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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
February 2002 |
Williams appointed interim Warsaw District superintendent
The Rev. Jacob C. Williams, Jr. has been appointed the interim district superintendent for the Warsaw District.
Williams, appointed by Indiana Area Bishop Woodie W. White, started work on January 16 and will serve until annual conference. He has served as pastor of Fort Wayne Good Shepherd UMC since February 2001.
Williams is looking forward to meeting all the pastors and finding out what the various churches' needs are before appointment season begins. "It feels good to help out at this point," says Williams.
Williams started his ministry in 1979 as an associate pastor at South Bend Broadway UMC, and then went to St. Mark UMC in Chicago. After transferring from the Northern Ill. Conference, he served at Gary Fifth Avenue UMC from 1983 to 1988, Gary Delaney UMC from 1988 to 1992, and West Lafayette St. Andrew UMC from 1992 to 1995 until serving as Marion District superintendent.
Williams is a graduate of United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He earned his M.Div in 1982, and his doctorate in 1995. He has three children - Jacob III, Joseph David and Jonathan. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and watching sporting events.
Williams replaces the Rev. Ted Blosser, who served as district superintendent since 2000, until he was appointed to Zionsville UMC in Indianapolis West District of the SIC.
The Warsaw District includes 67 churches and has 9,807 members. It covers parts of Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall, Noble, Pulaski and Whitley counties in northeast and north central Ind. Matthew Oates
SIC Foundation grant planner named
The Rev. Marie Lang, executive director of the South Indiana Foundation, announced recently that Darcy Weaver has joined the staff as director of Gift Planning.
Weaver will be available to advise local congregations on the development of Enduring Gifts and Endowment programs. She will also assist individuals, couples and families who wish to make financial gifts to support the future ministries of local churches, the SIC and foundation.
Weaver, a graduate of the Indiana University School of Law, also holds a B.A. from the University of Alabama. She is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Indianapolis, the National Society of Fund Raising Executives and the Planned Giving Group of Indiana.
She has previously held positions as director of Foundation and Corporate Services for the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance and was assistant director of Planned Giving Services for the Indiana University Foundation at Indianapolis.
"The staff and board of the Foundation are pleased to have Darcy join us. Her experience and knowledge of planned giving opportunities will greatly enhance the work of the foundation," said Lang.
Gambling: the 800 lb. gorilla
On Jan. 14, the Indiana Coalition Against Legalized Gambling (ICALG) held its first press conference of 2002 at the Ind. State House.
With the legislative session in full swing, the Rev. John Wolf, Indiana coordinator of ICALG and retired NIC pastor, stated, "For the 2002 Legislature to consider fastening the budget on slots and craps and blackjack to cure the recession would be immoral and unjust. Our Indiana coalition believes that gambling creates no wealth, but rather, sucks money out of the economy and is therefore part of the problem. Simply put, 'states cannot gamble themselves rich.'"
Also addressing the press was the Rev. Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. He explained that if measures aren't taken to curb gambling in Indiana, the state will be left with an 800-pound gorilla which will eat paychecks and dollars. Holding a child's stuffed gorilla in his hand, Grey made it clear that Indiana is now is dealing with a small gorilla.
John Wolf announced that Bishop Woodie W. White would participate in a Bishop's Rally Against Legalized Gambling on March 5 at the State House. A time has yet to be determined. Church leaders of Indiana are expected to participate. Matthew Carlisle
A first for NIC young adults
Young adults from the NIC participated in the first Annual Winter Retreat held at Swan Lake Resort near Plymouth from Dec. 28 through 29. Hosted by the NIC Council of Young Adult Ministries, the event attracted 18 young adults from throughout the conference.
The featured speaker, David Dean, was in step with the theme of the retreat, Laughing and Learning Together. Dean, a nationally known Christian comedian, encouraged the young adults to focus on keeping humor in their life, while strengthening and sharing their faith.
The Rev. Heather Hoffman from Bristol, led the music for the times of worship and praise. The young adults spent their free time getting to know each other, playing card games and soaking in the hot tubs. Plans for next year's retreat are already being discussed. To learn more about young adult ministry in the NIC, please call 877/YG-ADULT or ccyam-nic@christianmailservice.com .
SIC Stewardship Survey rolling
What does the local church need in order to do stewardship programming better? That question is the focus of the SIC's current Stewardship Survey. The survey is the work of the Stewardship Task Force (STF) that was started seven years ago. A joint effort between the Council on Finance and Administration and the Council on Ministries, the group's primary purpose is to find out what types of programs would be most helpful to the local church to increase stewardship.
The Stewardship Survey was started in the fall of 2001 as another avenue to promote stewardship in the SIC. Thus far, response to the survey has been minimal, but STF is hoping for a greater number of individuals to complete the survey in the coming months. The responses generated will help guide stewardship programming for the SIC.
If you have not yet completed the survey, you can do so by visiting www.sicumc.org . To discuss questions pertaining to the survey or STF, please contact Jane Voelkel at 317/251-6187 or saviourumc@aol.com .
Grant provides opportunities for young adults to explore a life of service
A $1.5-million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will help provide enhanced opportunities for University of Indianapolis students to explore vocational career possibilities in the ministry, as well as examine other ways of living with integrity, commitment and service. The gift is one of 29 given this fall to colleges and universities across the country to create or enhance programs for young people to draw upon the resources and religious heritage of their institutions.
The U of I program, called "The Crossings Project," will enable the university to build upon its century-old tradition of "Education of Service" while providing young adults with expanded ecumenical and interfaith initiatives through curricular and co-curricular programs.
"Building upon our Christian vocations curriculum, this project will help the university provide its students with a number of initiatives including enhanced opportunities for pre-theology majors, providing nursing students and parish nurses with more mentoring opportunities in their educational pursuits, and creating a new youth ministry training program," said Michael Cartwright, U of I associate professor in philosophy and religion and the project's executive director.
Church stats available at sicumc.org
A growing trend among annual conference Web sites throughout the connection is the opportunity to scour countless statistical records. The SIC recently made this service available to Web surfers.
The following church statistics are available:
- key statistical history of a single local church;
- history of a single local church for one specific reporting item;
- financial history of a single local church;
- financial history of a single local church for one specific reporting item.
Eventually, district and conference statistics will be available. Currently, statistics are available through 1979. To search the database, visit www.sicumc.org . For those without Web access, the same information is available in the Annual Conference Journal.
PR rep. named at Children's Home
Gary J. Davis, executive director of the Ind. UM Children's Home, has announced the appointment of Susan D. Bennett, to the position of public relations representative.
Bennett was employed many years with Church Extension of Disciples of Christ, headquartered in Indianapolis. She served there as assistant director of public relations and was later named director of marketing communications. She has also worked for the March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation and Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement.
Bennett holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Ball State University in communications and public relations.
As public relations representative, Bennett will be responsible for interpreting the mission and promoting the services offered by the Children's Home.
Last updated on 01/14/2004