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 and submissions, please direct to e-HUM editor  at ehumeditor@inareaumc.org. 

Highlights from the September issue of Together

United Methodists begin response to Hurricane Katrina

United Methodist churches around the Gulf Coast are responding to the needs within their communities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, after the Category 4 storm made landfall in Louisiana Aug. 29.

United Methodist churches in and around the New Orleans area were shut down over the Aug. 27-28 weekend as residents of the city participated in an unprecedented mandatory evacuation.

The hurricane struck Florida's southeastern coast Aug. 25 as a Category 1 storm. United Methodists in the state were assessing the damages and addressing the needs of churches and people in the cities affected.

"We need volunteer teams. We need money to carry out relief and to rebuild areas. And we need prayers," said Marilyn Swanson, director of the risk management office for the Florida Conference.

Katrina was the sixth hurricane to hit the conference in the past year. People in the area are experiencing "high anxiety and depression" and wondering when the storm damage is going to stop, Swanson said.

The Alabama-West Florida Conference prepares to send disaster response teams into Mississippi and Louisiana to address the damage expected in those states. United Methodist leaders in those conferences are staying in touch and sharing information about possible needs.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief, which provides emergency relief for many areas of the world, has systems in place for responding to Hurricane Katrina.

"UMCOR is making the necessary preparations to respond immediately to this powerful hurricane," said Tom Hazelwood, disaster response executive of the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

To learn how to make flood buckets, a project of UMCOR, visit http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/kits.cfm. 

To volunteer or to donate online to UMCOR's relief efforts, visit http://methodistrelief.org. 

Credit-card donations may be made by calling 800-554-8583.

Bishop invites laity, clergy to meet with him September 17

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Area Bishop Mike Coyner extends an invitation to both laity and clergy of Indiana to meet him in a day of "Coming 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 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. The book lists for $15.99.

Prayer Garden at Idaville church to be dedicated Sept. 11

IDAVILLE, Ind. - Eastlawn United Methodist Church will dedicate its Prayer Garden on Sept. 11. The 35-member congregation will celebrate the "Prayer Garden as a gift from God to be a blessing to all who come and pray there."

Robert Sovinski, professor of landscape architecture in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University, designed the garden. Members of Eastlawn met Sovinski, at St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette. Pat Pritchett, an Eastlawn member, encouraged Pastor Ernie Elder to ask Sovinski, if he would be interested in designing the Prayer Garden. Sovinski said, "yes."

The main point of interest is the labyrinth. Sovinski designed it to be the Eastlawn UMC labyrinth. He told Elder that there is no other design like it. It has four quadrants, and in the center is a carnelian fountain. Cut into the top of the fountain is an equilateral cross, so that when the water comes from the center of the fountain, the water flows through the arms of the cross.

By providing a prayer garden, the church is inviting people to reconnect to God. Our story began in a garden, found redemption in a garden and whose ending is in a garden.

The Prayer Garden is open to anyone or group at any time. If any group would like to be led through a time of spiritual reflection or prayer service, they may contact Pastor Ernie Elder at 765-429-5122 or Paula McCutchan at 574-583-7581.

Bioethics expert to present Burleigh Lecture at DePauw

GREENCASTLE, Ind. (DePauw) - Gilbert Meilaender, a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, and Richard and Phyllis Duesenberg, professors of Christian Ethics at Valparaiso University, will come to the DePauw University campus on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Meilaender will deliver the Burleigh Lecture at 7:30 p.m. in Watson Forum of the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media. The event is free and open to all.

Professor Meilaender, who has published eleven books and numerous articles, has taught since 1996 at Valparaiso University. Previously, he had taught at the University of Virginia and at Oberlin College.

Indiana United Methodist Historical Society now embraces state

FRANKLIN, Ind. - A single society dedicated to furthering the appreciation and study of the history of Indiana United Methodism now claims the whole of Indiana as the reach of its interests.

At its annual meeting in April at the Franklin United Methodist Community, the South Indiana Conference United Methodist Historical Society accepted the invitation of the North Indiana Conference Commission on Archives and History to expand northward, becoming the Indiana United Methodist Historical Society.

Memberships in this new statewide Indiana United Methodist Historical Society, are now being accepted. For application or more information, contact Lois Shelton, P.O. Box 357, R. R. 2, Washington, IN 47501. One-year memberships are $10 for an individual, $15 for a family, and $25 for a congregation. Life memberships are $100 for an individual, $150 for a family, and $250 for a congregation. Checks should be made payable to IUMHS/Membership.

The United Methodist Archives are housed at DePauw University in Greencastle. The new society's address is: Indiana United Methodist Historical Society, P. O. Box 331, Greencastle, IN 46135.

North Indiana Conference CFA to present reduced budget

MARION, Ind. - The North Indiana Conference Council on Finance and Administration during its June and August meetings completed the work on the 2006 Annual Conference Budget. The 2006 Budget will be presented to the Special Session of Annual Conference on Oct. 8 at Granger Community Church. The 2006 Budget amount is $9,734,168, a 11.7 percent decrease from the 2005 budget of $11,018,758. CFA believe that it will be able to fully fund this budget.

The funding of the 2006 budget will be accomplished, pending 2005 NIC Annual Conference action, by churches sending to the Annual Conference a tithe (10 percent) of monthly income and by a Special Offering amount for a portion of General Church Ministries. The estimated amount of the total tithe is $8,941,539. The anticipated receipts at 92.5 percent are $8,270,924. Total funding of the 2006 Budget is the total of the estimated receipts ($8,270,924) plus the General Church Special Offering amount ($1,463,897), bringing the total funding to $9,734,821, which is slightly higher than the 2006 Proposed Budget.

The $9,734,168 budget includes the full amount for General Church Ministries. One half of the General Church Ministry amount is included in the portion of the budget that will be funded by the Tithe. The remaining half of General Church Ministries is allotted to the churches for their Special Offerings.

Details, expected to be out during the second week of September, will be shared in the advance mailing for the North Indiana Conference Special Session.

Hoosier ecumenists provides two more written offerings

Retired North Indiana Conference pastor Donald C. Lacy of Muncie, Ind. has two more book offerings for Hoosiers to consider.

The first is a series of 16 sermons written for Sundays in Advent, Christmas and Epiphany sub-titled "Paul's Pastoral Passages of Promise."

The second is a quick read of newspaper columns just off the press and titled Fast Food for the Soul: Nourishing Inspiration in Today's Hectic World (Providence House Publishing, Franklin, Tenn.).

Lacy's sermons are part of an ecumenical series to go along with the common ecumenical lectionary. Titled Sermons On The Second Readings: Series II, Cycle B.

In Fast Food for the Soul, Lacy has compiled 99 of the more than 300 columns he has written over the past seven years for the Courier-Times of New Castle, Ind. Each entry is a page in length and can be used for daily reading or for devotionals to be read at church meetings.

Second Readings is available through Cokesbury at www.cokesbury.com  or call 800-672-1789. Fast Food for the Soul is still in the kitchen.

Indianapolis pastor offers new look at worship beyond traditional

INDIANAPOLIS - Linda McCoy, pastor of Saint Luke's United Methodist Church's Garden congregation offers an alternative approach to church designed for seekers not accustomed to traditional church in her new book Planting a Garden: Growing the Church Beyond Traditional Models by Abingdon Press.

While conventional churchgoers might challenge some of the practices outlined within the covers of this book, the reader can discover the freedom in following God's lead into becoming a new church for new generations.

Planting a Garden: Growing the Church Beyond Traditional Models is available from Cokesbury by logging on to www.cokesbury.com  or calling toll-free 800-672-1789.

University of Evansville boasts largest freshman class since 1997

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - When Kristen Nolting first heard of the United Methodist-related University of Evansville, she was a sophomore in high school and it was a huge photo of Harlaxton College at a college fair that caught her eye. Kristen who is from Clayton, Calf., had never heard of the University of Evansville until that day, nor of its British campus - Harlaxton College. The prospect of attending college in England, or Indiana for that matter, intrigued her and she asked for more information.

The entering class of 2005 is the largest since 1997 at the University of Evansville. It represents students from 29 states and 11 countries.

UE full-time undergraduate enrollment is 2,409. Total enrollment at UE now stands at 2,609. A total of 41 states and 40 countries are represented in the overall student body.

North Conference health insurance rates show lowest gain in 5 years

The North Indiana Conference Board of Pension, Health Insurance and Moving recently set the 2006 rates for health insurance premiums for active clergy and lay participants and for retired clergy. For active clergy and lay participants the2006 rates will increase by 8 percent above 2005 rates. For retired clergy participants the 2005 base rate of $466 will increase 6 percent to $494 in 2006. According to NIC Treasurer Brent Williams, "This is the lowest level of increase for Active and Retired participants in five years.

Lilly Endowment announces 8th Indiana clergy renewal program

INDIANAPOLIS (Lilly Endowment) - Next spring up to 40 more congregations will join the more than 200 that already have been selected in Lilly Endowment's Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations. Any Indiana congregation with an ordained pastor is eligible to apply for the program which allows pastors to go on sabbaticals that may take them around the world or around the state on intentional "sabbaticals" to renew their energies and their faith.

Interested persons may gain access to the brochure/application by going to the Endowment's Web site, www.lillyendowment.org,  and clicking on Religion.

An information meeting about the program for Indiana pastors, their spouses and congregational representatives will be held Oct. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. at North United Methodist Church, 3808 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. Those who would like to attend may return the invitation card that accompanies the application, print the invitation card off the Endowment's Web site, e-mail indianaclergyrenewal@yahoo.com,  or call 317-916-7350.

Community worker to assist ex-offenders re-enter society

INDIANAPOLIS - For ex-offenders, there's one thing scarier than being incarcerated as a prisoner - being released from a state prison. With no job, few friends and probably un-payable debts, one out of three ex-offenders returns to prison in Indianapolis.

Attempting to put the brakes on that return rate, the State of Indiana, through new faith-based programs, has initiated ways to help ex-offenders re-enter the mainstream of society. On the average 1,066 ex-offenders are being released from state prisons each month, according to current Indiana Department of Correction's figures.

To assist with the re-entry process, the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries commissioned in June Mary Z. Longstreth, an Indianapolis church and community ministry worker, and assigned her to work with Choices, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps ex-offenders assimilate back into society to become productive citizens. Longstreth began her new duties on July 15. She now serves as part of the Community Reintegration Initiative through Choices. GBGM partially funds Longstreth through a grant to Choices.

Brenda Connelly, executive secretary of the United Methodist Church and Community Ministry Office in New York City, was in Indianapolis this summer and introduced Longstreth to 48 social workers and community leaders participating in a vision workshop at Choices' offices.

According to Connelly, Longstreth will be tracking churches (and other faith groups) to make matches between a congregation and a particular inmate soon to be released. In this process, "churches need to be listeners. They need to change perceptions of people (about ex-offenders) and provide strength, abilities, hopes and dreams," she said.

For more information and to invite Longstreth to speak to your church or community group in the South Indiana Conference, contact her by e-mail at mlongstreth@choicesteam.org  or by phone call 317-205-8255. She is the only assigned United Methodist Church and Community Worker in the South Indiana Conference.

Richmond church travels to Four Corner on 15th mission trip

While most people think seeing is believing, members of Central United Methodist Church at Richmond, Ind., often believe before they see. That faith recently took members on the church's 15th mission trip to the Navajo nation. In a week's time, a group of 17 volunteers secured trusses on a new fellowship hall and conducted Bible school for the children in Many Farms, Ariz.

These Four-Corners projects are synonymous for United Methodist outreach that has sent teams to support Navajo churches for more than 20 years. Central has made 15 trips, and the congregation has owned this mission.

Aside from food and building, the groups also get to experience the Navajo culture and share their faith with the area children. Shafer leads in that area, too, as she corresponds with many Navajo friends she has made over the years and shares her love of the Native-American people year-round in various church settings.

This year, Bible school was conducted at night, in conjunction with a tent revival nearby. Veteran teachers Ann Cashner and Judy Redmyer led the teaching effort with as many as 40 children. While Cashner led in music, Redmyer wove each lesson with stories. Both women have participated in this mission for several years.

Financial contributions for building and Bible school supplies are crucial. While crew members pay their own travel expenses, the Central congregation always donates generously. This year they contributed approximately $5,000 to the effort.

Bishops back complete ban on nuclear weapons

WASHINGTON - As the world marked the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August, United Methodist bishops urge governments to begin immediate negotiations for a complete ban on nuclear weapons.

The denomination's bishops approved a resolution marking the anniversary of the bombings. In their resolution, the bishops noted that "many nations assume the United States' nuclear arsenals are a real threat to world peace" because of the 1945 bombings in Japan.

This resolution is consistent with the Council of Bishops long-held position opposing nuclear proliferation, Sano said. In 1986, bishops authored a document "In Defense of Creation: The Nuclear Crisis and a Just Peace" that has served as a foundation for the denomination's perspective on nuclear war.

The United Methodist Church has nearly 11 million members in the U.S., Africa, Europe, and Asia. The Council of Bishops consists of 69 active bishops and approximately 100 retired bishops around the globe.

Volunteer teams needed for Hurricane Dennis cleanup

Volunteer teams will be needed this fall in Alabama and Florida for continued cleanup after Hurricane Dennis.

The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, U.S. disaster coordinator for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, said some teams already scheduled for the continuing Hurricane Ivan repair work were diverted to cleanup duty after Dennis came ashore July 10.

But more assistance, in the form of both unskilled and skilled labor, is needed from Labor Day through the fall. "There is a great need for teams," he told United Methodist News Service. "At this point, there's still a lot of debris to clean up."

Teams and individuals wishing to volunteer in the Hurricane Dennis recovery can call UMCOR's Volunteer Hotline toll-free at 800-918-3100.

Assessment of damage from the hurricane shows a path about 10 miles wide, according to Hazelwood. In Milton, Fla., and the nearby town of Pace, homes newly rebuilt or repaired after Hurricane Ivan suffered damage from wind or falling trees. "Milton and Pace seem to have gotten the worst of it," he said.

According to information received by the Rev. Larry Rankin, staff with the United Methodist Florida Conference, the hurricane destroyed eight Methodist church buildings in the southeastern part of Cuba as well as house churches there. About 42 people sought emergency shelter in the sanctuary of the Methodist church in Niquero, the only Methodist church in that area not severely damaged.

Contributions to United Methodist recovery efforts can be designated to "Hurricanes 2005 Global," Advance No. 982523. Checks to UMCOR can be placed in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. To make a credit-card donation, call 800-554-8583 or contribute online at www.methodistrelief.org.

McFadden hits the top eighty on the national charts

In the past 15 years, Darla McFadden of Greencastle, Ind., has pursued her calling to music ministry across the United States. She has recorded eight CDs, but her latest, "The God I know" is her best project to date, according to her critiques.

Produced by Grammy award winner Wayne Haun, "The God I Know" contains lyrics that have put McFadden on the map in Gospel music. She is on the top 80 national music charts and is receiving exceptional radio airplay. Most recently, she was nominated for Gospel music's highest honor - the Dove Award.

McFadden enjoys traveling and sharing God's word through song. She feels her calling is not to change lives, but to bring congregations into God's presence and allow God's spirit to change lives. She performs approximately 125 concerts per year, traveling in 18 states.

McFadden is the daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Alvin McFadden, pastor of the New Harmony Johnson United Methodist charge.

For more information, log on to www.darlamcfadden.com, e-mail her at n2music@netusa1.net  or call 812-477-1590 or 812-682-5601.

Ohio theological school reverses nationwide trend in students

DELAWARE, Ohio - In a distinct departure from other U.S. seminaries, Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) started the 2005-06 Academic Year Aug. 29 with the highest number of students under the age of 30 the school has seen in a decade. For this academic year, the school has 72 new students and 184 returning students.

Almost 30 percent of MTSO's entering class is under the age of 30, with 22 percent under the age of 25. The average GPA of new students is 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, and 17 of these students have already earned at least one advanced degree. There are three doctors in this year's class - chiropractic, optometry and psychology.

For more information about MTSO, visit the school's Web site at www.mtso.edu.

"e-HUM" copyright 2005 by Indiana Area United Methodist Communications.
To subscribe to "e-HUM", send a blank e-mail to add@inareaumc.org. 
To unsubscribe from "e-HUM", send a blank e-mail to remove@inareaumc.org.

TOP OF PAGE