New Director of Camp & Retreat Ministry

Rev. Kevin Witt

Rev. Dr. Tom Salsgiver, Director of Connectional Ministries, is very pleased to announce that Rev. Kevin Witt has been chosen as the Director of Camp & Retreat and Discipleship Ministries for the Susquehanna Conference.

For more than 20 years Witt has been on staff with Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church (formerly General Board of Discipleship) as the Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries. Witt’s ministry includes consultation, training, networking, and strengthening the missional effectiveness of staff, volunteers, and boards who lead camping and retreat ministries throughout the United Methodist Church.

Witt has written numerous articles as well as co-authoring two books, Twists of Faith: Ministry with Youth at the Turning Points of Their Lives, and The Retreat Leader’s Manual. Witt also helped to develop the United Methodist Camp and Retreat Certification program in collaboration with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Witt serves as part of the faculty for this certification.

In addition to his responsibilities with camping , Witt, along with the other Discipleship Ministries staff, has been developing resources for leadership development and ways to encourage and equip transformational spiritual leaders. The focus of Discipleship Ministries is to connect local church, district, and conference leaders with needed resourcing, training, consulting, and networking that support spiritual formation, new church development, revitalization of local churches, and equip world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ.

As part of the re-organization of staffing in the Susquehanna Conference Connectional Ministries, this position will, for now, include camping and discipleship ministries. As the conference leadership continues to realign all our resources to accomplish our three main goals of growing effective leaders, equipping local congregations, and connecting to the world, this position will change.

With Witt’s gifts and past ministries strongly connected to leadership development, Witt will work collaboratively to develop ways to strengthen and nurture leaders in our local churches and throughout our conference.

Prior to working at Discipleship Ministries, Witt was associate director in the Oregon-Idaho Conference. In addition, Witt has served as a manager of a United Methodsit Camp and as pastor.

Witt is an ordained elder, with his membership in the Oregon-Idaho Conference. Witt will, for now, be on loan to the Susquehanna Conference, and his appointment will be extension ministries.

Witt earned a Master of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, and a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W.Va.

Witt will officially begin his ministry with the Susquehanna Conference January 1, 2018.

Top four worst, and best, ways to help after a disaster

A street in Everglades City, Fla., is lined with debris following damage to homes from Hurricane Irma. Photo by Kathleen Barry, UMNS. 

By Susan Kim (UMCOR)

When disaster strikes, often we see heart-wrenching images on television. People have lost everything. Their homes are swept away or lie in a tangled heap. Their belongings are ruined.

We immediately want to help – a good intention that stems from compassion for our fellow human beings. However, be certain to couple your compassion with good judgment on the best ways to help disaster survivors.

Here are the top four most common pitfalls into which helpers fall after a disaster – and what they should do instead.

Resist the urge to jump from your couch and drive to the disaster site. 

When Hurricane Sandy struck the mid-Atlantic in 2012, scores of people decided to drive to New Jersey, New York and other affected areas. The result? Clogged interstates, a worsening gasoline shortage, and volunteers arriving in droves and diverting the attention of emergency personnel. What to do instead? When you watch or read the breaking news about a disaster, respond immediately – with prayer or a cash donation [such as through UMCOR.org].

Don’t give the shirt off your back 

Did you know that donations of used clothing are commonly called “the second disaster?” When clothing piles up at a disaster scene, it must be stored, hauled away, or sorted by volunteers who could better use their time helping disaster survivors. Instead, cash donations help disaster survivors purchase needed items from local businesses, which boost an economy weakened by disaster.

Don’t believe that recovery takes only a few days 

Well-intentioned donors often give money or relief-supply kits only while a disaster is prominent in the news headlines. In fact, for a major disaster, recovery can take years. If donations dry up after a week or two, responders no longer have the resources to help disaster survivors. Those survivors feel forgotten, and their recovery doesn’t progress.

Don’t forget your own disaster preparation and training. 

If you want to respond in a safe, helpful way, seek disaster-response training and learn how to prepare yourself so you can respond should the need arise. Preparing can be as simple as forming a plan with your neighbor, or as involved as becoming a specialized responder who serves on a United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Early Response Team.

The next time disaster strikes, put your compassion into action through prayer, cash donations, relief-supply kits, training and volunteering. You will help disaster survivors around the world.

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UMCOR Responds to Current Disasters Around the World

In the wake of recent disasters in the United States and abroad, the United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) is working to fulfill unmet food, clean water, temporary shelter, hygiene supplies, and non-food item needs. UMCOR’s work starts when search and rescue operations for survivors is over. We accompany communities in their long-term recovery. UMCOR works with Conference Disaster Response Coordinators (CDRC) to assess needs and to design and implement disaster response activities.

Recent disasters that UMCOR is responding to include: Hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, US Virgin Islands and the Caribbean; mudslides in Sierra Leone; earthquakes in Mexico; and wildfires on the West Coast.

Help through UMCOR

When you make a financial donation to UMCOR, you can be assured that every dollar will go to the program you specify. UMCOR can guarantee this because all of our administrative costs are covered by the UMCOR Sunday offering and other undesignated gifts. Volunteering or sending relief supplies to one of our supply depots are two more ways you can be a sign of hope for others. Your prayer support is vital to all that UMCOR does.

Visit www.umcor.org for more information and to donate, or you designate your church offering to:
United States Disaster Response Advance #901670 - Support UMCOR’s response to disasters in the US.
International Disaster Response Advance #982450 - Support quick response to meet emergency needs around the world.
Material Resources Advance #901440 - Enhance the purchase of emergency response and disaster relief supplies.

Note: There are many other advance projects to choose from at www.umcor.org

Hearts Strangely Warmed: Joshua Wargo

“While the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” 

— John Wesley, May 24, 1738

God calls us to tell our story so that others may come to know Jesus Christ. “Hearts Strangely Warmed” was created to share these stories about transformational encounters with the Living God.

Pastor Joshua Wargo

Joshua was invited to share his testimony as part of the altar call at the end of the Service of Commissioning and Ordination at the 2017 Susquehanna Annual Conference, in which he was commissioned as a provisional elder.

I’d like to begin by saying that I didn’t grow up in the type of family where we went to church together. I didn’t grow up in the type of family where we sat down and prayed together, and we most certainly did not love and serve God together, but I always believed in Jesus Christ. However, I was not a disciple of Jesus Christ and I truly believe there is a difference.

I went through a period in my life where I was living in rebellion and rejection to God’s holiness. I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, making poor decisions, and I even dropped out of high school. But even in the midst of all of that brokenness, even among all of that mess, God called me.

My call is very similar to Samuel’s story, because God called me multiple times, but I just kept on saying ‘no.’ I kept on making excuses. I thought that I knew better than God and I tried to run away from him.

1 Samuel 3:7 says, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord and the Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” 

You see, when God first called me I did not yet know God. So when I was 19 I went through this powerful born-again experience. I asked Jesus into my heart and I became a follower of him. I got involved in my local church, Dorranceton United Methodist Church in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and started to get involved there. I got involved in prison ministry through Exodus Prison Ministry in Scranton, with the late Rev. Charles Otto. I also began working in a homeless shelter because I felt called to serve the least and the lost, the people who felt rejected by churches and society, and the people who thought that their sins were just too great to be forgiven. 

My home church had a retreat in 2010 up at Sky Lake, in the former Wyoming Conference, and I got this crazy idea. My crazy idea was to go and take a walk in the woods, and pray and meditate and talk to God. It was on that walk where I heard that same soft and subtle voice calling me into ordained ministry. 

But I thought that I was too young. I thought I didn’t know the Bible well enough. I thought I didn’t come from the right type of family — yet I had this life-changing experience on this retreat. 

I went back to my friends and said, “Hey, I’m gonna go and be a pastor!” and people laughed in my face. People said, “Wait, wait, you? You’re going to be a pastor? The person who did this and that …” Some people didn’t want to be my friend any more. 

But if you’re [reading this] and maybe you have those same fears or doubts or insecurities, my suggestion to you is, don’t listen to them. We all have those fears, but we need to not look at our fears, we need to look at the promises of God’s Word. We need to look at God’s promise of faithfulness and forgiveness, and the life, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus. Nobody said following Jesus was going to be easy. And nobody said responding to God’s call to ministry was going to be easy. But it’s worth it. It wasn’t easy walking away from my home town, or walking away from my family or my job, or stepping out of my comfort zone, but God’s Holy Spirit was there every step of the way. 

If I, someone with so much brokenness and someone with a past, could respond to God’s call, I hope that is a sign that anybody can respond to God’s call. I didn’t grow up going to Sunday school. I wasn’t confirmed in the United Methodist Church. I am simply a sinner who was saved by God’s grace, who has a desire and a willingness to be obedient and serve the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

New Executive Director of Loans

Lauren Hokamp

Susquehanna Conference is pleased to announce Ms. Lauren Hokamp has joined the Loan Fund as executive director reporting to the conference treasurer, with oversight by the Conference Loan Committee and paid for by the Loan Fund.

The desire is to improve their processes, enhance their policies, and develop standards which will improve their service to their borrowers (churches), as well as mitigate the risks to both their investors as well as the conference itself.

Prior to joining the conference, Ms. Hokamp practiced as an attorney in law firms in the Harrisburg area focusing on business and corporate law, commercial and general civil litigation, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and securities offerings and compliance.

Hokamp graduated from Penn State Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pa., after obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in finance with a minor in Business Law from Penn State.

While in school, she interned with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Enforcement; the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Office of Chief Counsel; and the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, Office of the Treasurer.

Hokamp is a resident of Silver Spring Township in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Brian, their son Willis, and their dog Rea.

From where I sit: A most interesting day

By Rev. Dr. Tom Salsgiver
Director of Connectional Ministries

I’m writing this article after a most interesting day. The day was interesting because it gave me a glimpse into exactly what Dr. Willis Johnson talked about. Dr. Johnson was the leader for the Clergy Day Apart on September 11-12.

Dr. Johnson is a United Methodist pastor serving in Ferguson, Mo. He serves a predominately African American, intergenerational UM church plant. He also was the pastor in Ferguson in August 2014 when Michael J. Brown was shot. His ministry in those turbulent times helped Dr. Johnson to write a very important book, “Holding Up Your Corner: Talking about Race in Your Community.”

Willis spent the day Monday and Tuesday talking with pastors about how do we hold up our corner as we talk about race and confront the racism that exists in our churches and in our communities.

Willis was prophetic, was pastoral, and shared from his heart. And he pushed us to think about our communities.

I had to leave the event early because I had an appointment with an ophthalmologist who specializes in glaucoma. Yep, I’m now one of the thousands of people who must be treated for glaucoma – but that’s not really the interesting part of the day.

When I arrived for my appointment, I waited to be checked in. The woman at the registration desk was talking on the phone, speaking Spanish. When she was finished, she greeted me and checked me in. If I would have guessed, English was not her native language.

I was escorted to another waiting room, and when it was time to be seen, an African-American woman took me into the exam room and did my eye test and checked my pressure. She led me to another waiting room until the technician could give me my field of vision test.

While sitting in the waiting room, a man and woman were speaking to each other. They were not speaking English. In another part of the room was a little girl in a wheel chair, with oxygen to breath. Her caregiver was speaking quietly and comforting her.

Next to her there was a little girl using sign language to talk with her caregiver.
When it was time for my test, the technician was not Caucasian, and he had a heavy accent. As he explained the test, he took care to make sure that I knew how to work the machine and when to press the button, etc.

Here is the interesting part. I spent the morning with other colleagues talking about racism. The doctor’s office, employees, and waiting room was very multi-cultural, with different languages being heard. This office wasn’t in a big city – it was in central Pa.

How often have we said, “Oh, we only have people like us in our communities?” The reality is that in some places that may be true, but in the majority of our annual conference we are not all Caucasian.

We think our communities look just like our congregations,  but in reality that isn’t really true. We think that just because there are no children, youth, and young people in our churches, they aren’t in our communities.

Just because there are no persons of differing ethnic and racial backgrounds than us in our congregations, they must not be in our community.

The reality is that is not true.

My interesting day proved that, at least in the doctor’s office, we are a diverse community.

The work that we are called to do is to change the make-up of our congregation so that we reflect our community. That’s what Willis Johnson talked about. That is what each of us must be about – changing the culture and the color of our churches so we look and sound like an Acts 2 church with different hues and different accents.

Blessings. Tom

Growing Effective Churches

By Kay Kotan
Director of Congregational Development

As 2017 is nearing its close, are you prepared for 2018? Fall is the typical time to plan for the upcoming year. Has your church planned for how it will be effective in discipling people who disciple others in 2018? What is your strategic, intentional plan?

We all have the best of intentions for the new year. We hope and pray for the best. Yet without intentional planning, we may very well wake up a year from now and regretfully not be in the place we had hope to be.

There are five important elements to strategic ministry planning: mission, vision, core values, goals, and strategies. Let’s take a quick look at each element.

Mission: Review the very purpose for which the church exists – to make new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. How is the church doing in its alignment and accomplishment? How can the church better align?

Vision: Vision is the unique way your church lives out the mission of disciples discipling others. It is God’s preferred future for your church. Is your church moving toward God’s preferred future? Is the preferred future becoming reality? Is the vision still providing momentum, direction, and energy? If so, great! If not, is it time to re-vision?

Core Values: Whether they have been identified or not, these values exist and guide your church. Naming the core values help leaders know the boundaries of their decision making. Are the stated core values still a correct reflection of the church’s DNA or do they need to be evaluated?

Goals: What are the three to five things your church will focus on in the upcoming year to allow the vision to become reality to make disciples within the boundaries of your core values? Make sure the stated goals are S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and, time-based).

Objectives or strategies: This is where the rubber hits the proverbial road. Ministries are planned based on the goals to live into the vision to accomplish the mission within the boundaries of the core values. Objectives are set by the ministry teams (not the council/board). Budgets are then aligned to the objectives.

The best format for strategic ministry planning is typically the pastor and council/board to go away into a retreat setting. The atypical location and a break from the routine agenda allows for creativity and concentration for this important work.

Every year it is essential for a church to not only intentionally plan, but to also evaluate the current year ending. How did the church do at accomplishing the goals? What is working? What needs to be tweaked? What is to be celebrated? How does what we accomplished this year speak to how we intentionally and strategically plan for next year?

While some dread the idea of planning, the power of being intentional and strategic to align all we do and how we use our resources in our mission is not only essential, but faithful to who God calls us to be as the church! So … what is your strategic ministry plan for 2018?

Behind the Scenes: Who’s in control?

By Shawn Gilgore
Director of Communications Ministry

There’s something about the fall weather. Maybe it’s the drizzle, falling slowly and heavily outside the window. Maybe it’s that unmistakable feeling: “Ahh, it’s finally getting cooler.” And yet, maybe it’s knowing something. Knowing that things change all around us, even as we don’t fully realize it.

For me, God has always worked like this. It’s very rare that I have points in my life that I can look back at and say, “Yes, this was a huge monumental shift for me and my relationship with God.” He was always there, nudging, moving, changing me and my relationship with Him slowly; almost without my knowledge.

He was instrumental in all the decisions of my life, even when I thought I was the one in control. And I still wrestle with that: I want to be in control, I want to go ‘this way.’ But it’s never been my plan for my life. He’s always had His hand on every moment.

Photo by Linda Gilgore

Young People's Ministry

New Young People’s Ministry Council Members

In early August, the members of the Young People’s Ministry Council reviewed applications submitted from youth around the Susquehanna Conference to be part of this leadership team. After prayer and discussion, the council approved all applicants to become new student members of the Young People’s Ministry Council.

We added to our team Hayden, a 12th grader from the Altoona District, who has been attending and serving with us at Annual Conference for several years. We are excited that he has now become an official member of the team. Melissa, an 11th grader from the Williamsport District, has also been attending Annual Conference with us for the last two years. She brings a great attitude of service and behind the scenes leadership. Last, but not least, we bring in some young talent in Lydia, an 8th grader from the Harrisburg District. Lydia has had leadership experience in her local church but is looking to expand her leadership skills and opportunities. We are honored to be a part of her growth as a Christian leader.

Remaining on the team for the upcoming year are Lyndsey, Julia, Jacob, and Alex, our other senior, from the Harrisburg District, Hannah and Julia from the Lewisburg District, Robbie from the Altoona District, and Morgan from the State College District.

The council also consists of ten adults from around the conference serving in a variety of capacities to support these young people in their leadership. The ministries of our students would not be possible without the many hours of support and service these adults provide. Please pray for our students as they continue to explore their faith and the way God is calling them to lead the conference in youth ministry over the coming months.

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Recalculating

If you have ever missed a turn or ended up on Maple STREET instead of Maple AVENUE, then you know how frustrating it can be to be lost. Without proper directions or clear road signs it can be easy to end up somewhere you don’t want to be. This is also certainly true for our spiritual journey, as well as any road trip we might take. Last year the Young People’s Ministry Council came alongside the teens of our conference to talk about how we don’t struggle alone, where God is when we struggle, and how we can depend on God even in the midst of our worst days. We continue this journey of faith with our young disciples, focusing this year on finding the way. At the, “Recalculating” Youth Rallies, we will encourage students to “Think for yourself. Explore your path. Grow your faith,” through worship, group activities, small group discussion, and a mission project.

The YPMC held the first of four youth rallies Sunday, October 22, at Good Shepherd UMC in Tyrone.

Registration is open for the remaining three event dates and locations, as listed below. We hope that your church will join the ride with us and our teens on this faith journey.

January 7, 2018 (snow date January 14)
Shepherdstown UMC
1934 S. York St., Mechanicsburg
Registration deadline - January 2

February 11, 2018 (snow date February 18)
Shavertown UMC, 163 N. Pioneer Ave., Shavertown
Registration deadline - January 31

April 8, 2018 
Watsontown UMC
1319 8th Street Dr., Watsontown
Registration deadline - March 28

http://igniteyoungpeople.org/index.php/events/recalculating

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Young People’s Ministry Summer Mission Experience 

Over the past few years the Young People’s Ministry has been encouraging teens in our conference to be in mission with one another. We have held mission days, as well as offered many of our churches grants for mission trips. We are hoping to take another step in the mission direction by offering a small mission trip to Henderson Settlement June 24-30, 2018. 

Our goal for the trip is to create an experience where teens will be highly involved in the planning and leadership, training them to be able to co-lead trips for their own congregations. Those going on the trip will be asked to lead in many ways throughout our time together. 

We are not trying to provide a mission trip for youth groups to attend, but are creating an opportunity for teens from smaller congregations, teens with a passion for mission, or teens craving leadership training a chance to shape their mission experience. If you are interested in a mission trip for your youth group, please contact Curt Knouse, our VIM director, and he will happily help you find a place to serve. 

Please keep this mission experience in mind as you are working with your students this school year. If you had a youth that was highly impacted by a trip this summer, encourage him/her to join us. If you won’t have enough youth for a full trip next summer, join our group. We hope this will be a great learning experience for everyone involved. 

Applications can be found on our Web site, igniteyoungpeople.org, and must be completed by January 2, 2018. 

Dates: Sunday, June 24, 2018 - Saturday, June 30, 2018. Application deadline: January 2, 2018.

Cost: Students $375; Adults $150 (Includes travel, lodging, meals (on site), fellowship activity).

Available spaces: 20 youth, 7 adults.

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Volunteers in Mission and Young People’s Ministry International Mission Trip

The Susquehanna Conference Volunteers in Mission and Young People’s Ministry are partnering together to sponsor a ten-day trip to Central America for young adults interested in serving God. The 15 person team is open to any young adult between the ages of 18-30.

This international trip will be going to Costa Rica. We will be based out of the Methodist Rural Farm outside Quesada, a town north of San Jose, Costa Rica. The team’s primary work will be construction; however, no previous construction experience is required. Our service with others while in the country is not the only goal of the trip. We are hoping that this trip will encourage our young adults to become trained VIM team leaders and begin co-leading their own trips in future years.

Applications are due by January 2, 2018. and can be found at igniteyoungpeople.org. The total cost of the trip is $1,650, which includes airfare, lodging, meals, and transportation in country. A valid passport and proper vaccinations will be necessary to attend.

For more information, questions, or to get an application, email Curt Knouse, Director VIM, at cknouse@susumc.org.