Mission News of South Indiana Conference

e-HUM Announcement

October 25, 2006

Mission News of South Indiana Conference

Edited by Elsie Miller,
South Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church

Baker Chapel UMC Rebuild Project on Schedule Thanks to Volunteers

Thanks to the many volunteers from the Evansville district area and teams that have volunteered through the Conference Center since the 9/11 Weekend last month, the Baker Chapel UMC rebuild project in DeGonia Springs is still on schedule. Work scheduled in the coming weeks include: installation of windows and exterior siding, masonry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall and service installation.

Volunteers and donations are needed. If you would like to check if a specific work day or week is available for your mission team, please contact Elsie Miller at South Indiana Conference Center, 800-919-8160, ext. 221 or emiller@sicumc.org. Updates and volunteer registration forms may be found at the Indiana Area UMC Web site at www.inareaumc.org, and at the Baker Chapel UMC Web site at www.bakerchapel.org. Volunteers are being scheduled into April, 2007.

If you would like to help fund this project, please send your gifts to South Indiana Conference, PO Box 2267, Bloomington, IN 47402-2267, note on the memo line – Baker Chapel Rebuilding Fund. One-hundred percent of your donation will be used for the Baker Chapel United Methodist Church and are tax deductible.

The United Methodist Youth Home in Evansville, Indiana Honored by the Indiana Youth Institute

The United Methodist Youth Home in Evansville, Ind. was recently honored by the Indiana Youth Institute (www.iyi.org) for their work with teenage girls who are referred for services by the local juvenile court system. In addition to the $5,000 award, recipients will be recognized in a half-time ceremony at the December 6 Indiana Pacers basketball game – Congratulations!

The United Methodist Youth Home teaches basic life skills such as goal setting, problem solving, self-discipline, critical thinking. The home also provides transportation to and from school and helps the residents find part-time jobs. The Youth Home is celebrating the opening of its fourth group home, Transitions – a home that prepares young women with the skills and confidence to achieve independent living. To help support the United Methodist Youth Home, a South Indiana Conference Advance Special, please visit the Youth Home’s website at www.umyh.com or call 1-812-479-7535.

Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home in Lebanon Serves Youth and Their Families

Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home has been serving youth and their families for nearly a century. Founded as an orphanage in 1915, the Home presently serves more than 165 boys and girls from across Indiana each year.

This residential treatment facility provides services to boys and girls with educational, emotional and behavioral difficulties. For more information about the Children’s Home in Lebanon, another South Indiana Conference Advance Special, please visit their website at www.iumch.org or call 1-765-482-5900.

United Methodist Student Day Special Offering Sunday scheduled for Nov. 26

South Indiana Conference Board of Higher Education & Campus Ministry awarded three Conference Merit Scholarships in 2006. These awards are funded by 10 percent of each annual conference’s total response to the Student Day Offering for the previous year. Please consider taking up a special offering for United Methodist students on Sunday, Nov. 26. For resource material, please call toll-free 1-888-346-3862 or visit www.UMCGiving.org. For information regarding United Methodist scholarship and loan programs, please visit the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry website at www.gbhem.org.

“Give Ye Them To Eat” Cookbook Available

“Give Ye Them To Eat” is an integrated development program for the rural sector of South-Central Mexico. A big project underway now is for GYTTE to expand to northern Mexico with the “More Than a Bandage” training program for village women. Over an 18 month period, the women receive health and nutrition information plus all teaching materials that they then take back and share in their own villages. All women attend on scholarships. To help fund this program, volunteers from the States have compiled many of the wonderful recipes that have made eating at the Tree of Life Training Center memorable. The cost of the cookbook is $20 plus shipping. All proceeds will be donated to the GYTTE program. To place an order, email gytte.cookbook@yahoo.com. For more information about GYTTE or the Tree of Life Training Center, please visit the GYTTE website at www.gytte.org or contact Grant and Jean Hartman (Evansville District Secretary of Global Ministries) at hartmangrant@sbcglobal.net.

Former Missionaries to Papua New Guinea continues Ministry through International Shop

Mike and Teresa Rynkiewich opened Tess’ International Handicraft Shop located in Wilmore, Kentucky after serving as missionaries to Papua New Guinea from 1997-2002. One of their mission goals is to provide a market for church and mission projects around the world in order to build economic stability and to assist the livelihood of Christian brothers and sisters. Many church and mission organizations have no outlet for such products. Some of the mission partners represented are Costa Rica, Ghana, Paraguay, Kenya, Singapore, Korea, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, India, Guatemala, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, Peru, Bangladesh, Haiti, China, West Papua, Thailand, U.S.A., Palestine, Mexico, and South Africa. To learn more about this ministry, log on to http://home.windstream.net/tessinternational/. The shop is located at 311 E. Main St in Wilmore, KY 40390 or phone 859-858-0802.

Support Needed for the Kamina Children’s Home

Sponsors are needed to help support children in the Kamina Children’s Home located in the North Katanga Conference of The United Methodist Church (Democratic Republic of Congo). The total cost to care for one child in the orphanage for one year is $500. This will cover food, clothing, hygiene items, school fees and supplies, and medical care for each child in addition to funds to support a living wage for all staff. Other items on their wish list include sewing machines & materials, plates & utensils, school supplies, crafts, games, soccer balls, first aid kits, and blankets. If you would like more information about this ministry or how to make a donation, please contact Taylor Walters, Director of Community Development for the North Katanga Conference, at www.taylorinafrica.org or call 317-837-9649.

Operation Classroom 2007 - 2008 Tentative Schedules Released

January 4-16 to Liberia/Ganta, Don and Marilyn Griffith team leaders
January 16-26 to Sierra Leone/Kissy/Jaiama, Don and Marilyn Griffith team leaders
June 14 – July 7 to undecided, Kay Hess team leader
January, 2008 to Liberia/Sierra Leone, Bishop Mike Coyner team leader

Please contact Rev. Joe Wagner at 765-324-2556 or wagner@operationclassroom.org for more information.

Mission Work Trip Information Requested

Please let the South Indiana Conference Center know if you are planning a mission work trip and if there would be space available for others to join your team. In addition to letting the South Indiana Conference Center know of the exciting mission work that is going on in South Indiana, the North Central Jurisdiction Office would like to list future teams on their Web site at www.gbgm-umc.org/northcentralvim/about_us.html (click on teams).

Please remember to submit (at charge conference or directly to the South Indiana Conference Center) a mission report form each time a mission activity is completed. At the end of the year, this information is compiled and sent on to the Jurisdictional Office who sends the information to the General Board of Global Ministries. This information then becomes a measure of the scope of mission volunteering in The United Methodist Church. Please contact Elsie Miller if you need a form by e-mailing her at emiller@sicumc.org or by calling 1-800-919-8160 ext. 221.

Bishop Mike Coyner invites all of us to join him in setting aside time to be directly involved in the mission work of our church – “Mondays for Mission.” If you need assistance in starting a mission program for your church, please contact the South Indiana Conference Center at 1-800-919-8160.

Contact Elsie Miller, Administrative Assistant, UM South Indiana Conference, 1520 S. Liberty Dr., Bloomington, IN 47403-5167, 812-336-0186, ext. 221, Fax: 812-336-0216, toll-free 800-919-8160, emiller@sicumc.org.

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