Why CONNECTIVITY?

Rev. Steve Casteel
Director of Connectional Ministries
steve@mississippi-umc.org
601/354.0515 ext. 21

Connectional Ministries is about making the connection between the local church, the community, the worldwide church and the world. Why? Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. To do that we must communicate well at all levels.

“Connectivity” is a tool to help us do that.

Our dream is that we can create a real time dialogue about what God is calling us to do and what God is doing around and among us. We invite you to join us as we explore ways to connect in conversation, action, and relationship. Together we are much better than we are alone. Please take time to read this first edition and give us your feedback. We want this to be a helpful platform to link us together in this great mission. Share your ideas and visions with us as we seek to be connected to you and to this great God of ours.

Lived Loved,
Steve

The Class of 2026
Sometimes in the process of deciding where God would have us in ministry I get overwhelmed. There are so many BIG problems and I feel so little. What can we do? There have been massive efforts by many groups to “change the world.” Maybe the solution doesn’t begin with a massive plan. Maybe it begins with people. We are in a new year. Every day children are being born around us. They are new in the broken world. They have no control or power to change any thing. Or do they?

A couple weeks ago Jim Beam-Ingram shared a sermon with our Course of Study group at Milsaps. He was talking about Boz, their newly adopted son. He asked the question, "What are babies good at?” He shared a couple of ideas…crying, pooping, eating, and then he shared the one that nailed me, and they are good at being loved. WOW! Good at being loved. It hit me. What if our plan was to love these babies? What if each community looked at this class of 2026 (Year many will graduate High School) and tried to help them do what they do best? What would that look like? Hey, maybe this isn’t a new idea. Maybe God was thinking the same thing when out of love we received Jesus!

Could we love every child? Could we try to surround them with grace and care? Could they be the motivation for us to clean up our act and our world? Here is our plan…”change a life, change the world”. It is gloriously complex and simple. How does it happen? One child and one act of love at a time. The genius of this is that only each of us and our local churches can know where these kids are and how to love them. It means we have to get out of our comfort zones and our buildings and make new friends. We must find out who our neighbors are and figure out how to love them. We all used to be good at being loved…what happened? Maybe this is what Jesus wanted when we were invited to be childlike!

My personal motto is “Live Loved”. I am prayerfully seeking how to live into that. I am so hopeful that this class of 2026 will let us love them into a new world. The key to it all is to know you are loved and to live out of that. Now there is a plan! Want to be a part? Contact us. Better yet, get out and find you a baby to love…some are bigger and older than others.

Discipleship:
Connectional Ministries is in the process of developing some practical tools for discipling. We invite your input. We want to give congregations and families helpful resources to provide everyday guidance in this transformational process. To speed this up and to bring leadership to it, we have asked Michelle Foster to join us full time (She is now serving part time with Safe Sanctuaries). She will work on family systems faith development. Please be in prayer for us as we seek to accomplish this critical mission.

If you have a successful program or resources you would recommend, please let us know.

MISSIONS Plan

Jorge Navarrete
Conference Coordinator for Missions Development
jorge@mississippi-umc.org
601-354-0515 extension 20.

What are your goals as we begin 2008?
My immediate task is twofold. First, to help churches and church members answer Jesus' call to missions and outreach and thus help them fulfill His mandate to be in mission. In this regard, I will direct workshops at district trainings and have conference call-ins regarding this integral ministry. Secondly, I will endeavor to encourage and support the start, growth and/or enhancement of all churches’ mission and outreach efforts by helping to equip, connect and support leaders in their recruiting, educating and motivating. I believe we will see a resurgence in people wanting to engage missions and outreach at home and abroad.

I hope that my lay background, business world experience and five year service at Habitat for Humanity International will help bring a new perspective to mission and outreach ministries throughout the Mississippi Conference.

Safe Sanctuaries

Rev. Michelle Foster
Conference Coordinator for Safe Sanctuaries & Family Ministries
michelle@mississippi-umc.org
601-354-0515 ext. 28

Rev. Michelle Foster is available to lead workshops and seminars as they relate to Safe Sanctuaries and Family Ministries.

What is Safe Sanctuaries?
“Safe Sanctuaries” is the name commonly given by local United Methodist Annual Conferences and local churches to their individual efforts to make conference and local church programs both welcoming and safe for children, youth and vulnerable adults.

GOALS
1. To educate and orient all members of our annual conference in Safe Sanctuaries ministry and purpose.

2. To dialogue with every local church in matters relating to Safe Sanctuaries (to date conversations have been had with over 250 congregations!)

3. To provide creative and practical resources for local churches to use in developing their Safe Sanctuaries ministry

What does Family Ministries include?
Though a broad term with many definitions, the goal of establishing a Conference Coordinator for Family Ministries is:

To re-focus our efforts on wholistic and inclusive family ministries. A wholistic approach to ministry with families includes addressing the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of the entire family.

1. This family systems approach to ministry is focused on most pressing
   needs of families in Mississippi today:
   · Re-culturing the institution of marriage
   · Parenting (for married couples, single parents, blended families, etc.)
   · Spiritual education and formation for children and adults
   · Overall quality of family life together
2. To partner with parents in becoming the primary teachers for their children in every aspect of life.
3. To provide resources that will link the secular challenges and struggles with the practical and sacred response of the church and our Savior, Jesus Christ

Ready for a Change...

Rev. L. Fitzgerald Lovett
Racial Reconciliation and Strenghtening the Black Church Team Leader
Pastor- Middlebrook UMC, Jackson
fitzgerald@mississippi-umc.org
601-354-0515 ext. 29.

Strengthening the Black Church and Racial Reconciliation believe that it is time for a change. You are invited to be a part of that change.

There are several ways for you to participate:

• By becoming a light partner,


• By becoming a peacemaker,


• By being a part of the conference coaching team and


• By SBC21 local church training.
  

It is time for a change, we, Mississippi United Methodists, are the people who can do it.

The YOUTH Vision

Rev. Roger Shock
Director of Young People's Ministry
roger@tupelofumc.com
662-397-2626

As Director of Young People’s Ministry I am responsible for young people between the ages of 13 to 30 years old. That is a broad range of people.

With a big paint brush stroke you will find the specific ministry areas of Youth, Camping Ministry, Higher Education and Wesley Foundations, and finally Young Adult Ministry under my area of focus.

The greatest needs and emphasis for me currently is improving communications throughout the Conference. I am working on a web site for Young People’s Ministry, creating a data base of students, young adults, & workers with youth and young adults, networking with Districts attempting to get to know as many leaders as possible.

A lot of my efforts point toward Leadership Development across our Conference. We can improve and create lasting Young People's Ministry quickest by training leadership that work with young people.Lastly, I am spending a significant amount of time listening to leaders and young people, and casting a vision for new relevant young people's ministry.