Events – Page 2

SCC to pay pastor expenses to attend conferences

January 9, 2016 By Becky

South Central Conference has committed to support our congregational leaders by helping to fund SCC pastors and leaders attendance at the following conferences.

Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series (AVDS)

SCC has become a sponsor of the Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series at Hesston College on February 13-15, 2015. Through this sponsorship, any person from SCC can register for the event at only the cost of meals ($35). To use this discount register Here and use the Students/Members of Sponsor congregations drop down option when registering. To learn more about the event visit the AVDS event page using this Link. If you would like to attend the event and spend the weekend lodging with a local family in their home please contact the conference office by e-mailing scc@sccmenno.org or calling Becky at 814-279-6959.

Sentralized Kansas City

SCC has also committed funds to help persons from the conference attend the Sentralized Kansas City event on February 12-13, 2015 at WESTSIDE FAMILY CHURCH 8500 Woodsonia Lenexa, KS 66227. South Central Conference will pay for the registration of anyone from the conference attending this event. We encourage you to also get support from your congregation to help pay for the additional funds for attending the conference such as lodging, travel, and food. If your congregation is unable to support your attendance you may request funds from the conference to help pay for these additional costs. Support for costs in addition to registration will be considered based on the amount of funds requested. To register for the Sentralized conference please fill out the registration form below. After receiving your registration, South Central Conference will buy your ticket to the event and send it to you. Additional funds can be requested on the form below as well.

Break the Vase Project

January 1, 2016 By Becky

In April of 2015 when the Executive Committee was visioning for the future of our conference, one of the things we discussed was a way to honor our pastors. We wanted to provide them with an event that was over the top, something that would help them to understand their importance in the minds of both South Central Conference and their own congregations.

We discussed the story of Mary taking a jar of very expensive perfume and breaking it over Jesus feet. She was criticized for “wasting” something that was worth over a year’s worth of wages frivolously. But Jesus overrode those criticisms, saying “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12: 8).

Likewise, there are times when we need to act in extravagant way to honor those we care about.

We, the Executive Committee of South Central Conference, and by the approval of this event, the delegates of South Central Conference, are going to “Break a Vase” on our pastors. The event has yet to be completely planned, but it is going to be something special. If you are a pastor, plan to attend. If you are not a pastor, but a congregation member of a South Central Conference church, encourage your pastor or pastors to go. Do what you can to enable them to go.

Gary Wolfer – Moderator – South Central Conference

Soul Training

November 17, 2015 By Becky

At the recent South Central Conference Pastor/Leader/Spouse retreat, the featured speaker was Matt Johnson. The thesis for one of his messages was that the entry into a missional life is a deeply transformed heart, radiating love, peace and joy. Because we need to continually nurture and care for our souls, Matt described a series of Soul Training Exercises (STE), for which the key concept is nurturing our relationship with God and not functioning with a to-do list. The essentials of STE are:

(1) training, not trying: doing what we can do (including adequate sleep which is a spiritual discipline), moving toward the challenging.

(2) wisdom, not righteousness: living life wisely, in gratitude, moving with God and his guidelines.

(3) therapeutic, not meritorious: “God loves you and there is nothing you can do about it.” This is the nature of grace, which is opposed to earning but not to effort.

Matt identifies the #1 spiritual malady of our time as hurry sickness. We are so focused on doing that we have lost the ability to be. Soul work is slow work–we are transformed slowly. There is no microwave for the soul.