John Louk

I am home from Annual Conference. This year we heard the preaching and teaching of Mike Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburg (United Methodist) Church. Mike and his staff have had a big influence on me over the years. I invite you to watch the video of Mike's teaching session at Annual Conference. He speaks about the mission project "Christmas Is Not Your Birthday," the one leadership board of twelve people, the DNA of a missional movement and more. In this second video, Mike speaks directly to the lay people of the United Methodist Church in Iowa.

We have taken the first step necessary for Salem's future construction, establishing a Study Committee. Anna Dunnwald, Kristy Flack, Dave Jandik, Dan Whitaker, Kathy Wickham, and I are working together to meet the requirements of The Book of Discipline (2008). ¶2543  Planning and Financing Requirements for Local Church Buildings mandates a Study Committee to analyze the needs of the church and community; project the potential membership with average attendance; write up the church’s program of ministry; and develop an accessibility plan. After the Study Committee finishes its work, it presents its report to the Charge Conference in order to authorize the building project and elect a Building Committee.   In order to accomplish our task, we are using a congregational study from the book Direct Hit: Aiming Real Leaders at the Mission Field by Paul D. Borden [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006] p. 127ff. This detailed study examines Salem’s history, demographics, comm...

Annual Conference, the yearly gathering of Iowa United Methodists, occurs June 4-7 in Des Moines. This year, Momodu Kamara is representing Salem along with me, and Rev. Dave and Dorothy Higdon are members of the Annual Conference too. You can keep up with what is happening at Annual Conference by checking out www.iaumc.org/annualsession . There you will see news items, announcements, photos, videos, a link to a live stream so you can watch video of what is happening live, and a twitter feed. Momodu is preaching on the Sunday following Annual Conference and will give a report to the congregation.

Check out this article : "Why a Baptist Pastor Became a United Methodist." It highlights some interesting things about us United Methodists. What do you think?

I like this video. It's actually an advertisement, but it makes me think about how we might be creative with our words as witnesses of Jesus Christ.

We have talked and prayed about how we will move forward in our new location. Generally, that conversation has been about what we need to build now that we are settling in our new location and we have received the voluntary buyout money. The impetus for building has been furthered by the lack of space we have experienced. We have received positive response to what we have done with the space so far. Still, we are all aware that we have a small amount of space for gathering (traditionally, the “narthex” or entrance/lobby area) and fellowship (our small fellowship room has been a tight squeeze). Furthermore, at times we have not had enough room in the sanctuary. We packed more than 230 people in one service at our Westside 6 gathering for Ash Wednesday. Likewise, we just had over 300 people in two services on Easter Sunday. How amazing! Dealing with a lack of space can be frustrating, but it is also exciting. Many congregations, who have been where we are and go on to build, report fond ...