Revitalization Mini Conference This Saturday!
We are thrilled that 32 people have signed up for our first Revitalization Mini Conference in the Pleasant Prairie cluster on Saturday at Wellsburg Reformed Church. Representatives from Bethel, Bristow, Dumont, First Aplington, Trinity Allison, Wellsburg and Washington will all be there. This mini conference is free of charge to our churches and includes four presenters/facilitators, lunch, snacks and helpful resources for churches navigating what is next.
Registration closes on Wednesday at midnight. If you want to come, click below.
UMV 2026: Learning and Leading the Way
We are getting excited about our 3rd annual meeting on June 12-13 at Sully First Reformed Church in Sully, Iowa! Breakout sessions are coming together and old friends and new friends will be joining us. Hear new Pathways Director David Rylaarsdam speak and meet Alliance Executive Director Greg Alderman. Our friends from Serge, Coram Deo, Vital Church, Thrive and Chemistry Staffing will be in attendance. We are also working with a new partner that can help churches with funding building campaigns and other financial needs . . . stay tuned.
All members, pastors, staff and Consistory members are invited. We have secured a block of rooms at Western Inn & Suites in Grinnell, IA but you need to call by phone to get the rate. Call 641-236-7888 before June 1st and mention UMV Network to get the special rate of $65 per night!
Registration for the annual meeting will come out soon!
Come to the Alliance's Gathering in Zeeland, MI, August 19-21
Get ready for August 19–21, 2026 at Community Reformed Church in Zeeland, MI, for Engage. Together, we will explore how God calls us to equip disciples to faithfully follow Jesus in a shifting world. Through worship, teaching, and shared learning, we will sharpen our vision, strengthen our practices, and step fully into God’s call of discipleship.
Cost of the event will be $80, with a reduced early bird fee of $60 for all registrations completed on or before April 30. This year we are also offering a day pass for $30. To register for individuals and groups, please click on the button below.
General Schedule:
Wednesday, August 19: Dinner and the main session will be held at Community Reformed Church, the host and location of the conference.
Thursday, August 20: The day will include worship, a main session, breakout sessions, lunch, dedicated time to connect, and dinner at Community Reformed Church.
Friday, August 21: Breakout sessions and a main session will be held, with a grab-and-go lunch provided. The event will conclude at noon.
Recent UMV Network Articles
Following our September UMV Network pastors’ retreat, I felt inspired to bring something of that experience back to my congregation at Ebenezer.
Conflict is inevitable. In our previous articles, we discovered that much of our conflict begins within us, as James reminds us that quarrels often arise from our own desires and selfish ambitions (James 4:1-3).
As we continue to talk about conflict with others there is one word that is usually in the middle of it. The word is pride. Often within conflict we allow ourselves to get in the way of being able to bring resolution to the conflict.
Conflict is inevitable in our lives. It happens in our families, our workplaces, and yes, even churches. As a pastor I have experienced conflict within the church and have also discovered I have a lot to learn about resolving conflict.
As many of the first churches left the Reformed Church in America (RCA) to start the Alliance of Reformed Churches, they noticed a distinct addition to the Reformed Standards of Unity. Along with the rest of orthodox Christianity, we affirmed…
Have you (like me) ever been locked out? With the frigid cold, winter weather that’s befallen Iowa right now, this is not to get locked out in the cold.
When you walk into my house in Coralville, IA, you enter right into the living room–the central space of gathering where we spend most of our evenings,
This is a topic that I've taken up this semester in our church's Adult Sunday School class. We've been working our way through the early Church Fathers and Mothers--their histories and writings--to see how their lives…
When I was finishing seminary and pursuing ordination in the Reformed Church of America through the old Ministerial Formation Coordinating Agency (MFCA), I was asked to submit a Credo.
As I sat down across the table from my seminary neighbor, I thought the conversation was going to go a certain way. I thought that we’d get to know one another
Every so often, a pastor needs a time where they can be among others who know the journey, its joys and its tribulations and everything in between. A time of rest, relationship and recovery.
The UMV Network Prayer Team is organized and ready to take any requests for prayer from our congregations, pastors, and leaders.
We welcome Loren Ten Boer as our new The Valley cluster leader and Taylor Mabaga as an at-large board member. Ron Fischer's term as a board member ended but he still serves as Network Leader for the UMV.
Young people are not just the future of the church, but they are a vital part of the Body of Christ today! When you hear “the next generation” who comes to mind?
Our Network Ordination Team is passionate about building up and training leaders who are actively serving in ministry by training and coaching a wide variety of pastors in their contexts. That means that we…
The Covenant Keepers Team (CKT) has been working towards beginning the 5-year renewal process for a church in the Alliance of Reformed Churches.
One of the distinctive beliefs of Reformed Christians is our belief in the sovereignty of God. That means…
In other denominations, ordination might mean that you have passed through rigorous…