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e-HUM is a free service of Indiana Area United Methodist Communications, www.inareaumc.org. 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. |
Liberian educator pleads with UMs for helpBy Daniel R. Gangler With the announcement that Charles Taylor will step down as President of Liberia, a Liberian United Methodist living in Muncie, Ind., pleads for the church and the United States government to intervene. Momo Fahnbuelleh, a doctoral student in education at Ball State University, brought his concern for the children of Liberia to the attention of the North Indiana Annual Conference meeting this spring in West Lafayette. Since then he has written to U.S. President George W. Bush because he is a United Methodist, about American intervention in Liberia. He also waits for a return call from U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, also a United Methodist. During a recent telephone interview, Fahnbuelleh said he believes God will move in the hearts of Americans in the church and in the federal government for the United States to intervene to help end the civil war raging in Liberia. Normal City United Methodist Church in Muncie has played an important role in the life of Fahnbuelleh during the past 15 years. Under the care of Pastor Donna Springer, who served the church in the 1980s, Fahnbuelleh was baptized into The United Methodist Church. Following graduation in 1989, Fahnbuelleh returned to Liberia where he became the director of planning and research for the Monrovian city schools. He became the principal of a school with more than 1,500 students in a building built for 900 students. During his tenure there, he said he witnessed rebel forces teaching his students to bear arms. He estimates that 40 percent of the rebel forces are made up of youth between ages 15 and 30. When named as a political enemy by rebel forces, Fahnbuelleh returned to the United States as a political refugee. He arrived for a visit to Ball State in August 1998 and was surprised to learn that he had been granted a scholarship in 1992 to do doctoral studies in education. The university renewed his scholarship and he is now completing a doctor's degree in education. Last October Fahnbuelleh was appointed to serve as lay preacher of the Fairview Jay and Bellfountain United Methodist Churches near Portland, Ind. The parsonage in which he lived in the 1980s is home once again, but this time Fahnbuellah's family - his wife, Satu, and their seven children and one grandchild - inhabits the whole house. According to Muncie District Superintendent David Maish, the members of the Normal City Church "played a key role in prayer and financial support which, when joined with others, brought Fahnbuellah's wife and children from Liberia to the United States." This is a difficult time for Fahnbuelleh. He said he has lost contact with relatives living in Liberia. On Father's Day, he received word from his brother that his father, 78, died in a refugee camp hospital at Kenema, Sierre Leone. Despite these difficulties and losses, Fahnbuelleh says his hope for peace in Liberia has not died. He prays for a miracle and believes that miracle will take place through the church and intervention by the United States. CWS bolsters support of Liberia in West AfricaNEW YORK - As President Bush announced on July 4 that the U.S. will send an advance military team to assess peacekeeping intervention in Liberia, as the Economic Community of West African States announced in Accra, Ghana, that it would send a 3,000 member "interpositional force" to help maintain a cease-fire in war-stricken Liberia, West African civil society and church leaders are at the forefront of the peace brokering process. The United Methodist-related global humanitarian agency Church World Service reports that a delegation of Liberian civil society and church leaders met in early July with heads of state in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone urging them to fully support the peace process. CWS also appealed to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan with hopes that the Security Council would decide to agree to United Nations participation in a peacekeeping mission. In a separate communication to U.S. Department of State Gen. Colin L. Powell, CWS Executive Director the Rev. John L. McCullough, a United Methodist, urged that the U.S. join a multi-national peacekeeping force and "assume a significant leadership role in concert with other international bodies," including ECOWAS. In June CWS airlifted blankets, cans of processed beef, rice and personal hygiene kits for Liberians displaced by the war. In April, a CWS aid shipment was successfully distributed and helped nearly 3,600 pregnant and nursing mothers, children and elderly in six internally displaced persons camps near Monrovia. For more news and information from CWS, log on to www.ncccusa.org. Indiana church to help Ukrainian UMsThe Chesterton UMC in northwest Indiana has commissioned five members to travel to the Ukraine to assist a fledgling United Methodist church there. Florian Stecuich, a member at Chesterton and the son of Ukrainian immigrants, told e-HUM in a phone interview that he felt called to help this United Methodist congregation in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. This will be Stecuich's seventh trip to the Ukraine. This time, Stecuich, a bonds trader, leads a mission team of seven from July 5 to July 17 to Uzhgorod (population 100,000). His team includes five Chesterton church members plus two of the Creston (Ohio) Presbyterian Church. These two, he said, have experience in running a sports camp in Bosnia. During their two-week stay, the team plans to assist the 100-member Uzhgorod church in repairing its pre-Russian Revolution church building. The team will replace windows and floor tiles, and do general maintenance work on an aging building. The congregation obtained the church property from the Ukrainian government after the USSR dissolved. The tools the team takes will remain with the congregation so that they can make repairs in the future. Stecuich, who speaks both Ukrainian and Russian, said the repairs will help the Ukrainian congregation expand its ministry to include a soup kitchen, a food pantry to assist needy people, a youth program and a Sunday school. Their nearest United Methodist neighbor church is three to four hours away. The Chesterton congregation has been supportive of the mission trip, raised more than $8,000 and commissioned the mission team. Each team member pays for his or her own way, costing each around $1,600. To keep expenses low, the team will be sleeping on the floor of the church. In addition to performing repairs to the building, Stecuich plans to run an impromptu sports camp for children and youth. Three of the seven mission team members are coaches. Indiana pastor to coordinate Pastoral Excellence Program at DukeThe Rev. Kevin Armstrong, a pastor of North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis and a 1985 graduate of Duke University Divinity School, has been chosen as the primary coordinator of a $57 million program on pastoral excellence financed by the Lilly Endowment at the United Methodist-related school in Durham, N.C. The endowment's Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program pays for projects in 26 states that are designed to improve support for clergy, the Associated Press reported. Pulpit & Pew, a research project in the divinity school, will receive an additional $3.1 million from the endowment to manage the program for four years and to conclude some of its own key projects. UINDY names chaplain, appoints new associate chaplainThe Rev. Dr. L. Lang Brownlee, a United Methodist who has served as interim chaplain at the United Methodist-related University of Indianapolis since July 2001, made the position permanent July 1 when he removed the "interim" from his title. In addition, Sister Jennifer Horner, OSB, pastoral administrator at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Greencastle and Catholic chaplain on the Religious Life staff at UM-related DePauw University, has been named to the new position of associate chaplain and director of the Lantz Center for Christian Vocations. New hunger resource available to congregationsWASHINGTON (UMNS) - A revised, updated edition of a major hunger resource has been reissued. Bread for the World Institute, an international research organization, has issued a new edition of "Hunger No More," a packet of educational materials designed for use by congregations. Both the new materials and last year's "Hunger No More: Decisions 2002," which focused on then-pending legislation, were sponsored by the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The kit includes a six-session leader's guide for use with adult and youth discussions, handouts for each session and a poster. A new Web site, www.hungernomore.org, provides additional resources and updates. The "Hunger No More" packet is available for $5 from Bread for the World at www.bread.org or may be downloaded without cost at that site. Orders may be also be sent to Bread for the World, 50 F St. NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001. Church World Service sends $1.2 million in supplies to IraqBy United Methodist News Service Church World Service, the humanitarian agency supported by The United Methodist Church and many other denominations, is shipping $1.2 million in donated medical supplies to Iraq. In December 2002, CWS helped found the multi-agency "All Our Children" campaign for Iraqi children's health. The campaign, supported by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, has provided $264,000 in cash and $183,414 in in-kind aid for medicine, medical supplies, emergency food aid, blankets, wheelchairs and hygiene supplies for pediatric hospitals and clinics and to a program serving street children. Contributions can be designated for UMCOR's Advance #623225-4 "Iraq Emergency" and placed in church offering plates or sent directly to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit-card donations can be made by calling 800-554-8583. Economist says recession over, church giving to increase(UMNS) - Don House has good news for The United Methodist Church. An economist, not an evangelist, he believes the economy is improving. Everyone knows there is a connection between the state of the economy and the dollars - or lack of them - in Sunday's offering plate. Few people, with the exception of professional fund-raisers are as aware of that connection as House, a United Methodist and economic consultant of Bryan, Texas. "The numbers show we are out of the recession and in a period of growth, but church records don't yet show that, and they shouldn't," House said. Asked to explain what he meant, House said, "We have now experienced five consecutive quarters of sustained economic growth. This is strong evidence that we have 'bottomed out' and that we are well on the road to economic recovery." He expects giving to increase as church members become aware that economic growth has returned, he said. "Improvements should be evident as early as the end of the summer," he predicted. White Oak UMC basement floodedWith parts of northern Indiana receiving up to 12 inches of rain in a 24 hour period and several large waves of storms following, United Methodists are praying for the rain to cease. As of July 8, one church in the North Indiana Conference has reported damage. White Oak UMC in the Kokomo District suffered a flooded basement following storms on July 4 and 5. According to the Rev. Karen K. Rhoades Welling, pastor of White Oak UMC, the six inches of rain warped some paneling, possibly ruined the carpet and got into the stove area. "This is the third time this spring and summer the basement has flooded," she wrote in an e-mail posted on the NIC Web site. Epworth youth on their way to MexicoThe 32 youth and sponsors of Epworth UMC youth group in Indianapolis are on a mission trip July 8 through 15 to Valle de la Trinidad in Mexico to work at a children's home located there. Scott Miller, associate pastor and youth director at Epworth, told Hoosier United Methodist News: "We'll be working with the children's home to build two playground sets, to conduct a vacation Bible school and other things they might need." Miller said he would report on the youth's mission efforts upon their return. VBS program promotes faith, community and heritage(UMNS) - Squirming energetic 5-year-olds are falling out of their chairs this summer laughing every time their vacation Bible school teacher tries to get them to recite their memory verse. "Wisdom is like a baobab tree: no one person can encircle it." "It's bowbob tree!" children will shout in unison after every mispronunciation. Baobab (which is pronounced bow - as in "wow" - bob) is just one of the African words children will learn in the VBS program written and produced by the United Methodist Publishing House. The new resource combines the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with African, Caribbean and African-American traditions. The curriculum gives adult leaders, African American and white alike, the chance to learn about the culture and experiences of African-American Christians. In Africa, the baobab is a large tree that grows in the grassland, which covers about 65 percent of the continent. For three-fourths of the year, it is leafless and stores water. Animals and sometimes people live in its large branches. In villages, it is a place of community gathering. For more information call 800-672-1789 or log on to www.cokesbury.com. Educators affirm high court's decision on affirmative actionAs the U.S. Supreme Court was deciding on the future of affirmative action, officials of United Methodist-related colleges and universities were wrapping their heads around increasing the presence of minorities on campus. The court's June 24 decision upheld the use of racial preference to promote diversity in university admissions. In their 5-4 decision, the justices ruled that the University of Michigan Law School's preferential treatment of disadvantaged minorities is legal, but in a 6-3 vote, they struck down the use of a point system to ensure diversity in the university's undergraduate admissions. College presidents, admissions officers, counselors and other education leaders attending the United Methodist Institute of Higher Education, June 22-24, applauded the decision and said it affirmed the United Methodist Church's commitment to college diversity. Before the ruling came down, many said that regardless of the decision, the church would continue to support affirmative action. Also commenting on the decision was Jerry Israel, president of the University of Indianapolis, who said: "As an church-related institution of higher education, the University of Indianapolis has always sought a diversity on campus that is reflective of our society at large; in reality, that is a challenging goal for any institution in the absence of quotas or point systems designed to ensure higher minority enrollment. "I believe the Supreme Court made a wise and prudent decision. To reverse all affirmative action would set back the cause of diversity and opportunity for minorities on campus by 40 years, yet rigid quotas or point systems are too dogmatic and, as the nation has seen, can actually exacerbate racial divisiveness," Israel said. The United Methodist Church has 124 related colleges and universities, including the University of Indianapolis, the University of Evansville and DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., as well as 13 seminaries. It also operates Africa University in Zimbabwe. Happy 99 to Scottsburg memberScottsburg UMC celebrated on June 22 the 99th birthday of Dollie East, its oldest member. She has been an active member of the Scottsburg congregation since 1919. Ten of those 84 years were perfect attendance years. Senator Miller honored by Asbury SeminaryIndiana State Senator Patricia Miller, the executive director of the Confessing Movement, one of South Indiana Conference's leaders and recently-elected lay member to the 2004 General Conference, received an Honorary Doctor's Degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., on May 25. Project Classroom items shipped to HaitiMore than 7,000 school bags with educational materials, 390 desks, four stocked first aid cabinets, nine computers, two printers and 110 soccer balls filled a 40-foot shipping container bound for Haiti on June 12. A mission outreach of Indiana United Methodists, Project Classroom sent the school supplies to the Eglise Methodist d'Haiti group. Illinois and Wisconsin volunteers loaded the 40-foot container at the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, Ill., with over 22 tons of school supplies estimated to be worth more than $160,000. Also included in the shipment were more than 2,000 children's hospital gowns and 1,000 diapers for Grace Children's Hospital. Director of Children's Ministries wantedOversee and coordinate the religious education, care, outreach, and fellowship opportunities for children (birth-6th grade). This person supervises four professionals in children's ministries and collaborates with the children's ministries committee, church staff and the congregation. Qualifications require experience working with children; knowledge of child development, Christian theology, and religious education; strong organizational and leadership skills; ability to recruit and work with volunteers; and Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience. Entails a 30-40-hour workweek. Start date Aug. 1. Salary negotiable. Send resume and letter of interest to the First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 936, Bloomington, Ind. 47402. News In BriefBy United Methodist News Service ( www.umns.umc.org ) The United Methodist Church has awarded Igniting Ministry matching grants totaling more than $500,000 to 68 regional church bodies, including the North and South Indiana Conferences to help purchase television commercials during the back-to-school and Christmas seasons. The awards are part of the denomination's national advertising campaign developed and coordinated by United Methodist Communications' Igniting Ministry office. This round includes awards to 37 individual congregations, 12 clusters of congregations and 19 annual conferences across the United States, in media markets that reach 60 million people. First United Methodist Church in Green Bay, Wis., is reaching around the world to help boys and girls in a church in Pilviskiai, Lithuania, have a successful scouting troop. Scouting in the former Soviet nation is coed, so boys and girls join together in all activities, and every outing includes Bible study and prayer. Under the leadership of Scoutmaster Timm Bacher, the Wisconsin congregation agreed to contribute $500 a year to help with expenses of the Pilviskiai troop. A five-member team from the Texas Annual Conference recently took the gift of hearing to children at five schools for the deaf in Haiti. Gil Hanke, a speech-language pathologist from Nacogdoches, led a team in June of three audiologists and a deaf educator that tested 360 children and a few adults, and fitted 107 children with hearing aids donated by people from across the United States. Denver's United Methodist-related Iliff School of Theology's FaithTrek youth program kicked off its first yearlong program with 20 high school youth from many different faith traditions July 9. Funded by a $1.2 million Lilly Endowment Inc. grant, the program will offer youth opportunities for theological and personal reflection with a variety of experiences, with the goal of helping them in their vocational direction. Details are available at www.faithtrek.org or by calling Anne Walker at 303-765-3175. Two United Methodists are among a dozen Christian leaders calling on President George W. Bush to ask Congress to restore child tax credit provisions that were dropped from the tax bill he signed in May. The leaders, who wrote to Bush in June, represent denominations affiliated with the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. They include the Rev. Robert Edgar, the NCC's top staff executive and a United Methodist, and Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops. Participants in a consultation on the Korean crisis have called for immediate negotiations to find a peaceful solution. Religious leaders from South Korea and the United States joined with humanitarian workers in mid-June at Washington, D.C. to seek immediate international conversation focusing on a nonviolent resolution of the crisis with North Korea - a crisis fueled both by that country's pursuit of nuclear weapons and by the need of its people for humanitarian aid. "A clear statement from the White House that North Korea will not be attacked will establish a political climate for progress in negotiations," the consultation group said. The 80 participants included many United Methodists. The event was hosted by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and Church World Service. A United Methodist pastor and prominent biblical scholar defends the authenticity of an inscribed, first-century ossuary believed to provide the oldest archaeological evidence of Jesus Christ, after claims by Israel's Antiquities Authority that the box is a fake. "What you have here is a case of dueling scholars," said the Rev. Ben Witherington III, New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., and a United Methodist pastor. Officials with Israel's Antiquities Authority announced in June that the Aramaic inscription reading "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" on the ossuary is a forgery. Witherington cited several points that the IAA failed to address in its report, and he noted that the report could not have taken into account new tests recently performed by scholars in Toronto. The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Campus Ministry Section will sponsor a Web cast fund-raising training for people involved in ministry to college or university students July 22. "Ask and You Shall Receive: Fundraising in Campus Ministry" will equip people involved in campus ministry with skills needed to effectively plan and implement fund-raising programs. Fund-raising trainer and author Kim Klein will lead the session. Registration cost is $75. Deadline for registration and payment is July 19. Payments can be sent to: Fund-raising Webcast, Campus Ministry Section, 1001 19th Avenue South, P.O. Box 340007, Nashville, Tenn. 37203-0007. For details, contact Lillian Smith, lsmith@gbhem.org or 615-340-7561. The United Methodist Church in the Philippines is providing relief to families who have fled their ancestral homelands due to intensified military activity in Oriental Mindoro Province. For more than 17 months, uprooted people have lived in makeshift shelters on property of the Union Theological Seminary in Dasmarinas. The United Methodist Committee on Relief reports that the people need food, seeds, tools, medicine and improved shelter. Checks can be designated for Philippines Emergency Advance #240235-3 and left in church offering plates or sent to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit-card donations can be made by calling 800-554-8583. A historical moment marked the Western North Carolina Annual Conference meeting, when indigenous people led a service honoring Native Americans on land once owned by Cherokee Indians. Lake Junaluska is named after Cherokee Chief Junaluska, who led a group of 500 of his Cherokee scouts to help Gen. Andrew Jackson win the Battle of Horse Shoe Bend against the Upper Creek Indians in 1814. Setting the tone for the historical service on June 6, Bishop Charlene Kammerer issued a statement of reconciliation. |
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