NIC AC -- May 31, 2008

Following a half-hour debate on Saturday morning, May 31, the conference accepted the North Indiana Conference Trustees’ recommendation to sell the Oakwood Inn and Retreat Center property in Syracuse, Ind. The Oakwood Foundation relinquished the Oakwood property back to the North Indiana Conference earlier this year because it could no longer afford to keep Oakwood Inn open.

Group photos available

Retirees, Ordinands, download print-quality (up to 8 x 10) digital images of your group from the Indiana Area Web site, www.inareaumc.org, and visit the Annual Conference page to find the link to download the photos.

The conference also requested that the funds from the sale after debts are paid would be used as an Oakwood endowment fund for future camping programs in the conference.

Bishop Coyner ruled that the approved motion to use the funds for an Oakwood endowment fund would be an instructive motion. The conference would make such a decision after the trustees bring back their decision with an Oakwood Foundation proposal.

Questions concerning the sale of the Oakwood property were fielded before the amendment and vote. Bishop Coyner clarified that the conference was only discussing the Oakwood Retreat Center property and its accompanying buildings and grounds. He said this is a complex issue because “Oakwood” means many things to many people. The sale does NOT include any privately owned properties on the historic century-old grounds of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church.

Brent Williams, conference treasurer, said the conference has spent more than $200,000 from reserve funds to cover indebtedness and to continue the operation of Oakwood Inn until Labor Day.

The sale of the property was authorized earlier this year by Bishop Coyner and the NIC Cabinet who are empowered to act on behalf of the conference between Annual Conference sessions. The conference’s attorney said the conference has no alternative except to sell the property to cover the conference’s indebtedness.

Earlier in the debate, Teresa Witkoske of Wabash moved that the conference not accept part of the trustees’ report dealing with Oakwood under the condition that the conference not sell Oakwood until the trustees had a face-to-face discussion with the primary donor who invested more than $20-million for the renovation of Oakwood Inn in the mid-1990s. After lengthy debate, the conference defeated the Witkoske motion.


	Dona Lou Imler (left) and Bill Imler (right) present Bishop Mike and Marsha Coyner (center) with an embroidered ulos ceremonial shawl during the Saturday morning session. The gift was presented on behalf of the Methodist Church of Banda Aceh as a thank you to Indiana United Methodists who gave more than $200,000 to the church for it restoration following the deadly tsunami.

Young adult from Congo ordained Elder to go to Perkins in Dallas

Bishop Mike Coyner ordained Kakez-A-Kapend Christian an Elder as a courtesy for Christian’s Bishop Kainda Katembo of the South Congo Area of the Democratic Republic of Congo during the commissioning and ordination service on Saturday morning, May 31, in Elliott Hall of Music.

Christian leaves West Lafayette on June 25. After spending a month in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, Christian will return to Dallas, Texas, for seminary. He will be working on a Master of Arts Degree at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology in Homiletics/Preaching and plans to receive a Ph.D. before returning to teach and train other pastors in Africa.

NIC Annual Numbers

Membership stands at 96,320, a 0.7 percent or 699 member decrease from last year’s membership.
Received 4,140 new members and removed 4,839 members.
Worship attendance stands at 63,656, down 2,144 or 3.2 percent from 65,800.
Local churches expenditures totaled $111.6 million of which $5.6 million was designated as benevolences and $1.1 million for General Church support.
The conference is ranked number one in the North Central Jurisdiction for Volunteer-in-Mission volunteers and in VIM giving to projects.
The conference approved an $8.9 million 2009 budget, a 9.6 percent decrease from the approved 2008 budget of $9.8 million, which was decreased to $8.92 million. Review all the conference’s finances in section 21 of the Pre-Conference Reports available online at www.nicumc.org, click on Annual Conference.

Youth Ministry report

Opening the Youth Ministry report on Saturday morning, May 31, youth members proclaimed: “I have a dream that we can be connected to Christ; I have a dream that all will worship the one true God; I have a dream that all youth will be hungry for His word; I have a dream that we will all be united. We have a dream to reach all youth in Indiana for Christ.”

The youth affirmed the leadership of this year’s Youth Council President Rachel Shettle of Alexandria, Ind.

Newly elected Youth Council officers include: Molly Miller, president, of Howe UMC; Josh Garcia, vice-president, of Getsamani UMC in Fort Wayne; and Lee Anna Zimmerman, secretary, of Christ UMC in Kokomo.

Miller told the conference, “We have dreams to be more active as team, more active in the church, and receive more support from adults.” She thanked the body for passing amendments on Thursday related to adding more youth and young adult representation to the new conference if approved. She also would like to see the council start an adult support group and better communication between youth and their elders.

Elders ordained: Front row: William R. Garver, Diana Kay Siegel, Vickie Van Nevel, Catherine Nicole Koziatek

Middle row: Jeffrey Ernest Clinger, Donna K. Goings, Mark Andrew Need

Back row: Thomas M. Thews, Joseph Anthony Hornick, Kakez-A-Kapend Christian

Probationary members commissioned: Front row: Jan Funk, Joshua M. Ditmer

Middle row: Matthew Walter Pickut, Amanda Renae Connett, Candyce Krider Kaiser, Jean Stone Ness, Jack D. Smith

Back row: Walter “Kevin” Drane, Nathan Eric Whybrew, Tony L. Johnson, Kevin Eugene Marsh

Bishop challenges new pastors to outdo each other

Bishop Mike Coyner challenged those he commissioned and ordained to lives of meekness, honoring each other and outdoing each other in the love God gives to us through Jesus Christ.

These were Coyner’s charges given in his sermon during the ordination and commissioning service held Saturday morning, May 31, during the North Indiana Conference held in Elliott Hall on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette.

Before his sermon, he welcomed a choir from St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. He said to his knowledge this was the first time a choir from one annual conference came to sing in another conference in Indiana.

He began his sermon by telling a story about Roman Catholic Bishop Bob Carlson, whom he served with as a Christian leader in South Dakota. He said Bishop Carlson made the decision whether to ordain each candidate for the priesthood. He made that decision by sending potential priests off to one of the mission churches on an Indian reservation for six months to see how they did in a poor, cross-cultural environment. For the next six months, they lived in his home so he could observe their spiritual disciplines. Finally, the servants of that house had to give a positive evaluation of each candidate before Bishop Carlson would ordain candidates into the priesthood.

Coyner said, “Clergy competition is usually a bad thing, except in Romans 12, Paul says to outdo each other in showing honor.” Romans 12 is the imperative of what we must do for God. Paul lists such things as love, hope, patience, perseverance, hospitality to strangers, living in harmony and more.

Coyner said Paul was accused of making the Gospel cheap. “The Gospel is only cheap because it is free, but God calls us to sacrifice. Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice… We have lost the meaning of the word ‘sacrifice’ except when a police officer or soldier is said to have made the ultimate sacrifice. Paul reminds us that we are called to be a living sacrifice by outdoing each other in honoring each other.”

Paul knew our struggles are not easy... Baptism and even ordination doesn’t change us. Outdoing each other in showing honor changes us.

Coyner charged those to be ordained or commissioned to give honor to God and give ourselves to others as a living sacrifice in meekness.

“We are even to honor our enemies, forgiving them. The power of forgiveness heals us. Forgiveness is about us, not the offender and whether we yield that all to God. Make yourself a living sacrifice.

“There are many times in ministry we are tempted to do anything but to show honor. Paul says take the high road and love and outdo each other in honoring each other…

“Clergy competition could be a good thing, if we yield ourselves to God, honoring each other and honoring Christ.

“I put my hands on your head to bless, strengthen you in offering honor to God and all of God’s people,” he concluded.

Those commissioned to candidacy in the Order of Deacons include: Amanda Renae Connett, Jan Funk, Candyce Krider Kaiser.

Those commissioned to candidacy in the Order of Elders include: Joshua M. Ditmer, Walter “Kevin” Drane, Tony L. Johnson, Kevin Eugene Marsh, Jean Stone Ness, Matthew Walter Pickut, Jack D. Smith, Nathan Eric Whybrew.

Those commissed as Elders include: Jeffrey Ernest Clinger, Kakez-A-Kapend Christian, William R. Garver, Donna K. Goings, Joseph Anthony Hornick, Catherine Nicole Koziateck, Mark Andrew Need, Diana Kay Siegal, Thomas M. Thews, Vickie Van Nevel.

Elijah Quinn and Evangelynn Joy Gough, children of Mary and Paula Gough, were baptized at the beginning of the service.

Following the rituals of ordination and commissioning, Coyner invited those who felt called by God to ministry to come and receive a blessing from him.