July/August 2005

Hoosier
United
Methodists
together
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HOOSIER UNITED METHODISTS
1
July/August 2005
Volume 35
Number 6
open hearts, open minds, open doors.
The people of The United Methodist Church
Potter shows we are molded by grace
By Matthew Oates and
Daniel R. Gangler
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –
Potter Russ Harris and his wife,
Karen Greenwaldt, were moving
a table across the Elliott Hall auditorium for a Bible study presentation during the North Indiana
Conference sessions June 2-4 at
Purdue University.
Both Harris and Greenwaldt
teamed with Indiana Area Bishop
Mike Coyner to present a series
of six Bible studies dealing with
various aspects of church leadership based on Scripture.
Before one of the sessions, Together caught up with him onstate
as he was setting up his tools and
interacting with Bishop Mike
Coyner, reviewing notes and talking to others about his creations
that were scattered behind him on
stage.
Harris, who has been working
with clay for ten years in his Nashville, Tenn. studio, got hooked on
clay from selling antique art pottery for numerous years. “Karen
suggested that I take a class. I took
a class and went back to school.”
His work is sold through
wholesalers and galleries across
the United States. His goal is to
not only connect the potter with
the clay, but also to connect the
finished clay project and the potter with the one who purchases the
item. “It enriches you and your
life.”
Harris and Greenwaldt, who
serves as the United Methodist
General Board of Discipleship’s
general secretary, team teach Sunday school, but this was the first
time they have done a Bible study
together with clay. Harris gives
clay presentations regularly for
churches and other groups. “It’s
been fun and a real challenge with
the unique Scripture verses. It’s
been a real good time working
with Bishop Mike.”
The three of them met in April
to review numerous passages and
plan the Bible studies. “We’re
pretty unscripted, though,” says
Harris. “This was just fun to do.”
To say that Harris enjoys pottery is an understatement. “It’s
being a part of the creative process,” he says. “For me, it’s like
Christmas every time.”
Sometimes the best pottery is
by “happy accidents” when things
go better than planned. “You’re
always getting better at what you
do,” he said. “Each pot leads you
to the next pot. I’m working for
that pot that really sings.”
During annual conference
During the annual conference,
Harris threw pots as Coyner and
Greenwaldt commented on a particular passage of Scripture dealing with church leadership.
For instance, during a Friday
Together photo
Potter Russ Harris trims a pot during one of the six Bible studies duirng
the North Indiana Annual Conference at West Lafayette.
“Clay is the thing
that civilized us,
when clay hit fire.”
-- Russ Harris
evening session, Harris said, preparation has much to do with pottery. He said, “If I don’t center the
clay (on the wheel), I can’t throw
a pot. If it’s off center, it wobbles. That’s somewhat like life if
we aren’t centered.”
Coyner said, “Jesus knew how
important it was to center. He
would get away alone.”
In Mark 6, Jesus gathers the
disciples and says to them, ‘come
to a deserted place and rest yourselves.’ Jesus teaches his disciples
how to rest, said Coyner.
Greenwaldt said, how do you
learn from Jesus, if we want to be
the person God wants us to be?
Harris said at the beginning
everyday at the study, I read about
the saints (of the church). It reminds me of my heritage.
Greenwaldt asked the audience, do you have a quiet place to
go? So that when you go there you
have entered a holy place.
She said that two of her pastor
friends have different places. One
had a kneeling rail and spent an
hour a day centering alone. His
associate made fun of him for
“praying in a closet.”
Fast forward 30 years, now the
associate is trying to find herself.
“Jesus’ going away was a habit.
He had crowds following him. Part
of my rhythm is to close the door
and be by myself. Whatever works
for you. Everyone needs a place (to
center),” said Greenwaldt.
Coyner told the audience that
his special place is Epworth Forest, one of the conference campgrounds. “If that had not been the
place, would I have another special place? Everyone has to find a
space and a place to keep the
rhythm of Christian life. If is was
necessary for Jesus, it is necessary
for us,” Coyner said.
Greenwalt then commented,
worship on Sunday is probably not
enough time for us to center because because we are a participant. I ask those who don’t (take
time to be alone), what are you
Together photo
Russ Harris centers the clay on his potter’s wheel as wife Karen Greenwalt looks on and comments with him and Bishop Mike Coyner about
passages of selected Scripture during Bible studies at the North Indiana
Annual Conference session in West Lafayette June 2-4.
afraid of; what are you hiding
from? There was a rhythm that
was important to Jesus.”
Harris said, when I come back
from vacation, I need to get back
into a rhythm and I feel I am better.
Timing is everything
Commenting during another
Bible study session on Matthew
28:16-20, Harris said, clay has a
certain timing. You have to be
there at the right time (to work
with it). He said he left a thrown
bowl out last night. “I can’t do
anything more with it now, so I
will reconstitute it,” he said.
Coyner replied, “Making disciples has something to say about
timing.”
Greenwaldt said, “some doubted. How many of us think when
we become a Christian we stop
doubting. It’s not a part to be ignored.”
She said that John Wesley, after his Aldersgate experience, had
doubt. Then he discovered new
ways of understanding the Gospel.
The Gospel also says GO.
Harris and Coyner asked and
selected several “volunteers.”
Clay is the thing that civilized
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us, when clay hit fire, Harris said.
“Next they had a vessel to cook
in. They put a lid on it and had a
storage container. This allowed
people to stay in one place.”
Harris taught the volunteers
how to make pinch pots. Volunteers were taught and then headed for the audience to teach someone else.
Greenwaldt said teaching is a
topic dear to her heart. “When we
invite people to faith, we baptize
them and TEACH them. Pastors
are both preachers and teachers.
Coyner said, “Every pastor
needs to be involved in a teaching
ministry.”
Greenwaldt quoted Wesley saying, “Will you instruct the children? Do you know our doctrine
and polity?” Teaching and preaching are interwoven. She said pastors have a responsibility to teach,
read and think theologically with
their congregations.
For the new class of Elders to
be ordained, Harris made chalices
and patens. “It’s something you will
remember of your ordination every
time you look at it and how the person who made it gave it to me,” he
said. “It humanizes people to have
things made by other people.”
2
Hoosier
United
Methodists
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FROM
BISHOP
THE
July/August 2005
Is your church an EPIC church?
In Leonard Sweet’s book Postmodern
Pilgrims: First Century Passion
for the 21st Century Church, he
describes how churches today
must adapt to reach younger
generations who live within a
postmodern culture. His shorthand for what is needed is EPIC.
Those letters stand for Experiential, Participatory, Imagedriven, and Connecting.
Sweet explains that youth
and younger adults are drawn to places and
organizations that are Experiential, where
they can experience truth directly and not
just read about it. They also are
drawn to Participatory events,
where they can be directly involved and not just spectators.
They communicate in Images,
especially visually-stimulating
images, rather than just listening
to words. And these younger
generations enjoy being Connected and networked with one
another, and with the whole
world.
Sweet is asking the church to be an EPIC
Listening to our youth
My first two Annual Conferences here
in Indiana are now concluded, and both
seemed to go well. Everywhere I encountered great hospitality, enthusiastic expectation and encouraging words of hope as
we look to the future. North Conference
gathered around the theme “Molded By
Grace … Making a Difference” and South
Conference gathered around the theme of
“New Beginnings.”
Among the many, many good experiences at both conferences, I most valued the
time in each Ordination Service to invite
persons forward who are being called by
God. The response in both conferences was
heartening, and in South Conference so
many came forward that we actually had to
extend the singing and the service! I was
most pleased that so many who came forward were bright, enthusiastic youth and
young adults.
Another valuable time for me in each
conference was the opportunity I had to
hear from the youth who were present. In
the South Conference, the youth gave me a
“Celebrate!” T-shirt and a bright-colored
Hawaiian lei with a tag attached which
quoted 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no on look
down on your youthfulness, but rather in
speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity,
show yourself an example to those who
believe.” Indeed, the South Indiana group
showed us how to celebrate our faith.
The North Conference youth also gave
me a T-shirt, with the words from 2 Corinthians 5:17 as translated by Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Those words say:
“Now we look inside, and what we see is
that anyone united with the Messiah gets
a fresh start, is created new.” They also
gave me a whole set of plastic eggs, each
one containing little slips of paper on
which each youth had written their hopes
and dreams for the CCYM (Conference
Council on Youth Ministry) and for the
whole church. Several of those slips of
paper also contained very nice comments
and prayerful support for me. Many of
those are private, but let me share some
of the hopes and dreams of the youth for
their CCYM and the church, so that you,
too, can listen to our youth:
“I pray that everyone will support the
youth so that we can use our new beginning to further the ministry of Christ
throughout the conference.”
“As a youth I see the need for unity
among members, something that a lot of
adults in my church don’t recognize. It is a
continual battle of ‘them’ and ‘us.’ I feel
positive, and I put my faith in God that he
will use you and us to the fullest. Thank
you for answering your call.”
“I am so thrilled that our new beginnings
coincide, and it is my prayer that clergy,
conference, and youth will work together
in harmony.”
“My hope for you bishop is that you will
unite all the districts in Christ’s name so
that we can support believers and bring others to Christ.”
“I get your E-pistles and they always
seem to brighten my day when I read a new
one.”
“We as youth have a passion to serve
Christ to the fullest of our ability! We want
the world to be able to share the joy, we
want everyone to know!”
“Bless be the tie that binds. May this be
a reminder of the tie we share together.”
“My vision is the youth in North Indiana will become leaders in their local
churches, their districts, and their conference.”
“My vision for CCYM is for us to communicate more so that we can accomplish
much more as a group. I want to unite this
conference’s youth to revive our peers and
our churches.”
“I just want to say that I will be regularly praying for you and the rest of the conference. I also want to say that over the next
year I hope to see the CCYM become a
tighter group and a greater leadership
throughout the conference. I want to see
the youth of the conference becoming a
great group that can touch our schools,
friends, and others around us. We can come
together and unite our youth groups to do
great works for God.”
“My vision for CCYM is for us to work
together. All throughout conference 2005
we have talked about being a ‘we.’ One
person can accomplish so much in this
world, just think how much we can accomplish if WE work as a team.”
Oh yes, there was one more note which
said simply, “You Da Bishop!” What a nice
affirmation!
The youth told me that those plastic eggs
filled with notes, prayers, hopes and dreams
could be used to make a “vision omelet.”
More than that, those little pieces of paper,
the T-shirts, their reports and their presence
at the two Annual Conferences give me
great hope for the future.
Now it is important for us to listen to
our youth. Because they have a lot to say
to us.
From Bishop Michael J. Coyner
Indiana Area of the United Methodist
Church “Making a Difference ... in
Indiana and around the world”
church. EPIC describes a church which invites and involves young adults rather than
asking them to adapt to the ways we have
always done church.
There is much truth to Sweet’s analysis.
As I visit our congregations in Indiana, I
notice those churches that are reaching
younger generations tend to utilize projected images, lively music, video clips, relevant messages and a variety of forms of
involvement that include Disciple Bible
Study, mission work trips, drama, adventure camping, service outreach, e-mail and
Internet communication. Likewise, I notice
that churches that don’t adapt to the youth
and young adult culture tend not to reach
those age groups.
The Gospel truth never changes, but our
methodology for sharing the Good News
of Jesus Christ must always be adapted to
new generations and new contexts for ministry.
How about your church? Is your church
an EPIC church?
From Bishop Michael J. Coyner
“Making a Difference …
in Indiana and
around the world.”
HOOSIER UNITED METHODISTS
July/August 2005 Vol. 35 No.6
MISSION STATEMENT: To reflect the teachings of Christ through
stories and pictures, thereby sharing key moments and concerns in
the life of his Indiana church and its people. To share joy, to share
personal faith, to share challenges, and to refresh the spirit.
Indiana Area Bishop/Publisher: Michael J.
Editor:
Coyner
Daniel R. Gangler
Editorial Assistant:
Erma Metzler
HNE Printers, Columbus with soybased inks on recycled/recyclable paper
Printed by:
Editorial Offices:
Hoosier United Methodists Together
Indiana Area United Methodist Church
1100 W. 42nd St., Suite 210
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Phone: 317-924-1321
Fax: 317-924-4859
e-mail: [email protected]
Hoosier United Methodists Together (ISSN1544-080x) is a monthly (except June,
August and December) publication of
Indiana Area United Methodist
Communications, 1100 W. 42nd. St.,
Indianapolis, IN 46208, for clergy, laity and
seekers. Periodicals postage paid at
Indianapolis, IN. Printed in the U.S.A.
copyright 2005 Indiana Area of The United
Methodist Church.
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Commentaries and letters provided by
Indiana Area United Methodist
Communications do not necessarily represent
the opinions or policies of Bishop Michael
Coyner, the Indiana Area or The United
Methodist Church.
Members of the Indiana Area Communications Commission
and Editorial Advisory Group:
Steve Bahrt, chairman
Char Harris Allen
Bishop Michael J. Coyner
Ida Easley
Mark Eutsler
Donald Griffith
Jack Howey
David Maish
Bruce Palmer
Scott Pattison
Cindy Reynolds
Robert Sharp
Paula Shrock
Bert Talbott
Permission is hereby granted to United Methodist Congregations to reprint stories not previously copyrighted in your local church publications.
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3
Emerging church may bring end to holy-war culture
If The United Methodist Church continues in its conservative-liberal holy-war culture, the church will continue to decline,
not because of its right or wrong theology,
but because the younger generations will
not tolerate a right-wrong at-odds view of
Christianity. What is central to Wesleyan
theology goes beyond creedal orthodoxy,
beyond liberal relativism in the heartfelt
proclamation that “God is love.”
The times are changing and the church
of the 21st century must learn to change, to
be transformed, not just reformed, or continue to die in a post-denominational world.
In the words and works of Brian McLaren,
soon to be in our midst, we must be an
emerging church with a generous orthodoxy.
Preparing for McLaren’s visit to Hoosier United Methodists, I have read his Generous Orthodoxy: et al. and commend it to
your reading before he discusses his theology and theories on September 17 in Indianapolis. (See Focus on the Emerging
Church, p. 13.) Like others who have reviewed it on and off the Internet, I give a
mixed review of this book.
He creates clever copy and his book is
an enjoyable and fast read. More than anything, the book is autobiographic and reflective of his 40-something life as an evangelical Christian. He identifies with every
Christian movement from the Greek church
fathers, to Roman Catholicism, monasticism, mysticism, the Reformation, Anglicanism, Methodism, right up to his own independent Christian church – now the dom-
inant expression of Christianity in America. For a shorter read, catch the last two
chapters – “Why I am emergent” and “Why
I am unfinished.”
McLaren is not a theologian and doesn’t
pretend to be one. He is a pastor. Early in
his book, he even confesses his lack of formal theology. He also skips and condenses
Christian history for his own purposes.
He writes what he feels he needs to write
chapter after chapter. Near the end, he finally comes to a pivotal statement that
brings the book and his thinking to the forefront. He writes, “To be a Christian in the
generous, orthodox way is not to claim to
have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on a wall.
“It is, rather, to live and grow in a loving (ethical) community of people who are
seeking the truth (doctrine) on the road of
mission (witness as McClendon said), and
who have been launched on the quest by
Jesus, who, with us, guides us still. Do we
have it? Have we taken hold of it? Not fully, not yet, of course not. But we keep seeking. We’re finding enough to keep us going. But we’re not finished. That, to me, is
orthodoxy – a way of seeing and seeking, a
way of living, a way of thinking and loving
and learning that helps what we believe become more true over time, more resonant
with the infinite glory of God (p. 293).”
He writes like a process theologian. All
is becoming and emerging. He believes the
church is emerging as a new post-Protestant, post-modern, post-conservative, post-
LETTERS
Amazed by Indy
Airport chaplain
I work in Golden, Colorado but was recently in the Indy airport after visiting my
parents in Illinois. The Rev. Yung Sheng
Chun came and talked with me. I am to be
commissioned next week and had just graduated from Iliff School of Theology here
in Denver. I was so amazed and pleased by
his presence that I went looking on the Web
for his ministry and found your recent article (Together, May-June 2005). I have been
in numerous airports throughout the world
and have never had a chaplain approach me.
It was wonderful.
Denise Bender
Golden, Colo.
Another WWII
chaplain
Looking in the recent issue of Together
at the list of WW II Chaplains (past and
present) by John Wolf, I was stimulated to
mention to you the name of the Rev. Robert Moss, deceased, of Ft. Wayne, Ind. Rev.
Moss is undoubtedly a unique chaplain in
that he earned the purple heart and the infantry badge for combat (including the Battle of the Bulge) before he was ordained in
the Methodist Church. He retired at the rank
of full Colonel in the U.S. Army as a chaplain. He was a leader in military activities
in both Iowa and Indiana, as well in Methodist Church activities as pastor and fund
raiser. I probably do not know enough of
liberal church in this new century.
For the past quarter century, The United
Methodist Church, like other mainline Protestant denominations, has become entrenched in a liberalconservative cultural war to
which in Indiana has added, but
not the sole cause of, a 50 percent decline in membership
since 1968. Another cause for
that decline has been a rigid institutionalism that has resisted
change in structure and procedures. Change is overdue and
coming.
Since the turn of this century, many have
sensed either change or the need for change
in all levels of The United Methodist
Church – congregational, district, conference, jurisdiction and general. Up-anddown vote decision making has been replaced by discerning God’s will. It’s a process which takes longer, but also a process
which brings more people into the process
through discussion and prayer. New administrative structures incorporate the mission
and being of the church replacing a hierarchical administrative format that served prior generations well.
On the congregational level, change has
been evident in worship with alternative
forms that include praise songs, bands, projected images and pastoral talks or Bible
lessons, rather than hymns, liturgies and sermons. Growing churches offer forms of
worship and Christian education in tune
TO THE
his contributions and accomplishments as
chaplain, pastor or combat soldier; and I do
realize that he was not a chaplain during
WW II because he returned to complete
seminary on G.I. bill. However, it seems to
me that his unusual status as a post WW II
military
chaplain
of
such
unusual accomplishments might be a worthy and interesting notation within the reports of Methodist Chaplains with Indiana
connections.
Not a chaplain, but a strong Methodist
lay person member of Terre Haute Maple
Ave. United Methodist (returned to her second active duty in Afghanistan) is Cheryl
Lanke, Lt. Col, USAF. I wonder if strong
Indiana United Methodist members of special military honors and/or high military
rank would sometime offer some interesting news.
Loran Ralph Braught
West Terre Haute, Ind.
Reflections on
‘Tightening our belts’
The article “Tightening our belts, loosening our wallets,” by Bishop Coyner in
the April 2005 issue states concerns that
should be met by all members of The United Methodist Church.
My wife and I have been members and
loyal supporters of The United Methodist
Church since 1959. During the last couple
of decades however, we and many of our
friends have become more and more disillusioned with the leadership of this mainline church whose priorities are moving in
with the millennial generation’s need for
visual rather than verbal communication.
As a church, as United Methodism in Indiana, we are an emerging church.
The signs are here.
When it comes to truths such
as the exclusivity of the Gospel
as a means to salvation, the person and work of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the traditional roles of men and women and
the issue of homosexuality, the
emergent movement has no answers. McLaren attributes this
position to humility.
In his closing words, he confesses that he
is “unfinished.” A generous orthodoxy means
not just reaching correct conclusions about
issues but requires “right processes to keep
on reaching new and better conclusions” (p.
294), a process that never ends. He even ends
the book with an unfinished fragment.
With McLaren and Bishop Mike Coyner
as leaders of the day, there will be plenty
for both laity and clergy to discuss on Sept.
17. Hopefully, Focus on the Emerging
Church (page 13) will begin that process
during the summer. Pack A Generous Orthodoxy in your beach bag for lakeside
reading. It’s even good reading for a backyard patio. McLaren may not have the answers we need, but I think he is a step in a
promising direction. I have my questions
for him and they begin with
Welcome,
Daniel R. Gangler
EDITOR
the wrong direction. Now we are encouraged to increase our support to a system
that is failing in its’ original purpose.
Let’s reconsider this plea of “Tightening our belts, loosening our wallets.” There
was no mention in the article about dedicating ourselves to increasing membership,
the decline of which is born out by the
record. In fact there is consideration of
merger of the conferences to reduce overhead. This in itself is an admission of inability to grow or maintain present programs. In most organizations dividing is the
way to grow. In my community many new
churches have emerged and are growing at
a rapid pace while our own United Methodist church continues to decline in membership and as a result is barely able to meet
the budget or pay apportionments, nor are
we in a position to adequately provide education and learning opportunities for the
few children and youth we have. The fact
is Methodists in general are quietly voting
against the policies by tightening or closing their wallets.
In my opinion, we would have not financial problems if we sufficiently increased the membership of our churches.
The key to our stewardship is the knowledge that our giving is directed toward vital needs and used effectively. As in industry and business, we are overloaded with
“middle management.” We should consider that as church membership has declined
staff levels of conference and districts remain relatively constant, thereby increasing their ratio to churches and membership.
Now, we are asked to pay more to maintain
this higher ratio. What are we receiving in
return? – finer office buildings and homes
for the upper echelon? How is there money available for new and finer buildings and
homes in light of present financial difficulties? I suggest that the office of District
Superintendent be abolished and those individuals returned to regular church pulpits.
We should also sell all parsonages and give
the clergy housing allowances and allow
each to purchase or rent lodging as the rest
of us must do according to his or her family need and financial capability.
The strength of our church used to lie in
the rotation of pastors every few years or
so. This system is challenging and requires
pastors to occasionally move out of their
comfort zone while also distributing
strengths and weaknesses of clergy over the
entire conference. Now it seems that they
remain in the same church longer and longer. Have salaries reached the level that we
have no place to move persons since a move
is supposed to be on the same level or a
promotion?
If we as a people are going to survive
and thrive as United Methodist Christians,
we must not continue to perpetuate a system that no longer functions in its original
ordained purpose.
Many of us will open our wallets to a
real and vibrant result oriented ministry.
When the clergy become a part of and directly involved in the lives and activities of
their flocks, the present situation will
change remarkably soon for the better.
Lamar Peterson
Bedford, Ind.
4
Hoosier
United
Methodists
INDIANA
together
July/August 2005
Lilly grants renewal funds to nine Indiana UM churches
INDIANAPOLIS – Their congregations call them passionate,
amazing, dedicated, energetic,
prayerful, sensitive, committed
and exceptional. They are the pastors of the 36 Indiana churches,
including nine United Methodist
congregations, selected to receive
grants in the 2005 Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations funded by the Indianapolisbased Lilly Endowment.
The grants allow pastors to take
an extended time away from the
daily demands of church leadership to spend intentional time
studying, reflecting, reconnecting
with their families, traveling, writing – whatever “makes their hearts
sing.” At the same time, each congregation experiences its own renewal program, often in concert
with its pastor’s, so that both gain
from the experience.
Each congregation is eligible to
receive up to $45,000, and up to
$15,000 of that may be used to
fund congregational renewal activities and for pastoral expenses
while the pastor is away. The applying pastors, who are encouraged to consider plans that “will
make their hearts sing,” routinely
work with their congregations and
come up with imaginative and
thoughtful ways to spend a few
months away from the pulpit.
This year’s recipients represent
24 Indiana cities and towns in 21
Indiana counties. During their sabbaticals, their “range of motion”
will extend far beyond Indiana’s
borders – to the Middle East, Europe, Central and South America,
Australia, Africa. They will explore the origins of their faith, attempt to fill in spaces on their family trees, keep journals, take pic-
tures, spend time with their families, and pause for solitary retreats
and thoughtful reflection.
“Most of these pastors, 24 to
be exact, represent congregations
of fewer than 400 people, and
most of those, 15, represent congregations of fewer than 200.
Their work is intensely personal;
they spend time with people at the
highest and lowest points of their
lives – and all points in between,”
says Craig Dykstra, the Endowment’s vice president for religion.
“The congregations – who design and plan these sabbaticals
with their ministers – engage in
renewal activities on the same
theme as their pastor’s renewal
program. For instance, if the pastor is involved in a foreign-language immersion program, the
congregation might engage in a
study of the same culture that the
pastor is exploring. Or if the pastor is exploring different modes of
worship, they too will plan correlating studies. The opportunities
for mutual renewal are endless.”
United Methodist congregations receiving clergy renewal
grants with amount received and
name of pastor include:
♦ Bethel UMC, Indianapolis,
$45,000,
Rev. Andrea
Leininger
♦ Broadway UMC, Indianapolis,
$45,000, Rev. Rachel Metheny
♦ Community UMC, Vincennes,
$45,000, Rev. Andrew Kinsey
♦ First
UMC, Anderson,
$45,000, Rev. Derek Weber
♦ Grace UMC of South Bend,
$39,203, Rev. Hosea Drake
♦ Methodist Temple UMC,
Evansville, $42,350, Rev. Robert Coleman
♦ Mount Pleasant UMC, Terre
Haute, $44,987, Rev. Aaron
Wheaton
♦ The Promise: A UMC, Fishers,
$43,990, Rev. Russell Allanson
♦ Ridge
UMC, Munster,
$45,000, Rev. Steven Conger
Endowment officials anticipate
that the Indiana program will continue, and an announcement is
expected soon.
Besides this program, the Endowment offers a National Clergy Renewal Program for congregations and their ministers in the
other 49 states. The deadline for
those applications was June 10,
and the recipients will be announced in September. For more
information about either program,
see the Endowment’s Web site:
www.lillyendowment.org.
See sidebar story about how
these pastors plan to use their
grants.
Pastors plan to use Lilly grants to research, relax, travel
Here are responses from some of the
United Methodist pastors (in alpha order)
who received Lilly renewal grants this summer.
Russell Allanson,
pastor of The Promise UMC in Fishers,
said his reaction to
receiving the grant
was “Elation! We’ve
been working on this
as a congregation,
and it has given us yet
one more sense of
Allanson
success and blessing!”
“There are three foci of my leave. The
first is study,” he told Together. “I will study
cutting edge worship at churches that do
that well. That will include reading, visits
(to Ginghamsburg UMC, Granger Community Church, Willow Creek Community
Church and others), conversation and experience.
“The second is connecting deeper with
the tradition. I will continue my study of
John Wesley and the early Methodists (in
England).
“The third is really primary. It is reconnection with my family. All ministry done
well is stressful, but it appears church planting is some of the most stressful… I understand this because it is a relentless, neverending schedule that can, and often does,
consume everything. While I’ve experienced these stresses, the approach of my
wife and I has been one of ministering from
God’s strength and not from our strength…
So, this third focus is to connect with my
wife and children on an even deeper level.
This will include an extended time of camping (to and from Banff and Jasper National
Parks, in Canada) and even a cruise.”
Allanson’s leave
will begin in June
2006.
Robert Coleman,
pastor of Methodist
Temple UMC in
Evansville, told Together, “Since I had
just received a stint in
one artery that had a
Coleman
95 percent blockage,
the surprise did not
cause a heart attack. My wife Joyce and I
are very pleased and excited. The timing is
a double blessing.”
He said his grant will be used, “for relaxation and renewal through travel and
photography. This will be coordinated with
many opportunities to use photography and
art expression of faith in the local church.”
While he is on the road, he said his members in Evansville “will be given opportunities to display their photography, improve
technical skills and better understand faith
expression through the visual arts.”
Coleman plans to begin his leave in summer 2006 focusing in the northwest Canada and Alaska, plus the British Isles.
Andrea Leininger, pastor of Bethel
UMC in Indianapolis, said she was
shocked, thrilled and overjoyed at receiv-
ing the renewal grant.
Not able to sleep the
night after the announcement, at 4
a.m. she said she lit a
candle, put on music
and did a sacred
dance to God. She
then woke her husband, the Rev. Harold
Leininger
Leininger a retired
pastor, and they took
a walk at sunrise.
She told Together, “The grant will
permit us to ‘Journey with God.’ We will
travel to New Mexico, France, Italy and
Ghana for multi-cultural experiences of
God. At the same time I experience these
worship experiences, Bethel will do the
same. Pastors and choirs of diverse cultural and spiritual practice will lead our worship on four different Sundays.
“While in Ghana working as a volunteer chaplain at the Ankaase Methodist
Faith Healing Hospital, Harold and I will
experience an African worship
experience. On the same Sunday Bethel
will have an African or African/American
pastor with an African choir. In this way
Bethel will be enabled to experience new
and meaningful forms of worship as a way
to understand, experience, appreciate and
learn about other ways to enjoy God, and
then create some new opportunities to Pike
Township which is the most diverse township in the state of Indiana.” All this and
more is scheduled to begin Aug. 1.
Derek Weber,
pastor of First UMC
in Anderson, said he
felt both joy and relief when he had received word of his
grant. He told Together that he vacillated between confidence that he would
Weber
receive it and fear
that he had set up a
program that wouldn’t meet the requirements of the sponsors. He said, “The money will be used to fund some travel and living expenses for me and some for my
family. My wife and I adopted two children
from Korea and now we are taking them
back to that country for a time of reconnection to those roots. The largest portion
of the expense is this trip, which will take
place at the beginning of the sabbatical.
“The second most expensive part is a trip
to Great Britain, where my wife and I lived
for over five years while I served in the
British Methodist Church and later while I
completed my Ph.D. We made many friends
and had many experiences that we would
like to share with our children. I also have
a couple of personal fact-finding trips scattered throughout the time.”
The Webers will begin all this in July
2006 and return before the end of
October. The time begins in Korea, and includes time in Indiana, Tennessee,
Texas, Great Britain (England and Scotland), Kansas City and Ohio.
UINDY professor’s book probes meaning of work
Where does God’s
grace meet the daily
grind?
That’s the question
tackled by Indianapolis-based clergyman,
educator and author
Gregory S. Clapper in
his new book, Living
Your Heart’s Desire:
God’s Call and Your
Vocation.
Clapper
The book, his third
for publisher Upper
Room Books, blends
ancient wisdom with
pop culture to help
people of all ages reconcile their faith and
their work in meaningful ways.
An ordained United
Methodist minister,
Clapper is a professor
of religion and philosophy at the
United Methodist-related University of Indianapolis and one of the
founding directors of the university’s Lantz Center for Christian
Vocations.
Clapper’s two previous books
for Upper Room are 1997’s As
If the Heart Mattered: A Wesleyan Spirituality and 1999’s When
the World Breaks Your Heart:
Spiritual Ways of Living with
Tragedy, informed by his experience as a National Guard chaplain at the scene of a 1989 airliner crash in Iowa.
The new book, published as
a 128-page paperback, explores
traditional Christian teaching on
the concepts of personal freedom, vocation and God’s calling, to help readers cut through
the alienation and cynicism that
can arise in today’s working
world. Throughout the narrative,
Clapper draws examples from
contemporary films and other
familiar elements of popular
culture.
“We must ask if the life we are
living is a worthy expression of
gratitude for what God has done
for us,” Clapper writes. “Our most
important response is the shape of
our entire life. It is, in short, our
vocation.”
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5
Music, testimonials tell story of church growth, evangelism
“Come, now is the time to worship,” sang the praise band on the
stage of Indiana University Auditorium June 9, as the church growth
and evangelism event began during the South Indiana Annual Conference in Bloomington.
“Come, just as you are before
your God. Come,” sang and
played the St. Paul Faithlink
Praise Band of Bloomington as
they led congregational singing.
Scripture was read from Act
4:13-21, 5:12 about the signs of
the early church in Jerusalem
when the church was ordered by
civil authorities not to speak in the
name of Jesus. Peter and John
said, they couldn’t keep from
speaking about what they had seen
and done.
Strategic Planning helps pro-
vide churches by obtaining loans.
The Screening and Strategy committee information is available on
the new SIC Web site at
www.sicumc.org.
Several congregations testified
to ways they had grown. Bartlett
Chapel was losing youth. The conference gave them a three-year
$50,000 grant to hire a youth pastor. They are now in their fourth
year and flying.
Hanover Church chose the 12
Keys program with two priorities
– children and youth. They have
experienced a seven-percent
growth.
Barnes Church in Indianapolis
wanted to change the image of its
congregation. Members created a
visual picture for African-Americans through a TV and door-to-
door campaign.
At Sandy Hook, they used connectional funds for block parties,
VBS and an Easter egg hunt.
Since 2000, worship has increased
28 percent.
The Hispanic ministry report
was given in Spanish. Presenters
said the Hispanic population is
growing rapidly. In Indianapolis,
Vida Nueva has made us realize
that our mission field is here at
home. The church is located in the
midst of an Hispanic population
offers Hispanic culture awareness
training. Old Bethel UMC is now
offering Spanish Bible studies.
Irvington UMC is offering ESL
classes. In Bloomington St.
Mark’s offers a Spanish ministry.
Knox County has a food pantry
available to Hispanics.
The St. Paul Faithlink praise band leads the Thursday night plenary.
New Communities of Faith being developed in the South Conference include: The Promise in Fishers (3 out of 4 adults were not
churchgoers), Faithpoint in Floyds
Knob, Faithlink alternative in
Bloomington out of St. Paul UMC.
A new missional church also
was established in Congo known
as the Kamina Project. Taylor
Walters was sent to the Project
from Indiana.
Summary of the lay leader’s address to annual conference in Bloomington
Truly a year of changes for Indiana’s United Methodist
Ike Williams, South Indiana needed or they would not be on the
Conference Lay Leader, said, car.
“New Beginnings... this has been
This is true for the church as
truly a year of news bewell. We are the parts,
ginning in many posiand we must work totions, including a new
gether.
bishop.”
In Romans 12, we
New Beginnings is
read that Paul said we
about change. And
worship God through
change is hard.
our bodies which we
give to God. Worship
He showed members
does not end when we
a steering wheel from a
leave church. God’s
car. He said the steering
Williams
sanctuary is everywheel by itself is not
where.
very useful. A car withTo the clergy, I say you can’t
out a steering wheel makes the car
inoperable. All the parts of a car are do God’s work alone. Like laity,
you are skilled in many ways. To
the laity I say, you can’t do God’s
work alone. Like the clergy, you
are skilled in many ways. We must
work together.
In South Indiana, we have more
than 600 clergy and more than
110,000 members.
In the early days of Indiana,
many clergy were circuit riders.
Laity would not see their pastors
for weeks, so the laity needed to
run the churches.
Clergy and laity must work together in equal partnership. We
must all proclaim God’s word as
well. As laity, we outnumber the
clergy and can be in far more places than the clergy. Therefore, we
can spread God’s word to more
places.
John Wesley asked us all to do
all we can do, not as clergy or laity, but together. We must be willing to use our God given skills.
Our gifts come from God, and we
can all use our skills in bringing
people to church. Many don’t see
the relevance of the church today.
Paul took the message to people who believed in gods and were
not interested in Paul’s God, but
he was persistent and didn’t give
up. He was beaten and run out of
town, but he never gave up.
This might mean young people
might not like our church. We may
need to change and provide new
services for today’s young person.
They may not pay attention to apportionments, but they are willing
to give to missions or volunteer
for a mission trip.
We must work together as partners. Laity, care for your clergy,
even when they may not be the
best of clergy. Clergy, care for
your laity even when they aren’t
the perfect congregation. We all
work together to bring the Gospel
to all people.
South Indiana Annual Conference sessions at a glance
“New Beginnings” was the
theme of the South Indiana Conference June 9-11 at Indiana University in Bloomington. Bishop
Michael J. Coyner was welcomed
as the conference’s new bishop.
In lieu of preaching services,
Coyner held six Bible studies
about administration, missions,
connectional ministries, worship,
institutions and discipleship. Each
Bible study preceded a report session on one of these themes.
The conference suspended its
rules to operate without legislative
sessions.
During a memorial service sermon, retired Bishop David Lawson of Franklin, Ind., called the
annual conference the congregation of the clergy.
During a sermon, Bishop
Lindsey Davis of North Georgia,
reminded members they are
called to prayer, to be an example, to let Scripture mold them
and to love deeply. In another sermon, Davis reminded members
that Christianity is a movement,
not an institution.
James Winkler, general secretary of the General Board of
Church and Society, challenged
lay members to become more involved in social justice by supporting universal primary education in
developing countries plus basic
healthcare and lunches for the
less-fortunate students here in the
United States.
The conference has raised more
that $75,000 to rebuild the Methodist church in Banda Aceh, Indonesia and has given more than
$450,000 to South Asia Tsunami
relief efforts.
Indiana-based Operation Classroom asked each district to adopt
a school in Liberia or Sierra Leone and celebrated the opening of
a new surgical suite at Kissy U.M.
Clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The conference approved petitions to support global AIDS
awareness, questioned the
church’s membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice, and supported counseling
ministries for women and men
experiencing emotional pain due
to a past abortion.
The conference discussed at
length a $500,000 shortfall in the
2004 expense budget. As a result
of diminished apportionment receipts, Bishop Coyner challenged
pastors and lay members to promote tithing in their congregations. Next year the conference
will consider a proposal to replace
the traditional apportionment system with a local church tithing
system to support the conference
ministries.
In other actions, the conference:
♦ Approved $12.2 million apportionment budget and $9.7 million expenditure budget for
2006, which is a $1.2 million
decrease over the 2005 expenditure budget;
♦ Retired 13 ordained and lay
pastors;
♦ Commissioned 7 probationary
clergy members;
♦ Ordained 11 Elders;
♦ Recognized 10 course of study
graduates;
♦ Promoted
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
and approved
$50,000 for Igniting Ministry;
Assigned an e-mail address to
all active ministers;
Encouraged members to recruit
young adults to ordained ministry;
Announced that 53 youth were
approved as Lay Speakers;
Approved all General Conference amendments and
Recognized the United Meth-
odist connectional ministries of
Clarian Health Partners Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis;
University of Evansville, University of Indianapolis;
DePauw University; two
children’s homes and four retirement centers.
Membership in 2004 was
113,374 a decrease of (2,343)
from 115,717 the previous year.
The conference grew in professions of faith by six percent and
260 churches grew in average
worship attendance. Worship attendance in 2004 was 64,898 a
decrease of (422) from 65,320 the
previous year.
Complete reports of both South and North
Indiana Annual Conferences sessions
can be found by logging on to
www.inareaumc.org.
6
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together
SOUTH INDIANA CONFERENCE
July/August 2005
Lawson says annual conference is congregation of the clergy
As the South Indiana Confer- are here. I can also say that you
ence Memorial Service began in have become a highly respected
Indiana University Auditorium on bishop among the Council of
Thursday afternoon June 9, Bish- Bishops. Your presence here is
op Coyner introduced Bishop very important.”
David and Martha
Lawson said in the
Lawson and Bishop
1970s, the phrase “the
Leroy Hodapp, both
congregation of the
retired bishops with
clergy” was coined
Indiana ties.
here in Indiana. This
Bishop Lawson
congregation gathers
preached the Memorias clergy, he said.
al Service using Acts
When clergy die in this
11 as the sermon text.
conference, clergy atThe passage is about
tend their funeral. “You
the church scattering
will not die alone. The
Lawson
after the stoning of
clergy will be with
Stephen. Part of the church went you.” These people (we rememto Antioch where many were add- ber) will not be alone, we will be
ed to the faith.
with them. He asked the congreLawson said he hadn’t been to gation to review the list of those
a South Indiana Conference ses- remembered.
“The other dimension I see here
sion for 22 years. Facing Coyner,
he said, “I am among a number is that these were remarkable peoof people that celebrate that you ple. I said thank you God.”
Those listed include: CLERGY
- Francis Applegate Sr., Marcus
Blaising, Fred Carpenter, Robert
DeLong, Edward David Frazier,
Leion Guinn, Elva Hardy, Fred
Kelley, Ross William Marrs and
Julian Morgan; plus SPOUSES –
Thelma Askren, Beth Bell, Marilyn Collins, Opal Cox, Mozelle
DeLong, Anna Lee Hamilton,
Clara Jaquess, Jean Marrs, Rebecca Meacham, Maxine Miller, Ann
Belle Partain, Pauline Siders, Imogene Smith and Virginia Tousley.
Lawson talked about his acquaintance with several clergy listed including Marcus Blaising,
Fred Carpenter, Robert DeLong
and Anna Lee Hamilton, names he
knew well.
Referring back to Scripture, he
said, “Those who could, walked a
long distance to Antioch (from
Jerusalem). They shared their faith
with their fellow Jews and some
Bishop’s Executive Assistant Don Griffith, lights candles commemorating deceased clergy members and spouses during the memorial service.
talked with the Hellenists and
Greeks. The words of this reached
the ears of the leaders in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas, who
went on to Tarsus and found Paul
and brought him down to Antioch
to share the faith. “And the church
grew and grew and grew,” Lawson said.
Then word came about a great
famine. The church at Antioch
gave money to Barnabas to take
back to Jerusalem. Because they
did this, they were blessed by God.
‘New Creation’ rocks annual conference
RETIRING SOUTH INDIANA CLERGY include: front row (l to r): Jim and
Marlene Gentry, Marcie and Gene Young, Beverly Smith, Thomas Ward.
Second row: Sandra and Jim Witty, Melvin Mozingo, Aletha McVeigh.
Back row: Pat and Phil Brenneman.
The reason: the conference was
celebrating the arrival of its inaugural theme song, “New Creation”
by Greg Graham of Blue Grass
UMC in Evansville.
Graham, director of creative
arts at Blue Grass, received a flier
from his pastor regarding a theme
song contest for the annual conference. “I wrote the song and submitted it. We’re excited to be
here,” said Graham, backstage after the first playing of the song.
“We’re just having a blast.”
Graham is joined onstage with
his fellow musicians John Wells,
Ray Buttry and Erick Scales.
The process of writing the song
was easy for Greg. “I started in the
Bible.” After some prayer and other thoughts about the passages he
read, he sat down to write the
song. “The chorus just came to
me. I was blessed. I had it done
the morning I started it.”
‘New Creation’
Words and music by Greg Graham; copyright by Greg Graham;
used by permission
Stanza 1
We had our start with God
Then fell apart from God
Separated by our sinful inclinations
Then we were won by Christ
To be one with Christ
Brought back together to be his
delegation
From the pieces of a broken body
He made all things new
Chorus
We stand before you a new cre-
ation
The old is gone, the new has come
Oh Lord we lift your name as we
together claim
This new creation in You
Stanza 2
We are compelled by love
To go and tell his love
To a world that needs to hear of
his salvation
And put back one by one
What this sin had undone
Back to the way it was when we
were first created
Share the story of his broken body
And he’ll make all things new
Bridge
There are those who want like us
to begin anew
So we must tell them the story, tell
what our Jesus can do.
Clergy session welcomes new ministers
SOUTH INDIANA CONFERENCE NEW ELDERS in full connection: left to
right, front row: Bishop Coyner, Pamela Cook, Joseph Johnson, Raymond Wilkins, Deborah Reichenbach, John Mantle and Bishop Davis.
Back row: Alvis Styron, Ronald Russell, Matthew Scholl, Jeffrey Landon,
Ronald Willis and Timothy Johnson.
SOUTH INDIANA CONFERENCE NEWLY COMMISSIONED probationary clergy include: left to right, front row: Cynthia Wood, Jamalyn Peigh-Williamson, Bishop Coyner, David Williamson and Gi-Chae Lee. Back row: Lisa
Schubert, Mitchell Norwood, Bishop Davis and Thomas McGilliard.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – “I appreciate you. You are a contribution,” Bishop Mike Coyner told
more than 600 clergy members of
the South Indiana Conference as
they began their work in closed
session June 9 at First UMC. “I
want you to know that you are appreciated; you are a gift of God.”
Instead of comments, Bishop
Coyner showed a video titled “Radiating Possibilities.” The video included five steps in showing a positive attitude. The steps included:
♦ Get in the front row of life;
♦ When you make a mistake, say
“how fantastic;”
♦ Don’t listen to the voice in the
head;
♦ Connect with other people; and
♦ Affirm “I am a contribution.”
The video is available for loan
from the conference resource center and the bishop’s office.
During the session, 11 probationary clergy members becoming
Elders were presented and approved to be ordained June 10.
They included: Pamela Carol Cook
of Fishers, Joseph Thomas Johnson
II of Indianapolis, Timothy Grant
Johnson of Greensburg, Jeffrey A.
Landon of Middletown, John Robert Mantle of New Albany, Deborah J. Reichenbach of Solsberry,
Ronald R. Russell of New Albany,
Matthew Lee Scholl of Moorsville,
Alvis Holmes Styron Jr. of Indianapolis, Raymond Wilkins of Indianapolis and Ronald Alan Willis
of Indianapolis.
During the session, seven candidates to ordained ministry were
approved to become probationary
members. They were commissioned to service June 10 and
included: Gi-Chae Lee of Bloomington; Thomas A. McGilliard of
New Albany; Mitchell H. Norwood of Grandview; Lisa D.
Schubert of Durham, N.C.; David Williamson of Terre Haute; Jamalyn Alece Peigh-Williamson of
Terre Haute; Cynthia Diane Wood
of Indianapolis.
Also during the session, Elders
and Local Lay Pastors seeking retirement were officially retired, effective the end of June. Each addressed their clergy colleagues.
Most expressed their indebtedness
and thanks to those gathered.
Those retiring as Elders included: Philip Brennaman, Beverly
Faulk, Nancy Lindley Flood,
James Gentry, Holly Rudolf, Marvin C. Swanson, James Witty Jr.
and Morris Gene Young.
Those retiring as Local Pastors
included: John Like, Melvin Mozingo, Beverly Smith, Robert Taylor and Thomas Ward.
Those retiring represent more
than 270 years of service.
Beverly Faulk, the last to speak,
told those assembled, “I have been
a lesbian all my life. God bless you
and may you see the life of Christ
in all you do.” She then left the
sanctuary and joined a small group
assembled in front of the church
holding hands, praying together
and wearing rainbow colored
stoles.
NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE
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North Indiana Annual Conference at a glance
The theme “Molded by
Grace… Making a Difference”
was lived out on the stage of the
North Indiana Annual Conference
at Purdue University June 2-4 in
West Lafayette by potter Russ
Harris of Nashville, Tenn., who
threw pots and engaged in conversation during six Bible study sessions. (See page 1.)
Those studies, in lieu of
preaching services, were led by
Bishop Michael J. Coyner, a native of Indiana presiding over his
first Indiana annual conference
session, and the Rev. Karen
Greenwaldt, general secretary of
the General Board of Discipleship. The Bible studies spoke
about leadership, church development, mission and outreach,
Christian conferencing and stewardship.
The clergy executive session
was held during a first-time clergy appreciate banquet hosted by
Coyner.
During a memorial service sermon, retired Bishop Sheldon
Duecker of Fort Wayne, Ind., said
that we need to honor the past,
look to Jesus and get on with the
work of the church.
The Rev. James Winkler, general secretary of the General
Board of Church and Society,
challenged members to continue
their efforts to fight legalized gambling and celebrated no expansion
of gambling in Indiana this year.
Ken Vance, missionary and pilot serving Wings of the Morning
in Congo and Zambia, said the
church must become the infrastructure in Africa to provide money for agricultural development.
The conference gave more than
7,500 health kits to UMCOR, celebrated giving $335,597 to UMCOR South Asia Tsunami relief.
The conference also has raised
more that $56,000 to rebuild the
Methodist church in Banda Aceh,
Indonesia.
Indiana-based Operation Classroom asked each district to adopt
a school in Liberia or Sierra Leone.
Concerning apportionments, the
conference replaced traditional apportionments and for 2006 will ask
local churches to give a tithe (10
percent) of their
church’s income
each month to
the conference’s
Shared Ministry.
General
church apportionments will
be asked in addition to the
conference
tithe.
The 2006
conference
budget will be
considered during an October
special session
Together Photo
following June
The Praise Band, a tradition at the North Indiana Annual Conference, was conducted by
listening ses- Chuck Scott of Fort Wayne. The singers and musicians come from several congregations.
sions.
The Council on Ministries was gregations. The newly formed ders to ministry.
restructured into four ministry Church Development Ministry
The conference has 566 local
groups: leadership development, Team will focus on strengthening churches with 519 appointments.
church development, mission and and growing ministry with Afri- Membership stands at 99,349, a
outreach, and peace and justice can-Americans and Hispanics in 1.9 percent or (1,978) decrease
addition to church development. from 101,267.
advocacy.
The conference retired 26 clerThe conference has four new
Average Sunday worship attencongregations and 11 local gy, commissioned ten probation- dance stands at 68,109, a (585)
churches now have off-site con- ary members and ordained six el- decrease from 68,694.
Bishop Coyner expresses appreciation to clergy during banquet
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Doing the clergy executive session differently at the North
Indiana Annual Conference sessions June
1-4 included a banquet of appreciation for
clergy and their spouses held June 1 at the
University Inn on West Lafayette’s northwest side. More than 670 clergy and their
spouses jammed into two ballrooms linked
electronically. Several times during the banquet and hour-long clergy session, Bishop
Mike Coyner expressed his appreciation to
the clergy of the North Indiana Conference.
While clergy and spouses were present
together, Coyner viewed with them a short
video titled “Radiating Possibilities.” (It can
be loaned for the NIC resource center or
the bishop’s office in Indianapolis.) In a
whimsical way, the video emphasized steps
to a more fulfilled life. They include the
principals: sit in the front row, when making a mistake proclaim “how fantastic,”
quiet the voice in your head, become part
of the song and say to yourself “I am a contributor.”
Coyner ended his banquet presentation
by reiterating: “I am a contributor.” Then
he added what he called the theological part
– “I am a gift of God.” As the banquet tran-
When making a
mistake proclaim, “how
fantastic !”
sitioned into a closed session, Marsha led
the spouses to a smaller ballroom for a
spouses’ session.
The closed clergy executive session
was led by Jack Hartman, chair of the
North Conference with Bishop Coyner
joining in as clergy members worked
through the traditional questions of the
church. For the second year in a row, the
paperless report was presented on a tenfoot screen in less than an hour. The approved report will be in the North Indiana
Conference Journal.
There were 25 clergy of the North Conference who retired this year. Together
their service totals 750 years of ministry.
Those retiring as Elders, Deacons and
Local Pastors included: Emmett Ade,
Gene Ansell, Beverly Biehr, Judith Brown,
William Brown, James Butler, Edwin
Retiring North Indiana Clergy include: front row (left to right): Gus and Joyce Kuhn, Harold
and Lois North, James and Patty Patch; 2nd row: Gwen Hershberger, Beverly Biehr, William
and Judith Brown, Pat Weeks, Sallie Maish, Ed Clark; 3rd row: Phil Hershberger, Kathie
Clemenz, John Weeks, David Maish, Jane Hewson, James Butler; 4th row: Tyron and Fran
Inbody, Lorin Clemenz, Diane Hogsett, Gerald Hewson, Lillian and Richard Fox; Back row:
David Hogsett
Clark, Lorin Clemenz, Ronald Covey,
Thomas Ford, Richard Fox, Phil Hershberger, Gerald Hewson, David Hogsett,
Tyron Inbdy, Dennis Keesey, Joyce Kuhn,
David Maish, Harold North, James Patch,
C. Jack Scott, Darin Suter, Larry Trueblood, John Weeks and Roger Wright.
Retirees will be presented to the full conference on Friday morning.
Ten candidates were approved by the
clergy to be commissioned into probationary ordained ministry included: Jeffrey
Clinger, Charlene Harris Allen, William
Garver, Donna Kay Goings, Joseph Hornick, Catherine Koziatek, Mark Need, Diana Kay Siegel, Thomas Thews and Vickie
Van Nevel.
Six candidates were approved by the
clergy in session to be ordained as Elders
included: Charles Pelc, Lawrence Saunders, Jeffrey Smith, Alex Stone, Matthew
Stultz and Jill Ann Wright. Candidates were
commissioned or ordained on Saturday
morning, June 4.
North Indiana Conference new Elders: Front row: (l to r) Jill Wright, Lawrence Saunders,
Matthew Stultz; Back row: Jeffrey Smith, Alex Stone, Charles Pelc.
North Indiana Conference Probationary Members: Front row: (l to r) Catherine Koziatek,
Charlene Harris Allen, Diana Siegel; Second row: Mark Need, William Garver, Jeffrey Clinger, Vickie Van Nevel; Back row: Thomas Thews, Donna Goings, Joseph Hornick.
8
Hoosier
United
Methodists
NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE
together
July/August 2005
Bishop Duecker says church needs shot of adrenaline
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Say- to us today in these we remember.
ing the church needs a good shot of Thank God for their lives and minadrenaline for the soul, set the pace istry in Northern Indiana.
for retired Bishop Sheldon DueckDuecker said, the preacher tells
er’s comments during the June 2 us that our energy comes from
annual memorial and communion Jesus, too. Jesus never lost his
service to honor the lives of 36 faith. We need to keep our eyes
North Indiana Conference clergy on Jesus, the one who kept faith.
members and spouses.
Duecker asked
his listeners to keep
Using Hebrews 12:1their devotional life
3 as his text, Duecker, of
present. He said our
Fort Wayne, outlined
faith in Christ is esthree points for the consential to our misference to remember. He
sion. If we are to be
said we need to:
effective, we need to
♦ Honor the past,
know who and what
♦ Look to Jesus and
Christ did for us.
♦ Get on with the work.
The central core of
Faith is the example
Duecker
our faith is that God
of those who have gone
before us, Duecker said. They sur- was in Christ. Look at Jesus’
vived the worst and kept the faith. ministry item by item. What did
A cord passes from Abel to Moses, Jesus do? He preached good
David to Abraham; a cord passes news, healed the sick, called the
through history to Jesus Christ. righteous and overturned the taThe preacher in Hebrews says we bles of injustice.
are in a great stadium of saints.
We serve a challenging, bibliThey are cheering us on today. cally illiterate world, said DueckThese we remember join that un- er. Our culture doesn’t know
broken cloud of faith. The true Christianity. We live in an age that
communion of faith bears witness believes in anything. Our Ameri-
can culture used to support ministry. Today it is hostile toward the
church. The days of triumphal
Protestantism are gone.
Consider the earliest Methodists in America, said Duecker.
They came to reform the continent
and spread scriptural holiness.
They changed lives by speaking
out against slavery, gambling and
drinking. What is our missional
purpose? – to make disciples for
Jesus Christ. Why? I believe we
are to make disciples to transform
the world – to make a difference.
It’s not enough just to stand
or take a stand, but I think the
theme for this generation is
“Let’s roll,” the words of the victims that crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11. Let’s lead a winning race. Hold that vision in
front of you. We are part of that
unbroken line, Duekcer said.
Following the sermon, the
names of clergy and spouses who
died since June 2004 were read.
As each name was read, a candle
was lit in his or her memory.
Remembered on Thursday,
morning June 2 were PASTORS:
Glenn Campton,
Robert Cahoon Jr.,
James Price, Willis
Syphers, Marcus
Blaising, Wilson
Parks, Jean McCan,
Glen Howenstine,
Burkett Smith, Paul
Hill, Phillip Frew,
Philip Hillsamer,
James Byrd, Sylvan
Nussbaum, Ruby
Bushee; SPOUSES: Melba Henry,
Lucille Hendrix,
Clyde Kershaw,
David Miller, Thelma Custer, Robin
Goings,
James
Kruse,
Grace
Keller, Mary Stalions; SURVIVING
SPOUSES: Veenice
Together Photo
White, Geraldine IN REMEMBRANCE of deceased clergy and their
Baker, Thelma Jen- spouses, a candle is lit for each as their names
nings,
Evelyn are read aloud during the Memorial and CommunShake, Doris Lut- ion Service.
trull Reynolds, Louise Myers, Mildred Hanawalt, Yunker, Ellen Frazure Plott.
The service ended with the sacMarjorie Sayre, Edwinna Manley,
Joy Kreig, Ruth Ellen Royster rament of Holy Communion.
Laity appreciation luncheon dishes up dialogue
To a resounding “Hello!”
Bishop Mike Coyner kicked off
the North Conference laity appreciation luncheon and laity session
on Thursday afternoon, June 2.
Over the clanking of silverware
on salad plates and glasses hitting
tables, Coyner told the laity that
both laity and clergy are all members of the body of Christ. “I really believe that we are all in this
together. It’s about ‘we’ and we are
in ministry together.”
Coyner also expressed one of
his concerns with the church to-
day – a smallness of vision. “I
believe God wants us to enlarge
our vision. When we work together as a church we can accomplish more.
“There are so many wonderful
things that are going on out there
in our churches, conference and
structure that we should celebrate,” he added.
Sharing that one of the joys of
his job as bishop is going around
celebrating with churches, the
bishop told of how he was visiting a new church start in the South
Indiana Conference when a little
girl tugged on his jacket, asking
if he was the bishop. After he said
“yes,” she thanked him for her
new fun church.
“That’s my hope and dreams
that the people of Indiana will
work together and share the joy
in that and sense that this is a fun
new church.”
After his welcoming, the luncheon participants – grouped in
districts at their tables – dialogued
with one another regarding five
questions:
♦ What significant UM ministries
are occurring in our district?
♦ What are some needs in your
local church that are not currently being met?
♦ Who are you aware of who
could address these needs?
♦ What ministry, in partnership
with other UM churches, do
you see as necessary and viable?
♦ What is your church doing out
in your community?
Armand Deleurere, lay member from Hobart’s Michigan Av-
enue UMC, is attending his first
annual conference. “It’s a new
thing for me,” said the recent retiree.
With the dialogue and discovery of the numerous ministries
of several churches in his district, Deleurere said, “It makes
me proud to be a United Methodist.” Sharing of the ministries
of a neighboring church, “That’s
a small church, but they’re doing so much. We’re here for the
same reason; we want to see the
church grow.”
2 Corinthians 4:7-12
Bishop tells ordinands be human, let God’s power show
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Bishop Mike Coyner told the 1,200
worshippers during the Saturday,
June 4 commissioning and ordination service at the North Indiana Annual Conference that he
“was ordained a probationary deacon on this stage with this stole
30 years ago,” as he showed conference members the stole. He
said the text says we have this treasure in clay pots, so that the extraordinary powers of God might
be revealed.
Coyner said he read on an Internet blog a piece from Pastor Scott
Williams, who is quitting ministry.
Williams said pastors live in the
limelight and it’s hard not to disappoint people. Pastors feel pressured
to put numbers on the role. Everything that goes wrong seems to be
the pastor’s fault. Pastors vacillate
between the drive to do everything
and to do little. It’s hard to be who
we (as pastors) are, he said.
Being commissioned and ordained
doesn’t make you’re less human but more
human.
“What I would like to say to
Scott Williams is that all the reasons to leave ministry are the same
ones as those to stay in ministry,”
Coyner said.
He said the more we stay the
more the truth of the Gospel is revealed. Being commissioned and
ordained doesn’t make you less
human but more human. He said,
“It’s an honor and privilege and
how human we are. The Gospel
humbles us. Being ordained and
being commission makes us more
humble. Do any of you feel worthy to be a minister of God? That’s
why it is always a calling and not
a choice. Who would choose it?
It’s a humble calling.”
Coyner said 30 years ago being ordained, he thought it would
be easier to be a Christian. It isn’t.
It’s an honor and privilege to serve
God. He said we are checked out
by everyone – committees,
boards, physicians, counselors.
The hoops don’t mean we are
worthy of ministry. It’s a privilege
(to serve as a ministry) for human
folks like us.
Knowing we are human helps
us keep going. We are knocked
down but we aren’t knocked out.
The more human we are, the more
God’s power shows through us, he
said. The treasure is the Gospel.
Our secret weapon is that this
(what we do) is the power of God.
“If we can’t accomplish all of
this on our own will, how will
anyone see through us the power
of the Gospel?” The more we are
human, the more the power (of
God) works.
He assured those to be commissioned and ordained that “ministry on our own will not work.
When you do it on your own bag
of tricks, it won’t work. But the
more we are open to God, the
more God will act. We are the vessels, the clay pots, the cracked
pots. The power is the Gospel.”
He closed by saying, “the more
I focus on being the vessel and
allow God being the power, the
more my ministry is possible. Be
real. Be human and look for the
ways you can be a clay pot so the
power of almighty God might be
revealed through you.”
Together Photo
Bishop Coyner holds stole he received at his ordination 30 years
ago.
Hoosier
United
Methodists
INDIANA
www.inareaumc.org
together
9
UINDY to welcome first students from Israel campus
INDIANAPOLIS — After two
years of planning, the University
of Indianapolis is poised to welcome the first group of students
from its Mar Elias Campus in Israel, most of them traveling
abroad for the very first time.
About 50 Christian and Muslim Arab students, accompanied
by five faculty members and their
families, have traveled from the
Upper Galilee region of Israel to
the university’s second summer
session. Classes began July 5.
This will be the first group of
Mar Elias students to study in Indianapolis since the university
began offering three degree programs in their tiny village of Ibillin in 2003. Ibillin is near Haifa,
not far from the Lebanese border.
(See February 2005 issue of Together.)
The Arab students will have a
full schedule of coursework, field
trips, guest speakers and special
activities during their seven-week
stay. Many churches and organizations, including the Chicagobased arm of Pilgrims of Ibillin,
have raised money to make the trip
possible for these students of very
modest means.
The students will be living in a
residence hall and taking classes
each Monday through Thursday.
They’ll have guest speakers and
excursions around Indianapolis on
Fridays, and spend a weekend in
“We want to give
these students a
truly memorable
experience both in
and out of the
classroom.”
– Mary Moore
Chicago hosted by Pilgrims of
Ibillin. While in Indianapolis, the
students will see museums, attend
sporting events, go shopping and
even visit the Indiana State Fair.
“We want to give these students
a truly memorable experience both
in and out of the classroom,” said
Mary Moore, vice president for
research, planning and strategic
partnerships. “Ultimately, we
want them to develop a broader
understanding of America and
Americans than what they’ve seen
in the media, and we would like
our students, faculty and staff to
come away with a better appreciation for a very complex region of
the world.”
Mar Elias Campus, the official
name for the university’s affiliate
in Israel, was conceived by the
Rev. Dr. Elias Chacour as an apolitical institution that would bring
baccalaureate programs to Ibillin
while nurturing dialogue and un-
Photo courtesy of University of Indianapolis
Assistant Biology Professor P. Roger Sweets conducts an environmental science class on campus July 5 the
first day of classes for Mar Elias students. It is a field course, so the students will have many trips around
Indiana to study wildlife. Sweets co-teaches the course with Mar Elias professor Assad Sakhnini.
derstanding among students and
faculty of all faiths. Chacour, a
Palestinian Arab and Melkite
priest, is founder of Mar Elias Educational Institutions – elementary and secondary schools and posthigh school training programs that
have been operating in Ibillin for
nearly a quarter century. It was his
longtime dream to create a college
campus there as well.
As a result of Chacour’s affiliation with the university, the Israeli government granted accreditation for Mar Elias in 2003, as a
branch offering the university’s
degree programs in communications, computer science and envi-
ronmental science.
For more information, log on
to these related Web links: International Division: http://
i n t e r n a t i o n a l . u i n d y. e d u /
overview.php Mar Elias Educational Institutions: www.meei.org
Pilgrims
of
Ibillin:
www.pilgrimsofibillin.org.
United Methodist Men gathering at Purdue July 15-17
WEST LAFAYETTE – The 9th United
Methodist Men’s Gathering sponsored by
the General Commission of United Methodist Men is coming July 15-17 to Purdue
University.
Many people from the North Indiana
Conference’s United Methodist Men are
involved with this event and working on
last minute details.
The gathering, held every four years, is
a chance for men to meet from all around
the world. In addition to speakers and workshops, the attendees will have a couple of
mission activities that the North Conference’s UMM support year-round: gleaning
and helping to feed the less fortunate.
David McCleary, NIC hunger relief advocate for the Society of St. Andrew and
vice president of the Warsaw District’s
A UMNS photo by Tim Tanton.
Birch Coston picks peas for the hungry during a gleaning project held at a farm near
Lafayette, Ind., before the 8th International
UMMen Congress in West Lafayette began.
The 9th National Gathering of United Methodist Men will be held at Purdue University
in West Lafayette, Ind., July 15-19. The event
will again kick off with a gleaning, a potato
drop, and a dried and canned food collection. Food will be distributed to relief agencies in the area. The gathering is held every
four years.
UMM, has been planning and working with
Lafayette area farmers and food banks to
coordinate the gleaning, potato drop and
gathering of canned food items at the ministry fair in the Armory. “Every registered
person is encouraged to bring five cans of
veggies, fruits or soups,” says McCleary.
In addition to the food projects, Gary
Hostetler, president of the Kokomo District
UMM, is responsible for setting up the ministry fair.
But overall, the upcoming event is more
than just walking through booths, moving
a few potatoes and listening to speakers.
“This event is important because it only
occurs every four years and brings together Christian United Methodist men for fun,
fellowship, personal growth in our spiritual life and renewed faith in God,” says
McCleary.
Ken Hudgins, North Indiana UMM president, encourages all men to register and
take the opportunity to grow spiritually, especially since the mega-event is in North
Indiana’s own backyard. “It’s important for
every man to grow in his faith. If you also
have a desire to do a men’s ministry, you
should be here. It’s like going to a Super
Wal-Mart: there’s everything.”
Adding to the event, Hudgins added that
the friendships that one makes are forever.
“I met people from all over the world,” saying he still keeps in touch and prays with
men from around the globe.
To register or for more information,
please visit the General Commission of
United Methodist Men’s Web site at
www.gcumm.org.
Additional WWII chaplain noted
Tsunami relief and Banda Aceh church funds
Editor’s note: In addition to the 88 World War II chaplains listed in the May-June issue of Together, here is one
more chaplain, however he was not a member of this denomination during WWII. That chaplain was the late Rev.
Sander J. Kleis born Jan. 7, 1911, died Aug. 10, 1993,
entered ministry 1950, retired 1976.
Kleis was ordained as clergy in the Wesleyan Methodist Church and transferred to the South Indiana Conference in 1950. According to Bethel UMC in Indianapolis,
Kleis was a Navy chaplain during WWII. He served the
Edinburg church for two years beginning in 1950 before
becoming a professor at Asbury College for three years.
He also served the South Indiana Conference at Glenwood,
Shelbyville West St. and Bethel in Indianapolis. Heeding
his call to higher education, he served as a professor at
Anderson College from 1961 to his retirement in 1976.
Here are the latest figures on the South Asia Tsunami relief effort of
both North and South Indiana Conferences. The Indiana Area is within
$1,500 of its $150,000 goal to rebuild the Methodist Church in Banda
Aceh, Indonesia.
South Indiana Conference
Total dollars received to date for tsunami relief for UMCOR –
$442,846.70 Total dollars received to date for rebuilding the Banda Aceh
Church - $ 96,619.86
SIC total – $539,466.56
North Indiana Conference
Total dollars received to date for tsunami relief for UMCOR –
$366,103.90 Total dollars received to date for rebuilding the Banda Aceh
Church – $57,888.22
NIC total – $393,992.12
Overall totals for Indiana Area
For tsunami relief – $ 808,950.60
For Banda Aceh Church – $ 148,508.08
Grand Total — $957,458.68
10
Hoosier
United
Methodists
NATIONAL
together
July/August 2005
Disciple Bible study gets makeover, adds two 8-week classes
By Kathy L. Gilbert
A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.
United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcaño
narrates a lesson in the Disciple Bible study
program during taping at United Methodist
Communications in Nashville, Tenn. This
summer and fall, the United Methodist Publishing House is making changes to the resource, such as offering new eight-week sessions, plus new videos for Disciple I.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) – In the
past 20 years, more than a million people
have graduated from a “Disciple” Bible
study class.
A million is not enough for the editors at the United Methodist Publishing
House. They know from listening to their
customers that more would have access
to the Bible study if a few changes were
made.
“ ‘Disciple’ has become an integral part
of the faith formation process in many congregations in this country and around the
world,” said Harriett Jane Olson, senior
vice president for publishing. “We hope that
these changes will open that possibility to
even more congregations.”
Among the changes, new eight-week
sessions will be offered, and new videos
are being produced for “Disciple I.”
Training seminars for facilitators are being shortened and will become optional
for churches offering the Bible study. Ordering procedures are being simplified,
and copies will be available in Cokesbury retail stores.
Until now, “Disciple” required leaders
to attend a three-day training session. Bob
Shell, director of Cokesbury Seminars, said
customers now understand the small-group
process that is integral to “Disciple.” Beginning this year, training will be highly recommended but no longer required for a
church to participate in Disciple I, II, III,
IV, “Christian Believer” or “Jesus in the
Gospels” programs.
Training seminars also will be shortened. Two-day “Disciple I” training classes will still be offered, but participants
will have the option of attending only the
second day. Single-day training will be
available for the other studies too, Shell
said.
Seminars are being made more affordable by waiving the requirement that participants stay in a hotel even if they live in
the surrounding area. Training will be held
in venues other than hotels. The option to
use other venues – such as churches, retreat centers and university campuses – will
help reach congregations and leaders in new
locations, Shell said.
A training DVD for “Disciple I” is available for churches, with more than 100 minutes from “Disciple I” training seminars.
Buying “Disciple” resources will be-
come easier. “Disciple” resources have
been sold in kits for groups of 12 participants since the beginning of the series.
Now planning kits will contain a set of
videos (VHS or DVD available), a participant resource and a leader’s guide,
packaged in a briefcase. Study manuals,
leader’s guides, videos and all other components can also be bought separately.
Though more than one million people have participated in the 34-week, indepth programs, many cannot commit to
such long-term studies, Olson said. Two
eight-week in-depth Bible studies will be
available.
Invitation to the New Testament will be
available in July, and Invitation to the Old
Testament will be available in August. For
each study, participants will be expected to
prepare daily, and each program includes
weekly group meetings with video presentation and group discussion.
For more information about “Disciple,”
call 800-672-1789, go online to
www.cokesbury.com or visit a Cokesbury
store. Information for this story came from
Around the House, a monthly staff newsletter of The United Methodist Publishing
House.
Church agencies to focus on health in body, mind, spirit
By Linda Bloom
A UMNS Report
Recognizing the importance of
health – in body, mind and spirit
– will be a focus of several United Methodist agencies during the
next few years.
United Methodist Communications will help coordinate that focus by providing a communications strategy that will
include the
creation of
a Web site
and finding
ways to link
people with
volunteer
opportunities
and
Hollon
models of
health-related programs, according to the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief
executive.
Denominational representatives met in early May in Washington to start shaping this focus
on health and wholeness.
“One of the things we’re looking at is how agencies can collaborate around the whole issue of
health and wholeness and deal
with the full range of subject matter that it involves,” Hollon explained.
In addition to taking care of
one’s self and cultivating a discipline of body, mind and spirit, the
focus will promote the recognition
“that we’re all better when we’re
in a healthy relationship with God
and with other people,” he said.
On a broader level, the church
must be an advocate for quality
health care, the delivery of that
care “and how it is done in a way
“The church must be an advocate for
quality health care, the delivery of that care
and how it is done in a way that makes it
available to everyone.”
– Larry Hollon
that makes it available to everyone,” Hollon added.
Health as wholeness
The United Methodist Board of
Pension and Health Benefits
adopted “health as wholeness in
mission” when it realized that clergy were making a higher than usual number of health and disability-related insurance claims, according to Barbara Boigegrain,
the agency’s chief executive.
A key determination was that
health “is a bigger issue than an
absence of symptoms,” she noted.
Both clergy and lay workers must
be healthy to do God’s work, and
the church needs to develop spiritual disciplines to assist them “as
opposed to wearing them down,”
she said.
Boigegrain acknowledged that
health is a highly personal issue,
and she believes that improvements for the denomination will
occur on a regional conferenceby-conference basis. “Our approach has been to raise awareness
and provide information,” she
said.
The pension board has convened several different task forces to look at aspects of health and
wholeness. The Interagency
Working Group on Health and
Wholeness, according to Boigegrain, “has been looking at
models that are working,” and also
will consider curriculum development and the sharing of information among church members.
The pension board is starting
to develop streams of research —
working with United Methodistrelated Duke University and other organizations — that focus on
which activities in ministry create
higher stress levels. “The research
will tell us a lot,” she predicted.
The denomination’s Board of
Discipleship also has agreed to do
research on attitudes toward
health and on how to discuss
health in more compelling ways,
according to Hollon.
The interagency task force is
“looking for ways to reframe the
issue of health and wholeness that
create some energy and make it
more compelling than just having
another health fair,” he explained.
Advocacy efforts
The Board of Church and Society has been involved in advocacy efforts related to health care
and adopted a resolution at its
spring meeting to make health
care a priority, according to James
Winkler, chief executive.
During that meeting, Dr. Henry Simmons, executive director of
the National Coalition for Health
Care, addressed Church and Society directors about the health
A UMNS photo by Ronny Perry
A health fair was held recently at Methodist Hospital in Memphis.
care crisis in the United States.
The board is a member of the coalition.
Winkler recently served as
chairman for a “congressional
hearing” at Riverside Church in
New York, where Congressman
John Conyers Jr. of Michigan and
Congressmen Charles Rangel and
Jerrold Nadler of New York, all
Democrats, heard the testimony of
40 citizens, including health professionals. The hearing was organized by the Campaign for a National Health Plan Now!, which
Church and Society supports as a
member.
“The health care crisis is huge
for our local churches, annual conferences and general agencies,”
Winkler said. “We have to help
United Methodists lead healthy
lives and confront a corrupt and
broken health care system.”
bal Ministries will take the lead
in possible health initiatives, such
as a campaign to prevent malaria.
The Rev. R. Randy Day, the
board’s chief executive, advocated such a campaign during his
agency’s spring meeting.
“Malaria is much on my mind
as a preventable disease that is all
too often fatal,” he told directors.
The disease kills one African child
every 30 seconds and a total of 2
million people a year, he noted.
While insecticide-treated mosquito nets can reduce the incidence of malaria by 50 percent in
areas of high transmission, fewer
than 5 percent of African children
sleep under a mosquito net, Day
reported. By trying pilot programs
involving mosquito nets in several locations, United Methodists
could “save the lives of many children,” he said.
Prevent malaria
Linda Bloom serves as a
United Methodist News Service
news writer based in New York.
On an international level, the
United Methodist Board of Glo-
Hoosier
United
Methodists
INTERFAITH
www.inareaumc.org
together
11
South Asians, Muslims, Arabs detained without rights
NEW YORK (GBGM) – United
Methodists will have opportunities this summer to take up the
cause of South Asians, Muslims,
and Arabs who are detained or
being deported from the USA
without consideration of their basic human rights.
A plea to become the voice of
these voiceless persons is being
made by the United Methodist
Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries to
more 20,000 women, clergy and
lay persons taking part in summer Schools of Christian Mission. It comes in a letter linked to
a study on India and Pakistan.
The India-Pakistan study focuses in part on how globalization, interfaith relations, and the
war on terror affect these countries. A related concern is how Pakistanis and South Asians are being treated within the U.S. borders.
Approach the media
The Division’s letter asks
United Methodists to approach
the media on behalf of the detainee’s rights and their human dignity. The letter states:
“Since September 11, the fear
of terrorist attacks has been used
to justify a series of laws and regulations that have restricted immigrant rights, legitimized racial
profiling by law enforcement
agents, and led to the detention
of thousands of South Asian,
Muslim and Arab boys and men
in the US, and the deportation of
hundreds. As United Methodist
Women study India and Pakistan
in schools of mission this year,
we can also become aware of
how fear and new legislation are
affecting South Asian and other
Muslim communities in the US,
and take action.”
According to a May 24 New
York Times article, a program
known as “Special Registration”
during 2002 and 2003 required
boys and men in the United States
from more than 20 Muslim-majority countries to “voluntarily”
A plea to become the voice of these
voiceless persons is being made by the
United Methodist Women.
report for registration. They were
fingerprinted, photographed and
questioned, with the goal of hunting for terrorists. An estimated
83,000 men came forward though
only a handful have been charged
with terrorism-related offenses.
However, 13,000 of those who
voluntarily registered were
placed into deportation proceedings because of irregularities in
their immigration status that
would have required simple legal
corrections prior to Sept. 11. New
immigration laws allow for the
detention and criminal interrogation of immigrants for minor immigration violations, such as delay in registering a change in address, visa overstay, or other infractions. While Special Registration has ended, some registrants
are still in detention under threat
of deportation.
Coney Island Project
On May 24, The Coney Island
Project, an advocacy group in
Brooklyn, N.Y., reported that the
United States government deported 57 Pakistanis from a Louisiana detention center, including
three women and four children,
without allowing them to notify
family members still living in the
U.S. On arrival in Pakistan they
were handed over to Pakistani
immigration authorities before
being released.
The Women’s Division letter
states that Pakistani immigrants
who are deported are often in a
precarious position. It cites a Human Rights Watch report, where
in one instance, “Pakistani authorities detained two US citizens
of Pakistani origin and brutally
tortured them for nine months
while the US ‘turned a blind eye
in the hopes of gaining information in the war on terror.”
Since 2002, thousands have
been sent back to Pakistan, many
on minor immigration irregularities, with no accusation of a
crime, according to a May Human Rights Watch report.
New laws since September 11,
2001 increase government power
to detain terrorist suspects without charge and broaden the powers of search, surveillance and indefinite detention for those awaiting a deportation decision. Racial
profiling of Arab, Muslim and
South Asian men has been legitimized through national registrations and local police practices,
according to the Division’s letter.
For more information on the
action letter, or sample letters to
the editor, go to http://gbgmumc.org/umw/ .
Christian Churches Together postpones launch until fall
By Linda Bloom
The launch of a new ecumenical group, Christian Churches Together, has been postponed.
The decision was made during the June 1-3 meeting of 67
Christian leaders at the Jesuit
Conference Center in Palo Alto,
Calif., which was to be the inauguration of the group. An inaugural worship service had been
planned at Washington Cathedral in September.
So far, 31 churches and national Christian organizations have
formally decided to join Christian
Churches Together and 20 additional church leaders from denominations considering membership
attended the meeting as observers.
The decision to delay was reached after
participants addressed the fact that no
African-American churches “are presently
represented at the table as participants.”
Participants include mainline
Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics,
Pentecostals and evangelicals.
According to a statement from
the meeting, “the decision was
made to delay a formal launch this
fall in order to continue the productive and positive conversation
with churches and organizations
actively considering joining.”
“Participants enthusiastically
reaffirmed their commitment to
‘grow closer together in Christ in
order to strengthen our Christian
witness in the world,’“ the statement said.
The Rev. Larry Pickens, chief
executive of the United Methodist General Commission on
Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, said the decision to delay was reached after
participants addressed the fact
that no African-American
churches “are presently represented at the table as participants” and questioned whether
the new entity could be inaugurated without their presence.
“This was in some ways a difficult and painful decision, but in
my mind, it was the right decision,” Pickens told United Methodist News Service.
He noted that the United Methodist Council of Bishops had voted in May for the denomination
to enter Christian Churches Together as a provisional member,
partly because of this concern, and
that the Commission on Christian
Unity had raised the issue as well.
Although the commission supported provisional membership, it
did lament, in an April statement,
the historic divisions in the church
over race and wanted to know how
Christian Churches Together “will
strive to be racially and ethnically
inclusive.”
Pickens said he thinks the organization is strong and has “a
new level of legitimacy” because
of the decision to delay an inauguration.
The next meeting of Christian
Churches Together will “continue common activities of prayer,
biblical reflection, worship and
relationship building as well as
wrestle in depth with the issue of
poverty in the United States,” the
group’s statement said.
Linda Bloom serves as a
United Methodist News Service
news writer based in New York.
Jewish and Christian dialogue shows signs of maturity
NEW YORK – A dialogue begun
a year ago between staff and representatives of several Christian
denominations and mainstream
Jewish organizations is showing
signs of maturity, says the National Council of Churches USA executive who coordinates the
Christian partners in the dialogue.
“The dialogue, which sometimes experienced intense negotiations and often felt tenuous, has
held,” Shanta Premawardhana,
NCC Associate General Secretary
for Interfaith Relations, said in
mid-May.
“There was hardly a ‘tea and
sympathy’ phase in this dialogue,”
he said, citing a phrase attributed
to Rabbi Leon Klenicki. “The
stakes for peace in the Middle East
were too high.”
At its most recent meeting May
13, the table members agreed on
plans for a Jewish-Christian trip
to the Middle East September 1823, and reached a consensus on a
set of principles about how the
groups speak to one another and
to the media.
In planning for a scheduled
Jewish-Christian trip to the Middle East, Premawardhana said,
“each side agreed to put themselves in the others’ hands for two
days so that each could hear and
experience the other’s narrative,
that is, their distinctive way of
viewing the situation.” “This demonstrates a remarkable level of
trust that has developed around the
table,” said Jay Rock of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
“Although we cannot predict
what, if any, impact this trip will
have towards peace in the Middle
East,” said Brian Grieves of the
Episcopal Church, USA, “we do
know and fully expect that the trip
will change those of us around the
table. Even though some in the
group make regular trips to the
Middle East and have previously
heard those whom we might meet,
the difference this time is that we
will hear those same stories in the
presence of and through the ears
of the other.”
Participants in this continuing
dialogue represent the following
Christian communions and Jewish organizations: American
Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Episcopal
Church, USA, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Jewish Council for Public
Affairs, National Council of
Churches USA, Presbyterian
Church (USA), Religious Action
Center of Reform Judaism United Church of Christ/Disciples of
Christ, United Methodist Church
and United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism.
Omega Baptist Church purchases UTS property
DAYTON, Ohio – The Revs. Daryl Ward and Vanessa Ward, copastors of Omega Baptist Church,
David Abney III, chairman of the
Joint Board at Omega and Dr. G.
Edwin Zeiders, President of United Theological Seminary signed
documents on June 3 that closed
Omega’s purchase of the former
UTS property located at 1810
Harvard Blvd. in Dayton.
The site includes more than 30
acres and six buildings, some of
which were built in the 1920s. The
campus was designed by the architectural firm that also designed
Central Park in New York City.
Omega plans to use the property
to build a worship center and an
educational facility that will continue the church’s outreach to the
community.
Omega and UTS have made
agreements that will allow UTS to
remain on the property until the
renovations at the seminary’s new
site at 4501 Denlinger Rd. in Trotwood, are completed. UTS will
occupy the former Jewish Community Center, just three miles
north of the former seminary campus. UTS officials hope to hold
fall classes there in September.
12
Hoosier
United
Methodists
together
FOCUS ON THE EMERGING CHURCH
July/August 2005
Indiana congregations adding silver screen to sanctuaries
By Daniel R. Gangler
BROWNSBURG, Ind. – To keep
attuned in a visual culture, Calvary United Methodist Church, like
a growing number of Indiana congregations, uses big screen projected images in its sanctuary to
embellish worship in an attempt
to appeal to a new generation of
worshippers and to those unfamiliar with Christian worship.
The growing 650-member congregation, 15 miles northwest of
Indianapolis, decided to add visuals to worship four years ago with
an added contemporary service.
Leaders modeled its “seeker
friendly” service after observing
other congregations who appealed
to people not used to traditional
Christian worship.
According to Mark Herris, Calvary’s music director, audio visuals were expanded to all three services by former Senior Pastor
Harold Leininger, now retired,
during the congregations 175th
anniversary celebration a couple
of years ago.
“The worship committee made
the decision to start projecting the
“If you thought of art as a way to express
the faith, visuals are a means of telling the
story.”
– Todd Outcalt
words of the hymns during traditional worship,” said Herris, who
takes care of the technology for
visuals. Calvary offers both traditional and contemporary worship
services.
Current Senior Pastor Todd Outcalt told Together, “We live in a
time and culture that is visually
overloaded.” He said visuals can
enhance worship but cannot be the
totality of worship. Visuals can
complement music. Projected
words help people sing better than
singing from hymn books because
there is a greater feeling of participation. They are looking up and can
see each other as they sing, rather
than looking down into a hymnal.
When it comes to worshipping
with a theme, Outcalt said, “There
is so much we can do with thematic images. Visuals compliment
the liturgical seasons of the year.”
This was evident
during Holy Week,
when on Maundy
Thursday Associate
Pastor
Michelle
Knight used an artistic
theme in her communion meditation and,
with the big screen,
projected art prints to
illustrate her points.
Outcalt also delivers sermons using proTogether photos
Projected images at Calvary UMC in Browns- jected PowerPoint preburg, originate in this laptop computer which sentations.
“Stained glass visusits to the left of the sanctuary sounds board
als
told the stories of
and video players.
the faith before people could read.
Moving images tell parts of the
story today. If you thought of art
as a way to express the faith, visuals are a means of telling the story,” he said.
It’s in the details
When he uses PowerPoint, Outcalt said it takes him from two to
three hours to prepare the technical part of presentation. During the
sermon, he uses an assistant to
change images. He also illustrates
the sermon on screen with bulleted
points and includes the Scripture
texts.
During a recent sermon series
on stewardship, he used videos
from Willow Creek Community
Church, one of a growing number of video producers for churches. (See sidebar story.)
When producing videos for services, Arron Helman, director of
youth ministries, said he spends
one hour of editing for each
minute of a finished video. In essence, a six minute video takes
about six hours of editing. But he
said it’s worth it.
For youth Sunday this spring,
Helman edited videos recorded
since September. He said, “We
used videos of the kids to show
what they have been doing in their
youth meetings. Kids have a good
time of looking back and laughing at themselves.”
Explaining why Calvary does
videos, Helman said, “It’s some-
Together photos
Brownsburg Pastor Todd Outcalt uses projected images, on the screen
behind him, to outline sermons, project words of songs and Scripture,
and to show videos of church activities.
thing you have to do to remain
relevant. Younger generations
want mystery, multi-sensory experience and music that sounds
good. It’s expected by this generation. Everywhere you go in a
shopping mall today, there are
streaming videos. It’s part of our
culture.”
Setting it all up
Helman, who also works with
the video technology, said the
Brownsburg church uses Windows PowerPoint and Windows
Movie Maker software through a
Dell laptop computer to project
the images (both still and moving)
with a video projector to the front
of a ten-foot retractable screen that
hangs high behind the pulpit.
“The key to good video in the
sanctuary is a video projector with
enough lumens (light) to show a
bright image during worship without turning out lights,” he said.
Helman estimates that a congregation can fully equip itself to
be involved in audio visuals in the
sanctuary for around $5,000
which includes one digital video
projector (about $2,500) plus a
screen, laptop computer, software
and wiring. Many projectors are
suspended from the ceiling. Because they are small in size, they
are not too noticeable. Top of the
line digital video projectors will
cost $5,000.
Calvary plans to build a new
building in the near future on a
larger piece of land closer to Interstate 74. While they plan the
sanctuary, Outcalt said the projected images will be better utilized
in the new complex.
Lafayette congregation uses Dallas firm for worship images
LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The New
Road congregation, an alternative
worship experience at Trinity
United Methodist Church in
Lafayette, uses a Dallas worship
images ministry to keep abreast of
its weekly digest of imagery.
Former Associate Pastor Kimberly Reisman, says, “In addition
to the traditional worship service
in the sanctuary, Trinity offers
New Road, an ‘unconventional,
modern’ approach to worship on
Sunday mornings. Because Trinity has a limited budget, they aren’t
able to hire staff to do computer
graphic oriented work. While they
have many volunteers whose help
is integral to the worship service,
they don’t currently have anyone
with any computer graphics background or with the ability to create the kind of material that Lumicon offers.”
Trinity uses Lumicon Digital
Productions within UMR Communications based in Dallas, Texas. Lumicon provides weekly vid-
eo support for churches using visuals in worship. According to the
Web site at www.lumicon.org each
weekly package cost $29.95. This
digital service is downloadable.
Visuals follow the ecumenical
lectionary of Scripture readers for
each week. For example the Gospel passage for July 17 is listed as
Matthew 13 (parable of the sower).
The video package for that day is
titled “Return On Investment: Don’t
worry about your earthly ROI.”
In its description of the video,
Lumicon writes, “The parable of
the sower is a story about everyday life and struggles. Whether in
Jesus’ day or the present, the parable of the sower addresses our
fear of poor harvests (or bad ROI).
Jesus assures us that in the Kingdom of God, our return on life investment will be exponential.”
For topics of this passage and
video, the Web site lists growth,
joy and Kingdom of God. Associated topics include: witnessing,
wealth, teaching, sowing, risk,
proclaiming, preaching, Places in
the Heart, investment, investing,
band, Backdraft and atonement.
Reisman, recently appointed
North Indiana Conference Evangelist, told Together, “the Lumicon subscription has been a lifesaver for me. Lumicon not only
provides graphics, but also movie clip suggestions, original video clips to support particular
themes, music suggestions and
even some references to standard
commentaries to help in developing the theme. Their Web site is
easy to use and offers lectionary
links as well.”
Lumicon also provides education for those using its products.
According to its Web site, two new
online courses are coming soon.
On Aug. 15, “Graphics With Purpose” will begin, and on Oct. 3
Lumicon will launch “Living the
Presence in the Eucharist,” a study
on enriching the experience of
Holy Communion through creative use of media. More informa-
tion is available at www.
lumicon.org.
According to Reisman, Trinity
does not use digital images in its
traditional worship service.
Whereas New Road depends
heavily on them, Trinity tries to
provide a relevant worship experience that connects particularly to
un-churched people with little or
no church background. “To that
end, we’ve tried to focus on using
secular resources, like music and
movies when they support our
theme. We shy away from ‘church
language’ that tends to alienate
those who don’t understand it or
aren’t familiar with it,” she said.
Discover new technologies at upcoming workshop
Discover the emerging uses of electronic technology in the
worshipping church. The North Indiana Conference offers a workshop on “Worship Technology in the Church” for both clergy
and laity. The two-day event will be held Friday, Sept. 9 from 10
a.m. to Saturday, Sept. 10 at 11:30 a.m. This is an introductory
workshop designed for pastors and laity who have not experienced computer based communication in the church and sanctuary. Learn about Internet services, domain names, setting up email lists, maintaining Web sites, church management software,
multi-media, PowerPoint presentations, videography and writing content for electronic media. The cost is $50 for each registrant (NIC clergy and laity) and will include meals at St. Joseph
Conference Center in Tipton, Ind. A single room will cost $15.
To register or for more information call Diane Kelley at l-800783-5138 ext 13 or e-mail [email protected].
www.inareaumc.org
FOCUS ON
THE
EMERGING CHURCH
Whatever it is, the ‘emerging
church’ is turning heads
By Amy Green
A UMC.org feature
Ask anyone to define the “emerging church,” and
they’ll likely hesitate.
“Good luck,” jokes the Rev. Jay Voorhees of Antioch United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., who
describes his congregation as an “emerging church.”
A grassroots initiative that is not associated with any
particular church denomination, the emerging church
is a concept that’s hard to define and full of paradox.
For example, it is rooted in evangelism but – in a
rare crossing of today’s cultural divide – is steeped
in social justice values often associated with liberal
theology. It welcomes innovation in worship but also
holds to traditional Christian beliefs. To a growing
number of young Christians, this ambiguity is the
allure to what some call a movement but others call
a “conversation.” Either way, the emerging church
has set out to transform churchgoing from the inside
out by questioning some of its most basic traditions.
Leaders say the emerging church – so named because it is still emerging and evolving – is the beginning of a transition to a new era of churchgoing. They
say churches have not kept up with the evolution of
art and culture from a modern era of empirical analysis to a postmodern era of questioning and searching.
The reason? They blame, in part, the church’s reluctance to question the sacred. The emerging church,
they say, welcomes questions. It seeks to make church
more relevant in today’s culture and ultimately help
Christians live and worship authentically.
It’s grabbing attention
Whatever the emerging church is, it’s grabbing
attention. In only a few years, the dialogue has spread
across the Web through online chat rooms and
“blogs,” spawned a variety of books and resources
and pushed congregations and denominations to rethink their traditions and curricula. The United Methodist Publishing House in March authorized spending $62,000 to research the emerging church as the
publisher searches for new markets. An “emerging
church” conference in May drew 650 religious leaders, pastors and Christians to Nashville for four days
of discussion and worship.
The emerging church is gaining ground because
Christians have a deep desire for a stripped-down,
more authentic time of worship, says Brian McLaren,
leader of the loose network known as the Emergent
Village. A theologian and author of the 2001 book A
New Kind of Christian, McLaren was named in the
Feb. 7 issue of TIME magazine as one of the nation’s 25 most influential evangelicals.
McLaren will be speaking to Indiana lay and clergy leaders in a day-long “Coming Together” seminar at Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis on Sept. 17. (See side bar.)
“It feels like the church community in our society
today is about a lot of things, but it feels like we’re
too often far away from the essential message of Jesus,
of compassion for yourself and your fellow neighbor,” McLaren said in an interview with UMC.org.
The emerging church is led especially by young
adults who relish its non-institutional nature and innovative worship but hold to traditional Christian
beliefs. At the conference in Nashville, the dress was
casual, worship services included harps and a masseuse worked the hallway with other vendors. The
discussion included “Preaching Without Sounding
Preachy” and “The Sacred Way: Ancient Spirituality for Life, Ministry and the Church.”
Winning new followers
These emerging church evangelists are serious
about winning new followers by adapting church for
a new era. Innovative worship such as praise services alone won’t do, they say. Christians are searching
for real change, something deeper, something more
contemplative.
“I see it as ... a thirst for a genuine relationship
with God,” says Lillian Smith of the United Methodist Division on Ministries with Young People.
“Young people want to be in a community where
they can ask questions, ... where they can wrestle
with the angel themselves.”
Is the emerging church merely a fad? McLaren describes it as a “conversation;” he says it’s too early to
call it movement. But Voorhees sees something more.
“I think those of us who are deeply involved in
this conversation really understand this is how we
are authentically following Christ ... and then really
deconstructing how much of that really came out of
Scripture and how much was really based on the assumptions of modern society,” he says. “We would
understand the story of faith is an ongoing story.”
Amy Green serves the church as a freelance journalist in Nashville, Tenn.
Brian McLaren biography
BRIAN D. MCLAREN, born in 1956, graduated from University of Maryland with degrees in
English (BA, summa cum laude, 1978, and MA,
in 1981). His academic interests included Medieval drama, Romantic poets, modern philosophical literature and the novels of Dr. Walker Percy.
After several years teaching and consulting in
higher education, he left academia in 1986 to become founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative, nondenominational
church in the Baltimore-Washington region. The
church has grown to involve several hundred people, many of whom were previously un-churched.
McLaren has been active in networking and
mentoring church planters and pastors since the
mid-1980s, and has assisted in the development
of several new churches. He has become a popular speaker for campus groups and retreats and
is a frequent guest lecturer at seminaries and conferences, nationally and internationally. His public speaking covers a broad range of topics including postmodernism, Biblical studies, evangelism, apologetics, leadership, global mission,
church growth, church planting, art and music,
pastoral survival and burnout, inter-religious dia-
logue, ecology and social justice.
His 2004 release, A Generous Orthodoxy (Emergent/YS/Zondervan), is a personal confession and
has been called a “manifesto” of the emerging-church
conversation. In March 2005, the conclusion to the
A New Kind of Christian trilogy was scheduled for
release, entitled The Last Word and the Word After
That (Jossey-Bass, 2005). It will be followed by The
Secret Message of Jesus (Word, 2006), an exploration of the Kingdom of God in the teachings of Jesus.
He has written for or contributed interviews to
many periodicals, including Leadership, Sojourners, Worship Leader, and Conversations. Many
of his articles are available at www.
anewkindofchristian.com. He is also a musician
and songwriter.
In its Feb. 7 issue, TIME magazine named
McLaren as one of the 25 most influential contemporary evangelicals.
Brian is married to Grace, and they have four
young adult children. He has traveled extensively
in Europe, Latin America and Africa, and his personal interests include ecology, fishing, hiking,
kayaking, camping, songwriting, music, art and
literature.
Hoosier
United
Methodists
together
13
‘Coming Together’ event features
Brian McLaren
Bishop invites laity,
clergy to meet with
him September 17
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Area Bishop Mike Coyner extends
an invitation to both laity and clergy of Indiana to meet him in a
day of “Connecting Together” at Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St. (one block west of Meridian St.) in
Indianapolis on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The day long event features Brian McLaren, author and pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church (www.crcc.org) of Spencerville, Md., 28 miles north of Washington, D.C. See accompanying biography.
Funding for this shared event of the North and South Indiana
conferences is provided by the South Indiana Conference Board
of Ministry and Board of Laity, the North Indiana Conference
Leadership Development Ministry and the Ministerial Education Fund. The cost of the event is $25 per participant and includes lunch.
To register, each participant is asked to send his or her name,
name of church, phone number, e-mail address, home mailing
address, city, ZIP and whether he or she lives in the North or
South Indiana Conference. Make check payable to North Indiana Conference and mail to North Indiana Conference UMC,
PO Box 869, Marion, IN 46952. Registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 12.
Bishop Coyner invites participants to read McLaren’s book
A Generous Orthodoxy (Zondervan 2004) available from Cokesbury online a www.cokesbury.com or by calling toll-free 1-800672-1789. The book lists for $15.99.
Q&A with
Bishop Coyner about
Brian McLaren
Together asked Indiana Area
Bishop Mike Coyner questions
about Brian McLaren and the
“Coming Together”
event in Indianapolis
on Sept. 17. Here are
his responses.
Why would I
want to come to
hear McLaren?
Brian McLaren is a
provocative writer and
presenter, who will attempt to engage us in
dialogue about how to move beyond the old “liberal” and “conservative” categories and to look
for the ways we, as Hoosier United Methodists, can be united theologically.
What is your
acquaintance with
McLaren? Have you heard
him before?
No, I have not heard him personally. I have only read some of
this book which I found to be very
interesting and thought-provoking. Some of the pastors who encouraged and helped plan for this
event have heard Brian personal-
ly, and those pastors have told me
that he is an engaging presenter.
What’s the
bottom line on
this day-long
event? What
good things do
you anticipate
out of this
event?
The theme of the
day is “Coming Together” and we will
worship together, hear interesting
presentations together, discuss
those presentations together in
small groups and work together on
some of the deep theological issues that face the church today.
This day with Brian McLaren will
not resolve all of the issues that
tend to divide us, but it will be a
good start – a beginning of hopefully many more opportunities to
talk honestly and openly with each
other as United Methodists here
in Indiana. I may be a little naïve,
but I really believe that there are
many more things that unite us, especially our common commitment
to Christ, than there are things that
divide us.
14
Hoosier
United
Methodists
GLOBAL MISSION
together
July/August 2005
Tsunami relief work continues on Sri Lanka beaches
By Linda Bloom
NEW YORK (UMNS) — Before
they could fish again, they had to
clear the beach.
That’s what the leaders of 28
fishing societies in Sri Lanka told
representatives of the United
Methodist Committee on Relief
and the Methodist Church of Sri
Lanka when asked about their
needs following the Dec. 26 tsunami. The disaster devastated part
of the country’s coastline and
killed 40,000 Sri Lankans.
For David Sadoo, the fishermen’s joint effort to regain their
livelihood was a prime example
of the resilience of the Sri Lankan
people. Sadoo is an UMCOR staff
member who lived temporarily in
Sri Lanka from early February to
the end of April to help coordinate
the tsunami response.
Assisting the fishing societies
is just one aspect of UMCOR’s
focus in Sri Lanka. In April, the
agency’s directors voted to allocate $8 million for a future housing and community services
project in five districts and granted an additional $500,000 to the
Methodist Church for its emergency and rehabilitation work in the
eastern region of the country.
Overall, UMCOR has received
$32.4 million for its work in countries affected by the tsunami.
UMCOR’s partnership with the
Methodist Church of Sri Lanka —
whose 30,000-plus membership
includes people from all ethnic
groups — has helped facilitate
relief efforts. Having a “legitimate
local partner” gives the agency an
advantage over some of the many
other nongovernmental organizations doing relief work there, he
said.
The Sri Lankan Methodists,
Sadoo explained, “excel at peacebuilding and reconciliation” and
have excellent relationships with
both the government and the
Tamils.
Still, like other minority Christians, they “have a very delicate
place in Sri Lankan society” and
must carefully maintain those relationships, he added.
Together, the Methodist
Church and UMCOR were able to
coordinate with the 28 fishing societies, comprising mostly Tamils
and Hindus, in Kieran for the
beach clearance project.
The societies presented lists of
the heads of households who
would do the manual labor and set
up a work schedule. UMCOR paid
what was considered a fair wage
of 250 rupees (about $2.50) a day,
provided additional tools and
bought the food that the societies
would cook together for lunch.
The beach project took a week,
with workers from two to eight
societies cleaning together each
day. Sadoo said he was impressed
with their dedication to the task,
even on a couple of cool rainy days.
A UMNS photo courtesy of LWSI, ACT International.
The crews of two new fishing boats haul their nets ashore after returning
from their first trip to sea after the tsunami in December.
Continuing issues for the fishing societies include the need for
boats and nets. “Because so many
fishermen lost boats, there is a
huge demand,” he explained.
Linda Bloom serves as a
United Methodist News Service
news writer based in New York.
Woman tells story of receiving sight
Once I was blind, but now I can see
By Dr. Joseph Kerkula
The Eye Project at United
Methodist-related Ganta Hospital
in Liberia has been supported by
Christoffel Blindenmission
(CBM) for almost a decade. CBM
has sponsored the training of an
ophthalmologist and two ophthalmic nurses. This has enabled
Ganta Hospital provide quality
eye care services to the people of
northeastern Liberia. Many are
blind by cataracts or other curable
eye ailments. However, because of
the impoverished conditions under which many northeastern
Liberians live, they are unable to
seek proper medical attention.
Most are not even aware that
their blindness is the result of cat-
aracts or other curable illnesses.
Words cannot express how it
“feels” to be able to restore sight
to people who felt they would never be able to see again! CBM offers assistance to those who cannot afford the surgery. CBM also
provided a jeep for outreach to enable us identify patients in outlying villages and towns as well as
transport the patients to and from
the hospital. We are grateful to
CBM and to all those who support
the ministry of Ganta Hospital.
THIS IS MY STORY
As told by Dr. Kerkula
“I was blind and hope was shattered, but now I can see and my
hope is restored – to God be the
glory.”
My name is Madam Labala
Korto. I am not educated and as
such I do not know my age, but
the eye doctor thinks I am about
75 years old. I live in a village
called Gbapa, which is about
75km away from the Ganta United Methodist Hospital. I was blind
in both eyes for more than a year.
Our village is a very lively
place where the children sing,
dance and play. I admired this a
whole lot, especially seeing my
grandchildren play along with the
other children. Unfortunately, this
scene began to fade away when I
could no longer see objects clearly. My vision started to become
very cloudy until I could no longer see in both eyes. The children
still sang and played, but only the
memory of my childhood kept
coming to me.
Many days I sat under our hut
in the village and wept. I was now
living in complete darkness. I
could no longer do anything for
myself. I was now enslaved by
blindness. My only prayer was
Lord please help me to see again.
This depression lasted for almost
two years.
One day I heard from the town
crier that the eye team from Ganta Hospital was in the village to
see blind people. What touched
me was the phrase “some blindness could be cured by operation.”
To God be the glory! This day was
the turning point in my life. The
eye team took me to the hospital
and did my eye operation on April
25 and 27 the right and left eyes
respectively.
When the eye doctor of the
Ganta Hospital opened my eye the
first day after the operation, I
thought I was in “heaven.” The
things I couldn’t see for two good
years, I could now see and recognize very clearly. I am very impressed by the miracle I received
at the Ganta Hospital. This operation has changed my life around.
The hope that was shattered two
years ago has been restored by this
gesture of LOVE.
Now that I can see in both eyes
I am going to help myself in many
ways without asking people to do
it for me. My life will now improve with this successful eye operation. I was blind, now I can see!
Africa University conducts 11th graduation
By Andra Stevens
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) –
Tears flowed freely on the Africa
University campus as an over-capacity crowd witnessed the university’s 11th graduation ceremony.
The hundreds of people who
turned out for the recent ceremony filled every inch of the openair venue. They came to celebrate
the achievements of the largest
graduating class in the institution’s
history.
The years of sacrifice, hope and
hard work have paid off for Pipa
Ferraz de Liberdade Nazare and
she could hardly believe it. “I’m
almost without words to describe
how I feel,” she said. “Leaving
this place is a big achievement in
my life.”
Nazare came from Angola in
1999 to study at Africa Universi-
The years of
sacrifice, hope and
hard work have paid
off.
A UMNS photo by Andra Stevens
The Africa University Choir performs at graduation ceremonies in May.
ty. She didn’t see her family or
return home during the five years
it took to learn English and then
complete her bachelor of divinity
degree. She said it hasn’t been
easy getting by with letters sent
back and forth by hand and the
occasional brief phone call just to
hear her mother’s voice.
The 30-year old Nazare is the
fourth child of eight and the first
in her family with a university
education. Her parents, a road engineer and nurse, had no way of
paying for her education so Africa University granted her a full
scholarship. The funds that supported Nazare came from a scholarship endowed in perpetuity by
United Methodist churches in the
East Ohio Annual Conference and
for her it was a life-changing gift.
“This is a dream fulfilled, not
only for me, but for my family and
my church which have been supporting me very much,” said Nazare. “I came here barely speaking
English, expecting to gain the
skills to serve my church and community. I’ve had a wonderful experience that has been both challenging and rewarding. Now I
have what I came for and a lot
more confidence, too.”
Nazare was among the 391
young people in the graduating
class of 2005. There are students
from 14 African countries represented – Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra
Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Zambia
and Zimbabwe.
Andra Stevens is director of
information and public affairs at
Africa University.
Hoosier
United
Methodists
GLOBAL MISSION
www.inareaumc.org
together
15
Ecumenical delegation to visit troubled Philippines
By United Methodist
News Service
An ecumenical delegation will
visit the Philippines to collect facts
about political repression and offer pastoral support to affected
churches and families.
United Methodist Bishop Solito Toquero of Manila and Sharon
Rose Joy Ruiz-Duremdes, chief
executive of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines,
urged the visit.
“Now more than ever, we are
seeing the church under siege only
because she has decided to take
up her cross and follow Jesus
through his Via Dolorosa,” they
wrote in a May 16 invitation.
“Church people who have walked
alongside our struggling people
have joined the myriads of peace
advocates and human rights defenders whose lives have been
snuffed out.”
Most recently, the Rev. Edison
Lapuz, a pastor of the United
Church of Christ in the Philippines, was brutally murdered.
The delegation – which is being arranged through the World
Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia – is sched-
uled to visit the Philippines July
15-21. The council hopes to set up
meetings with President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, military authorities in Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas and representatives of
the Department of National Defense and the Senate Committee on
Human Rights, as well as church
leaders and members of nongovernmental organizations.
Among the areas the delegation
scheduled to visit is Samar, a province in Eastern Visayas where
most of the recent killings have
occurred, and Hacienda Luisita, a
sugar cane plantation where strik-
ing peasants and farm workers
were massacred.
The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief
executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries,
said in a recent statement that the
situation in the Philippines is
“deeply disturbing to the Christian
conscience.”
Day has joined with Protestant
leaders in the Philippines in calling for a full and fair investigation of the May 12 murder of
Lapuz, who was shot while he
slept. Alfredo Malinao, also a
grassroots organizer, died after the
late night attack on a house where
a group had gathered following a
funeral.
Both were involved with a human rights organization, Promotion of the Church People’s Response, which has highlighted
what it considers the unjust social,
political and economic practices
permitted by the administration of
President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Bishop Elmer M. Bolocon,
United Church of Christ chief executive, had reported that 50 people, including six church members, have been ambushed or assassinated in 2005 on the islands
of Leyte and Samar.
Nias earthquake survivors intersect with Hoosiers
By Bill Imler
Young medical Dr. Aranifasa Laia huddled with his wife
and their two small children close to him and looked over
his shoulder through the midnight blackness just in time
to see his small home and clinic crash flat to the ground.
Hoosiers are helping him recover.
Only minutes before, with help they had managed to
crawl from their beds and out of the house. A magnitude
6.8 earthquake had just struck Nias in Indonesia’s Sumatran offshore group destroying 80 percent of the structures
and killing some 300 residents of the island of nearly half
a million. It was 11:20 p.m. on March 28, 2005.
In contrast to most Indonesians, Nias people are largely
Christians, with many Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic and at
least 17 Methodist churches and other denominations.
Laia, known affectionately as Fasa, was orphaned at
age 8 when his elderly father, the chief of their village in
the Gomo district of Nias died. His uncle helped him get
to Medan, capital of North Sumatra, where he lived at subsistence level while completing Salvation Army high
school.
With an early interest in medicine, he worked his way
through nursing school by sweeping the sprawling city
market at night. When the market burned, Fasa was without a job and again forced to live on the streets. Just before Christmas 1989, young people from Wesley Methodist Church befriended Fasa and brought him to missionary
Fred Ingold. They pleaded with the church to help him.
When my wife, Dona Lou, and I arrived at Wesley
Church in January 1990 as a Volunteer in Mission pastoral
couple for the English-liturgy church, Fasa was living in a
tiny room in a corner between the chancel and church office. We invited him to join us for our morning and evening
meals, and our evening devotions. He taught us a bit of
Bahasa Indonesian, the official language. Dona Lou taught
him English. He was determined not only to get his local
education but to improve his skills for work in the world.
In return for his humble shelter, Fasa performed many
chores. He also sang in the choir, took part in the large
Methodist Youth Fellowship of 75 youth and became an
enthusiastic Methodist.
Interest in medicine
A later VIM couple from New York, George and Grace
Werner, discerned Fasa’s strong interest in medicine and
were determined to see him through medical school. Because of their dedication, Fasa graduated from the Methodist University of Indonesia in Medan with a medical degree. For the past four years, Fasa has lived back in Nias,
serving his people – the fulfillment of his continuing dream.
Fasa married a young woman who was already to serve
as a midwife. Together they have two children, Grace, 3,
and George, 1 – named in honor of his beloved sponsors.
From almost nothing, he built a simple home that included
a few small rooms for a health clinic. He serves a population of 30,000 residents scattered through 30 villages in
the rugged highlands of south central Nias.
In early March 2004, we, with five other UMC visitors,
In contrast to most Indonesians,
Nias people are largely Christians,
with many Lutheran, Baptist,
Catholic and at least 17 Methodist
churches and other denominations.
stood in Fasa’s front yard, greeted by more than a hundred
friendly villagers of all ages. We were welcomed with
speeches, a traditional dance and singing by children’s
choirs from the three preaching points that Fasa started.
We were guests at a pork roast and participated in dedicating the site of the first Methodist church in the village. We
marveled at the astonishing influence of this young man,
who himself had been influenced by the people of the
church in Medan.
House, clinic gone
Now, the house and clinic are gone. Nearly all his equipment is gone. His generator, refrigerator and motorcycle
have survived. His defibrillator may still be usable, then
again maybe not. He and his family now have a temporary
squatter shelter in the front yard of his former home, exactly where we had stood a year ago. By hand he and his
neighbors are breaking up the cement chunks from the
walls of the old clinic-house. He hopes to begin rebuilding soon.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief through its
director, the Rev. Paul Dirdak, has recently indicated within
the mission community that Tsunami relief funds will be
made available to respond to Fasa’s proposal and estimate
for rebuilding.
Here in Indiana, the United Methodist churches in
Angola and Greenwood Honey Creek have forwarded special offerings of $5,000 to help with the recovery of Fasa’s
home, clinic, medicines and equipment. Help also has gone
through Joyce Carlile of Bloomington, VIM widow of the
late Rev. Keith Carlile.
A physician in South Bend has given a motorcycle to
Fasa that will be shared with his recently appointed local
pastor. A year ago the Sisters of St. Joseph in South Bend
sent a reconditioned defibrillator to Fasa. Churches and
members from other conferences have responded in similar ways.
Volunteers in Mission in Indiana who were part of Dr.
Fasa’s life in Medan include: the Rev. Chuck and Sue Ellinwood, Keith and Joyce Carlile, and Dona Lou and Bill
Imler. From Greenwood, a Central Illinois (Great Rivers
Conference) volunteer widow, Mary Etta Catlin, and her
daughter Cheryl Larson, a teacher of nursing at the University of Indianapolis, also have contributed to Dr. Fasa’s
relief efforts.
Pioneer missionaries
Pioneer missionaries in North Sumatra were the Rev.
and Mrs. Newton Gottshall, who served there from about
Dr. Fasa (right) serves 30,000 residents among 30 rural
villages of Nias, Indonesia.
1920 to 1937, and later held appointments in northwest
Indiana. The Gottshalls founded numerous schools, including the Medan school that would become Methodist
University. Their daughters, Joyce Carlile and Ruth Kunz
were born or lived there as children. Ruth and Hal Kunz
are active in missions through North UMC in Indianapolis. The late Rev. Gusta Robinett, of Columbia City, one
of the first women ordained in the North Indiana Conference, served in China for 20 years and then in Sumatra.
There she became the first woman district superintendent
in Methodism and pioneered a coastal medical boat along
the shores of that great island.
Autonomous church
The Methodist Church of Indonesia is an autonomous
church, with representation but not vote in the United Methodist Church’s General Conference. Currently serving in
Jakarta through the General Board of Global Ministries
are the Rev. Don Turman and his wife, Ramona. He serves
as pastor at Wesley Methodist Church and also teaches
theology at Wesley Theological Seminary in Jakarta. They,
along with Maimunah Natasha, outstanding Indonesian
Methodist laywoman, are providing local oversight and
interfacing for UMCOR and Dr. Fasa.
Indeed the severe tremors of the March 28 quake
reached all the way from Dr. Fasa to the hearts of Indiana
United Methodists, bringing home in a very personal way
the immensity of the impact of the entire Christmas tsunami and Easter earthquake upon the lives of thousands of
people. We give thanks to God for the amazing ministry of
the young doctor in Gomo!
Following are the opening lines of his recent e-mail
to us:
“Dear all of you generous friends in Christ: First of all
let me express our deep thanks and appreciation to you for
your generosity to us. Thank you for your loving and caring. Thank you so much for your support to me and God
bless you.”
Bill Imler serves as a retired pastor of the North Indiana Conference living in Angola, Ind.
16
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United
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July/August 2005
A time to die
By Steven S. Ivy
Since most of those deaths occur under medical care, almost
The passion and compassion
all families face difficult choices.
associated with the Terri Schiavo ♦ We missed the fact that thoustory compelled our nation’s attensands die each year in this
tion during March and
country due to inadearly April. My conequate access to health
versations with Claricare. The dichotomy
an Health Partners
between the wonderful
physicians, nurses and
care that Schiavo reother staff in Indianapceived (principally beolis have convinced
cause of money gained
me that most of us
from a medical malhave many questions
practice lawsuit!) and
and few answers as we
the thousands who rereflect on our small
ceive totally inadequate
Ivy
part in that national
care should stir our conobsession. Why would every polscience.
itician, media pundit, ethicist and ♦ We missed the fact that we
citizen have such strong, clear,
should celebrate the remarkcontrary and passionate opinions
ably effective supportive care
about the care of this tragically
of Schiavo provided by the
brain-damaged woman?
hospice for so many years.
My perspective is that too many
Their care was not diminished
conversations fixated on the fate
by the public circus that surof this one woman. The more imrounded them nor the imminent
portant, and difficult, questions
death that she faced.
concern us all.
♦ We missed a conversation
♦ We missed the opportunity to reabout the change in public attiflect on the fact that we all die.
tudes around end-of-life care.
A few years ago, ethics committees were typically called
when families were ready to
stop life-sustaining procedures
but physicians were not. Today,
ethics committees are much
more likely to be called when
physicians are prepared to stop
such procedures, but families
are not. What is that about?
My perspective is that I can
take specific steps to prepare for
“my own time to die” should some
tragic event befall me.
I have had difficult conversations with my wife and parents
about my own convictions regarding medical care both at the end
of life and for irreversible brain
injuries. When I visit next with my
adult children, I will have these
conversations with them as well.
The conversation was difficult
with my wife, because we had to
face our own mortality, the fact
that there will come a time to die.
The conversation was difficult
with my parents, because they see
the possibilities differently than do
I. And, in fact, they discovered
Knowing when and how to let go is a
human art that will challenge us all in the
years ahead.
they each would make different
choices for themselves.
I have reviewed my own Medical Advance Directive documents*. Long ago, I had signed a
Living Will and a Durable Power
of Attorney for Health Care. In
contrast to the wise counsel I offer to others, I had not had the indepth follow-up conversations
with the persons who would be
affected by those legal documents.
I have reflected on important
questions. What really counts as
good health care that all can access?
Do we have the best institutions and
the relationships that assist all of us
in our times of sickness and dying?
Is there a fundamental moral difference between a medically inserted feeding tube and other medical
devices such as dialysis machines,
respirators and antibiotic medica-
tions, when one’s continued physical existence depends upon that intervention? From my perspective,
there is a time to die. Knowing
when and how to let go is a human
art that will challenge us all in the
years ahead.
* Medical Advance Directives,
Living Wills and Durable Power
of Attorney for Health Care documents are not complicated, do
not require a lawyer to complete
and are available for little or no
cost through many sources. Clarian chaplains are available to assist with the documents. Log on
to www.clarian.org and search for
Living Will.
Steven S. Ivy serves as senior
vice president for Values, Ethics,
Social Responsibility and Pastoral
Services at Methodist Hospital in
Indianapolis.
A few minutes of your time … for Darfur
By Beth Reilly
More than 80 human rights and religious
groups joined together on May 24 to ask
President Bush to help the people in Darfur, Sudan. When the President’s senior
aides said he had “more pressing matters,”
Africa Action director, Salih Booker, asked,
“What could be more important than stopping the genocide?”
Every
church
needs to ask itself
that same question.
What church is too
busy to utter a prayer
for the children in
Darfur who are traumatized, malnourished and dying? Is
your church too busy
Reilly
to collect names on a
petition to demand more protection for the
Darfurian women who have lost fathers,
husbands and sons due to government sponsored violence and who themselves are being raped and tortured? Are you too busy
to sign a letter to Congress asking for our
country to provide more help for “the least
of these?”
In Darfur, a government-backed Arab
militia known as Janjaweed are engaged in
campaigns to wipe out communities of African tribal farmers. Villages have been
razed, women and girls are raped, men and
boys murdered, and food and water supplies destroyed. Most civilians have fled
their villages resulting in more than two
million displaced individuals without
enough food, water or medicine. The United Nation’s World Food Program has said
that up to 3.5 million Darfurians may need
food in the upcoming months. Since February 2003, an estimated 400,000 Darfurians have died and unless something is done
to end the violence, the number of deaths
could reach one million by the end of the
“What could be more important than stopping the
genocide?”
year. Our government has called the situation “genocide.” The United Nations has
described it as “crimes against humanity.”
In either case, we have a Christian duty to
help.
As Jesus walked the earth, he demonstrated the importance of meeting needs
through actions. He healed the sick, fed the
hungry and socialized with the excluded.
In fact, the actions of Jesus threatened the
religious, political and economic structures
of his day as he demonstrated his “radical
commitment to make human life human
wherever he saw it breaking or broken”
(Thorwald Lorenzen, Resurrection and
Discipleship). The modern day church must
likewise challenge any barriers and hold to
this commitment.
Go, do likewise
If the ways of Jesus were not clear
enough, his words were. When asked to
name the greatest commandment, he
chose two – love God and love your
neighbor. Then to clarify the word “neighbor” Jesus told the parable of “the good
Samaritan,” a story in which a Jew becomes a victim terrorized by violence.
Religious folk pass by the dying man and
ignore the suffering. A man from Samaria, who is not expected to show sympathy for the Jews, offers aid. It is the Samaritan who is the neighbor as he takes
the time to help a foreigner who is suffering, bleeding, dying and ignored. Jesus
commanded, “Go and do likewise.”
The Bible is clear. There are no excuses for the church to avoid getting involved
in Darfur. There are four ways we can help,
none of which will take much time or ef-
fort. First – pray. Pray for the victims, the
perpetrators and the international community. Second – give money. UMCOR is
currently conducting relief work in Darfur. Your money will provide much needed food and supplies. Third – talk about
Darfur and educate others. The media has
not done this region justice in terms of
media coverage.
Finally, contact your U.S. Representative, U.S. Senators and President Bush. This
is critical, because we cannot provide necessary protection and security to Darfur; we
need our government to take action. Send
a letter or sign a petition to let our elected
officials know this needs to be a priority.
Your letter can help
Your letters can make a difference. In
recent months, the United Nations has taken action and the United States has put
money into the Supplemental Appropriations Bill designated to help Darfur. However, more needs to be done. The Darfur
Accountability Act, proposed by Senator
Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) and Senator Sam
Brownback (R-Kan.) would set up a no-fly
zone (keeping the government forces from
bombing the villages) and would implement
more stringent sanctions. It passed unanimously in the Senate, but there has not been
enough support to get similar legislation
through the House. More letters, phone
calls and signatures in support of Darfur
are needed.
You might respond individually, or you
might lead your church to respond collectively. In either case, the Web site
www.sudanchurchmaterials.com supplies
all the materials you need. Included are a
bulletin insert, a letter to Congress and a
petition form.
Allow me to conclude with an exercise
in compassion. Imagine for a minute that
you are the victim running from your burning home; your two year old son has been
clubbed to death, and you face the additional loss of your infant girl due to malnutrition and disease. After traveling through
the desert, you arrive at a refugee camp that
tries to meet the needs of 100,000 other
scared, hungry and suffering individuals.
Upon arrival you are told that the Sudanese
government is blocking the registration of
newcomers and without registration no
food is given.
Now imagine your thoughts if you
were told that Christians in the United
States were concerned but had more
pressing matters. This is not to minimize
or belittle issues before the church which
many consider important, but it is to place
these matters alongside the current situation of suffering humanity in Darfur
where millions of men, women and children are displaced, persecuted and neglected. My appeal would be for us to
examine our priorities based on the acts
and teachings of Jesus and the supreme
commandments of love.
I challenge every pastor and layperson
to consider whether or not the men, women and children of Darfur deserve a few
minutes of your time. As Senator Corzine
recently said, “I’m not here to tell you to
dedicate yourself to Africa, but I am here
to say that when confronted with a Darfur,
none of us can be silent.” Africa is no longer
a world away. We are living in an era of
globalization, and Darfur has become our
neighbor. We need to treat the people of
Darfur as our neighbor.
Beth Reilly attends Aldersgate United
Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., and
serves as an advocate to the people living
in Darfur.
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17
Class meetings, a part of Methodist history, have relevance today
By Linda Bloom
NEW YORK (UMNS) – Anyone
living in New York in the late
1700s with an interest in joining
John Street Methodist Episcopal
Church was required to attend a
weekly class meeting.
After six months of learning
about Christian doctrine from
class leaders, hearing the testimonies of regular members and making their own professions of faith,
those who had been “admitted on
trial” might be recommended for
full membership or continued as
probationary members.
Even at its earliest stages, “it
was apparent that the spiritual vitality and sect-like quality of New
York City Methodism and, for that
matter, the entire denomination,
were bound up closely with the
Wesleyan class meeting, which
was referred to by some 19th century Methodist writers as ‘the soul
of Methodism,’” writes the Rev.
Philip F. Hardt, a member of the
United Methodist New York Conference.
To Hardt, this is not just an interesting aspect of church history.
He believes that the re-introduction
of the class meeting as an integral
part of United Methodism could
enhance unity among the denomination’s members, develop leadership and attract new members.
His book, The Soul of Methodism: The Class Meeting in Early
New York City Methodism, released in 2000 by University Press
of America, helps make that case.
A paperback version is to be published this fall.
Wesleyan ideal of small
group accountability and
forced class leaders to rush
through their meetings or allow the meetings to run late.”
In short, as New York
Methodism acquired more
mainstream Protestant characteristics in the mid-1800s,
many members simply
stopped attending class
meetings.
Hart believes that the re-introduction of
the class meeting as an integral part of
United Methodism could enhance unity
among the denomination’s members,
develop leadership and attract new
members.
Hardt, who teaches theology
courses at Union Theological
Seminary and Fordham College in
New York and the New Brunswick (N.J.) Theological Seminary, points out that many nondenominational mega-churches “are
using small groups to strengthen
their church programs.”
While some United Methodist
churches have latched on to that
idea, he thinks the denomination can
be more intentional about reviving
a process that, “far from being a relic
of the past, can enhance existing
church efforts at initiation and assimilation into the body of Christ.”
Idea for the book
The idea for the book began as
Hardt was working on his dissertation for a doctorate in theology,
which he received from Fordham
University in 1998. What started
as a history of John Street Methodist Church in lower Manhattan
expanded into research on class
meetings as he found minutes of
those meetings, individual diaries
of class meetings and “lots of class
lists” in the rare books room of the
main research branch of the New
York Public Library.
Class meetings originated with
John Wesley, the founder of
Methodism, in England. The
practice continued when Francis
Asbury and other circuit-riding
preachers brought Methodism to
New York from 1766 to 1780.
“The class system stabilized New
York Methodism by developing
local church leadership and by
monitoring behavior,” the Soul of
Methodism reports.
“Methodists didn’t expect instantaneous conversion,” Hardt
tells United Methodist News Service. People who came to class
meetings included “seekers” as
well as believers, he adds. Hearing
the testimony of other class participants could help the seekers find
clarity for their own faith journeys.
Attendance at the weekly meetings, which usually lasted about
an hour and a half, was mandatory. “If you missed three meetings,
you could actually find yourself
expelled,” Hardt says.
The main difference between
Methodist class meetings in New
York and England was that the
New York classes were segregated both by gender and by race.
According to the class lists he re-
Revial of meetings
Today, Hardt believes the
revival of class meetings –
on the local, district or conference levels – could benefit current members hungering for more spirituality
and prospective members
wanting a better grounding
A UMNS photo by John Goodwin in the Christian faith.
Class meetings were a part of 18th-cenThe more intimate setting
tury life at New York’s John Street Church. of the class meeting also provides an opportunity for
viewed from 1800 to 1832, white closer relationships to form and
men led the separate classes for allows members to “agree to diswomen and African Americans. agree.” By praying together and
Classes did become more mixed talking about personal experiences, “you tend to bond with those
by gender by the 1830s.
As the 19th century wore on, people,” he says. “I think it would
preachers had greater oversight of draw people together.”
Hardt recommends that conindividual churches, and the focus
shifted from class meetings to new gregations consider having study
voluntary societies: Bible, tract, groups about the class meetings
Sunday school and mission. “New before actually implementing the
priorities on respectability and ed- system, “maybe easing it into the
ucation also moved Methodism life of the congregation.”
His book, The Soul of Methodfurther and further away from the
weekly small sharing groups,” ism, can be ordered through
Cokesbury (www.cokesbury.com)
Hardt writes.
In addition, the class meetings or University Press of America. It
had ballooned to 30 to 70 members, also can be found at some semi“which completely distorted the nary bookstores.
Comments about gambling recovery
Chords that were broken will vibrate once again
By Janet Jacobs
“Rescue the perishing, care for
the dying;
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will
save.”
Often when I speak at churches with folks about the Gambling
Recovery Ministries based in
Dillsboro, I tell the story of lives
that have been caught up in the
addiction of compulsive gambling
– and about recovery. The good
news of hope and real help for
problem gamblers through treatment and working The Twelve
Steps is shared as well as the wondrous moments, within GRM’s
outreach, when human lives, so
filled with shame and guilt, are
connected to the Divine.
I share about those people who
are indirectly affected by problem
gambling – the loved ones,
friends, and associates of compulsive gamblers. They are, after all,
in recovery too. Their lives have,
likewise, been shattered; and they
are in desperate need of healing
and wholeness.
About two years ago, after
much searching on the Internet,
a couple – we’ll call them “Mary”
and “John” – at last, discovered
the GA/Gam-Anon Meeting that
had just started monthly meetings
at Mt. Tabor United Methodist
Church. They came to their first
meeting filled with pain; their
looks were pained; their talk
spoke of pain; simply put, raw
pain was all they felt. Meeting
after meeting, they attended regularly; and a friendship grew.
Special times of personal discussion followed the meetings with
the sharing of faith experiences
and affirmation.
Last summer John and Mary
felt they were strong enough to
work toward organizing a GamAnon Meeting in Connersville.
Grand Ave. UMC graciously offered space for the twice-monthly
meetings, which then started in
September. Each second and
fourth Tuesday evening at seven
o’clock, the Gam-Anon Meeting
began. Since family members,
friends and associates of compul-
I tell the story of lives that have been
caught up in the addiction of compulsive
gambling – and about recovery.
sive gamblers are also in need of
recovery, it is a time to work on
the Twelve Steps Program. Regardless of how many show up for
the meetings, John and Mary faithfully work their steps.
A few months ago, they were
on their way to another GamAnon Meeting in Ohio when they
noticed an odd noise in the car.
They realized that what they were
hearing was their own laughter. It
had been a long time since they
had heard themselves laugh. It was
then Mary and John recognized
that recovery was well under way.
During the May Gam-Anon
Meeting at Mt. Tabor, John shared
that he thought he was ready to
go on the road with us. As we
make presentations with GRM’s
outreach, John offered to give his
testimony of experience and re-
covery. He even practiced before
us with a carefully written and
very touching presentation.
After the meeting, I invited
Mary and John to see the sanctuary, which had been freshly outfitted by the women of the church
with “Holy-Spirit red” for Memorial Day Sunday. It was then that
our conversation turned to the
workings of the Holy Spirit. We
shared together how God, through
the recent workings of the Holy
Spirit, had uniquely ministered to
John at the time of his mom’s
death in April, to me during the
last week of my father’s earthly
life in December and to a dear
friend of mine, whose mother had
died last year. Within all three experiences, the Divine’s ministry
was powerful and present. We lingered over the details – allowing
our re-living of them to once more
affirm the resurrection of the Risen Christ. It was a holy, holy moment in time. It is an amazing part
of God’s work through Gambling
Recovery Ministries.
A favorite verse that I share
when I am invited to preach and
present at churches, describes well
the lives touched through our outreach with GRM: “Down in the
human heart, crushed by the
tempter, feelings lie buried that
grace can restore; touched by a
loving heart, wakened by kindness, chords that were broken will
vibrate once more.”
May our Indiana Area live this
chorus to desperate, hurting hearts
in need of hope and help.
The Gambling Recovery Ministries is a South Indiana Conference Advance Special. For further
information on Gambling Recovery Ministries’ presentations,
trainings and referrals, please
contact the Rev. Janet Jacobs at
812-926-1052 (leave a message)
or e-mail [email protected] or
log on to www.grmumc.org.
18
Hoosier
United
Methodists
YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS
together
July/August 2005
Christian T-shirts become hot front for evangelism, fashion
By Ciona Rouse
A UMC.org feature
If it’s true that clothes send a
message, imagine the fashion
statements in wearing in-your-face
T-shirts declaring “Get Stoned
Like Paul” and “Satan, You’re
Fired!” or labeling Jesus on the
cross as a “Rebel with a Cause.”
Clothes, hats and accessories
with edgy Christian slogans or
imagery are speaking to a growing market of teenagers and young
adults who want to both carry
Jesus in their hearts and wear him
on their shirts. But these fashions
tend to be bolder, wittier and carry more bite than the quietly introspective “What Would Jesus
do?” style of fashion slogans popular in the 1990s.
Retailers say many shoppers
are attracted by a little shock value. “I think kids are ready for …
slogans where other people give a
double-take when they see the
shirt,” says Jason Betten, owner of
Be The Message Christian Apparel in Pomeroy, Iowa. “It’s all about
modern pop culture stuff that kids
and people relate to and how they
incorporate that with Christ.”
Softer messages
Christian clothing with softer
Together Photo
Youth at the South Indiana Annual Conference sport T-shirts they designed for their presentation.
messages are still popular too, as
are those that parody well-known
name brands. Many youths in an
age of billboards and commercials
view wearing the slogans as merely an extension of their faith.
“I like them because they send
a message about me,” says 16year-old Vanessa Trejo, a member
of La Trinidad United Methodist
Church in San Antonio. “Shirts
that you wear should reflect who
you are.”
“They’re a billboard of our
faith,” says Robert Starkey, also
16, of Ames United Methodist
Church in Saginaw, Mich.
But does reducing Jesus or
Christianity to a T-shirt slogan
water down the Gospel message?
Does it reflect an attempt to copy
superficial marketing techniques?
Devin Mauney, 18, a United
Methodist in Tucson, Ariz., never
wears shirts that he calls the
“semi-clever (ones) you see at
Christian bookstores.”
“I feel like they’re a really
lame attempt at making being a
Christian a cool thing, and I don’t
think we have to do that,” says
Mauney, a member of Christ
United Methodist Church. He
says his faith is already a cool
thing, and he does not need a Tshirt to confirm that. “Anytime
we try to use the same method of
competition as clothing brand
companies, it just sort of cheapens Christianity,” he says.
But Mauney’s 14-year-old
brother, Logan, enjoys wearing a
bright red T-shirt that says
“Alive!” on front and “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. – Jesus” on the back. The
shirt reminds him of a devotion he
studied during a mission trip and
allows him to share his faith when
people inquire.
Besides that, he likes the look.
“They’re cool to wear. They look
good, so might as well,” he says.
Mixed feelings
Gavin Richardson, youth minister at Hermitage United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn.,
has mixed feelings about Christian
T-shirts but recognizes that U.S.
youth live in a consumer-driven
culture. “For me, it’s not so important I wear a shirt that says my
faith. … It’s more about how I
conduct myself that tells my
faith,” Richardson says.
A spokesman for Stuph Clothing says the 9-year-old Christian
apparel company works hard to
develop products to connect with
the culture without trivializing
Christianity. Most shirts include
scriptural references.
“It’s hard sometimes not to be
cheesy, but we try not to cross that
line of poking fun at Christianity
or Jesus,” says Scott Mills, marketing director for the Nashvillebased company.
Trejo says people ask her about
a Christian shirt if it’s funny, and
it “opens the door for conversation, witnessing or just a new
friend.” Sometimes friends ask to
borrow her “Jesus is My Homeboy” shirt.
The “Jesus is my Homeboy”
fashions, worn by entertainment
celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Simpson and Ben Affleck, are the most popular style
sold by Los Angeles-based Teenage Millionaire. The company did
not contemplate Scripture in creating the slogan.
“We just did it as kind of a happy accident,” says Teenage Millionaire spokesman Chris Brick.
“We just tried it, and it worked. In
that way, there’s a lot of higher
power working in that.”
Rouse is the former director of
the Shared Mission Focus on
Young People at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. This
resource was developed by
UMC.org, an online ministry of
The United Methodist Church
Project gauges ‘pulse’ of youths interested in ministry
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The relatively low
numbers of young people in mainline denominations has propelled The United Methodist
Church to join in an interfaith effort to cultivate interest in pastoral ministry among young
people and to help them explore God’s call.
The denomination, through its Board of
Higher Education and Ministry, has joined
the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian
Church (USA) and the United Church of
Christ in a “Pastoral Leadership Effort
(PLSE),” an initiative of the Atlanta-based
Fund for Theological Education, Inc.
Pronounced “pulse,” the three-year
project is designed to encourage congregations and campus ministries to invite
young people to explore God’s call in their
lives. Resource kits, designed to equip congregations to establish a revitalized culture
of the call to pastoral ministry, are being
readied for distribution in early fall.
church leaders note that the pool of potential young leaders is the largest in this nation’s history, and increasing numbers of
young adults are entering seminary. PLSE
will tap into the renewed spiritual interest
of today’s young, the leaders say.
“The theme for PLSE, ‘for such a time
as this,’ looks at the challenges and issues
facing the church,” said the Rev. David Fuquay, a United Methodist working with the
Fund for Theological Education, “particularly the issues of globalization and the rapidly changing world through technology.”
College, high school and younger students have been brought up in a rapidly
changing technological world and view it
as the norm, he said, making it easier for
them to know how to engage a global world.
“The PLSE project is particularly focused
on exceptional young people,” Fuquay said,
“who typically are pushed toward being engineers or doctors or lawyers. Ministry is not
necessarily seen as on par with those professions, and that’s a real problem.”
Average age 57
Opportunities
The average age of members of the United Methodist is 57 years, with only 4.7 percent of church members younger than age 18,
and 80.1 percent older than 40. Fewer than
10 percent of clergy are younger than 39.
In addition, the number of clergy with
master of divinity degrees is declining and
fewer young people see ordination as elder
as a significant vocation.
Under the banner, “for such a time as
this,” PLSE will enable churches to identify and track “gifted” young people as they
explore the call to ministry. Protestant
The Fund for Theological Education represents an attempt to help congregations
understand opportunities related to ordained
leadership and encourages them to call forth
gifted, young candidates for ministry.
As congregations and campus ministries
nominate young ministerial candidates,
PLSE will add their names to a database.
The organization will track aspiring church
leaders through their educational preparation and help connect them with appropriate resources and support. Congregational
mentors and access to internship opportu-
By Pamela Crosby
A UMNS Feature
nities and ministry programs will also be
available to PLSE young leaders.
Along with the larger effort, each denomination will maintain contact with its
own candidates for ministry, providing information and developing programs and resources that promote and encourage pastoral ministry. United Methodist candidates
will be connected to conference boards of
ordained ministry, United Methodist-related colleges, campus ministries, seminaries
and special programs.
PLSE is funded by a $2 million grant
from the Lilly Endowment of Indianapolis.
The United Methodist Church, through the
General Board of Higher Education and
Ministry, is contributing $300,000 toward
the project as part of its efforts to cultivate
a new generation of faithful leaders for the
denomination, to reconnect young people
with the church and to rebuild the educational pipeline.
“We are already seeing the positive re-
sults of such efforts as EXPLORATION
events, which encourage youth and young
adults to consider the call to ordained ministry and Student Forum, which develops
leadership skills among our college students,” said the Rev. Hal Hartley, the
board’s director of student ministries, vocation and enlistment.
Additional information about PLSE is
available
from
the
website,
www.thePLSE.org, or from Fuquay by email at [email protected] or by calling
404-727-1416.
The South Indiana Conference has a
DVD about entering ordained ministry titled “Fire in The Bones” available through
the South Indiana Conference office. Call
800-919-8160 for more information on obtaining a copy.
Pamela Crosby is a staff member of the
Office of Interpretation at the United
Methodist Board of Higher Education and
Ministry.
South Bend church seeks part-time youth coordinator
The Monson Chapel United Methodist Church seeks a part-time youth coordinator
who has a deep abiding faith in Jesus Christ, a love for youth, a vision that supports the
overall vision of MCUMC, and the skill to creatively and prayerfully serve and grow with
us in Christ’s ministry. The youth Coordinator will have the primary responsibility of
ministering to children 4th – 12th grade. This will include but is not limited to weekly
meetings, work camps, fundraisers and special events. The Youth Coordinator will work
closely with the Pastor and Adult Youth Ministry Leader Team to accomplish the Church’s
mission in the area of youth ministry. A job description will be provided upon request.
Monson Chapel United Methodist Church in South Bend, Ind. Contact: Staff/Parish
Relations Committee MCUMC 24172 St Rd 2, South Bend, In 46619, phone: 574-2870201, e-mail: [email protected].
YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS
www.inareaumc.org
Hoosier
United
Methodists
together
19
Brightwood puts parables
to music, play this summer
By Stephanie Romine
INDIANAPOLIS – Tapping toes
and swinging arms, kept pace with
music as inner-city Indianapolis
youth learned about the parables
of Jesus.
Sisterhood Christian Drama
Ministry, a non-denominational
family ministry of four biological
sisters, and Brightwood United
Methodist Community Center
Summer Youth Camp, on the
city’s near northside, teamed together and sponsored a youth
camp for children ages 12 to 18
years, enabling youth to express
themselves creatively through acting and singing.
Nearby Brookside United
Methodist Church hosted the June
22-24 camp.
Each day, youth performed
skits based on stories from Scripture. For instance, in one skit
about the parable of the prodigal
It gives the kids a
chance to be creative,
have fun and build selfconfidence.
son, students took turns playing
different roles, such as the father,
the younger son and the older son.
This helped them develop their
creativity, and gave them confidence by being in front of an audience.
Nora Pritchett, one of the leaders in charge of the camp, told
Together that drama “helps promote teamwork and community,
and helps build self-esteem. It
gives the kids a chance to be creative, have fun and build self-confidence.”
It was very apparent that the
youth also had fun doing it, with
Young adult
resources for your
church’s ministry
By Ed Fenstermacher
Here is a list of resources your congregation might find helpful in its young adult ministries.
United Methodist Resources
Upper Room Web site: www.upperroom.org
Companions in Christ, Upper Room Resources,
www.upperroom.org/companions
A 28-week small-group study that includes daily lessons.
Exploring the Way, Upper Room Resources, a six-weeks smallgroup study exploring some foundational faith questions.
Get Acquainted with Your Christian Faith, Upper Room Resources, Cokesbury, www.cokesbury.com An eight-session study
that gives an overview of Christianity.
20/30 Bible Studies for Young Adults, Cokesbury,
www.cokesbury.com. Five books, each with a series of lessons
designed for small group or individual study and discussion.
Faith Matters for Young Adults, Cokesbury,
www.cokesbury.com
Other resources
Seasons of the Spirit, www.spiritseasons.com is exploring new
options for interactive learning available through technology, such
as CD-Rom and the Internet. A lectionary-based curriculum resource designed to be used as a simple Bible study, or it can be
used to develop a whole worship service.
From the North Indiana Conference Media Library catalogue
number: 06947. Call 800-783-5138.
Life Lessons, by Max Lucado. W Publishing Group.
The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren, Zondervan.
www.purposedrivenlife.com
“Doing Life Together” series from The Purpose-Driven
Church (Daniel Helm/Lee Campbell) www.pastors.com/pcom/
groupstudies/small_groups.asp; available from CBD at
www.christianbook.com
ALPHA Course, www.alphana.org.
Ed Fenstermacher serves as associate director for Church
Development and Revitalization for the North Indiana Conference in Marion., Ind.
different props
and a variety of
costumes available. The students
performed a skit on
the last day of
camp for family and friends.
The students
also were able
to learn a dance
for the song
“Let it Rise,”
the title of the
Together photo by Stephanie Romine
camp. They Sandra Harlieb (front left) leads Brightwood Summer Camp participants in a dance that
learned chore- puts parables into action at Brookside United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.
ography for the
song and performed it. In reaction Sisterhood Four about helping her future. Pritchett said that first of
to the song, Pritchett said what with the camp.
all, they would have to see what
she hoped would happen did hapGrady told Together, “the kids kind of area, if any, is available to
pen – the kids rose above what did really well for such a short them. This summer, they moved
they were used to doing. They amount of time.” She said, “they the camp from Brightwood Comachieved something new. She also amazed themselves at how well munity Center, where it was origsaid that it was a fun Christian they did.”
inally scheduled, to Brookside
song the kids enjoyed.
Sisterhood has done similar United Methodist Church where
One of the goals for the camp programs for the Indiana Women’s they had more space.
was for the participants to have Prison and Juvenile Correctional
They also want to see type of
fun and be happy to be there. Facility. They reach out regional- feedback they receive from those
Pritchett said, “I really hoped af- ly to all at-risk kids. They hoped who participated. This was the
ter the first day, all of the kids the camp had a positive impact on first year for a youth camp like
would bring a friend, and ask if the kids by teaching them respect, this. It was an experiment. Hopethis person could come.”
teamwork and being able to share fully, they will have available
The three-day camp was fi- in success. They also hope that the funds to run such a program
nanced through grants from the participants take home the lessons agains in the future.
Lilly Endowment, the Indianapo- from Scripture they learned in
For more information about
lis Foundation and the Indiana camp, whether by treating siblings Sisterhood Christian Drama MinUnited Methodist Bishop’s Initia- nicer or becoming leaders in their istry, log on to www.
tive for Children and Poverty.
community.
sisterhoodfour.org.
The Rev. Deborah Grady, diDepending on the outcome of
Stephanie Romine serves as a
rector of Brightwood, came up this camp, the sisters might help Butler University intern. She is a
with the idea and approached the with a similar youth camp in the member of Covington UMC.
Scholarship money declines for
United Methodist students
By Linda Green
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) –
The decline in congregations giving to special Sunday offerings is
wreaking havoc on the number of
scholarships The United Methodist Church’s higher education
agency can give to eligible applicants.
Last year, the Office of Loans
and Scholarships had to turn away
300 eligible applicants.
“We continually have more eligible applicants than we have
dollars available,” said Angella
Current-Felder, executive director
of the office, a unit of the United
Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Current-Felder told United
Methodist News Service that there
is a decline in giving to the three
special Sunday offerings that enable scholarships to United Methodist students. They are World
Communion Sunday, which provides scholarships for ethnic minority students, United Methodist
Student Day, which enables under-
graduates to attend United Methodist-related schools, and Native
American Ministries Sunday,
which provides scholarships for
Native Americans pursing master
of divinity degrees.
Each United Methodist-related
college receives allocations from
the United Methodist Student Day
offering, and each annual conference receives 10 percent of its Student Day receipts to award to merit scholars, she said.
The board administers 60
scholarship programs that provided nearly $4.8 million in awards
to 3,540 students last year. The
agency provided another $1.2 million in loans to 500 students.
Giving to the three special Sundays has dropped or remained flat
while the number of scholarship
applications has increased.
Last year, collections decreased
6.9 percent for World Communion Sunday and 4.4 percent for
Native American Ministries Sunday, while barely increasing 0.7
percent for United Methodist Student Day, according to the denom-
ination’s General Council on Finance and Administration. Student
Day dollars all go to scholarships,
but the offerings for the other two
Sundays support ministries in addition to scholarships.
“The decline of the congregational giving for the offerings has
a negative impact on the amount
of available funds for scholarships
for students,” Current-Felder said.
Against that backdrop, Current-Felder’s office has received
50 more applications this year
than what was received in May
2004. To date, the office has received 2,108 applications for the
2005-06 academic year, up from
2,053 a year earlier.
The average scholarship
awarded ranges from $800 to
$1,000, she said.
Portions of the Student Day offering are returned to United Methodist-related schools to award
scholarships themselves, but the
lack of money has prevented an increase in allocations to the schools.
Linda Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer.
20
Hoosier
United
Methodists
CHRONICLES
together
July/August 2005
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Harrison County group rehab motel to rehab ex-offenders
After being released from prison, ex-inmates often find themselves overwhelmed with life “on
the outside.” They often have no
jobs, little to no family support,
huge debts due to child support
arrangements, no food or clothing,
no place to stay and no money.
Once released, prison inmates
are given $75. Due to the stress
of re-entering society, many exprisoners commit a crime or violate terms of their probation or
parole. According to media reports, seven million prisoners are
released each year in the United
States; this is a big social problem.
However, the group “Freed
from Within,” from Harrison
County, following Christ’s instructions in Matthew 25 to care
“for the least of these,” attempts
to solve this problem. This new
ministry was given a run-down
motel near the edge of Corydon,
Ind.. This 50-year-old motel consists of six separate buildings on
three acres of ground.
The group plans to remodel this
motel, which will serve as a resi-
dence for people who have just
been released from prison. It will
have a chapel, woodworking shop,
a kitchen and single-residency
rooms for 25 former inmates.
Grounded in the belief that the
power of Christ can transform
lives, “Freed from Within” believes this to be the opportunity
to turn lives around.
Many times, ex-prisoners do
not have a church home, so a chapel has been included. It is hoped
that all of the residents will find a
church home of their own. The
chapel will serve as a “safe” transition church for them, until they
are fully integrated into society.
“Freed from Within” is an interdenominational ministry, including two United Methodists.
All members have been involved
in previous jail and prison ministries. One such program was “Residents Encounter Christ,” which is
a program that is based on the
“Walk to Emmaus” program. During this program members need
to became aware of the released
prisoners, and how they needed to
become involved. They believe
that this old motel will give them
an opportunity to turn lives
around.
“Freed from Within” has applied for a grant to help with the
rehabilitation of the buildings.
After the construction is completed, and the new home is running, blankets and clothes will
be needed.
For more information, contact
Bob Reilly at r.reilly@
insightbb.com or the Rev. Gary
Loy at [email protected].
Church secretaries learn, network in Albuquerque
Members of the North Indiana
and South Indiana Chapters of
Professional Association of United Methodist Church Secretaries
attended the organization’s 23rd
Annual Conference April 14-16 in
Albuquerque, N.M.
More than 270 United Methodist office professionals from
this international organization
were in attendance. Those from
Indiana included: Barbara Angotti, Nancy Caddick, Linda
Fights, Jacquie Lung, Gloria
Matthews, Lisa Morris, Michelle
O’Hare, Pat Sanders, Pam Voss
and Jenni Walker.
To learn new information and
skills, workshops were offered on
such subjects as, “Everything You
Always Wanted to Know about
Native People … but Were Afraid
to Ask,” “Home for Christmas
Campaign for Your Church,” “Introduction to Events Management
Systems” and “Surviving a Pastoral Change.”
Nancy Caddick received recognition as a Certified Professional
United Methodist Church Secretary, after having attended the
PAUMCS Institute at the Candler
School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.
The PAUMCS Annual Conference provides continuing education and a supportive professional network. The organization, es-
tablished in 1982 and under the
General Council on Finance and
Administration of The United
Methodist Church, fosters individual growth, professional development and spiritual enrichment for
its 527 members, 226 of which are
Certified United Methodist
Church Secretaries.
G ENESIS
Monson Chapel breaks ground
ROANOKE, Ind. – Monson
Chapel United Methodist Church
in Fort Wayne District broke
ground for a new worship facility
on May 22. The new facility will
be located at the corner of Lower
Huntington Road and Zubrick
Road in Southwest Allen County.
Monson Chapel was founded
in 1852 by a Methodist circuit rider and met in a school house for
several years until the outbreak of
the civil war. Monson Chapel is
the only remaining original church
still in existence and recently celebrated its 150th year of ministry
in Lafayette Township, Allen
County.
Today Lafayette Township is
experiencing tremendous growth,
with the development of two new
housing sub-divisions and plans
for many more. Pastor Terry McDonald told Together, “All of this
new growth has made the congregation aware that in order to reach
out for Jesus and have enough
room to provide for activities and
programs, we need to build. This
project has been under prayer and
the direction of God for several
years, and God has placed the
right people with the right talents
in order to make this project a success as we go forward and make
disciples for Jesus.”
ton, Ill.; sister, Kristi Archer of
Washington, Ill.; numerous nieces
and nephews.. Cards may be sent
to Linda Mitchell, 743 Wagner Rd.,
Porter, IN 46304. Memorial gifts
may be made to the Porter UMC,
100 E. Beam St., Porter, IN 46304.
OWEN TOOLE, father of the
Rev. James Owen Toole (NIC),
died March 29, 2005. A memorial
service was held April 1 at the
Swartz Funeral Home in Flint,
Mich. Cards may be sent to the
Rev. James Toole, 405 S. Orchard
St., Kendallville, IN 46755 or email to [email protected].
HANNAH
ELIZABETH
‘BETTY’ ULREY, widow of
Harold Ulrey (NIC), died June 1,
2005. A memorial service was held
June 4 in the chapel at the United
Methodist Memorial Home in Warren, Ind. with the Rev. Herbert Edwards officiating, with burial in the
I.O.O.F. Cemetery at LaFontaine,
Ind. Survivors include an adopted
son, Ronnie Ulrey; a sister, Alice
Baldwin of Anderson; and a broth-
er, Marcus Enyeart of Marion. Preferred memorials are to the United
Methodist Memorial Home, 801
Huntington Ave., Warren, IN 46792.
LINDA WALBY, wife of the
Rev. Roger Walby (SIC, other denomination) died June 1, 2005. A
memorial service was held June 4
at Reed & Jewell Funeral Home
in Columbus with burial in Garland Brooks Cemetery. Survivors
include: husband, the Rev. Roger
Walby, 2002 Sumpter Trail, Columbus, IN 47203.
Dyer Church receives 4 tons of food
Dyer United Methodist Church was one of the recipients of the US Postal Service Food Drive on Saturday, May 14. The Dyer UMC Food Pantry received
more than four tons of food from the Dyer Post Office to stock its shelves. “We
are very grateful to the people of Dyer for their overwhelming generosity,” said
Senior Pastor Mark Wilkins. More than 30 church members and friends volunteered to sort the food, check dates and stock the food pantry shelves. The
Dyer United Methodist Church food pantry is open on the first and third Mondays of each month from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and on the first and third
Tuesday evenings of each month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Needy residents
are served from the immediate area (including Dyer, Griffith, Merrillville, Munster, Schererville, Crown Point, St. John, and Cedar Lake, Indiana and Sauk
Village and Lynwood, Illinois). For more information, call 219-865-8947.
DEATHS
STEPHEN F. CORRINTON,
son of the late Rev. John (NIC) and
Gayle R. Corrington, died May 16,
2005. A memorial service was held
May 20 with burial May 25 in Liberty, Ind. Survivors include his
mother, Gayle, and brother, Andrew. Correspondence may be sent
to Gayle Corrington, 3514 S. Webster St., Kokomo, IN 46902.
WAYNE KIVETT, retired,
part-time local pastor (SIC), died
June 2, 2005. A memorial service
was held June 6 at the Coatesville
(Ind.) UMC. Survivors include: his
wife, Christina Kivett, P.O. Box
122, Coatesville, IN 46121; a son,
Larry Kivett; four grandchildren
and 13 great-grandchildren.
EDWARD L. MITCHELL, 50,
pastor of the Porter United Methodist Church in the Calumet District (NIC), died June 27. A memorial service was held July 1 at the
First UMC in Chesterton, Ind. with
the Rev. David Schrader officiating.
Survivors include: his wife, Linda;
mother, Edie Mitchell of Washing-
Hoosier
United
Methodists
CHRONICLES
www.inareaumc.org
together
21
Indianapolis adopts smoke-free workplace ordinance
By Jodi Willis
Smokefree Indiana
The Indianapolis City-County
Council voted 18-9 on May 23 to
adopt Proposal 45, a smoke-free
workplace ordinance.This ban
prohibits smoking in most restaurants, laundromats, public transportation facilities, shopping
malls, restrooms and many other
public places such as hotel lobbies
and taxis.
Exemptions include restaurants
that only serve those 18 and older, outdoor sports facilities, restau-
rant patios, bars, retail tobacco
stores, some hotel rooms, bowling alleys and family owned businesses in which all employees are
related and the public is not allowed in the business.
The ordinance will take effect March 1, 2006. Any violation of the city’s new ordinance,
whether individuals or businesses, will face up to a $100
fine per violation. A business
that allows smoking must display a sign indicating that it is a
smoking establishment. Any
business that does not fall un-
Wesley Seminary in DC
offers new degrees in arts
and pastoral care
WASHINGTON (WTS) – Clergy
who wish to be considered as candidates for upcoming Doctor of
Ministry degree programs at Wesley Theological Seminary are invited to the campus on Thursday,
Sept. 15 to learn about two new
focused programs “Arts and Theology” and “Pastoral Theology,
Care and Counseling.”
To attend the Doctor of Ministry Exploration Day contact the
office of admissions –
[email protected]. These
programs, each limited to 20
candidates, have a strong bibli-
cal and theological core – but are
designed to support different
ministries.
Details are at www.Wesleysem.
edu. Questions can be directed to
Dr. Lew Parks, Director of the
Doctor of Ministry Program at
[email protected] or 202885-6481. For details and application materials contact the Office of
Admissions at Wesley Theological
Seminary, 4500 Massachusetts
Avenue, NW Washington, DC
20016-5690. Call toll-free 1-800
882-4997 or email admiss@
wesleysem.edu.
der an exemption must have all
ashtrays and other smoking paraphernalia removed from areas
where smoking is prohibited by
March 1, 2006.
Members of Smoke Free Indy,
a coalition of local and state public health organizations, community-based organizations, physi-
cians, businesses, churches (including United Methodist churches) and Marion County residents,
are satisfied with the first steps the
City-County Council has made to
ensure the health and safety of
workers.
Members feel this is a good
first step in protecting the health
of workers and patrons from secondhand smoke but realize there
is still more to be done in the
future. With some of the exemptions the health of all Marion
county workers is not being taken into full consideration. The
coalition will continue to push
for the rights of all workers.
Keeping food safe to eat at church
fellowship suppers and picnics
Congregations are known for
their picnics and church suppers.
However, there are precautions to
take for safe food handling. Here
are some guidelines from the United States Department of Environmental Health to use for your next
church supper or picnic.
♦
♦
Some food safety tips:
♦ Keep readily perishable foods,
such as casseroles and potato
salad cold, (41F or below). If
you don’t have access to a refrigerator or there’s not enough
room, use an insulated cooler.
Pour ice on top, with food to
be kept the coldest on the bottom. Two hours is the maximum time food should be left
un-refrigerated.
♦ Don’t cross-contaminate food.
Keep raw meat, poultry or fish
well wrapped so that drippings
don’t mix with other foods. Use
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
a clean plate. Don’t put cooked
foods on the same plate that
held raw meat. Don’t place
foods directly on ice that’s not
of drinking quality.
Keep beverage ice separate
from ice used for keeping other
foods cold.
Keep hot foods hot. Use a
thermos or insulated dish for
serving.
Wash your hands before and
after working with foods.
Thoroughly cook all raw meat,
poultry and fish. The center of
hamburger patties should not
be pink and juices should run
clear.
Use prepackaged condiments.
Keep food and utensils covered until serving time. Flies
and other insects, dust and humans can carry disease-causing bacteria.
Don’t take leftovers home.
Throw them away. The food
has been handled by many
people and probably is contaminated.
New Indiana laws for
church food handling
The Indiana legislature recently approved exempting churches
and nonprofit organizations from
having to hire a certified food handler to work at potluck events, provided that packaged or unpackaged
foods are not considered hazardous. There are some stipulations:
♦ Only members of the organization can prepare the food.
♦ The food events conducted by
the organization must take
place for not more than 30 days
in the calendar year
♦ The name of each member who
has prepared a food item is attached to the container in which
the food item has been placed.
Elkhart Bethel celebrates 100th anniversary
ELKHART, Ind. – There were two
services each Sunday when Patricia Simpson joined Bethel United
Methodist Church 45 years ago.
Now there’s one. Church membership isn’t what it used to be either:
450 at its height in the early 1960s,
but a faithful 125 today.
Members and friends celebrated the church’s 100th anniversary celebration the end of
May. The north-side church traces its founding to Pentecost (seven weeks after Easter) Sunday,
May 28, 1905. On that date, 29
charter members met in the
former Willowdale School
building at Michigan and Bris-
tol streets. The congregation became known as Bethel Evangelical Church. Denominational
mergers were reflected in Bethel’s name changes through the
years. It became Bethel Evangelical United Brethren in 1946
and took its current name in
1968. The church has been in its
North Michigan Street building
for the past 75 years.
A century after its humble
start, the church formally
marked its milestone anniversary on Pentecost. About 300 photos were shown during a Saturday picnic and Sunday dinner,
both at the church. Also, church
secretary Sara De Munda led a
group of about a dozen Bethel
women who made a quilt, which
was raffled to support a youth
camping program.
Leadership from the church laity is one of Bethel’s strengths.
Four members are certified lay
speakers. The church in 2001 began offering the Disciples Bible
Study program, which is comprised of four class levels lasting
about eight months each. Sunday
school is the strongest part of the
church’s ministry. Nearly all of the
85 to 90 members who attend
weekly church services stay for
Sunday school.
University adviser honored for interfaith efforts
Hoosier ‘youTheologian’ travels to England
Melissa Zimmerman of Greentown, Ind., pictured in Front of Wesley statue
in London, was one of 29 youth from the Midwest who completed the
YouTheology sponsored by Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City,
Mo. The “youTheologians” retraced the steps of the founders of Methodism in England traveling June 11-19 to Lincoln, Epworth, Oxford, Gloucester, Bristol, Bath, Salisbury and London.
INDIANAPOLIS – A retiring staff
member received the inaugural
Jerry Israel Interfaith Service
Award at the University of Indianapolis.
Flora Valentine joined the university in 1982 as an English instructor and has since served as an
academic adviser in the School of
Nursing. The Greenwood-area
resident, who comes from a Jewish tradition, has been a key participant in the United Methodistaffiliated university’s efforts to
welcome people of all faiths.
Valentine, who retired June 30,
has served voluntarily on the university’s Ecumenical & Interfaith
Council since that group’s creation in the 1999-2000 academic
year. She has served the past few
years as adviser to the campus’s
Jewish Student Union and has
been an informal advocate for students from evangelical Protestant
traditions. Valentine also has
served on the Steering Committee
of The Crossings Project, the uni-
versity’s Lilly Endowment-funded initiative that explores faithbased vocations.
Valentine lives in White River
Township of Johnson County with
her husband, Brad Valentine, who
retires this year as transportation
director for the Center Grove
Community School Corp.
The newly established annual
award is named for the university’s president of seven years, Jerry Israel, who also is retiring this
month.
22
Hoosier
United
Methodists
together
BODY, MIND & SPIRIT
Speaking of Jesus
ward to help. We created a Web
site: www.longestsermon.com.
A few weeks ago Calvary Check it out! We put together
United Methodist Church of pledge packets and informationBrownsburg voted unanimous- al packets. Many people asked
ly to sell our current facility and me if I would get a health break
move to 37 acres of
in the mix. I told
new property. Now
them I didn’t know,
we are engaged in a
but hoped so. Some
great undertaking of
envisioned busloads
faith and stewardof senior citizens
ship that will see us
coming in from
to a new facility by
places like Battle
September 2006.
Creek, Mich. or
Naturally, a part of
Sioux City, Iowa,
this undertaking is
just to get a glimpse
financial – generatof me or listen to a
Outcalt
ing the funds to build
couple of hours of
a new facility.
history in the making. A few
Not long after Calvary thought we should sell tickets
took the vote to move forward for this sermon on Ticketmaster
with our faith, I had an evening or maybe hire a publicity agent.
at home when I was trying to
Yes, there were a few
think of some creative ways to scoffers, but then I’m sure the
raise funds. I was trying to Apostle Paul had his share of
think “outside the box.”
naysayers, too. A few of the
At one point a light bulb birds might have even given
went off in my head, and I found Saint Frances a dirty shoulder.
myself visiting the Guiness
So there you have it. LatBook of World Records. What is er this summer on Friday, Sept.
the longest recorded sermon? I 9, in Brownsburg, Ind., I’m
wondered. As it turns out, that going to preach the longest rerecord is held not by Saint Au- corded sermon in Methodism
gustine, Martin Luther or even and the longest by a Hoosier.
John Wesley, but by a man who Who knows, if I get up a head
goes by the illustrious name of of steam, I might even attempt
“Spiderman” Thomas. He to give “Spiderman” Thomas a
preached for nearly four days run for his money. I’ll begin at
back in 1978 in New York.
noon and go until midnight (at
Nevertheless, the idea of least). And my message? “The
preaching a longest sermon in- Life and Times of Jesus of Naztrigued me. I told my wife, areth.” No notes. Just me and a
Becky: “I’m going to preach the bunch of time.
longest sermon in Methodism;
Think it’s crazy? So do I.
the longest by a Hoosier.” Her Think I’ll raise any money for
response didn’t surprise me. the Kingdom? I hope so.
“You’re crazy,” she said. This
But it’s amazing, isn’t it,
response led me to believe that what God calls us to do someI might be on the right track.
times?
When I shared the idea of
Todd Outcalt serves as sepreaching a longest sermon with nior pastor of Calvary United
the congregation, an amazing Methodist Church in Brownsnumber of people stepped for- burg, Ind.
By Todd Outcalt
CHRONICLES
Family ministries begins 8th year
Agape Family Ministries was born in 1998
as the Rev. Robert H.
Miller began his retirement, following nearly
30 years as a minister in
the South Indiana Conference.
Miller decided to
reach out to local
churches by offering services of inspiration and Agape Family Ministries volunteers
hope, marriage celebraeach year.
tion weekends, prayer and healing
In the past two years Agape
conferences, plus workshops on Ministry has added an exciting
evangelism and assisting churches music ministry to its offerings with
with planning and visioning.
eight to twelve singers and instruAgape Family can draw upon mentalists traveling to share their
25 volunteers with different gifts music and testimony with audito assist Miller and his wife Nori- ences. They recently recorded a
etta with the various requests. The CD while performing in a service
Millers and their Agape team have at Grace UMC in Franklin.
ministered to more than 100
Another direction this ministry
churches in the past seven years has taken is to be involved in work
with an average of 20 to 25 events missions. During the last two sum-
mers, team members
spent a weekend helping with maintenance
projects at the Cannelton Charge. This
year Agape Family, in
conjunction with several churches of Hancock County, had 45
volunteers travel in
June to Anadarko,
Okla. to work on a
Native American church.
What makes Agape Family so
unique is its willingness to be a
resource to any church but in particular the small-membership
churches for services are without
an expected fee. The entire group
of volunteers come out for their
love of Christ.
For more information contact:
the Rev. Robert Miller at 317-8614929 or by e-mail at agapefamil@
aol.com.
Confessing Movement to hold
September conference in Cincinnati
The National Conference of
The Confessing Movement within The United Methodist Church
is scheduled to be held at the Hyatt
Regency in Cincinnati, Ohio,
Sept. 22-24.
Featured speakers include: Dr.
William Abraham, Bishop George
Bashore, Dr. Maxie Dunnam,
Bishop Scott Jones, Bishop Linda
Lee and Bishop James Swanson.
Fifteen workshops on Friday
afternoon will include: “The Holy
Spirit and Renewal,” “Launching
a Pro-Marriage Movement,”
“Turning Your Church On To Missions,” “Recovering Wesleyan
Formation,” “A Bishop Looks At
The Future of The Church,” “The
Evangelistic Love of God and
Neighbor” and “Women Impacting Their World for Christ.”
The registration fee is $99,
which covers all programs, and
four meals. Participants will need
to make their own hotel reserva-
tion at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, 151 W. 5th St., Cincinnati, OH
45202 or call 513-579-1234.
Participants will need to inform
the hotel that they are attending the
Confessing Movement National
Conference to get the conference
room rate of $89 per night with 1
to 4 occupants.
For more information, log on
to The National Conference of the
Confessing Movement Web site at
www.confessingumc.org.
UE chaplain ordained in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – University of Evansville Chaplain Brian
Erickson, was ordained as an Elder in Full Connection in the
United Methodist Church Sunday, June 5, at the North Alabama United Methodist Conference at Birmingham-Southern
Lassiat to work nationally with students
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – General from this pivotal position, Lassiat
Secretary Jerome King Del Pino will enable the board to be accountable for the severannounced this spring
al systems that must
the appointment of the
‘speak to each other’ if
Rev. Meg Lassiat as
the denomination is to
director of Student
address effectively and
Ministries, Vocation
efficiently its leadership
and Enlistment for the
challenges now and in
General Board of
the foreseeable future,”
Higher Education and
Del Pino said.
Ministry. Lassiat is
Lassiat will be rescheduled to join the
Lassiat
sponsible for working
staff on July 11.
with United Methodist
Lassiat will assist
the agency in fulfilling its mission students and young adults to ento prepare a new generation of hance student ministry programs,
Christian leaders. Her cross-divi- vocational discernment and leadsional position serves both the Di- ership development opportunities
visions of Higher Education and and enlistment for ministry.
Ordained Ministry.
For the past 18 years, Lassiat
“I am strongly persuaded that, has worked with youth and college
July/August 2005
students in recruitment, training
and youth leadership development.
She leaves her appointment in the
South Indiana Conference as associate pastor of youth ministries
at Meridian Street United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. She
also served as chair of the Order
of Deacons on the Conference
Board of Ordained Ministry and
led the Recruitment and Retention
Task Force that produced a DVD
recruitment video titled “Fire in
the Bones.” (Free copies are available at the South Indiana Conference Center in Bloomington.)
She received her Master of Divinity from Candler School of
Theology in Atlanta, and her
Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Florida.
College.
Erickson has been chaplain at
UE since summer 2004. He
holds a bachelor’s degree from
Birmingham-Southern College
and a Master of Divinity degree
from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in
Atlanta. Prior to UE, Erickson
was the chaplain at BirminghamSouthern, the youth pastor of
Tucker United Methodist
Church in Atlanta and served as
staff director of the Appalachia
Service Project in Johnson City,
Tenn.
N UMBERS
57
4.7
80.1
10
Average age of a United Methodist
Percentage of United Methodists
younger than 18 years
Percentage of United Methodists older
than 40 years
Percentage of United Methodist clergy
younger than 39 years
Source: General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
www.inareaumc.org
CHRONICLES
Hoosier
United
Methodists
together
23
A PPOINTMENTS
Bishop Michael J. Coyner has announced the following changes within the
Indiana Area. All dates effective 2005 unless otherwise noted. These appointments
are based on Cabinet reports received by
Indiana Area Communication during the
months of May and June 2005.
North Indiana Conference
Banning, David from Lake of the Four Seasons
Associate, Calumet to Wheeler, Calumet, 6/16
Booster, Belinda from no appointment to Sugar
Grove, Marion, 6/16
Cherry, Constance from no appointment to Grant,
Marion, 6/16
Denney, Robert from Sugar Grove, Muncie to
Fairview Jay County/Bellefountain, Muncie, 6/16
Elder, Ernie from no appointment to Mt. Zion
(Tippecanoe County), Lafayette, 6/16
Fahnbulleh, H. Momo from Fairview/Bellefountain,
Muncie to no appointment, 6/16
Foreman, Mark from Granger Good Shepherd,
Michiana to South Bend Epworth, Michiana,
6/16
Frymier, Bret first appointment to Washington
Center, Warsaw, 6/16
Hayward, Damon from Montpelier, Marion, to
Sweetser, Marion, 6/16
Hayward, Phyllis from no appointment to Richland
Chapel, Marion, 6/16
Heath, Michael from Frankton, Marion to
Leesburg, Warsaw, 6/16
Hughes, David from New Salem, Michiana to no
appointment, 6/16
Inskeep, David from Center/Athens, Warsaw to
Reynolds/Yeoman, Lafayette, 6/16
Jones, Melvin from Gary Christ, Calumet to no
appointment, 6/16
Kaehr, Stephen from Mt. Pleasant/Newville, Fort
Wayne to leave of absence, 6/16
Kline, Duane first appointment to Pierceton, Warsaw, 6/16
Koziatek, Catherine from Frankfort Trinity, Lafayette to Granger New Salem, Michiana, 6/16
Lawson, Michael from no appointment to Montpelier, Marion, 6/16
Lindquist, Nancy Schoff from Hebron, Calumet
to Incapacity Leave, 1/1/05
Lloyd, Barbara S. from Leesburg, Warsaw to
Newville/Mt. Pleasant, Fort Wayne, 6/16
Lord, Kenton from no appointment to Bippus Calvary, Huntington, 6/16
Luchs, Janet from Pleasant Hill (Fulton County),
Kokomo to Monroeville, Fort Wayne, 6/16
Marker, Terry from Leiters Ford/Monterey, Warsaw to Center/Athens, Warsaw, 6/16
Martin, Susan from Nine Mile, Fort Wayne to leave
of absence, 6/16
Monical, Dwight from Mt. Zion (Tippecanoe),
Lafayette to Buck Creek, Lafayette, 6/16
Myers, Randy from no appointment to Urbana
Grace, Huntington, 10/1/04
Nelson, L. Robert from New Paris, Warsaw to New
Paris/Millford, Warsaw, 6/16
Newton, Jeffrey from Lowell, Calumet to Kokomo
Trinity, Kokomo, 6/16
Pereira, Sergio from South Bend Epworth,
Michiana to leave of absence, 6/16
Ream, Thomas from Lafayette Trinity Associate,
Lafayette to Brushwood, Calumet, 6/16
Reisman, Kimberly from Lafayette Trinity Associate, Lafayette to Conference Evangelist, 6/16
Rhoades-Welling, Karen from Caley/White Oak,
Kokomo to Leiters Ford/Monterey, Warsaw, 6/16
Rockey, Charles from Kokomo Trinity, Kokomo
to Burlington, Lafayette, 6/16
Siegel, Diane from Montpelier, Marion to
Sweetser, Marion, 6/16
Sills, Kevin from Hebron, Calumet to Maple Grove
(Laporte County), Calumet, 6/16
Stackhouse, Stacy from Dearborn Hills, Columbus, South Indiana Conference to Fort Wayne
Good Shepherd Associate, 6/16
Summers, Sharon from South Conference to Farmland, Muncie, 7/1
Tatman, Michael from Forest, Lafayette to
Kewanna/Pleasant Hill, Kokomo, 6/16
Thornton, Joyce from no appointment to Alexandria Epworth, Marion, 6/16
Ticen, Dennis from Brushwood, Calumet to Por-
tage First, Calumet, 6/16
Ton, Bryan from Reynolds/Yeoman, Lafayette to
Forest, Lafayette, 6/16
South Indiana Conference
Abbott, Chad R. from Andover Charge, Skylands,
Greater New Jersey Conference, to Lockerbie
Square, Indianapolis West, 7/1
Akers-Du Bois, Janice Yvonne from Howe, Evansville to Paoli, Bloomington, 7/1
Beedle, Edward E. from Southport, Indianapolis
West to Solsberry/Solsberry & Greene County
Chapel, Bloomington, 7/1
Bowman, Robert J. from St. James, New Albany
to no appointment, 6/30
Britt, Charles A. from Lizton, Indianapolis East to
Otisco Charge, New Albany, 7/1
Brunton, Donald Max from Mt. Calvary, Terre
Haute to Riley, Terre Haute, 7/1
Byerly, James E. additional church Scipio &
Westport, Columbus, 7/1
Cain, Frederick G. from Washington Otterbein,
Vincennes to Wayside, Terre Haute, 7/1
Chaffin, Jon R. from Taylorsville/Clifford, Columbus to no appointment, 6/30
Chanley, Melvin Keith from Ragelsville Charge:
Frady Memorial/Cornettesville, Vincennes to
Fillmore, Terre Haute, 7/1
Clayton, William Ray from Fillmore, Terre Haute
to no appointment, Indianapolis West, 7/1
Coleson, Richard E. from Riley, Terre Haute to no
appointment, 7/1
Compton, Wade S. from Epworth, Evansville to
Nashville, Bloomington, 7/1
Coomer, Les from Willow Branch/Curry’s Chapel,
Indianapolis East to no appointment, 6/30
Cronin, Deborah Kay from Extension Ministries, Bloomington to Disability leave,
Bloomington, 7/1
Eckert, John R. from Shoals, Vincennes to retirement, 7/1
Ellis, Ronald G. from no appointment to St. James,
New Albany, 7/1
Faulk, Beverly J. from Extension Ministries: Staff
Chaplain Clarian Partners, Indianapolis West
to retirement, 7/1
Fischer, Jr., John W. from no appointment to Prairie City, Terre Haute, 5/1
Gilbert, Daryl A. from Connersville New Life and
Rushville Wesley (not a charge), Rushville to
New Castle Wiley, Rushville, 7/1
Gude-Ndiaye, Bernice W. from North Vernon Second, Columbus to no appointment, 6/30
Hadler, Dennis E. from Delaware & Holton, Columbus to Holton, Columbus, 7/1
Harbeson, N. Jane from South Washington Circuit, New Albany to Pleasant Grove, New Albany, 7/1
Harzman, Eldon O. from Richmond Central,
Rushville to no appointment, 6/30
Hendrey, Darin Calvin from Newberry/Mt. Nebo/
Prairie Chapel/Scotland, Bloomington to Extension Ministries, Bloomington, 6/3
Hendrix, Marshall from Carbon, Terre Haute to
no appointment, 5/31/05
Hollingsworth, Russell K. from no appointment
to Greenwood Charge, Rushville, 3/1
Isgrigg, Phil from Castleton, Indianapolis West to
retirement, 7/31
Krebbs, Kenneth R. from no appointment to White’s
Chapel/Freetown Parish, Bloomington, 5/15
Land, Robert A. from Milroy, Rushville to
Centerville, Rushville, 7/1
Lapham, Thomas from Ogilville, Columbus to
Newberry/Mt. Nebo/Prairie Chapel/Scotland,
Bloomington, 7/1
Lassiat, Margaret B. from Meridian Street, Indianapolis West to Extension Ministries ¶344.1a2/
Gen. Board of Higher Education & Ministry,
Indianapolis West, 7/1
Manifold, Cameron L. from Waldron, Rushville
to Willow Branch/Curry’s Chapel, Indianapolis East, 7/1
Martin, Larry from Jeffersonville: Wesley, New
Albany to Voluntary leave of absence, 5/22
Mayflower, Chester A. from retirement to Indianapolis Calvary, Indianapolis West, 7/1
McGilliard, Thomas A. from DePauw Memorial,
New Albany to New Castle First, Rushville, 7/1
McIntosh, Larry A. from Elizabethtown & Pleasant
View, Columbus to Pleasant View, Columbus, 7/1
Mead, Edward C. from Lincoln Hills, New Albany
to Elizabethtown, Columbus, 7/1
Milgate, Ruth E. from Evansville Asbury, Evansville to retirement, 6/30
Newlin, Catherine L. Baum from leave of absence
to Extension Ministries ¶334.1d: St. Joseph Hospital & Health Center, Indianapolis West, 6/1
Norwood, Mitchell H. from Grandview Charge,
Evansville to Heidelberg, New Albany, 7/1
Olson, Jo A from Evansville Albright, Evansville
to attend school, 7/1
Padgett, Samuel L. from Monroe City and Hamline
Chapel, Vincennes to Oakland City Trinity,
Vincennes, 7/1
Patrick, Marcy from no appointment to Lebanon:
Centenary, Indianapolis West, 7/1
Payne, Adam from Oakland City Trinity, Vincennes
to Lizton, Indianapolis West, 7/1
Payton, Daniel L. from no appointment to
Lanesville, New Albany, 5/15
Pimlott, Gregory Robert from Shankill Road, Irish
Methodist Conference to Dearborn Hills, Columbus, 8/1
Purvis, Judi B. from Linden, Indianapolis West
to Vincennes District Superintendent,
Vincennes, 7/1
Reichenbach, Deborah J. from Solsberry/Greene
County Chapel Charge, Bloomington to Clay
City/Mt. Calvary Charge, Terre Haute, 7/1
Rowe, John G. from Mauckport/Mt. Zion, New
Albany to Mauckport, New Albany, 7/1
Rudolph, Holly from Extension Ministries to retirement, 6/30
Russell, Richard Wells from Paoli, Bloomington
to Ogilville, Columbus, 7/1
Sanders, Douglas Lee from Centerville, Rushville
to Worthington/Folsom Memorial and Allen
Chapel, Bloomington, 7/1
Schubert, Lisa from no appointment to Indianapolis: North, Indianapolis West, 7/1
Seaney, Michael J. from Whiteland, Indianapolis
East to Seymour Trinity, Columbus, 7/1
Smith, Beverly R. from Wayside, Terre Haute from
retirement, 6/30
Smith, Callie J. from no appointment to Indianapolis: Broadway, Indianapolis West, 7/1
Smith, Rebecca L. from Pleasant Grove, New Albany to no appointment, 6/30
Sparks, Rose from Graysville, Vincennes to no
appointment, 7/1
Stackhouse, Stacy E. from Dearborn Hills Associate, Columbus to Good Shepherd, Fort Wayne,
North Conference, 6/16
Stephans, Scott K. from Noblesville Emmanuel,
Indianapolis East to Dearborn Hills, Columbus, 7/1
Stewart, Warren R. from Louise-Silver City, West
Jackson, Mississippi Conference to
Crawfordsville: Mt. Zion, Indianapolis West, 7/1
Stoll, Delbert from no appointment to Shoals,
Vincennes, 7/15
Summers, Sharon from Perry Co. Min: Cannelton
Charge, Evansville to no appointment, 6/30
Swanson, Marvin C. from Extension Ministries:
South Eastern Missouri State University, Terre
Haute, to retirement, 6/30
Taylor, Robert L. from retirement, to Morris
Chapel, Vincennes, 7/1
Watson, Patricia S. from no appointment to South
Washington Circuit, New Albany, 7/1
Wells, Laura A. from Crawfordsville Mt. Zion, Indianapolis West to Raglesville Charge,
Vincennes, 7/1
West, H.K. Skye from Quercus Grove, Columbus
to no appointment, 6/30
Wilson, Jean V. from St. Luke’s Associate, Indianapolis West to Jeffersonville: Wesley, New Albany, 7/1
Witt, Souglas Alan from North Indiana Conference
to South Indiana Conference, Bloomington/
Remaining at Linton First UMC”, 7/1
Witty, James W. from Extension Ministries, Indianapolis East to retirement, Indianapolis East, 6/30
Wood, Cynthia from no appointment to Extension
Ministries: Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis
East, 6/10
Sunnycrest celebrates 100
years of ministry to Marion
The Sunnycrest
United
Methodist
Church of Marion, Ind.
celebrated its centennial during a Weekend of
Remembrance, the last
weekend in April. The
event included a heritage walk that took participants past the original church building and
three former parsonages, as well as the
present parsonage.
Sunday school groups Sunnycrest United Methodist Church was founded 100 years
gathered for a cookout ago by Trinity United Methodist Church in Marion, Ind.
and brunch to share
their memories.
Methodist Church. The new congregation
On Saturday evening, more than 200 bought a chapel from the Presbyterian
members and guests gathered in the fellow- Church at the corner of Spencer and Butship hall for food, musical entertainment, a ler. Six hours after the trustees were given
picture gallery, messages from former min- the deed, a fire from the building next door
isters and sharing from the Marion district. spread to the church, destroying it beyond
District Superintendent Dan Moto spoke repair.
on Sunday morning. The weekend’s activThe church was rebuilt in 1906 and gifts
ities concluded with the planting of a me- received on the Dedication Sunday paid for
morial tree in front of the church.
the new church in full. The congregation
The church began in 1905 with 19 char- stayed in that building until 1958, when a
ter members of which 13 were women. Two lack of parking helped them decide to relowomen also served as ministers of the cate in Sunnycrest. A sanctuary and educachurch. Thelma Walker, the church’s old- tion wing were built in 1965. A large felest member at age 87, is a niece to Pearl lowship hall was added in 1996.
Clow, one of the charter members, making
The congregation looks forward to ana direct link for the entire 100 years.
other 100 years, as their Mission Statement
The church was formed because of over- clearly states, “Joyfully Bringing Christ to
crowding at what is now the Trinity United the Community.”
24
Hoosier
United
Methodists
together
July/August 2005
Igniting Ministry is More than TV Ads!
And it’s more than just being nice to guests who walk
into your church (although that’s an important part.)
Igniting Ministry helps the local church model the “Open Hearts” promise, and
reach out in its community, sharing the witness of God’s love.
UM Communications offers comprehensive resources (many free)
to assist in strengthening welcoming skills in a planned program:
Did You Know?
= During 2001-2004, the UMC’s “Open Hearts”
TV campaign reached two-thirds of U.S.
households.
= At test churches, first-time attendance grew
19 percent! Overall attendance at those
churches grew by 9 percent.
= September is UMC Open House month –
coincides with national Back-to-School Ignitin
Ministry TV commercials.
If your church is intentional about outreach,
it’s a must to spend some time at:
www.IgnitingMinistry.org
Resources Include
([email protected])
= New “Expression Packages” uniting ad themes and
worship graphics – in DVD or VHS formats.
= Planning, Training and Event ideas
= Free media consultation services – just call 877281-6535 toll-free.
= Custom printing for direct mail or bulletins
We are all welcome guests in God’s house.
Should we not prepare to so welcome all who
come?
North Indiana Conference = United Methodist Church = Post Office Box 869 = 1105 North Western Avenue
Marion, Indiana 46952 = Web address: www.nicumc.org = Email address: [email protected]
OPERATION CLASSROOM
PROJECT 2005
Operation Classroom, a mission of Hoosier United Methodists
to Liberia and Sierra Leone, has paried schools with Indiana’s 18
districts of the church to focus on the educational need of children
and youth. Here is a list of schools, districts and tasks to complete.
Albert Academy: Evansville/New Albany — Make the computer
program functional
UMC Girls’ School in Freetown: Bloomington — Renovate
classrooms
Jaiama: Indy West — Refurbish one staff house
Baoma: Rushville/Muncie — Construct a staff house
Fakunya: Columbus — Renovation and equipment for vocational
classes in carpentry, agriculture and home economics
Fergusson: Terre Haute/Vincennes — Complete staff house
Koidu: Marion — Refurbish one classroom building., provide 100 desks and chairs
Mokanji: Huntington — Renovate classrooms, provide 100 desks and chairs, jump-start vocational
program
Bo Centenary: Kokomo — Renovate main building, provide desks and chairs
Ganta: Michiana — Renovate gym, Hartzler building, home economics building
Tubman-Gray: Calumet/Terre Haute — Renovate library and classrooms
Brumskine: Indy East — Renovate Jr. high bldg., wire new bldg., provide generator
College of West Africa: Ft. Wayne — Refurbish science lab and jump-start vocational program
St. Matthew: Warsaw — Complete present high school building
The goal is to have every United Methodist church in Indiana participate in “Project 2005.”
Remember a scholarship for the school year 2005-2006.
1400 $50 scholarships needed. You will receive a picture and a bio of the student.
Joe and Carolyn Wagner are available to speak in your church. OC has PowerPoint
presentations on your school, the medical program and the counseling program.
Contact the OC office at PO Box 246, Colfax, IN 46035 phone 765.436.2805 *fax
765.436.2954, e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
SUMMERTIME
is the time to purchase school supplies!
REVISED YES KIT
Students need supplies as they start the
school year. You are invited to help the youth in
the UM schools in West Africa by providing YES
(Youth Educational Supplies) KITS, or you may
purchase the supplies without making the kit.
A YES (Youth Essential Supplies) KIT contains:
4 pens
1 solar calculator
1 ruler or protractor
4 notebooks (8 1/2 x11)
1 NIV or RSV Bible
(available from the OC office)
Items may be placed in a YES KIT cloth tote bag.
NEW ELEMENTARY YES KIT
Four of our schools in Liberia include grades K-12
Elementary students need supplies too.
An Elementary Kit contains:
4 pencils
1 eraser
1 hand-held pencil sharpener
1 box crayons (24 count)
3 notebooks
1 ruler
1 pair blunt scissors
12 sheets construction paper
(varied colors)
1 Bible story coloring book
1 Good News New Testament
(available from the OC office)