Rev. Upp’s Mission Link Sept. 7, 2016/Septem. Septem MMXVI

Mission Link A Global Missions Update from Rev. Dr. David Upp

Obeying the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “But: you shall receive-for-yourselves miraculous-power after the Holy Sprit shall come upon you, and You shall be My Witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea & Samaria, and unto the earth’s extremity.”

-Acts 1:8

8/5-7 Worship at Casa Metodista [New Pastor… from Cuba : Raciel Quintana] & Dodge City First UMC [Senior Pastor: Rev. Jerre Nolte], with the Godbeys!

7/31 Worship at Hutch: Trinity UMC [& Farewell to Dia Montgomery]

8/14 Worship at S. Hutch UMC [New Pastor: Rev. Claire Gadberry] then Trousdale UMC’s Centennial […10 Pastors; New: Jeff Mildren]

8/21 Worship at Lyons UMC [New Pastor: Kim Shank; husband Keith also Seminary Graduate]

8/28 Worship at Faith UMC in Hutchinson [New Pastor: Rev. Alan Gager, GBGM’s Secretary in GP Conference]

One Glimpse of Worship: Arnita Schultz directs the Centennial Choir for the Celebration at Trousdale UMC where I was Pastor 2000-2003 [n.b. a NEW Building!]

August 2016 was spent on the Home-Front, after a few months overseas in 2016

The overwhelming majority of my Mission Itineration events in the Great Plains Conference has been within the Hutchinson District, where I am based. I welcome invitations from all across Great Plains & beyond, but more-distant congregations have been slow to respond

(perhaps not realizing I’d averaged 100 miles/day while a local pastor). All United Methodists appointments are made for one year, so every Summer brings new pastors to each District. I have been worshipping & sharing missions-news/prayer-concerns with congregations all around Hutchinson… with a special emphasis on meeting & encouraging our newest pastors in this District. I am very impressed with their high

quality, training, and Faith. I see a lot of enthusiasm and already the “Pastor’s Heart” is showing through—leading to a joyful response of the members of the congregation: new hopes, new goals, renewed energy for being the Church guided by our LORD in every context! Soon, I hope to meet our newest minister in GP: newly-elected Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr. who took office here on the First of September, 2016!

9/4 Worship at Halstead UMC [New Pastor: Rev. Sang Hak Lee]

9/1 Hutchinson District Pastors’ Sodality/Fellowship Meeting

Review of Activities

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Rev. Upp’s Mission Link Septem. Septem MMXVI

“Out-Give Your Tax Bracket!” Bonnie Colton quotes 'A democracy can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves a largess from the Treasury. From that moment on, the majority will always vote for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, and is always followed by a dictatorship.' Bonnie adds more: 'We are in a presidential campaign. We have already eliminated the candidates who believed we should tighten our belts and do with fewer public benefits.' - "Walking a Roundabout Path"

Not impressed with Clinton/Bush/Obama Budgets? Can't vote for the Corrupt or the Unstable? Don't want to keep funding the Tyrannical Tentacles of an out-of-control Bureaucracy? You do have a choice: OUT-GIVE your Tax Bracket. Up to half our gross income can lower our income taxes [in the USA]: I call it The Zacchæus Rule. It's enough to wipe out our income taxes. I'm sure you know Great Commission Ministries with better stewardship than Government’s. Hillary wants “the rich" to pay a "fair share"! Join the majority [?] by paying ZERO Income Tax & You CAN take full control where Your Money goes!

Zacchæus didn’t deserve the bad reputation he has now. When he accepted Jesus, he gave away half of his wealth.

God’s Torah required full restitution of stolen wealth plus a 20% Penalty. Since

Zacchæus knew he had not cheated anybody, he offered to add a huge 400% Penalty! John Wesley disparaged ‘the miserly tithe’ and wanted the Methodists to be much more generous with their money.

NICO Hernandez, of Wichita, Kansas, won an Olympic Bronze Medal in Boxing! The USA won the 2016 medal count by 51! But by How many more IF you count ALL athletes of other nations that we trained in our Universities?! Swimmers "Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Dana Vollmer & Simone Manuel: teaming up to prevail at Rio Games on Saturday night is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the nation's 1,000th gold medal in Summer Olympics history. Manuel swam the last leg, & when she hit the wall her three teammates hugged on the pool deck. Their winning time was 3 minutes, 53.13 seconds. The U.S. is the first nation to win 1,000 Summer Golds, the first of those coming in 1896. No other nation comes close — the Soviet Union stopped at 473 golds, and no other country is on pace to reach the milestone until 2100." U- -S- -A! I have been to thirty-seven countries which DO participate, although they’ve never won any medals.

David Katoatua, Weightlifter from Kiribati (Micronesia: where I taught Hebrew/Bible for three semesters, 2010-2011) attracted Lots of Followers (although he only placed 6th) by his Spontaneous *Dancing* along with each Lift!

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Rev. Upp’s Mission Link Septem. Septem MMXVI

Two Editorials with an Inter-Locking Matrix

Please, read the column about the YMCA first & then the insights from the Barna Pollsters. None of it is new, but it describes changes John Wesley wrote about long ago… his fears for the future “People called Methodists”.

Barna Pollsters were puzzled, because "People who said they were Christians" were indistinguishable from non-Christians in almost every way. So they researched & found the keys. People who had the following 8 characteristics: were indeed Living out the Faith and stood apart from today's worldly culture in all of its Sinfulness and Confusion: 1) They confessed their sins & accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. 2) Their faith is very important in their life today; 3)They have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians [The Great Commission]; 4) They believe Satan exists; 5) They believe eternal salvation is possible only through Grace, not by works; 6) They believe that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; 7) They assert the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; & 8) They know God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect Deity who created the universe & still rules it today. And so, these are Real Christians! How do you measure up?

“Having a Form of Godliness, but denying

the Power thereof … -II Timothy 3:5”

The Hutchinson YMCA celebrated its local 140th Anniversary (8/12/1876, in USA’s Centennial Year, same year First Nat'l Bank was founded, a mere 15 years after C.C. Hutchinson founded my fair city). The Young Men’s Christian Association was first founded June 6, 1844 [in London], in USA 1851 [Boston], & 1859 in Galveston, Texas. What was the Original Purpose? 6/6/1844: Twelve young men led by George Williams founded the first YMCA in London, England. Their objective was the “improvement of the spiritual condition of the young men engaged in houses of business, by the formation of Bible classes, family and social prayer meetings, mutual improvement societies, or other spiritual agency.” Now Y’s operate in 125 countries, with 57 Million members & beneficiaries globally. Here they seem to have LOST clarity about their true Mission. "Pillar #1" is "Missional Clarity" You are more likely to find yoga or tai-chi than a Bible Study or Prayer Group in a YMCA, in the USA anyway. How does an organization lose its Key Mission? Couldn’t this happen to other organizations as well? To Churches? Our American Society seems to be having parallel effects on disparate groups that aren’t happening in 3rd World Lands I visit.

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Rev. Upp’s Mission Link Septem. Septem MMXVI

Monthly Mission Link Trivia Questions:

September’s New Trivia Question:

15% of the World's People are "POOR" & 56% have a "LOW Income" -- What would those Percentages be for the USA Population??

August Trivia Question: How did the Poets of the Old Norse/Icelandic Eddas view their traditional Mythology (after they'd received The Holy Bible)?

Answer: Regarding Ódinn-- "Hvađ skal hans tryggđum trúa?" or in Orchard's English translation: 'How can his truth be trusted?' --Hávamál 110/ ‘The Word of the High One’ [Ódin].

Usually, Missionaries encounter & are asked about Major World Religions, but since so much of my ministry is with Tribes—I must also study & come to understand Minority Ethno-Religious Traditions. As part of this process, I find myself asking some of the same questions old Icelandic poets asked about their ancestors’ religion. One way is to ask about Historical Accuracy and Internal Consistency. Oral Cultures are belittled by most Readers, but we often find ancient truths preserved accurately [cf. Rev. Dr. Kambati Uriam’s review of I-Kiribati pre-History]. Edda written in Greenland in the 1200’s recalls Ukraine’s Dneipr River, 800 years after Attila & 5,000 km distant!

However, acceptability of the ancient Viking faith is seen to rest upon the Character of their gods. Those sagas tell about gods who deceive, steal, rape, murder & betray. As a result, their worshippers also have lousy characters. We know Converts to Christ must purify & continue their culture [like Mizo / Lutheran Icelanders]. Ođin is rejected. Both II Kings 17:15 and Jeremiah 2:5 explain why: “Worshipping worthless idols, they became worthless themselves.” False gods obliterate God’s Image in us, so people Lose the sacred worth with which they were born!

Global Thumbnail: Rio! 1) Igreja Metodista, Rua Jardim Botânico, a Church by the City Zoo with fabulous Evening Worship services. The Methodist Church in Brasil has 500,000 members / parti- cipants. 2) Corcovado and Tijuca: Giant statue of Jesus Christ (above city & slums), plus cog railway chugging into the Atlantic Rain-Forest, 3) Favelas/Slums: Ex-urbs or steep/swampy land (Rich live at City Center) … some say Jesus is Leading them Out! 1989: I served on VIM Team in Belo Horizonte directed by GBGM Missionaries Gordon & Teca Greathouse, building twenty Habitat for Humanity homes side-by-side with the Poorest. Food & Drink: Cafezinho [coffee-demitasse], Feijoada [Brazil’s National Dish]: Black Bean & Kale Stew with tasty pig-ears/tails], Churrascaría [Endless BBQ Meats served on swords], Guaraná [a delicious red Amazonian berry, in sodas]. [Global Thumbnail is a New monthly Feature: Recalling My Own Time at some Location currently in the News!]