Team Wisconsin Update 12-11-07

Superior was a superior place to be for several reasons. It was definitely colder than about any other place around last weekend (par for the course for them). It has a church named Darrow Rd. that is extremely generous and supportive of missions, Nicaragua and church planting. It has a great pastoral team in Mark Holmes and Chris Javner at that church. Darrow Rd. mothered a church on the north side of Superior and continues to bless the new congregation there. The congregation continues to find ways to expand the kingdom both locally, in Wisconsin and globally. It was a good Sunday in Advent with Pastor Mark and Jenny and Pastor Chris and Kathy and their families. Pastor Mark and Jenny are grandparents. Their son Amos and his wife had a baby girl – Gabriela – born just a little over a week ago. Congratulations to the Holmes family! After church I had the privilege of sharing a meal with both families together and we had a great time. Pastor Mark is originally from Pennsylvania and Chris Javner’s son Christopher is a die-hard New England fan, so we had Steeler/Patriot “talk” flying around during lunch.

Nicaragua January Pastors’ Training Scholarships Needed!!!

The annual Nicaragua Pastor’s training seminar in January is coming soon and we need scholarships for this event again this year. Please encourage your church or individuals to sponsor a pastor or key lay leader. The cost is $300 per student. Please send your donations by January 7th to the partnership treasurer: Irene Tripp, E 15912 State Hwy. 33, P.O. Box 388, Hillsboro, WI 54634. Thank you for your investment in helping build the leadership in Nicaragua. Note: Every dollar goes to a Nicaraguan pastor or lay leader for their training. All team members provide for their own support.

Connections

In recent days I’ve had the privilege of having dialogues with Pastors Gerry, Stevan, Scott, Jason, and Doug. I also has the privilege of meeting with Karen Scheel, a Christian counselor, who is looking at entering the process for ordination in the Wesleyan Church. Last week we also had a good Nicaragua Partnership meeting. A great team is assembled for the pastors’ training in January and another excellent medical team is preparing for the February trip to Nicaragua. The south central LDJ also met last week, led by Matt Ohime from Eau Claire. Some really good stuff continues to happen through the pastors’ small groups that meet throughout the state on a regular basis.

Prayer

Keep praying for Sand Lake and Janesville as they are searching for their next pastor and leader. Remember Gary Maness and Richard Concklin as they serve as interim pastors.

Remember to pray for the SetApart07 Youth Convention coming up the end of this month. Pray for the thousands of youth and adult sponsors as they raise the final money, as they travel and that God would call hundreds of missionaries to North America and other countries. Pray for our own Wisconsin teens and adults as they prepare and travel to the convention over the holidays. Pray that hundreds would make life-changing commitments to complete surrender to live by the will and moral standards of God.

Pray for the churches and the outreach events during Advent. Pray that people whose hearts are open during this time of year will hear the real message of Christmas – God’s love expressed through His Son, Jesus.

December 11……………………... Dialogues

December 13……………………... Hayward Bd & Dialogues

December 14……………………….Dialogues

December 16……………………... Hales Corners

December 18……………………... Dialogues

December 23……………………... Drop in visit

December 27-31…………………. SetApart 07

December 27-January 2………….Vacation

Team Wisconsin Update 12-07-07

This was a week of two firsts!

Last Sunday was the first time I was not able to make it to the local church destination in over six years. The roads were icy and hazardous and it was not advisable to travel in the central part of the state because of the combination of snow, sleet, and ice on the roadways. So, Baker Street got a reprieve and Reenie and I dug out enough to make it to Lakeshore. As many of you know, Lakeshore, since its beginning, has set up church somewhere. This Sunday morning the truck was stuck, so they did “unplugged” church. Pastor David Treloar is doing a series of messages through Advent, looking at Christmas through the eyes of different people in the story. This week’s was through the eyes of a man, particularly Joseph’s. The message ended up at “grace”. Joseph showed an incredible amount of grace to Mary by accepting her and sharing the shame the community must have had for a woman who was pregnant and not married. It was also an unexpected opportunity to connect with a man and his family who are looking at joining the Wesleyan church and pursuing the call to ministry. They are looking to join Lakeshore and become part of the team.

The second “first” was on Wednesday. Richard Concklin and I were headed to Eau Claire early to meet with the Nicaragua Partnership committee at 10 AM. We got there around 11:15 AM. Again, in the more than six years and almost 300,000 miles, this is the first time I have encountered a significant traffic issue that delayed me from arriving significantly late to a meeting.

I feel so fortunate in so many ways to have had the opportunity to work with wonderful pastors and churches, people who are passionate and committed to the cause. I feel so blessed to have had the protection and care of the Lord in the travels. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity of traveling to many different places and work with colleagues all over the United States and Canada in helping to build the kingdom. I am so blessed to have a wife that understands and blesses me with her supportive attitude and spirit every day. I am so blessed to have a team of leaders in Wisconsin who care about what we’re trying to do and are joining in the work.

Nicaragua Scholarships Needed!!!

The annual Nicaragua Pastor’s training seminar in January is coming soon and we need scholarships for this event again this year. Please encourage your church or individuals to sponsor a pastor or key lay leader. The cost is $300 per student. Please send your donations by January 7th to the partnership treasurer: Irene Tripp, E 15912 State Hwy. 33, P.O. Box 388, Hillsboro, WI 54634. Thank you for your investment in helping build the leadership in Nicaragua.

Prayer

Praise – Shelley Berry, wife of District Superintendent Dan Berry, who has been in a coma for almost three months now, is beginning to show very positive signs of response and cognitive thinking. They are very encouraged that she is beginning to wake up.

Continue to pray for Sand Lake and Janesville as they are searching for their next pastor and leader. Remember Gary Maness and Richard Concklin as they serve as interim pastors.

Remember to pray for the SetApart07 Youth Convention coming up the end of this month. Pray for the thousands of youth and adult sponsors as they raise the final money, as they travel and that God would call hundreds of missionaries to North America and other countries. Pray that hundreds would make life-changing commitments to complete surrender to live by the will and moral standards of God.

Pray for the churches and the outreach events during Advent. Pray that people whose hearts are open during this time of year will hear the real message of Christmas – God’s love expressed through His Son, Jesus.

Calender

December 9……………………... Darrow Rd visit

December 11……………………... Dialogues

December 13……………………... Hayward Bd and dialogues

December 14..........................Dialogues

December 16……………………... Hales Corners

December 18……………………... Dialogues

December 23……………………... Drop in visit

December 27-31…………………. SetApart 07

December 27-January 2..........Vacation

Team Wisconsin Update 11-27-07

One is on top of the hill and one is in the valley. The one in the valley is called Valley Wesleyan. Works for me! The one on top of the hill is called Burr Wesleyan, named after what the local population call that area - Burr Ridge. They are both pastored by Alan Tripp. Alan and Irene have served these two churches faithfully for over 25 years now. It was a delight to speak to and worship with both of these congregations last Sunday. The Valley church was originally birthed as a predecessor body to the United Methodist church many years ago, but then joined the Wesleyan church and became a part of the only two-charge circuit in the Wisconsin district. Burr has been in continuous existence for over 150 years and is experiencing a resurgence of fruitful ministry. When I met with the Burr’s board last week I discovered that their missions conference was exclusively focused on the mission field of Wisconsin. Ben and Ingrid Kidder were their ‘missionary’ speakers and they heard the passion and vision for reaching the people that need Christ right here in our state. Burr and Valley may broken some new and exciting ground by seeing Wisconsin and the US as it needs to be seen – a mission field. And, by the way, they went over $2,000 beyond their faith-promise goal. Congratulations to Burr and Valley for reading the missional code and responding to the need for reaching the lost in their local communities, around the world and in the mission field that is Wisconsin.

Pray

· Pray for the two churches – Sand Lake and Janesville – that are searching for a pastor. Pray for interim pastors Gary Maness and Richard Concklin and the boards as they carry on ministry and continue the search for the next leader.

· Pray for all of our developing churches, including church plants in the past 5 years – Safe Harbor in Superior, Northern Lakes in Cumberland, The River in Minong, Iglesia Cristiana Wesleyana in Milwaukee, Transformation City in North Milwaukee, Iglesia Segundo (2nd church) being started in south Milwaukee). Jason, Kevin, Ben, Daniel, Jason and Morillo need our prayers to continue to develop these new congregations.

· Continue to pray for Nicaragua. We are asking for resources to continue the pastoral and lay leadership development. We are also praying for the right location and the resources to purchase property and build a district ministry center. Pray for Mike and Amy Knox and Jim and Julie Eckhardt as they lead the work there in Nicaragua along with District Superintendent Enrique Montenegro.

· Continue to pray for Dan and Shelley Berry. Dan is the South Coastal District Superintendent. They were in a serious accident about ten weeks ago and Shelley is still in a coma. She is beginning to show signs of response but still has not awakened from her coma.

· Pray for effective outreach and ministry for the local churches during this Advent season.

Connections

Last week was Thanksgiving. We had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with Reenie’s side of the family in Indiana. By the end of the day I definitely had my fill of turkey, bread and butter pickles, great grandma’s persimmon pudding, football games, ping pong, Rook, and even the kitchen sink. Wednesday night the kitchen faucet broke and that is not a good thing the night before Thanksgiving. All I can say is that it confirmed to me that I was not called to be a plumber! But, we got it fixed. I also was privileged to do my annual dialogue with Kevin O’Connor and the Northern Lakes board.

Key Dates to Note

Pastors, here are three key dates to make sure you have on your schedule:

· January 27-29 The Getaway (The used-to-be Ministers and Mates retreat) – two days of renewal for healthy leaders

· March 6 Focus Day – a day for pastors to meet with Phil Stevenson for renewing the dream and passion for being missional churches and a missional district

· June 26-27 District Conference – two days of celebrating the progress of fulfilling the vision of building the kingdom and dreaming together for the future

Calendar

November 28.................. Evangelism and Church

Growth Meeting

December 2………………Baker St. visit

December 4……………. Dialogues

Southwest LDJ Dinner

December 5……………. Nicaragua Partnership meeting

December 6……………... LDJ

Pardeeville Board

December 9……………………... Darrow Rd visit

December 11……………………... Dialogues

December 13……………………... Hayward Bd

December 16……………………... Hales Corners

December 18……………………... Dialogues

December 23……………………... Drop in visit

December 27-31…………………. SetApart 07

Team Wisconsin Update 11-20-07

Eric and Miriam and their five children came from Cincinnati, Ohio to a small community in north central Wisconsin just off of Interstate 39 to pastor the Hancock Wesleyan church. Miriam helped lead the worship and one of the boys helped with the video projector. In Wisconsin this is not only the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It is also opening weekend of the nine day gun hunting season for deer, which is also a big deal in the Badger state. In spite of that, there was a good group. Following the service I discovered two tables loaded with boxes of food that were made available to anyone who was there that Sunday. Some people picked up a sack and took it home and others gathered food to give out to others in the community. One of the men of the church has taken this on as a ministry to the congregation and the community. This has been one of the strategies they have used to “give a cup of cold water” to people in need. Hancock is also the congregation that received a donation of a funeral home in town and decided to donate to a Hispanic church group that was starting a ministry there in town. After the service Reenie and I had a great time sharing a meal with the Hambrocks.

Connections

The past couple of days we’ve had the privilege of having Chris and Mary Conrad in our home. Chris came to town to make a visit to Transformation City in Milwaukee and connect with Pastor Jason and Alya. They also took the opportunity to connect with some friends in Madison. Chris and Mary and their two daughters hosted an open house in our home Sunday afternoon so we also had a chance to visit with some Lakeshore folks.

Earlier in the weekend Dave and LaVerne Tippey, friends from Indiana came for a visit. Dave and I grew up in Junior Bible Camp and Youth camp in Indiana and he was the best man in my wedding. LaVerne was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over two years ago and she is moving into the advanced stages of the disease. It was a special visit with good friends. Reenie and I continue to monitor the progress of Dan and Shelley Berry, District Superintendent of the South Coastal District of the Wesleyan church. Dan and Shelley were in a serious accident about 10 weeks ago, seriously injuring both of them. Dan is recovering from his injuries, but Shelley has been in a coma since the accident. These and other events in the lives of our special friends have made Reenie and I remember again how fragile life is and how precious our relationships are with family and friends.

I pray that this will be a wonderful week as you take some time to reflect and remember how thankful we all must be for the love and grace of God in our lives.

Calendar
November 25....... Burr/Valley Visit
November 26....... Northern Lakes LBA Dialogue
November 28....... Evangelism and Church Growth Meeting
December 2………………...Baker St. visit
December 4……………. Dialogues
Southwest LDJ Dinner
December 5……………. Nicaragua Partnership meeting
December 6……………... LDJ
Pardeeville Board
December 9……………………... Darrow Rd visit
December 11……………………... Dialogues
December 13……………………... Hayward Bd
December 16……………………... Hales Corners
December 18……………………... Dialogues
December 23……………………... Drop in visit
December 27-31…………………. SetApart 07

Team Wisconsin Update 11-14-07

So, what’s an O’Connor doing on the frontier of northern Wisconsin? For the past five years, planting a church. Kevin and Carol came to Rice Lake Red Cedar, then led the planting of a daughter church in Cumberland. They began meeting in a community center for a few weeks, then moved to a school building until they were able to purchase a store front property right on the main drag of downtown Cumberland. Since purchasing the property they have continued to build and improve the property for worship, nursery, offices and children’s meeting spaces. When they moved into the school, their ministry enlarged. When they moved into the store front property, their ministry enlarged. When they added a Saturday night service, their ministry enlarged. Reenie and I had a wonderful weekend with Kevin and Carol, their leadership and their congregation. The church is doing well and they are still praying for the opportunity of planting further west when the time is right.

Set Apart 07
Note: Early registration deadline for the convention is November 19. Pastors, any of you who are planning to send youth to Set Apart 07, please let Chopper Brown, our District Youth Director, know.

Transformation City
We appreciate your prayers for Pastor Jason and the TC church. The church was applying for an amendment to the zoning law that would allow them to meet in the cinema in their target area. Jason report that the case was denied, meaning they will need to find another location. Here’s what Jason writes: “By no means is our future tied to this decision and we are confident that God will open new doors and bring about a new situation where we can continue to grow as a church and impact the city around us. What is going on is very exciting, it is God breathed and God centered, and we will not allow this situation to steal our joy or our energy. Amen.”

The Getaway
The Ministers and Mates retreat is now The Getaway. Dr. Dave Holdren will be with us for this three day, two night event January 27-29, 2008. It’s a great team time for the Wisconsin leaders. We’re planning for a wonderful time together and praying for God’s powerful presence.

Connections
The past few days I’ve had the privilege of connecting with a new staff LDJ in north central Wisconsin, Gary Maness (new Sand Lake interim pastor), a birthday celebration for Lisa Treloar, Jeff Hoch (staff pastor at Sand Lake), Pastor Alan and Irene Tripp, and the Janesville, Beulah and West Allis boards.

Calendar:

November 16-17............ District Extension Class
(Mukwonago)
November 10-11............ Northern Lakes Visit
November 12.................. West Allis LBA Dialogue
November 18.................. Hancock Visit
November 19.................. Burr LBA Dialogue
November 25.................. Burr/Valley Visit
November 26.................. Northern Lakes LBA Dialogue
November 28.................. Evangelism and Church Growth Meeting
December 2………………Baker St. visit
December 4……………. Dialogues
December 5……………. Nicaragua Partnership meeting
December 6……………... LDJ
Pardeeville Board
December 9……………………... Darrow Rd visit
December 11……………………... Dialogues
December 13……………………... Hayward Bd
December 16……………………... Hales Corners
December 18……………………... Dialogues
December 23……………………... Drop in visit
December 27-31…………………. SetApart 07

Dan Bickel
Wisconsin District Superintendent

Team Wisconsin Update 11-7-07

Pastor Ben Kidder and the River Church was the destination last weekend. Ben and Ingrid Kidder have been working with this congregation for about a year and they have been consistently reaching new people. They have gone to two services with the second service just crawling with children. They have done a great job decorating the facility for fall. They’ve completed some upgrades for the children’s ministry area and nursery in the basement and they look really nice. Being already at 80% -90% capacity in one of their services and lacking in children’s space, they are in the thick of praying and working on what to do with the future for facilities. Please pray with us about decisions that need to be made about the facilities. They have a vision for reaching people and do not want to tie themselves down financially so it would take their focus away from ministry. Reenie and I had the privilege of spending some time with Ben and Ingrid. They have a heart for Minong and the extended surrounding area. They are already starting to think about other areas to expand to for a Bible study and future ministry. The River – A Wesleyan Church is a daughter church to Hayward.

Spiritual Formation Tour hits Wisconsin
Last Saturday and Sunday the Spiritual Formation department hit the south and north of Wisconsin on two full days of teaching and leadership development. There were over 200 pastors and local church leaders that received encouragement and teaching in adult, youth and children spiritual formation from Jim Dunn, Scott Simmons and Colleen Derr. I want to especially thank Pastor Jerome Bragg of the Crosspoint Nazarene church in Madison and Pastor Ron Gormong and staff of the Spooner Wesleyan church for being wonderful hosts for the event.
Extension Class to be offered in Mukwonago
The years’ second District Extension class will be offered on two weekends – November 9-10 and November 16-17. Pastor Gerry Krupp is the instructor and the class is “Introduction to the New Testament”, one of the basic core courses for ordination. To sign up for the course and for information, contact the instructor. Rev. Gerry Krupp: pastorgerry@oswesleyan.org, 262/363-8025 (office).

Set Apart 07
Pastors, any of you who are planning to send youth the Set Apart convention, please contact our District Youth Director, Chopper Brown, to let him know. Also, please note that the early registration deadline for the convention has been moved to November 19.

Connections
I had a great time getting to know Jim Dunn, Scott Simmons and Colleen Derr this weekend. It was also a wonderful opportunity to see and connect with a number of pastors and lay people from around the district. I also had a great time with Pastor Josh Hilty and his leadership team and Pastor Milt Van Natta and his board this past week. Tuesday Reenie and I caught up with new staff pastor at Our Saviors, Stevan and Jessica Sheets and their daughter Ella. It’s great to have this new family here in Wisconsin.

Calendar
November 8.................... North Central Staff LDJ
November 8.................... Beulah LBA Dialogue
November 9-10, 16-17... District Extension Class
(Mukwonago)
November 10-11............ Northern Lakes Visit
November 12.................. West Allis LBA Dialogue
November 18.................. Hancock Visit
November 19.................. Burr LBA Dialogue
November 22-23............ Thanksgiving
District Office Closed
November 25.................. Burr/Valley Visit
November 26.................. Northern Lakes LBA Dialogue

Team Wisconsin Update 10-31-07

The Wesleyan Church is trying to move in on Milwaukee. For the past several years there have been four churches in the Milwaukee area. Then three years ago, Iglesia Christiana Wesleyana, Casa de Dios was birthed out of the four Milwaukee area churches. This year two more churches will begin – one in north Milwaukee and another in the southeast area. Last Sunday morning I was privileged to sit in a movie theatre in an overstuffed loveseat. I think that is the most comfortable seating Reenie and I have ever been in for church. Jason and Alya, who have begun having preview services there, are starting Transformation City church. Jason preached a good message then led worship, along with three others. It was a good hour. They are still developing their core team as they make connections with people in the community. A special prayer request we would like you to remember is about their place of worship. They have permission to use the theatre through Christmas, but the city fathers are trying to make their presence a zoning issue to try and keep them from continuing to meet there. There is a hearing on November 12. Please pray that there would be an open door, literally, for them to continue to meet at the Rosebud. It is an excellent location. The owner is very favorable to their presence. It is well known in the community.

Morillo Family and Iglesia Segundo
Monday we were back in Milwaukee to meet the Guzman family, who just arrived in Milwaukee this past weekend to begin planting another church in the southeast area of Milwaukee. Daniel Munoz’ church is the mother church and Daniel and the congregation have worked very hard to prepare the way for their arrival. Morillo is from Venezuela. His wife France (pronounced Francie) is From Colombia. They have three children – Zabdiel, Daniel and Lina. Morillo just received his Pastoral Theology degree in July and is an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church. Morillo is also the executive director of Jibacam, the Latin American missions agency. We welcome Morillo and his family to Wisconsin, where they will see snow for the first time. The family has moved into their home. They are still in need of some household furnishings. Please pray for these items and respond by calling Daniel Munoz to see what is still needed. His numbers are: 414/931-4639 (home) or 414/324-7093.

Connections
Last week I met with the Ballinger Fund trustees and we will be recommending some significant changes to the DBA and conference next year. We also had a good DBA meeting last Saturday. In addition to taking care of good and interesting business, we discussed George Bullard’s work entitled “Real Congregations Serve Congregations” and the emerging church movement. Pastor David Treloar’s dad continues to make good progress from his surgery for cancer this past week. Continue to pray for the Treloar family. Finally, Reenie and I had the privilege of spending a couple of days with her folks here in Middleton. We had a great time.

Spiritual Formation Training for Teachers/Leaders

WHAT: Exciting time of motivation and training for effective spiritual formation

WHO: Dr. Jim Dunn (Adult), Rev. Colleen Derr (Children) and Rev. Scott Simmons (youth) from
the Spiritual Formation Department in Indy will be leading

WHEN: November 3, Saturday (southwest and southeast regions) 10 AM – 3 PM (Light lunch included)
November 4, Sunday (north region) 3 PM – 7 PM (Light supper included)

WHERE: November 3—CrossPoint Nazarene Church, Madison
November 4—Spooner Wesleyan Church

FOR: Pastors, Directors, Teachers, Small Group leaders, of children, youth, and adults.

Calendar Information
November 1.................... Parkway LBA Dialogue
November 3-4................ Spiritual Formation Tour
November 3-4................ The River (Minong) visit
November 5.................... Baker St. LBA Dialogue
November 6.................... Eastman LBA Dialogue
November 6.................... Meeting with Stevan and Jessica Sheets
November 8.................... North Central Staff LDJ
November 8.................... Beulah LBA Dialogue
November 9-10, 16-17... District Extension Class
(Mukwonago)
November 10-11............ Northern Lakes Visit
November 12.................. West Allis LBA Dialogue
November 18.................. Hancock Visit
November 19.................. Burr LBA Dialogue
November 25.................. Burr/Valley Visit
November 26.................. Northern Lakes LBA Dialogue
November 28.................. Evangelism and Church Growth Meeting