Welcome to the Synod of the Heartland

Power Connection sees 1000 students

pcstaff This year Power Connection, they Synod's middle school retreat, was held on the campus of Bethel College in St. Paul, MN. Around 1000 kids plus sponsors attended this exciting 3-day event.

The speaker for the event was Mark Matlock from Dallas, TX. He was joined by drama group One Time Blind and worship band Jonah's Wale for 4 dynamic sessions.

Click here to see a video wrap-up of the weekend
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_64QtFcrI8

Power Connection also chooses several mission projects to support. This year was Feed My group Starving Children, a Minneapolis based organization which helps groups package nutrious food that is sent to countries like Africa and Haiti where starvation is a major problem. The money raised will go toward the Synod Youth goal of $28,000. This is the amount needed to allow our synod's youth to hands-on package 150,000 meals at Rocky Mountain High in July of 2011.

Click here to see the various Mission Project of Power Connection 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvJ34XR1k8s

Becoming an Apprentice of Jesus

aoj Save the dates of November 4 and 5 to attend this dynamic seminar from Calvin Theological Seminary. Johnston, Iowa, will be hosting a simulcast of the presentation by James Bryan Smith, theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Find out more by clicking on the links for the Save-the-Date card and borchure and registration form.

Info Card

Brochure and Registration form

NNO4 National Night Out at Greenleafton Reformed

Greenleafton Reformed Church, rural Preston, MN, recently held its 6th annual “National Night Out” for their community. The night included face painting; a balloon -making clown; jumping castle and slide; pine care derby; three point basketball shooting; live music by Cassie Lokker and the church’s own Stix ministry; miniature horse cart rides; and of course free food.

NNO2 The night was given to the Lord as the church held a prayer walk and drive throughout the community and countryside on Sunday morning prior to the event. Their prayer efforts joined in the church park as they prayed for an evening of four f’s: faith, food, fun, and fellowship.

God blessed Greenleafton with all four f’s as the event drew people in as far away as 45 miles. In all, just over 450 people were in attendance. “It was fun watching our church people serve the people of our community. We are so blessed by what God continues to do in Greenleafton,” said Pastor Roger Lokker.

fab Bike Ride Benefits Center of Hope in Sioux Falls

On Saturday July 17 cyclists will be raising money to beneft the Center of Hope in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There are several option and lenghts of rides. There's something for the entire family.

For more information about the Falls Area Bicyclists Ride and Dine call 605-610-9322 or you can preregister online at www.clubfab.org.

Pastor Network Advances through Retreat

PR1 On Friday April 9, 17 members of the Dakota Classis met at the Holliday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls for a weekend of renewal and refreshment. Those 17 people represented 8 pastors and their spouses; the 17th member of the group was Alex Hayes, the 18 month old child of Steve and Sonia Hayes. The idea for the weekend began last Fall when Dean Ulmer invited both the network pastors and their wives to his home, where Dean and his wife Wanda hosted a barbeque for the group. When a Mini Grant was offered by Samford University, our group asked if we could put together a grant proposal that would allow us to do just that. With a little investigation and a phone call to Alabama, the decision was made to submit a proposal. Funding for this fully paid weekend came from the Mini-Grant from Samford and the balance of funds from an earlier Lily Grant for Sustaining Pastoral Excellence that funded a weekend training in Rural Church Ministry.

The weekend included two nights at the Holliday Inn, breakfast and Saturday night supper at Minervas (a really nice steakhouse in downtown Sioux Falls), and the cost for Robin Duncan from Sioux Falls Psychological Services to lead some marriage enrichment time for the group.

PR2 Attending the weekend were Dean and Wanda Ulmer, Leroy and Rhea Boender, Steve and Sonia Hayes, Arlin and Marie Vande Zande, Harry and Beth Koops, John and Barb De Groff, Dave and Dianne Reck and Rod and Deb Veldhuizen.

This group along with Dan and Natalie Ebbens form the Southwest Clergy Network of the Dakota Classis. This network meets monthly for fellowship, community and support in Mitchell and has been meeting together regularly for over three years.

Haitian Horror Lindsay

By JOY POWELL,
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Lindsay Pruis, a nursing student from Eagan, peered at the mangled foot of a Haitian boy. It looked as if the tiny foot had exploded, bones flayed in all directions.

Pruis had been caught in the Haiti earthquake during a weeklong mission trip and soon found herself thrust into the role of a doctor. Amid the blood and broken bones, she had little more than antibiotic cream, Tylenol and tweezers with which to work.

Pruis tried to shut out her horror as she decided whether the crushed foot could be saved.
"I saw things that I didn't think I'd ever have to see," Pruis said in a recent interview from Rochester, where she returned to her studies three weeks ago. "I probably saw more death in those four or five days than I will see in the rest of my nursing career." (read more)

ftdodge An Experiment In Church Planting

How do we find people to help start a new church? Why not go to where the people are and ask them? In late February and early March, Don and Sue De Kok manned a booth at a Sport and Boat Show and a Home and Garden Show in Ft. Dodge, Iowa to see if there might be interest in starting a new church in that community. The idea was to meet people, hand out brochures about a new church, and do a survey to get the feeling of people. Another month of newspaper ads followed.

The survey which was completed by 106 people included questions:
Why do people shy away from churches?
The predominate responses were:

I don’t have enough time (for most it was they work 6 or 7 days a week)
Church is boring (it doesn’t relate to life, is old fashioned)
I don’t have the “right” clothes to wear to fit in

What is needed in church today?
The predominate answers were:

Youth activities (3 times more than the next response)
More modern style of worship
Friendly people

What would a Christian Community need to offer to attract you?
The predominate answers were:

Kids activities
Welcoming atmosphere (almost as many responses as “Kids activities”)
Activities for families
Hours of worship when I can come
Preach/Teach the Word of God
Contemporary Worship
Family feeling

Would you like to see a new Christian Community in Ft. Dodge?

53 people said “Yes”
23 people said “Yes”, but I don’t want to help start it

Would you like to help start a new Christian Community in Ft. Dodge?

18 people said “Yes”
12 people said “Maybe”

The plan is to hold an “Informational Meeting” in the near future and invite those who said they would like to help out or maybe help out and see if they come to the meeting. We have found in the past that if we can have a Core Group of 15-20 households, we can be successful in starting a new church. Even if we gained a Core Group of 5-10 families out of this group, we could begin to work through their relationships to build a larger group.

The experiment continues to see if this is a way to begin the birthing process. Stay tuned for further details as they unfold.

	Power Connection sees 1000 students This year Power Connection, they Synod's middle school retreat, was held on the campus of Bethel College in St. Paul, MN. Around 1000 kids plus sponsors attended this exciting 3-day event. The speaker for the event was Mark Matlock from Dallas, TX. He was joined by drama group One Time Blind and worship band Jonah's Wale for 4 dynamic sessions. Click here to see a video wrap-up of the weekend . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_64QtFcrI8 Power Connection also chooses several mission projects to support. This year was Feed My Starving Children, a Minneapolis based organization which helps groups package nutrious food that is sent to countries like Africa and Haiti where starvation is a major problem. The money raised will go toward the Synod Youth goal of $28,000. This is the amount needed to allow our synod's youth to hands-on package 150,000 meals at Rocky Mountain High in July of 2011. Click here to see the various Mission Project of Power Connection 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvJ34XR1k8s Becoming an Apprentice of Jesus Save the dates of November 4 and 5 to attend this dynamic seminar from Calvin Theological Seminary. Johnston, Iowa, will be hosting a simulcast of the presentation by James Bryan Smith, theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Find out more by clicking on the links for the Save-the-Date card and borchure and registration form. Info Card Brochure and Registration form National Night Out at Greenleafton Reformed Greenleafton Reformed Church, rural Preston, MN, recently held its 6th annual “National Night Out” for their community. The night included face painting; a balloon -making clown; jumping castle and slide; pine care derby; three point basketball shooting; live music by Cassie Lokker and the church’s own Stix ministry; miniature horse cart rides; and of course free food. The night was given to the Lord as the church held a prayer walk and drive throughout the community and countryside on Sunday morning prior to the event. Their prayer efforts joined in the church park as they prayed for an evening of four f’s: faith, food, fun, and fellowship. God blessed Greenleafton with all four f’s as the event drew people in as far away as 45 miles. In all, just over 450 people were in attendance. “It was fun watching our church people serve the people of our community. We are so blessed by what God continues to do in Greenleafton,” said Pastor Roger Lokker. Bike Ride Benefits Center of Hope in Sioux Falls On Saturday July 17 cyclists will be raising money to beneft the Center of Hope in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There are several option and lenghts of rides. There's something for the entire family. For more information about the Falls Area Bicyclists Ride and Dine call 605-610-9322 or you can preregister online at www.clubfab.org. Pastor Network Advances through Retreat On Friday April 9, 17 members of the Dakota Classis met at the Holliday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls for a weekend of renewal and refreshment. Those 17 people represented 8 pastors and their spouses; the 17th member of the group was Alex Hayes, the 18 month old child of Steve and Sonia Hayes. The idea for the weekend began last Fall when Dean Ulmer invited both the network pastors and their wives to his home, where Dean and his wife Wanda hosted a barbeque for the group. When a Mini Grant was offered by Samford University, our group asked if we could put together a grant proposal that would allow us to do just that. With a little investigation and a phone call to Alabama, the decision was made to submit a proposal. Funding for this fully paid weekend came from the Mini-Grant from Samford and the balance of funds from an earlier Lily Grant for Sustaining Pastoral Excellence that funded a weekend training in Rural Church Ministry. The weekend included two nights at the Holliday Inn, breakfast and Saturday night supper at Minervas (a really nice steakhouse in downtown Sioux Falls), and the cost for Robin Duncan from Sioux Falls Psychological Services to lead some marriage enrichment time for the group. Attending the weekend were Dean and Wanda Ulmer, Leroy and Rhea Boender, Steve and Sonia Hayes, Arlin and Marie Vande Zande, Harry and Beth Koops, John and Barb De Groff, Dave and Dianne Reck and Rod and Deb Veldhuizen. This group along with Dan and Natalie Ebbens form the Southwest Clergy Network of the Dakota Classis. This network meets monthly for fellowship, community and support in Mitchell and has been meeting together regularly for over three years. Haitian Horror By JOY POWELL, Minneapolis Star Tribune Lindsay Pruis, a nursing student from Eagan, peered at the mangled foot of a Haitian boy. It looked as if the tiny foot had exploded, bones flayed in all directions. Pruis had been caught in the Haiti earthquake during a weeklong mission trip and soon found herself thrust into the role of a doctor. Amid the blood and broken bones, she had little more than antibiotic cream, Tylenol and tweezers with which to work. Pruis tried to shut out her horror as she decided whether the crushed foot could be saved. "I saw things that I didn't think I'd ever have to see," Pruis said in a recent interview from Rochester, where she returned to her studies three weeks ago. "I probably saw more death in those four or five days than I will see in the rest of my nursing career." (read more) An Experiment In Church Planting How do we find people to help start a new church? Why not go to where the people are and ask them? In late February and early March, Don and Sue De Kok manned a booth at a Sport and Boat Show and a Home and Garden Show in Ft. Dodge, Iowa to see if there might be interest in starting a new church in that community. The idea was to meet people, hand out brochures about a new church, and do a survey to get the feeling of people. Another month of newspaper ads followed. The survey which was completed by 106 people included questions: Why do people shy away from churches? The predominate responses were: I don’t have enough time (for most it was they work 6 or 7 days a week) Church is boring (it doesn’t relate to life, is old fashioned) I don’t have the “right” clothes to wear to fit in What is needed in church today? The predominate answers were: Youth activities (3 times more than the next response) More modern style of worship Friendly people What would a Christian Community need to offer to attract you? The predominate answers were: Kids activities Welcoming atmosphere (almost as many responses as “Kids activities”) Activities for families Hours of worship when I can come Preach/Teach the Word of God Contemporary Worship Family feeling Would you like to see a new Christian Community in Ft. Dodge? 53 people said “Yes” 23 people said “Yes”, but I don’t want to help start it Would you like to help start a new Christian Community in Ft. Dodge? 18 people said “Yes” 12 people said “Maybe” The plan is to hold an “Informational Meeting” in the near future and invite those who said they would like to help out or maybe help out and see if they come to the meeting. We have found in the past that if we can have a Core Group of 15-20 households, we can be successful in starting a new church. Even if we gained a Core Group of 5-10 families out of this group, we could begin to work through their relationships to build a larger group. The experiment continues to see if this is a way to begin the birthing process. Stay tuned for further details as they unfold.





Synod Annual Reports President's Report Meeting and Financial Details Upcoming Events Check the Leaders for the Harvest page for upcoming retreats and events. Youth Events Check out all the Synod youth events at their special website. Click here.
		Special Dates Special Information Questions and Answers about 2nd Campus Ministries Transforming Discipleship Get more info on the Discipleship page Get the latest Transforming Discipleship Newsletter. Here are the latest compensation guidelines from the Synod of the Heartland 2011 Revised Salary Guidelines Ministers On The Move Rev. Jay Braband Westview Church, Waukee, IA to Portland, OR as new church developer. Rev. Tim Overweg from Silver Creek Church, Silver Creek, MN to Church of the Cross, Modesto, CA Rev. John Hubers from the Reformed Church in Plano, Plano, TX, to Northwestern College, Orange City, IA Rev. Antonio Pichardo from Modesto, CA, to the Hispanic Ministry in the Belmond, IA, area. Felix Valdez from the Hispanic Ministry in Belmond, IA, to North Carolina.