We are so very excited about the feedback we received from our 2017 Leadership Summit. Dr. Preston Sprinkle was an out-of-the-park home run. His teaching on how the church should minister to the LGBTQ community was full of grace and truth. Please take a look at our web site for pictures of the event.
We want to buy your treasurer a cup of coffee!
The local church treasurer serves the Lord with their gifts and talents behind the scenes and we want to say thank you. To help your church's treasurer with their responsibilities, Sally Trager, TRC's Finance Manager and Deb Baggett, Conference Administrator, are hosting a conference call for all the local church Treasurers Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 7pm (Mountain Time). This is a great way to hear first hand about the budgeting process, as well as, the upcoming changes to apportionments and pension. This call will last only 30 minutes, but it is important information that every church within The River Conference must be aware of. Please make sure your treasure participates. All treasurers who participate will receive a Starbucks gift card.
Building Healthy Churches that Plant Healthy Churches
By Ted Haggard
The church planting office of The River Conference is launching a series of small, intimate local church leaders' meetings in the mountains of Colorado focused on how to Build Healthy Churches That are Able to Plant Healthy Churches. The first of these meetings will begin on Monday, September 11th at 2:00 pm and will conclude the following day, Tuesday, September 12th, at 2:00 pm. Cost is $100 per person.
We will be meeting in a mountain lodge made available to us for this purpose, Mountain Vista Lodge, 385 Darby Drive, Silverthorne, CO 80498. Since the meetings begin at 2:00 Monday afternoon, those of you who attend will have time to fly in on Sunday night or Monday morning and then make the two-hour drive from the Denver Airport (DIA) to the lodge. You may then catch a Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning flight home if you'd like. Or you may choose to stay in the area and enjoy one of the many Colorado mountain adventures. I'll have my ATVs there to take those who want to stay afterward ATVing in the mountains. Also, within a 30-minute drive of our location are multiple ski resorts and mountain communities with a variety of recreational activities, which include hiking, white water rafting, rock climbing, and camping. Some of you might want to meet up with your families and enjoy a family vacation after the conference.
All pastors and spouses of pastors are encouraged to attend; as well as board members, associate pastors, and other leaders of local churches. My wife, Gayle, and I will host the meetings, and I will be the primary speaker. However, once I see the list of those registered, I may ask some of those attending to share from their expertise on building growing, healthy churches that can multiply. We are targeting a maximum attendance of 12 to 20 per conference in order to allow for discussion. And we will emphasize comments made by those who are successful practitioners with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of everyone present. Our goal is that all knowledge shared will be applicable to the fulfillment of your calling.
Please check your calendar and attend if possible. To register, call me at (719) 338-0079. You may pay the registration fee when you arrive. Your registration fee includes your notebook, dinner, breakfast, lunch, and a place to sleep.
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM
Pastor Dave McGarrah
February 13-22, 2018
An exciting trip to Israel is being planned for all who are interested in traveling to the land that is closest to God's heart. This is a special trip for the pastors, leaders, and spouses of The River Conference. CLICK HERE and it will take you to the web site where you can get all the details, register, and make your deposit to secure your place on this bucket list trip. This is a spectacular value. Similar trips to Israel can cost over $4,000 per person. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY.
Special Offer
The River Conference is offering the following discounts i
f you register and put a $300 deposit down:
Deadline
Per Person Discount
August 31, 2017
$300
November 1, 2017
$100
The $300 deposit will hold your seat and you can cover the balance over the next number of months. I, along with Superintendent Jeffery, are looking forward to traveling with you.
As the Jewish people say, "Next year in Jerusalem!"
OC Joseph Baggett (left) & Lt. Col. Anthony Randall (right)
CHAPLAINS
Over 15 years ago, Anthony Randall, came into the lives of the people of Lakewood, Colorado's Light and Life Community Church (now River Church). This young man, who was already accomplished in the military, was studying to become a Chaplain for the Army. Through some connections with then Pastor Dennis Jeffery, Anthony became their Administrative Pastor while finishing his MDiv from Denver Seminary. He blessed the church greatly with his leadership and ministry.
Fast forward to 2017. Joseph Baggett is in Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Joseph attended Light and Life during the time Anthony was there. Joseph and Anthony are pictured above - both serving our country - both stationed at Fort Benning - both keeping Jesus first and foremost.
Anthony teaches the ethics class for the Officer Candidates. He is an ordained Elder with TRC and a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. What a blessing it is to have such strong Christian leadership mentoring young leaders like Joseph.
We are rejoicing in the good that God is doing through our Free Methodist Chaplains! Our 150 Free Methodist Chaplains serve in 33 states, plus Italy, Africa, Great Brittan, England, Madagascar, and the Middle East. We influence and minister to over 70,000 patients, prisoners, motorcycle riders, students, faculty, hospice clients, fire and police officers, Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force personnel, veterans, and their respective family members: listening, helping, sharing, coaching, leading to the Savior ... with the result that Jesus
may say to us: "I was in trouble, and you visited me!"
The TRC Board of Directors approved a motion by the TRC Finance Team to raise the required apportionment percentage. Last year, TRC had the lowest apportionment in the denomination. That rate has been assessed by TRC's Board and Finance Team as fiscally unsustainable for a healthy conference. Beginning in
January 2018 the apportionment will be 9%. Beginning in
January 2019 it will be 10%. 10% is the average conference apportionment in FMC-USA.
YTD RIVER CONFERENCE WORLD MISSIONS GIVING
$46,921.22
...
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
Thank you River Conference for your faithfulness to Mobilizing Leaders in The Free Methodist Church.
Dr. Jeff Baxter, pastor of TRC's River Church in Lakewood, Colorado has a new book coming out in September 2017.
From Broken to Beautiful
What Repairing Streams Has Taught Me About Healing the Church
"The church in Galatia turned to a false gospel. The church in Ephesus abandoned its first love. The church in Corinth was known for its jealousy and quarreling. The church never has been and never will be perfect. Nonetheless, the church is God's means of grace to an all-too-often graceless world. Dr. Jeff Baxter has experienced the church in its grace and as a disgrace. He has lived with its pains and pleasures. While he has found the institution of the church to be battered and broken, he takes solace in the church as the beautiful bride of Christ. In From Broken to Beautiful, Baxter pulls back the bride's veil, exposing the warts and blemishes that we all know she has, not to shame her, but to help us love her for who she is, not what we imagine her to be only in our dreams."
Dr. Kyle Greenwood, Old Testament Faculty, Colorado Christian University
Did you know that behind each weekly email you receive, there is an extensive resource library of many more articles, calculators and planning tools? Please click here to check out our new gift planning website:
fmfgiftplan.org. Visit our website to learn more about how you can leave a legacy of Stewardship Well Done through planned giving.
Beyond 4: Leading Your Church Toward Level 5 Multiplication
This new book includes a wealth of insight for what it takes to travel the 4 to 4+ multiplication pathway. Tim Hawks and Larry Walkemeyer vividly share their stories of climbing beyond the basecamp of Level 4 toward the summit of Level 5 multiplication. In addition to their inspiring experiences, they bring us the practical lessons they've learned along the way.
Both leaders have been instrumental in developing the Becoming Five framework and identifying the multiplication pathways we detailed in Dream Big, Plan Smart. Our prayer is that you'll learn from Tim and Larry and be inspired to climb higher beyond Level 4. This new book is a great place to start.
Ministry is a marathon: it's not how you start in ministry; it's how you finish.
If you look at 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Paul gives seven suggestions for finishing the race:
Remember God's mercy (v. 1): God has given us our ministries. We don't have to prove our worth through our ministry, and we don't have to wallow in our mistakes. You don't have to earn your place as a pastor or leader in the church.
TRC has a file of potential candidates for open pastoral positions within your church. These individuals have sent their resumes looking for positions within our conference churches. If you are looking for someone, please contact the office (admin@theriverconference.org) or 720-305-1529. We will forward what we have for you to look at to see if they are a fit. Please note that we have not vetted these individuals, we are simply offering our "stash" of resume's to you for your consideration.
COMING EVENTS - TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES - INFORMATION
We have been at the forefront of support for women clergy for the last twenty-five years providing encouragement, resources, networking and mentoring opportunities. Our bi-annual conference is a place where women in ministry and women students preparing for ministry can come together to support each other and hear women preachers and leaders from holiness denominations all over the country. The Free Methodist church is one of the founding denominational members of the WHWC and has continued as a vital partner to ensure support, encouragement and training for its women serving in ministry.
Details
Super Early Registration (through 11/15) $265 (Regular), $240 (Student)
Freedom Sunday is coming soon! Believe it or not, September 24 will be here before you know it, and we want you to be prepared. If you're looking for a little inspiration as you plan your service, check out these resources on our
Freedom Sunday Website!
A sermon resource kit to help craft a Freedom Sunday sermon-everything from a sample sermon script to scriptures, stories, a call to action and PowerPoint slides
Sunday School materials and children's sermons
Small group discussion questions
Social media graphics and digital poster designs to promote Freedom Sunday in the coming months
Please use any or all of these free resources as you plan for and share about Freedom Sunday at your church!
Until All Are Free-Your friends at IJM
The 3rd National Prayer Summit
February 22-24, 2018 - Spring Arbor FMC
Theme: Prayer and Community Transformation
Registration for the 3rd National Prayer Summit opens October 1. Begin making plans now to come and bring a team from your church. Based on the overwhelming positive response to the first two summits, we are anticipating about 500 registrants!
IMMIGRANT RESOURCES
Four Free Methodist Churches are now operating immigration legal clinics. At least one other is in the process of getting certified. While it is not getting any easier for an undocumented immigrant to gain legal status in the United States, it is certainly more important to do so, and many are desperate. As a result, our immigration legal clinics are keeping busy - helping "the stranger" - and building relationships to grow the kingdom.
Some of you minister to immigrants and may find the information below helpful.
