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
Saturday morning worship
'We are connected'
Highlights of a sermon preached by the Bishop Michael Coyner of the Dakotas Area. Coyner, was elected to the episcopacy from Indiana.
Scripture I Corinthians 12 (read from the Eugene Peterson is paraphrase) The Message
Coyner preached - no part is more important on its own. It was eight years ago, that I was elected to serve in the Dakotas. It's been a great experience. We had never set foot in the Dakotas before. It's a big area and there are few people. South Dakota has 16 people per square mile. North Dakota has nine people per square mile. Most of the population lives in the east. Many western counties are considered frontier territory. Most Dakotans are Lutherans. We are only the third largest denomination behind Lutherans and the Catholics.
I have learned much about the connectional church in the Dakotas. I left my robe back in Fargo during my first annual conference. They said that would not be a problem. They would get it to me. Someone called back to Fargo and, through a series of connections, my robe traveled across the state and arrived in time for worship.
Information travels fast in the Dakotas. We have a grapevine you wouldn't believe. Information just flies. We have secrets in Dakotas and everyone knows them. We are very connected.
The church there is more of a relational thing more than an institutional thing. When you meet someone in Dakota and they ask where you are from. Then they connect you through relationships of their own looking for something in common like who they know and where they have been. Once they make those connections with you, they accept you.
It's also what you can do is important. Once when I was in cattle country with ranchers, I asked, "What do you need from me as a bishop?" One rancher asked back, "Well what can you do?" It's the relationships that connect us.
Secondly, it's more mutual than independent. Everything we do is mutual to each other - joy not jealousy. What anyone does to help ministry builds the church. What anyone does to harm ministry harms everyone, even across denominational lines.
Thirdly, the church is missional. We are all involved in the mission of Jesus Christ. Being focused on the same mission benefits us all.
There is the story of a large church in Rapid City, S.D. Leaders there said, we have extra money at the end of the year; we would like to give 12 rural churches $1,000 each. Large churches that benefited from rural churches gave it to the struggling rural churches.
A person in Clyde, N.D. wrote to me telling me their town had died. There is no railroad, no school. People have moved away. Finally, the last saloon has closed. He said, "We outlasted the saloon, but we must close." We need to honor the Clyde churches and honor the growing churches. We are relational, mutual and missional.
If you come to the Dakotas, the Native American people are called the Lakota tribes, not Sioux - that's the name the French gave to them. Bishop Coyner showed worshipers a dream catcher. I got this dream catcher at Wounded Knee, S.D. Early white settlers thought it was a magical device. Not to the Lakotas, it is hung above a baby's crib. The circle represents the circle of life. The strings represents all our relationships in life. If any relationship become broken, it all falls apart. You must value your relationship with all so we don't become unraveled.
The Apostle Paul said a similar thing about the body of Christ. If any relationship is broken, they all unravel. We are going to pray for our relationship and ask forgiveness for the ways we have broken connections.
Coyner invited the worshipers to pray for each other as the body of Christ.
He prayed thanking God for binding us together and offering thanksgiving for Bishop White and Kim White. "We pray for all who are connected to the South Indiana Conference. Heal, forgive, keep binding us together with cords that cannot be broken."
Numbers |
|
Here are membership statistics for 2003. South Indiana United Methodist membership stands at 115,918 down 2,756; Worship attendance stands at 65,320, down 1,877. |
Saturday morning plenary
Awards presented and budgets approved
Here are highlights from the Saturday morning plenary session of the South Indiana Conference.
-
The conference approved the 2005 expense budget of $11,137,742, (a 2.18% increase) an income budget of $11,002,000, and set district superintendent salaries at $68,375.
-
The conference endorsed the Rev. Gregory McGarvey of Carmel UMC as a nominee for the episcopacy. Bishops will be elected at the North Central Jurisdiction July 14-17 at Davenport, Iowa.
-
Church and Society gave six grants totaling $3,000 for justice ministries to those who worked in prison ministries.
-
The Boy Scouts raised $488 from its free breakfast donations on Saturday morning. The money goes to the Back Packing Bible Project. The Scouts gave Bishop White the Torch Award for his support of scouting ministries while bishop of Indiana. The Bishop's Award of Excellence was given to Girl Scout Troop 430 of Barnes UMC of Indianapolis.
-
South Indiana Conference Commission on Archives and History named Emma Lou Miles of DePauw Memorial UMC in New Albany as 2004 Local Church Historian of the Year.
-
Conference Denman Evangelism Awards were given to the Rev. Jeff Buck of Old North UMC in Evansville and Marilyn Burger of St. Luke's UMC in Indianapolis.
-
The United Methodist Publishing House gave a gift of $13,870 to the South Indiana Conference pension fund, who then gave the gift to the Central Conferences Pension Initiative.
-
SIC's Gambling Recovery Ministries has provided two years of ministry to problem gamblers in South Indiana.
-
Bishop White recognized State Senator Patricia Miller for her efforts in keeping gambling out of our state.
-
Tarrell Thompson was recognized for 31 years of service the ushering crew and for leading the usher crew at annual conference sessions.
-
Bishop White announced that his son-in-law was being deployed to Iraq. He then prayed from all those being deployed, for their families, for all the families and loved ones from all sides caught up in this war, and for God's peace in the world.
Correction
The South and North Indiana Annual Conference collectively gave $2-million to build dormitories at Africa University in Zimbabwe. - DRG
Meet the lay leaders
Jim Shaw passed the lay leader baton to Ike Williams on Saturday.
Williams, the incoming conference lay leader of Carmel St. Mark's UMC, said Shaw has been very helpful during the transition, giving him answers to all of his questions. "Jim's a great leader to the laity and to the conference," said Williams. "We've talked several times."
The upcoming quadrennium will feature numerous changes in leadership to the conference, such as a new bishop, new CCOM members and agencies, said Williams. "We've got some learning to do. I'm confident we'll do that."
Williams already is working on filling his 2004-2008 calendars with numerous church events. "I'm looking forward to it."
Williams, has three children: Jennifer, Robert and Sarah. A retired engineer for a good company, he is involved greatly in the life of St. Mark's. He also enjoys golfing and reading.
Shaw, from Indianapolis Barnes UMC, said, "As I think about it, I think of all the great relationships I have connected with. I look forward to maintaining those relationships."
While ending his service as lay leader, Shaw will continue to be involved in the life of the church, serving on general agencies and conference committees, as well as serving Barnes UMC. "I look forward to those opportunities (of service)," said Shaw. "My wife has been very supportive."
Shaw also looks forward to spending more time with his family and golfing. - MO