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May 15, 2002

e-HUM is a free service of Indiana Area United Methodist Communications, www.inareaumc.org. Bridging the gap between monthly issues of the Hoosier United Methodist News, subscribers will receive late-breaking news, announcements and Church resources via e-mail. We welcome your comments, please direct to e-HUM editor at ehumeditor@inareaumc.org. 

"By the grace of God, let this building rise." With those words, Bishop Woodie W. White, Episcopal leader of the Indiana Area UMC, opened the May 10 Ground- breaking Ceremony of the South Indiana Conference Center. Representatives from the Bloomington community and SIC (lay and clergy) took turns turning the earth at the site of the new facility. 

More than 200 gathered at the rain- soaked Bloomington Technology Park site, located on the west side of the city on Liberty Dr. The new 21,144 square foot facility will replace the current East 2^nd St. office. Slated for completion at the end of 2003, the new facility will be constructed for $2,827,000. To learn more about the SIC, follow this link. Matthew Carlisle

On the morning of Sunday, April 28, a tornado swept through Tobinsport, Indiana, a small community on the Kentucky border in Perry County. There were no fatalities, but insurance companies declared 13 of Tobinsport's 31 homes a total loss. Clayton Harris Memorial UMC is the only operating institution in the community. 

By Monday, the Rev. Sharon Summers, pastor of Clayton Harris Memorial UMC, had established the church as the center of relief operations. The church provided meals to relief workers and victims of the tornado. Volunteer in Missions teams were quickly dispatched to help with the clean up.

More than 60,000 youth and youth leaders from over 26 states as well as Canada attended Teen Mania's Acquire the Fire Standup Invasion 2002 in Indianapolis at the RCA Dome on April 19 and 20.If those in attendance weren't already on fire for God, they were after the weekend was over.

The speakers included the founder and president of Teen Mania ministries Ron Luce; quarterback of the St. Louis Rams, Kurt Warner; Michael Skupin of Survivor 2, Jeanne Mayo, Pam Stenzel, Pastor Wally Magdanal, Bruce Wilkinson and ex-wrestlers: Sting, the Russian Nightmare and the Million Dollar Man. Cory Gault

United Methodist Communications recently announced the names of the Igniting Ministry matching grant recipients. A joint effort between the South Indiana, Kentucky and North Indiana Conferences, UMCom awarded the three conferences $66,000 in matching funds to be used during September's Igniting Ministry campaign.

The SIC Igniting Ministry initiative received a $50,000 Mustard Seed grant from the conference in March. With financial support from Kentucky and North Indiana, an additional $16,000 was raised. The $132,000 campaign will run during the month of September in Indianapolis, Louisville and Evansville through an effort of radio, billboard, cable and broadcast television advertisements. To learn more about Igniting Ministry, follow this link. Matthew Carlisle 

Thanks to a Lilly Endowment grant, an estimated 2,400 South Indiana Conference campers, staff and volunteers will enjoy a new 30-foot climbing wall and a low-ropes challenge course at Camp Indi-Co-So and Camp Mone'to. Indi-Co-So will have two new cabins, a bathhouse and restroom facilities while Mone'to will provide an expanded hotel unit and retreat center. Camp Rivervale, which has been completely renovated, will introduce a new open-air theatre for its dramatic arts camp. 

"Camp can be a hallmark Christian experience," said Kevin Wrigley, director of outdoor ministries for the SIC. "(Campers) are received for who they are and where they are in an open and loving community. There's nothing else available to kids and youth that provides that." To learn more about SIC Outdoor Ministry, follow this link. Lisa Schubert

UMNS -- Bishops of the United Methodist Church declared May 3 that clerics who "abuse children or who are sexual predators" will not be "shielded or protected" by church authorities.

With high-profile cases among Catholic clergy raising awareness worldwide, the 150-member Council of Bishops vowed at its semi-annual meeting in Bloomington, Minnesota to "prevent and eradicate sexual abuse and misconduct" from all levels of church life. In fact, the United Methodist Church has worked for more than 20 years to strengthen the laws in its Book of Discipline regarding ethical and moral conduct of clergy, said Bishop Sharon Rader, council secretary and leader of the church's Wisconsin Area.

"We had this issue on our agenda before all the media attention to the Catholic clergy story," Rader explained. Bishops are charged with reviewing denominational processes concerning clergy conduct, she added. To read this article in its entirety, follow this link.

UMNS -- Mark Gibson, a member of Harmony Grove United Methodist Church is far from the image people have of race car drivers. Faith is what enables him to keep racing, despite the danger of injury or worse. "The racing community is not like the outlaw-redneck image some people have of it," Gibson says. " ... It's not a bunch of nonbelievers, but really a family of faith." His family includes about 20 other Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) drivers who attend chapel and share prayer requests with one another. To read more about Mark Gibson, follow this link.

UMNS -- Their songs were joyous and uplifting, but the message was serious: whether by poverty, racism or the effects of war, women and children must no longer be  marginalized.

The message was repeated throughout the 2002 Assembly of United Methodist Women, held April 25-28 in Philadelphia. Under the theme, "Sing a New Song," nearly 10,000 participants engaged in worship and Bible study; listened to speakers who discussed issues crucial to women and children; took part in 63 different afternoon focus groups and enjoyed evening musical performances.

The million-member organization holds the event every four years, coordinated through its administrative arm, the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. To read more about this event, follow this link.

After months of development, the United Methodist Archives and Special Collections at DePauw University now offers a means of searching past issues of the Hoosier UM News online. The index covers volume 1, issue 1, January 1971 to the present. Visitors may search the database by keyword or subject. A list of subjects is available as well. Search results will list the title and date that the article appeared. Copies of articles found may be obtained from the UM Archives.

Representatives from the North Central Jurisdiction will share Volunteer in Mission opportunities and conduct a training session for VIM team leaders from August 9-11 at "Mission in Our Midst." Held at Camp Asbury in Hiram, Ohio, the weekend will highlight the mission agencies, local churches and camps where volunteers may participate within the North Central Jurisdiction. Participants must register by July 8. Contact 515/237-8545 for more information. Follow this link to learn more about Volunteer in Missions.

Indiana Happenings

The 2002 United Methodist Single Adult Leaders Conference will be an opportunity for networking, training and celebration. Single adult lay and pastoral leaders throughout the country will gather at Indianapolis' St. Luke's UMC from July 18-21 for a weekend of learning, activities and fun designed to help sharpen skills and "rev up" the motors of single adult ministries. 

Scheduled to appear: Terry Hershey, founder of Christian Focus and author of several books; Jean Deeds, adventurer and author of There are Mountains to Climb; Harold Ivan Smith, founding member of the Network of Single Adult Leaders; Lynn Shaw, speaker, trainer and author; Kent Millard, pastor of St. Luke's UMC. 

To register or learn more about this event, contact Terri Coe at 317/846-4826, coet@stlukesumc.com.

The Rev. Richard Hamilton, retired SIC pastor, will be the inaugural speaker in the Preaching to the City series at the Old Centrum Urban Life Center on Sunday, June 2 at 5 p.m.

Preaching to the City is a program of the Old Centrum and Christian Theological Seminary, bringing the great retired and senior preachers of Indianapolis to the citywide pulpit to share their call to action or message of hope and healing with a citywide audience. The Old Centrum is home to the historic Central Avenue UMC, located at the corner of 12^th Street and Central Ave. For more information, contact Marie Beason at 317/637-4408.

The North Indiana United Methodist Annual Conference session will be held on the campus of Purdue University from May 30 to June 1. Improved presentations and the Conference Strategy Council report should be a highlight.

The South Indiana United Methodist Annual Conference session will be held on the campus of Indiana University from June 6-8. Unlike previous years, it will begin with the executive session at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

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