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Imagine Indiana Transition Team Information
General Information about the Area Office
North Indiana Conference Office
South Indiana Conference Office
Area United Methodist
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Prayer Guides
(Courtesy of the NIC Prayer Team)
For resources to assist your congregation in welcoming guests,
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Seashore District Volunteer Center VIM project -- Completed
Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
December 2001 |
Christian musician releases third CD
John Haney, a member of Saint Joseph UMC in Fort Wayne, has recently completed work on his third CD, "Carry Me Home." Haney is available for performances of his original contemporary Christian music. E-mail him at johnhaneymusic@hotmail.com , visit his Web site at johnhaneymusic.com or phone him at 219/486-7312.
Alpha Conference coming to Indianapolis
St. Luke's UMC in Indianapolis will host a two-day Alpha conference Jan. 17-18. Alpha is a 10-week opportunity to explore the validity and relevance of the Christian faith for today. It is a practical introduction to the basics of Christianity with opportunity for debate and discussion. The style of Alpha is informal, friendly and non-pressured.
Alpha is appreciated as much by those who have never set foot in a church as it is by those who once attended and by the regular churchgoer.
Bomb and disease threat management
The Risk Management Department of the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) has produced "Bomb and Disease Threat Management Procedures" to help local churches deal with the threat of terrorism. The five-page resource contains a checklist to record necessary information in case of telephoned bomb or disease threats. It also offers help in dealing with potentially dangerous letters and packages. Steve Zekoff, communications staff executive at GCFA, told Newscope that they have no knowledge of any bomb or biochemical threats being made to any United Methodist church or related ministry in the United States since Sept. 11. Call 847/869-3345 or e-mail gcfa@gcfa.org for more information.
Infertility workshop
A one-day workshop to help women or couples grappling with infertility will be held Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oakwood Spiritual Life Center. The workshop will be presented by Dr. Ruth Judy and will be based on her book "Fierce Longing: Women and Infertility."
In addition to her personal experiences with infertility, Judy has studied infertility from a transpersonal perspective. From 1985-1993, Ruth was a staff member of Kara, a non-profit peer-counseling agency in Palo Alto, Calif. At Kara she provided counseling for individuals experiencing life-threatening illnesses or grief.
Cost is $50 for the day and includes lunch. Reservations are required. Overnight accommodations are available for an additional charge. Contact: Oakwood Spiritual Life Center, attention: Marlies Selent-West, 702 East Lake View Road, Syracuse, Ind. 46567, or call 219/457-5781, Ext. 424.
Benefit for Children's Wish Fund
The Christian quartet Praising Hims will headline A Christmas Wish, a benefit for the Indiana Children's Wish Fund, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. at New Palestine High School auditorium. Praising Hims will be joined by Joyful Heirs, a women's group from Trinity Park UMC. The New Palestine UMC Praise Band will also perform.
Part-time ministry coordinator position
Construction Connection, a ministry of the North Indiana Conference, seeks an enthusiastic person to assist United Methodist churches that are involved in building projects (e.g. facility upgrades, additions, new construction).
This person would answer questions about the Construction Connection ministry. For a church using Construction Connection to complete its building project, this person would conduct a preliminary face-to-face meeting with church leaders, train the church in how to recruit construction volunteers, regularly check on the project's progress, and make sure necessary paper work is taken care of by an office assistant.
The position would be very part-time. (Typically Construction Connection is involved in four to five projects in any given year.) Although this person would not be responsible for construction management and oversight, a working understanding of construction would be helpful. Other qualities they should possess are: a commitment to the cause of Christ, good relational skills, and dependability. Starting date would be early 2002.
For more information (job description, compensation, application), contact Ed Fenstermacher by Jan. 15 at 800/783-5138 or ed@nicumc.org .
'Check Day' changes
There will be a first-ever count of men and women in local United Methodist congregations on the statistical form for "Check Day." Average attendance will also be recorded in five categories of education groups:
- Church school
- Accountability groups
- Mission and ministry groups
- Small groups supporting a particular need
- Short-term courses, retreats and VBS
Considering retirement?
Clergy members who are considering retirement at the 2002 Annual Conference are reminded that letters requesting retirement may be submitted at any time but must be mailed 120 days before Annual Conference.
Beginning in 2002, the effective date for appointments made at Annual Conference will be July 1. Retirements will be effective June 30.
Racial Ethnic Minority Fellowship
The Judith L. Weidman Racial Ethnic Minority Fellowship provides a full year of mentoring and on-the-job religion communications training within the United Methodist connection. The goal of the fellowship is to prepare the recipient for a communications career within The United Methodist Church in the United States.
The fellowship is awarded to one recent college graduate each year. The recipient will spend Aug. 1, 2002-July 31, 2003, as part of the communications team in an Annual Conference office and will receive a salary and benefits. The fellowship is sponsored by United Methodist Communications. The deadline for applying is March 15. For information call 888/2778-4862 or e-mail rem@umcom.umc.org . Information is available on the Web at crt.umc.org/rem.
The Good Samaritan: Myth or Reality?
Who is the stranger? How do we exclude? How do we become Good Samaritans? This event will explore contemporary definitions of refugee, neighbor and stranger in such a way that churches and communities will be able to overcome barriers to true neighborliness. The keynote speaker will be Lilia Fernandez, executive secretary for Refugee Ministries of the UM Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Worship will be led by Bishops John Hopkins of Minnesota, Michael Coyner of the Dakotas and Gregory Palmer of Iowa.
The event will be Jan. 8-10 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It is sponsored by the North Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. For information contact Steve and Shirley Haiflich, P.O. Box 295, Akron, Ind. 46910; 219/893-7123. Or send e-mail to shaiflich@hoosierlink.net . Costs range from $125 to $250. Scholarship information is available for students and laity.
UM Web Ministry Guild
A simple start-up group in June, the fledgling United Methodist Web Ministry Guild has grown from 20 members to over 150 in the matter of six months.
The UMWMG held their foundational meeting on Nov. 8 at the United Methodist Association of Communicators' Conference in Nashville, Tenn. The guild voted to adopt their name and discussed their goals for the coming year. Among those: continue to develop the Web site into a useful resource for Web developers; improve communications among United Methodists involved in Web ministry; and develop market resources (discounts from software vendors, ISP providers and hosting services). In addition to the guild's mail list service, monthly online chat sessions will begin in December, meeting the third Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. Central Time.
Last updated on 01/14/2004