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Highlights from the July/ August issue of TogetherIndiana congregations adding silver screen to sanctuariesBROWNSBURG, Ind. - To keep attuned in a visual culture, Calvary United Methodist Church, like a growing number of Indiana congregations, uses big screen projected images in its sanctuary to embellish worship in an attempt to appeal to a new generation of worshippers and to those unfamiliar with Christian worship. The growing 650-member congregation decided to add visuals to worship four years ago with an added contemporary service. Leaders modeled its "seeker friendly" service after observing other congregations who appealed to people not used to traditional Christian worship. According to Mark Herris, Calvary's music director, audio visuals were expanded to all three services a couple of years ago. "The worship committee made the decision to start projecting the words of the hymns during traditional worship," said Herris, who takes care of the technology for visuals. Calvary offers both traditional and contemporary worship services. Current Senior Pastor Todd Outcalt told Together, "We live in a time and culture that is visually overloaded." He said visuals can enhance worship but cannot be the totality of worship. Visuals can complement music. Projected words help people sing better than singing from hymn books because there is a greater feeling of participation." When it comes to worshipping with a theme, Outcalt said, "There is so much we can do with thematic images. Visuals compliment the liturgical seasons of the year." When he uses PowerPoint, Outcalt said it takes him from two to three hours to prepare the technical part of presentation. During the sermon, he uses an assistant to change images. When producing videos for services, Arron Helman, director of youth ministries, said he spends one hour of editing for each minute of a finished video. In essence, a six minute video takes about six hours of editing. But he said it's worth it. Helman estimates that a congregation can fully equip itself to be involved in audio visuals in the sanctuary for around $5,000 which includes one digital video projector (about $2,500) plus a screen, laptop computer, software and wiring. Lafayette congregation uses Dallas firm for worship imagesLAFAYETTE, Ind. - The New Road congregation, an alternative worship experience at Trinity United Methodist Church in Lafayette, uses a Dallas worship images ministry to keep abreast of its weekly digest of imagery. Former Associate Pastor Kimberly Reisman says, "In addition to the traditional worship service in the sanctuary, Trinity offers New Road, an 'unconventional, modern' approach to worship on Sunday mornings. Because Trinity has a limited budget, they aren't able to hire staff to do computer graphic oriented work. While they have many volunteers whose help is integral to the worship service, they don't currently have anyone with any computer graphics background or with the ability to create the kind of material that Lumicon offers." Trinity uses Lumicon Digital Productions within UMR Communications based in Dallas, Texas. Lumicon provides weekly video support for churches using visuals in worship. According to the Web site at www.lumicon.org each weekly package cost $29.95. This digital service is downloadable. Reisman, recently appointed North Indiana Conference Evangelist, said, "the Lumicon subscription has been a life-saver for me. Lumicon not only provides graphics, but also movie clip suggestions, original video clips to support particular themes, music suggestions and even some references to standard commentaries to help in developing the theme. Their Web site is easy to use and offers lectionary links as well." More information is available at www.lumicon.org. Discover new technologies at upcoming workshopDiscover the emerging uses of electronic technology in the worshipping church. The North Indiana Conference offers a workshop on "Worship Technology in the Church" for both clergy and laity. The two-day event will be held Friday, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to Saturday, Sept. 10, 11:30 a.m. This is an introductory workshop designed for pastors and laity who have not experienced computer based communication in the church and sanctuary. Learn about Internet services, domain names, setting up e-mail lists, maintaining Web sites, church management software, multi-media, PowerPoint presentations, videography and writing content for electronic media. The cost is $50 for each registrant (NIC clergy and laity) and will include meals at St. Joseph Conference Center in Tipton, Ind. A single room will cost $15. To register or for more information call Diane Kelley at l-800-783-5138 ext 13 or e-mail diane@nicumc.org. Whatever it is, the 'emerging church' is turning headsAsk anyone to define the "emerging church," and they'll likely hesitate. A grassroots initiative that is not associated with any particular church denomination, the emerging church is a concept that's hard to define and full of paradox. For example, it is rooted in evangelism but - in a rare crossing of today's cultural divide - is steeped in social justice values often associated with liberal theology. It welcomes innovation in worship but also holds to traditional Christian beliefs. To a growing number of young Christians, this ambiguity is the allure to what some call a movement but others call a "conversation." Either way, the emerging church has set out to transform churchgoing from the inside out by questioning some of its most basic traditions. Leaders say the emerging church - so named because it is still emerging and evolving - is the beginning of a transition to a new era of churchgoing. They say churches have not kept up with the evolution of art and culture from a modern era of empirical analysis to a postmodern era of questioning and searching. The reason? They blame, in part, the church's reluctance to question the sacred. The emerging church, they say, welcomes questions. It seeks to make church more relevant in today's culture and ultimately help Christians live and worship authentically. An "emerging church" conference in May drew 650 religious leaders, pastors and Christians to Nashville for four days of discussion and worship. The emerging church is gaining ground because Christians have a deep desire for a stripped-down, more authentic time of worship, says Brian McLaren, leader of the loose network known as the Emergent Village. Whatever the emerging church is, it's grabbing attention. In only a few years, the dialogue has spread across the Web, spawned a variety of books and resources and pushed denominations to rethink traditions and curricula. Bishop invites laity, clergy to meet with him September 17INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Area Bishop Mike Coyner extends an invitation to both laity and clergy of Indiana to meet him in a day of "Connecting Together" at Saint Luke's United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St. (one block west of Meridian St.) in Indianapolis on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day long event features Brian McLaren, author and pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church of Spencerville, Md., 28 miles north of Washington, D.C. The cost of the event is $25 per participant and includes lunch. To register, each participant is asked to send his or her name, name of church, phone number, e-mail address, home mailing address, city, ZIP and whether he or she lives in the North or South Indiana Conference. Make check payable to North Indiana Conference and mail to North Indiana Conference UMC, PO Box 869, Marion, IN 46952. Registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 12. Bishop Coyner invites participants to read McLaren's book A Generous Orthodoxy (Zondervan 2004) available from Cokesbury online a www.cokesbury.com or by calling toll-free 1-800-672-1789. Lilly grants renewal funds to nine Indiana UM churchesINDIANAPOLIS - Their congregations call them passionate, amazing, dedicated, energetic, prayerful, sensitive, committed and exceptional. They are the pastors of the 36 Indiana churches, including nine United Methodist congregations, selected to receive grants in the 2005 Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations funded by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment. This year's recipients represent 24 Indiana cities and towns in 21 Indiana counties. United Methodist congregations receiving clergy renewal grants with amount received and name of pastor include:
UINDY professor's book probes meaning of workWhere does God's grace meet the daily grind? That's the question tackled by Indianapolis-based clergyman, educator and author Gregory S. Clapper in his new book, Living Your Heart's Desire: God's Call and Your Vocation. The book, his third for publisher Upper Room Books, blends ancient wisdom with pop culture to help people of all ages reconcile their faith and their work in meaningful ways. An ordained United Methodist minister, Clapper is a professor of religion and philosophy at the United Methodist-related University of Indianapolis. The new book, published as a 128-page paperback, explores traditional Christian teaching on the concepts of personal freedom, vocation and God's calling, to help readers cut through the alienation and cynicism that can arise in today's working world. Throughout the narrative, Clapper draws examples from contemporary films and other familiar elements of popular culture. UINDY welcomes first students from Israel campusINDIANAPOLIS - After two years of planning, the University of Indianapolis is poised to welcome the first group of students from its Mar Elias Campus in Israel, most of them traveling abroad for the very first time. About 50 Christian and Muslim Arab students, accompanied by five faculty members and their families, have traveled from the Upper Galilee region of Israel to the university's second summer session. Classes began July 5. This will be the first group of Mar Elias students to study in Indianapolis since the university began offering three degree programs in their tiny village of Ibillin in 2003. Ibillin is near Haifa, not far from the Lebanese border. (See February 2005 issue.) The Arab students will have a full schedule of coursework, field trips, guest speakers and special activities during their seven-week stay. The students will be living in a residence hall and taking classes each Monday through Thursday. They'll have guest speakers and excursions around Indianapolis on Fridays, and spend a weekend in Chicago hosted by Pilgrims of Ibillin. While in Indianapolis, the students will see museums, attend sporting events, go shopping and even visit the Indiana State Fair. For more information, log on to these related Web links: International Division: http://international.uindy.edu/overview.php. United Methodist Men gathering at Purdue July 15-17WEST LAFAYETTE - The 9th United Methodist Men's Gathering sponsored by the General Commission of United Methodist Men is coming July 15-17 to Purdue University. Many people from the North Indiana Conference's United Methodist Men are involved with this event and working on last minute details. The gathering, held every four years, is a chance for men to meet from all around the world. In addition to speakers and workshops, the attendees will have a couple of mission activities that the North Conference's UMM support year-round: gleaning and helping to feed the less fortunate. David McCleary, NIC hunger relief advocate for the Society of St. Andrew and vice president of the Warsaw District's UMM, has been planning and working with Lafayette area farmers and food banks to coordinate the gleaning, potato drop and gathering of canned food items at the ministry fair in the Armory. "Every registered person is encouraged to bring five cans of veggies, fruits or soups," says McCleary. In addition to the food projects, Gary Hostetler, president of the Kokomo District UMM, is responsible for setting up the ministry fair. But overall, the upcoming event is more than just walking through booths, moving a few potatoes and listening to speakers. "This event is important because it only occurs every four years and brings together Christian United Methodist men for fun, fellowship, personal growth in our spiritual life and renewed faith in God," says McCleary. To register or for more information, please visit the General Commission of United Methodist Men's Web site at www.gcumm.org. Christian Churches Together postpones launch until fallThe launch of a new ecumenical group, Christian Churches Together, has been postponed. The decision was made during the June 1-3 meeting of 67 Christian leaders at the Jesuit Conference Center in Palo Alto, Calif., which was to be the inauguration of the group. An inaugural worship service had been planned at Washington Cathedral in September. So far, 31 churches and national Christian organizations have formally decided to join Christian Churches Together and 20 additional church leaders from denominations considering membership attended the meeting as observers. Participants include mainline Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics, Pentecostals and evangelicals. According to a statement from the meeting, "the decision was made to delay a formal launch this fall in order to continue the productive and positive conversation with churches and organizations actively considering joining." The Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, said the decision to delay was reached after participants addressed the fact that no African-American churches "are presently represented at the table as participants" and questioned whether the new entity could be inaugurated without their presence. Disciple Bible study gets makeover, adds two 8-week classesNASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - In the past 20 years, more than a million people have graduated from a "Disciple" Bible study class. A million is not enough for the editors at the United Methodist Publishing House. They know from listening to their customers that more would have access to the Bible study if a few changes were made. Among the changes, new eight-week sessions will be offered, and new videos are being produced for "Disciple I." Training seminars for facilitators are being shortened and will become optional for churches offering the Bible study. Ordering procedures are being simplified, and copies will be available in Cokesbury retail stores. For more information about "Disciple," call 800-672-1789, go online to www.cokesbury.com or visit a Cokesbury store. Information for this story came from Around the House, a monthly staff newsletter of The United Methodist Publishing House. Tsunami relief work continues on Sri Lanka beachesNEW YORK (UMNS) - Before they could fish again, they had to clear the beach. That's what the leaders of 28 fishing societies in Sri Lanka told representatives of the United Methodist Committee on Relief and the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka when asked about their needs following the Dec. 26 tsunami. The disaster devastated part of the country's coastline and killed 40,000 Sri Lankans. For David Sadoo, the fishermen's joint effort to regain their livelihood was a prime example of the resilience of the Sri Lankan people. Sadoo is an UMCOR staff member who lived temporarily in Sri Lanka from early February to the end of April to help coordinate the tsunami response. Assisting the fishing societies is just one aspect of UMCOR's focus in Sri Lanka. In April, the agency's directors voted to allocate $8 million for a future housing and community services project in five districts and granted an additional $500,000 to the Methodist Church for its emergency and rehabilitation work in the eastern region of the country. Overall, UMCOR has received $32.4 million for its work in countries affected by the tsunami. Africa University conducts 11th graduationMUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) - Tears flowed freely on the Africa University campus as an over-capacity crowd witnessed the university's 11th graduation ceremony. The hundreds of people who turned out for the recent ceremony filled every inch of the open-air venue. They came to celebrate the achievements of the largest graduating class in the institution's history. The years of sacrifice, hope and hard work have paid off for Pipa Ferraz de Liberdade Nazare and she could hardly believe it. "I'm almost without words to describe how I feel," she said. "Leaving this place is a big achievement in my life." Nazare came from Angola in 1999 to study at Africa University. She didn't see her family or return home during the five years it took to learn English and then complete her bachelor of divinity degree. Nazare was among the 391 young people in the graduating class of 2005. There are students from 14 African countries represented. Brightwood puts parables to music, play this summerTapping toes and swinging arms, kept pace with music as inner-city Indianapolis youth learned about the parables of Jesus. Sisterhood Christian Drama Ministry, a non-denominational family ministry of four biological sisters, and Brightwood United Methodist Community Center Summer Youth Camp, on the city's near northside, teamed together and sponsored a youth camp for children ages 12-18 years, enabling them to express themselves creatively through acting and singing. Nearby Brookside United Methodist Church hosted the June 22-24 camp. During the day, youth performed skits based on stories from Scripture. Nora Pritchett, one of the leaders in charge of the camp drama "helps promote teamwork and community, and helps build self-esteem. It gives the kids a chance to be creative, have fun and build self-confidence." Monson Chapel breaks groundROANOKE, Ind. - Monson Chapel United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne District broke ground for a new worship facility on May 22. The new facility will be located at the corner of Lower Huntington Road and Zubrick Road in Southwest Allen County. Lafayette Township is experiencing tremendous growth, with the development of two new housing sub-divisions and plans for many more. Pastor Terry McDonald said, "All of this new growth has made the congregation aware that in order to reach out for Jesus and have enough room to provide for activities and programs, we need to build." |
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