April 10, 2008

“Our Life Together”

The clergy of the Indiana Area will gather this coming Monday and Tuesday at St. Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis for a two-day retreat we are calling “Our Life Together.” As of yesterday we have 509 clergy registered, with more registering every day, so we will have quite a crowd. In fact it is large enough that we will have to eat in two shifts!

What will we clergy be doing for those two days? We will have several times of worship, keynote presentations by Dr. Greg Jones who is Dean of Duke Divinity School, workshops by “home-grown” Indiana leaders, 50 small groups for what we are calling “Six Degrees of Connection,” food, fellowship, fun, and lots of time to get to know one another. The planning team for this event has included the Chairs of the Clergy Orders (Elders, Deacons, and Local Pastors) in each conference, along with additional, younger clergy members of the team who are helping to stretch our experiences.

“Our Life Together” is a name which began being used in Indiana in the 1980’s and it is taken from Bonhoeffer’s book “Life Together” which deals with Christian community. We have had separate “Our Life Together” events in the two conferences since my return as Bishop here in Indiana, and now we are having our first-ever joint effort for the clergy of both conferences.

I have a request of the laity of our United Methodist churches: Please pray for all of the clergy as we gather for this special time of focus upon “Our Life Together.” Pray that there may be a spirit of openness, cooperation, and encouragement for our clergy. Being a clergy today is a difficult job, so please pray that these two days together may result in increased devotion, motivation, and inspiration for our ministry together. Thank you.

from Bishop Michael J. Coyner
Indiana Area of The United Methodist Church

"Making a Difference ... in Indiana
and around the world"

TOP OF PAGE