Site
Contents
 |
General Information about the Area Office
North Indiana Conference Office
South Indiana Conference Office
Prayer Guides
(Courtesy of the NIC Prayer Team)
Area United Methodist
Foundation
For resources to assist your congregation in welcoming guests,
click here
Seashore District Volunteer Center VIM project -- Completed
Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
CME Bishop proclaims to Hoosier United Methodists: God speaks
God has spoken to us by His Son. God speaks, proclaimed Bishop Marshall Gilmore, senior bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church of Dallas. Gilmore preached during the Friday morning services which honored retirees and introduced those newly ordained.
"God's speaking might be the most important part of the book of Hebrews," said Gilmore. "Had God remained silent, the plight of humankind would have been disastrous. Hebrews' declaration was -- God spoke."
Gilmore continued by saying, God spoke to the prophets, but there message was sporadic. In the New Testament, God spoke and has spoken, spoken to us, spoken to the prophets by His Son.
In Jesus we have divine enfleshment, said Gilmore. "God has spoken to us by His Son -- no break down in communication. John talks about Christ being God's Word. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
"Hebrews says Jesus was tempted but without sin," said Gilmore. Then he asked, "Are you going on to perfection in love?" He continued, "We are on a journey and God wants in us the mind that was in Christ Jesus. Adam was tempted and sinned -- not so with Christ."
God's word in Christ had character. Jesus came in his Father's name. Jesus said, "I am the way; I am the truth; I am the life. I am contemporary, present, not the past. I am the intercessor."
Secondly, said Gilmore, God's message in Jesus is constant. "Christ was the goal of prophecy," he said. "All (prophecy) ends in Christ. By the Son, God spoke into history.
"In Christ old things pass away." He asked: "But do we live by new things? Or continue in the old things? Jesus, God's Son is the scandal of particularity. Christ broke the rules on the way down from heaven; God's Son was the one who let the riffraff into heaven.
"Why? Because the Bible tells us that God proves his love for us, Christ died for us. God is love. What Christ revealed was love. Christ, out of love, endured the cross as he looked beyond Calvary. We love because God first loved us, died for us."
Then in rhymed tones, Gilmore chanted lively: "Christ took his cross, made his way up Golgotha's rugged brow. 'They put a crown on my head and pierced my side. But I dare you to lift me up.' He died until the sun refused to shine. He died until the mountains begin to shake. Surely this must be the Son of God, they said. He died. They took him down. And put him in a tomb and on Sunday morning -- 'all power, all power, all power on Heaven and Earth is given to me.'
The bishop's words in cadence brought members to their feet in long applause.
He returned to the pulpit and continued: "He died there. And in the hills of North Carolina, He has been with me for 50 years. Motherless and fatherless -- my Lord had been my mother and father. Sometime I call Him and He doesn't come. But Isaiah says they that wait upon the Lord will take wings like eagles. Wait, wait, wait on.
Following the sermon, Bishop White told Bishop, "Wherever you go, there will be Hoosiers praying for you. We will give God thanks, Marshall." -- Dan Gangler
'Birthday Boy' appears during Friday plenary
John Wesley looks pretty good for being almost 300 years old.
Wesley, whose birthday is being celebrated around the world and throughout the connection, appeared during the Friday morning plenary. He spoke of times growing up, going to Oxford, doing things with the Holy Club and other high points in his life.
But when you take a second look at the founder of the Methodist movement, you'll really see the Rev. Bert Kite of Carmel St. Mark's UMC.
Kite occasionally dresses up like the church founder every few years. "This time, I might take it on the road," he said.
Noting numerous accomplishments and innovations, Kite said Wesley's focus on theology and grace brought many into the church. "We're all captivated by Wesley. He's such an incredible figure."
Kite wore a wig and a period-style costume, with the help of some members of his church, but didn't talk in the language that Wesley wrote or preached in because of the difference in structure. "The costume helps you become the role and helps you think that way," said Kite.
Wesley is not the first character that Kite has dressed up as for a sermon or presentation.
Kite -- like all pastors -- has studied Wesley in seminary, but continually enjoys reading his sermons and works and researching the various activities that Wesley did during his life. "Wesley was very practical," Kite said, while pointing out that Wesley wrote an early home remedy book for the common man called The Primitive Physick. "You can't immerse yourself in who he was and what he did without realizing what a genius he was. He was such a visionary leader." -- Matthew Oates
Racism influences Methodists' history
Racism has been a defining force in shaping the Methodist movement in the United States from its earliest days. Last night members of the North Indiana Conference confronted racism, and launched efforts to fight racism in the church and in Indiana. Here are benchmark dates that help us remember.
- 1787 -- Richard Allen and other black Methodists walk out of St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia and establish the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
- 1796 -- The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was organized by blacks protesting discrimination at John Street Methodist Church in New York City.
- 1844 -- Methodist Episcopal Churches in the South break away from the Methodist Episcopal Church in the North.
- 1870 -- The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was created as the result of an agreement between white and black members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
- 1939 -- North and South Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Protestant Churches unite into the Methodist Church, but still maintain segregation with the establishment of a Central Jurisdiction for African-American Methodists.
- 1968 -- The Methodist and the Evangelical United Brethren churches unite to form The United Methodist Church. The Central Jurisdiction is dissolved.
- 2000 -- The United Methodist Church General Conference held a service of repentance and reconciliation with AME, AME Zion and CME churches' bishops.
- 2003 -- North and South Indiana Annual Conferences join with other conferences across the United States in services of repentance and reconciliation.
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
The number of first-time visitors as well as attendance are up in the 30 test churches being used in monitoring the Igniting Ministries program in the South Indiana Conference. Igniting Ministries is a promotional campaign to raise awareness of The United Methodist Church through 30-second TV spots, yard signs, door hangers and other promotional materials according to Bert Talbott, who heads this program in SIC.
Barna research has shown now is the time to invite people to church. Surveys show that 46 percent of the people who saw the TV spots were willing or very willing to visit a UM church.
Talbott encouraged churches to have an open house in September while the Igniting Ministries TV spots are running on cable TV and on broadcast TV in Indianapolis, Evansville and Louisville. SIC, Great Rivers and the Kentucky conferences place about $50,000 worth of spots each year. -- Dan Gangler
Share your theological books
Richard Hollowell of Greensburg UMC is on a mission to fill three African seminary libraries with theological books.
By Friday night, Hollowell collected about 1,000 volumes and received a pledge for 1,000 volumes from another pastor. "It's quite a start especially since they have nothing," said Hollowell. "I can just see the teachers when they get this."
Some of the books Hollowell has received included some Interpreter's Bibles, Barclay studies and Your Prayers Are Always Answered by Alexander Lake.
The books come from pastors and churches cleaning out pastoral studies and offices. "They're going to get used again," said Hollowell. "This is a pretty good selection," he said while looking at the numerous boxes in the big truck parked in front of the IU Auditorium.
To contact Hollowell regarding donating books or money to ship the books to Africa, send an e-mail to rwell@hsonline.net. -- Matthew Oates
SIC 2003 Elections |
CLERGY (incomplete)General Conference: Kent Millard, Indianapolis; Gregory McGarvey, Carmel; Ida Easley, Rushville; James Gentry, Indianapolis; Darren Cushman-Wood, Indianapolis; Deborah Cronin, Bloomington. Jurisdictional Conference: Ann Glass, Columbus Alternates: |
LAITY (completed)General Conference: James C. Shaw, Indianapolis; Patricia Miller, Indianapolis; David Crane, Washington; Charles Porterfield, Indianapolis; Brian Jarmon, Rushville; John Lawson, Linton Jurisdictional Conference: Dora Largent, Jeffersonville; Caitlin Smith, Greensburg; James Lewis, Georgetown; Carolyn Marshall, Veedersburg; Michael Minglin, Indianapolis; Dan Evans, Indianapolis Alternates: Mona Morgan, Carmel; Bert Talbott, Indianapolis; Clyde Fields, Indianapolis |
Six given certificates for completing pastors school
Local pastors completing the course of study school include: Terry Chandler, Shelburn; Sandra Lee Clark, Leavenworth; Dale Huff, Floyds Knobs; Aletha McVeigh, Milton; Robert Martindale, Bloomington and Robert Roush, West Terre Haute. Martindale and Roush are the first to complete the course of study in the Indiana Area Pastors School. -- Dan Gangler
Ordination and Commissioning Service:
Remember the hard stuff
Seven men and women were ordained elders, one deacon and 13 deacons were commissioned to candidacy for the Order of Elders during a service filled Scripture readings, washing of feet and advice from Bishop Woodie W. White to "remember the hard stuff."
The bishop recalled his ordination service in 1963 from the Detroit Annual Conference. Holding his orders, he told of how the ink has faded as he and his family and orders moved from Washington, D.C.; Columbia, Md.; Springfield, Ill; and Indianapolis.
"It's a precious thing," said Bishop White, while confessing to his wife and the congregants, "I don't know where our marriage certificate is."
Turning to the ordinands, he reminded them of their calling and commitment by telling of how he asked his wife to marry him. "I wanted her to know how I fell in love with someone else. His name was Jesus," said the bishop.
"I was committed to the ministry and to the church. I said I was going to give my life to it," recalled the bishop. "Go where you want me to go."
Then he added a dash of wordplay from one of his wife, Kim's, cookbooks: "Real cooks don't insist on extravagant ingredients to produce a delicious thing. Real cooks take stale bread and aging onions and make you happy."
Real pastors, continued the bishop, don't ask for simple settings where everyone is the same ethnicity, socio-economic background, and have all the latest gadgets in ministry. "Real pastors take what God and the bishop gives them, then they give that to God and God makes something extraordinary happen." -- Matthew Oates
74 straight annual conferences
The Rev. Glen O'Dell might be retired, but he's attending his 74th straight annual conference.
O'Dell, 96, was ordained as a United Brethren, then became Evangelical United Brethren and finally a United Methodist.
"I belonged to all three denominations and haven't been kicked out of any of them," he chuckled.
The former DS attended Indiana Central (now University of Indianapolis) with $1.05 in his pocket and was admitted by Dr. Good when Good found out that the school needed a carpenter and O'Dell was a carpenter by trade.
While studying at ICU, he served as a student pastor at Community UBC near Brightwood for four years. His salary in the 1930s: $156 a year or $3 a week. "I saw that church grow," he recalls.
So why keep coming back to annual conference, coming early and staying late? "I love the church and I miss all the dear old friends I see here," he says. "This is spiritual food for me." -- Matthew Oates
Presentations and Awards
Scouting
- Torch Award -- annual conference or district level -- Philip G. Howard
- Bishop's Award of Excellence -- Tanner Valley UMC, Lawrenceburg
Denman Award for Evangelism -- Foundation for Evangelism
- Clergy -- Kenneth Wells, Bartlett Chapel, Avon
- Laity -- Ronald Conner, Trinity UMC, Rockport
Small Membership Church Award -
- Under 50 members -- Hindostan UMC, Pastor Mike Strawn
- 51-100 members -- Shiloh Wesley Chapel, Pastor Diane Wells
- Over 100 members -- Otterbein UMC, Lebanon, Pastor Danny Walker
Spiritual Formation Certification --
Barbara Ann Hale, St. Luke's UMC, Indianapolis
Advanced Certificate of Excellence
Presented to the South Indiana Conference by Al & Mavis Streyffeler, career missionaries to Africa
UM Publishing House
Bill Cross presented $15,502 to the SIC Pension Fund
Higher education in Indiana carries on the work of Wesley
John Wesley set out to empower the poor through education, Robert Bottoms, president of UM-related DePauw University in Greencastle, told conference members on Friday during the higher education ministries report. That is why United Methodist today continue to be in ministry to our youth.
Bottoms shared this educational ministry was realized to him more pointedly on a tour of England where he visited Kingswood School, founded by John Wesley. "We are carrying on the work of Wesley. We still care about our young people, regardless of their means," he said.
He said the college can exist today without the church, but none of us want to do that. And the church can exist without colleges, but at what cost? The university is a place where we can bring youth into the church through partnership with churches, like DePauw's partnership with Gobin Memorial UMC. Bottoms said more than 7,000 students attend one of three Indiana's UM-related schools of higher education. The other two are the University of Evansville and the University of Indianapolis.
Steven Jennings, president of the University of Evansville, also was introduced to the conference. -- Dan Gangler
Vitality shown through Congregational Development
David Owen reported that three new congregational ministries are underway including the development of Oak Hill Mansion ministry in Fishers, a new satellite ministry of Southport UMC, and the 150 Corridor project at New Albany.
-
Pastor Rusty Allanson at The Promise congregational ministry in Fishers reported 117 people in average attendance,
-
Pastor Mark Fisher at Southport UMC reported his church is beginning a non-traditional church in leased property at Emerson Ave. north of Stop 11 in south Marion County.
-
Pastor Charles Harrison of Barnes UMC in Indianapolis, reported his church is being revitalized through outreach ministries including: feeding ministries, Alpha ministries -- weekly introduction to the Christian faith, a youth empowerment program with police, a 10-point coalition witnessing to street people, and a children bus ministry.
Owen reported that 82 churches in the South Indiana Conference have experienced growth in the past five years. -- Dan Gangler