Adam Weber announces book release

Rev. Adam Weber of Sioux Falls’ Embrace church has authored a book for everyone. In Talking with God, Adam focuses on “What does it look like to pray in the midst of your life, and what do you say when you don't know how to pray?  Prayer seems like it should be so simple. When it comes to praying, often it feels awkward and complicated. The truth is, prayer is simple. It's like talking with a good friend. And what we may not know is the best part: no matter where we are in life, God can't wait to talk with us.”

Published by Waterbrook Press for release on March 1, 2017, and is available for pre-order here.

Listen to the Iowa Conference UMC interview with Adam Weber here.

Embrace named fastest growing United Methodist Church

Congratulations to Embrace Church. Embrace made the 2017 Edition of Len Wilson's Top 25 Fastest Growing Large Churches. We are grateful for their ministry and outreach. This list is ordered on a 5-year trend according to self-reporting attendance numbers as recorded by the General Council of Finance and Administration office of the United Methodist Church. To qualify, a congregation must have had at least 1000 in average worship attendance at the end of 2015, which is the most recent full year of official records and cannot have experienced a year-to-year decline in the last two years. See the complete list here.

­­­Breakthrough Workshop: Compelling Communication – April 2nd

If you’ve ever wondered about how to market your church, what makes a good e-newsletter effectively, or whether live streaming worship makes sense for your congregation, then don’t miss our upcoming communications workshop! This workshop, specifically for churches in the Dakotas Conference, will be held on April 2, 2017, from 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm, at Huron First UMC. It will also be live-streamed to a few selected sites.

United Methodist Communications and communicators from Minnesota and the Dakotas are teaming up to equip you with best practices, practical tips, and information that will help your church reach new people and better engage with your members through strategic and purposeful communication. We promise you will leave inspired armed with ideas and best practices to employ in your ministry setting. Click here for full information.

5 ways to use the 2017 Lenten study videos

The 2017 Lenten video study, featuring the cabinet members of the Dakotas Conference, is based on the book Dare to Dream, by Rev. Mike Slaughter.  Each week, starting on March 1, one of the six chapters will be highlighted in the videos. Here are some ways to use the 2017 videos:

1.     Have weekly lunch and learn sessions—a small or large group gathering where people bring his or her lunch, watch the video and discuss their insights.

2.     Hold weekly informal worship gatherings—begin with song and prayer, play the video as the message for the evening, have a discussion about the video and end with prayer.

3.     Use the videos as a conversation starter at coffee between services each Sunday during Lent.  

4.     Open (or close) worship each Sunday during Lent with the videos. Copy or post the message with some intriguing questions to ponder during the week.

5.     Have a weekly soup supper (or lunch) invite people from other churches and the community to view the videos and discuss them.

Join us this Lent.  The videos will be posted here on our Vimeo page as they are ready.

Discernment Retreat is February 25

The Ministry Discernment Retreat is a one-day event, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST) for those who are feeling CALLED to serve in ministry to others. The retreat is for anyone in the local church who would like to explore their calling. Participants will find where their gifts are best suited to serve the local church or to provide services beyond the churches four walls more intentionally. 

The last of this round of discernment retreats will be:

February 25, 2017 – Bismarck Legacy UMC    Click here to register

Positions available

Mitchell Fusion UMC is hiring a part-time Worship Leader. Details here.

Mitchell Fusion is also hiring a part-time Director of Children’s Ministry. Details here.

DWU seeks development officer

Dakota Wesleyan University is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic individual to serve as a Development Officer for the Annual Fund.  For details, please click here.

If you are interested, please follow the instructions on the pamphlet or contact Kitty Allen at DWU.

Rabbi Wolicki to visit and lecture at DWU

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki is the Associate Director of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation. He has spent the last 12 years as Dean of Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah, a post-secondary academy of higher Torah learning. He is a widely respected in the world of Jewish.

Wolicki sees education as an innovator. He is known for his engaging, enthusiastic, and interactive teaching style.

The events at DWU on March 15-16, 2017, will include Youth Night, a 2017 Stark Lecture, and a pastor’s conference. Click here for full details.