Indiana News Briefs

Lilly grants go to 7 Indiana UMCs

Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. for the third year, the popular Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations was awarded to 30 congregations, seven of which are United Methodist. The grants seek to refresh, reinvigorate and re-energize congregations by funding a period of renewal for their pastors. Ranging from $9,189 to $30,000, the grants total $787,522. Each congregation was eligible to apply for a grant of up to $30,000; up to $10,000 of that amount could be used to provide services in the pastor's absence.

Under the Indiana Clergy Renewal Program, pastors, with the involvement and support of their congregations, design a plan for spending several months -- often with their families -- away from the press of their usual responsibilities.

The Endowment invites congregations to develop plans that enable their pastors to rest and relax a bit, visit places and people of significance in their religious traditions and their ministries, and practice spiritual disciplines that reconnect them with the forces that led them into ministry in the first place.

The following United Methodist congregations and pastors have received renewal grants:

Brookside UMC, Indianapolis; The Rev. Jennifer Charles

First UMC, Cambridge City; The Rev. Judith Ann McGuire Marshall

First UMC, Mooresville; The Rev. Morris Gene Young

First UMC, Michigan City; The Rev. Gregory Lynn Enstrom

First Wayne Street UMC, Fort Wayne; The Rev. Robert Dygert-Gearheart

Grace UMC, Lafayette; The Rev. Norman Richard Nellis Jr.

St. Luke's UMC, Indianapolis; The Rev. M. Kent Millard

NIC Foundation hires associate director

The North Indiana United Methodist Foundation recently asked Phil Ford to join their team as associate director. Phil comes with a solid business background and a strong faith in our Lord. He will put his 20+ years of experience in management and marketing to good use through his efforts with the Foundation and Loan Fund.

Phil earned a master's degree in business from Indiana Wesleyan in 1997, building on a bachelor's degree in social psychology attending both Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. and Indiana University at Indianapolis. He and his wife, Beverly, make their home in Fort Wayne and have attended Taylor Chapel UMC for a number of years. Both Phil and Beverly are members of the church praise team and choir among their other church efforts.

Phil is also fiction writer, as well as having written Internet sports articles covering the Indianapolis Colts. He has published a book of poetry entitled Cool Blue Emotion. Add scuba diving and travel to this list of activities and you can see that Phil embraces life to the fullest.

Phil can be contacted at the Foundation office by phone at 765/664-2327, or by email at pford@nicumc.org.

Youth Home opens Incentive Store

The United Methodist Youth Home in Evansville opened a new ACORNS Incentive Store May 30 to serve at-risk youth and their families. The store, located on the third floor of St. James East UMC, is designed as an incentive to motivate troubled youth and their parents toward positive behavioral changes. As part of the ACORNS Program, youth ages 10-18 can earn credits to "shop" through positive behavior.

Children, teens and parents can earn credits by attending school and church, applying to a college, getting a GED, holding down a job, etc. Regular meetings will be arranged with the program director, Dixie Wilsbacher, to guide participants in setting goals, documenting progress and assigning points.

The store will be open by appointment for those children and parents who would like to "shop" with their accumulated points. It is full of small household appliances, kitchen items, bed linens, school supplies and personal care items.

"Support from the Methodist church community has been essential for the ACORNS Store to exist," explains Wilsbacher. All items in the store have been donated by individuals and church groups. Donations of household and personal care products are still being requested. Please call the UMYH at 812/479-7535 if you would like to make a donation.

UM Men name Hunger Relief Advocate

David McCleary, a member of Pleasant Grove UMC and a resident of Warsaw, Ind., has been appointed Hunger Relief Advocate for the North Indiana Conference United Methodist Men. The advocate program was begun two years ago as the result of a partnership between the Society of St. Andrew, the General Commission on UM Men and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. It is designed to help the Church engage in ministry with the poor and hungry under the leadership of the UM Men. The goal of the program is to have a part-time advocate in every UM conference, plus volunteer advocates in each district UM Men's unit and each local men's group.

McCleary's responsibilities will include raising the level of awareness of the extent of hunger in the Conference and in America, championing UMM participation in the Meals for Millions program; establishing and administering a gleaning ministry in northern Indiana; and serving as an education and action resource for hunger relief and poverty issues.

The Society of St. Andrew is a nationwide, non-denominational nonprofit ministry and an Advance Special of the Church. It is a grassroots hunger-relief organization, salvaging fresh food that would otherwise be wasted and delivering it to food banks. McCleary may be reached at 219/269-1143, or by sending e-mail to hranin@endhunger.org.

Michiana hires Communicator

On June 1, Indiana Methodists welcomed the addition of a fourth District Communicator. Lynda Ward, wife of the Rev. Steven Brey, recently started her position as the first communications coordinator for the Michiana District.

It will be Ward's primary responsibility to design and maintain the District Web site (www.CrossandFlame.org) and act as a liaison between churches within the District. "I also plan to offer workshops to area churches on how to design newsletters . and maintain their own web pages," according to Ward.

At 15 hours per week with so much to be done, the new position will be a challenge. According to Lynda, "I am excited about the position . it gives me the chance to combine my seminary and post graduate training along with my Web skills and interest in teaching and writing. . More and more people, young and old, are now turning to the Web for information -- including information about spirituality and faith. The UMC has an opportunity to use this technology (as a means) to share with the public (churched and unchurched) their history, their faith and their story. As a communications coordinator, I have the unique opportunity to use my position to build 'community' between area churches and people."

As founder and director of The Critter Club, a non-profit animal welfare organization in South Bend, Lynda has worked first-hand with Web design and public relations. After earning her Master of Theological Studies from Duke Divinity School, Ward was the spiritual director for a church in Pennsylvania and at Epworth Memorial UMC in South Bend, Ind. Lynda is leaving her position as assistant pastor of Lamb's Chapel UMC, LaPorte, where she had the opportunity to preach, edit the church newsletter and coordinate special events.

Many of you might recognize Lynda's name from the various articles she has written for the Hoosier UM News. She is the co-author of a published commentary on the Gospel of Matthew titled At Home with the Word. As well, she continues to write a bi-monthly column for The Source Magazine. Matthew Carlisle

Ind. delegates head for World Methodist Conference

Bishop Woodie W. White along with Hoosier United Methodists will travel to Brighton, England, as delegates to the World Methodist Conference July 25-31. It is the 18th such gathering since the founding of the World Methodist Council in 1881, taking place every five years. Thousands of delegates will represent each of the XX Methodist-related denominations with a total of approximately 36 million people. The last such gathering was in 1996 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"Jesus: God's Way of Salvation" is the theme, and the conference will open July 26 with its historic procession of banners from the 130 countries where Methodist and WMC-related United Church Christians are found.

The Brighton conference promises to be one of the most significant in the long history of these events, according to WMC information. The city of Brighton, rich in Church history, is the place where the Methodist movement began. In fact, the first Methodist church still stands in Bristol.

Principal activities will include daily Bible studies, workshops and special worship experiences. Also, delegates will hear some of the world's best-known theologians and church leaders, including Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, p resident of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican. The broad menu of workshops offered will include topics from Overcoming Violence, Faith Under Fire and The Emergence of the Diaconate in Methodist Churches, to Science and Religion in the 21st century, Reaching Men with the Good News and a Young Methodist Leaders Seminar, among others.

Following the conference, many delegates will tour sites significant in the history of the Wesleyan movement: Wesley's house and grave, the Old Rectory at Epworth and the Flame Monument where Wesley had his Aldersgate experience, among other key sites. Lynne DeMichele

Last updated on 01/14/2004

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