will be returned to him. It will then take 4-5 days for them to start growing. We will stay as an outpatient in the Transplant House long enough for him to build up his strength and immune system before we are allowed to come home. At this time we expect to be in Rochester for about 6 weeks.

During my absence from the office, volunteers will be covering the office on Mondays, Wednes-days and Fridays only. And the office hours will be 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Some things like the weekly bul-letin and the check writing will continue. Other things will not continue like rentals and the monthly newsletter (The Poster). Those groups already using the church will continue to be here but no new rent-al arrangements will be made until after my return. This issue of The Poster contains the calendars for both March and April as well as the birthdays for both months. Watch the weekly bulletin for items that will come up while I’m away.

Thanks, again, for the very generous support you have shown me since we have been on this journey. Your willingness to volunteer has helped make my life easier as I deal with all the appointments and changes we have. And the well-wishes, prayers and words of encouragement are very much appreciat-ed. Go to caringbridge.org/visits/paulwhite5 to fol-low us as we go through the day-to-day treatment. It will be good to hear from you occasionally, too.

Jane

6205 SW 9th St Des Moines IA 50315-5516

Ft. Des Moines United Methodist Church

Special Offerings: Food Pantry Sunday will be March 20th and Aril 17th. Donations of cash, non-perishable food items, formula, diapers and brown paper grocery bags will be received. The money received during the months of March and April will be matched by Douglas C. Woods ($10 will become $15). Even a small donation will do BIG things! The Easter FUNdraising Calendar proceeds will be received on April 3. These donations will go into the Gen-eral Fund for regular budget expenses. Native American Ministries offering will be received on April 10. The Annu-al Conference keeps 50% of the re-ceipts to develop and strengthen Na-tive American ministries within the conference. The other 50% of the re-ceipts provides scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist and other approved schools of theo- logy.

Events: Mar. 13 Mission Dinner: Potato Bar and Salads; Proceeds go to the Women’s Christian Fellowship to support their programs. Mar. 26 Community Meal at 4:00 pm Mar. 27 Easter Brunch following the Easter Sunday service. Apr. 10 Women’s Christian Fellow - ship will host a Mission Din- ner of Soup and Salad fol- lowing the Sunday worship service. Proceeds will be used for various projects of the group. Apr. 30 Community Meal at 4:00 p.m.

March/April 2016

Phone: 515.285.6545 Fax: 515.285.3740

E-mail: kathysides@hotmail.com

ftdsmumc@qwestoffice.net www.fdmumc.org

The Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church:

a community of faith in worship and action,

open to all in the Spirit and Love of God.

Christian Education Classes will be held thru May 22, 2016

11:00-11:45 a.m.

Staff

Rev. Kathy Sides Pastor

Laurie Jenkins,

Church Musician

Pamela Schisel Choir Director

Jane White,

Administrative Assistant

Chris Wulf Custodian

Address Service Requested

We give thanks for:

YOU!