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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
HOOSIER UNITED METHODISTS e-newsletter
For Friday, August 31, 2007 – Sunday is the 14th Sunday after Pentecost
This newsletter is paid for through your annual conference connectional ministries giving.
Edited by Daniel R. Gangler, director of communication dgangler@inareaumc.org
Bible Passage for Sunday
News and Information
Quotable
Worship Resources
Ministry Resources
Book Review
Deaths
Ministerial Appointments
New Job Listings
Previous Job Listings
BIBLE PASSAGE FOR SUNDAY
Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him: “When you give a dinner or a banquet, don't invite your friends and family and relatives and rich neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return, and you will be paid back. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. They cannot pay you back. But God will bless you and reward you when his people rise from death.”
– Luke 12:12-14
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
www.bibles.com
NEWS AND INFORMATION
UMCOR RESPONDS TO MIDWEST FLOODS, YOU HELP NEEDED
United Methodist Committee on Relief officials are offering aid to regions across the Midwest inundated by recent floods.
“UMCOR is assessing the situation and is offering support to all affected areas,” said Rev. Sam W. Dixon, interim executive for UMCOR, the denomination’s disaster response and humanitarian aid agency within the General Board of Global Ministries.
UMCOR needs your help to replenish funds in the Domestic Disaster Advance. More than 28 domestic emergencies in 24 annual conferences since September 2006 have depleted available funds. Donors wishing to contribute to the church’s ongoing ministry of disaster response and recover may mail a check payable to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087 indicating Domestic Disaster Response – Midwest Floods, Advance #901670 on the memo line. One hundred percent of every donation to any appeal, including appeals for Midwest floods, goes to support the designated program. United Methodists also can give to UMCOR through their local United Methodist church.
BALL STATE STUDENT HIKES TO NEW ORLEANS TO RAISE RELIEF FUNDS
When Ben Poor told his parents he wanted to go for a walk this summer, he wasn’t talking about a stroll around the block or a quick power walk. He took a loooooong walk – 850 miles.
The 20-year-old United Methodist walked from his hometown of New Palestine, Ind., to New Orleans to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief. He left New Palestine, near Indianapolis, on June 26 and reached New Orleans on Aug. 9.
As of mid-August, Poor’s pilgrimage to New Orleans had raised $10,830, including $3,000 donated at the outset by New Palestine UMC, where Poor and his parents are members.
Along the way, Poor relied on the kindness of others for places to stay and many of his meals. He often contacted United Methodist churches for assistance.
“The church is united,” said Poor, a student at Ball State University. “Everybody (in The United Methodist Church) is connected. They really helped me out. If people helping me couldn’t contact another Methodist church, they called Baptists or Catholics. It’s all about God. It’s unbelievable how he has taken me on this walk.” – UMNS
A full story with pictures of Poor’s journey will be published in the October issue of Hoosier United Methodist Together newspaper. If you can’t wait that long, log on to www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2072505&ct=4331363
GREENWOOD CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS
Members of Greenwood United Methodist Church are moving on after a former church administrator was sentenced for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars during a 3½ -year period. The sentencing of Aaron D. Kemp, 33, Indianapolis, caps a tumultuous time for the Greenwood, Ind. church, a nearly 400-member congregation.
Kemp was sentenced Aug. 27 to 20 years in state prison and ordered to pay $352,215 in restitution to the church after he pleaded guilty to nine charges in Johnson Superior Court.
“On one hand, there is relief that this phase is complete,” said the Rev. Bill Hoopes, the church's pastor. “On the other hand, there are no winners. This is a tragedy for everyone concerned.”
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cynthia Emkes ordered Kemp to serve six years of work release and six years of active probation. With good behavior, he will be eligible for parole after 10 years.
Kemp pleaded guilty to four counts of forgery, four counts of theft and one count of corrupt business influence – all felonies.
Investigators say that from February 2002 to June 2005, Kemp acted as a virtual one-man financial operation for the church by forging nearly 100 checks to himself and using a church-issued credit card to purchase personal items. – The Indianapolis Star
HARLAN NAMED DIRECTOR OF MINISTERIAL SERVICES IN SOUTH INDIANA
The South Indiana Conference Board of Ordained Ministry announced that the Rev. Sandy Harlan has been named the Director of Ministerial Services in the Conference Center in Bloomington. Harlan is a Deacon in Full Connection and a member of the South Indiana Conference. She will expand her current responsibilities on the conference staff to include these new responsibilities with the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry.
Her duties will include tracking ministerial process and relationship for the more than 800 clergy in the conference. She will support the registrars and the chairperson, Dr. Ann Glass, with record keeping and will assist district committees and individual candidates with process questions.
Dr. James Bushfield, Director of Connectional Ministries in Bloomington said, “Rev. Harlan has been actively involved with the board and brings wonderful experience and insight to this position.” She is currently the chairperson of the Division of Deacons and Diaconal Ministers and an active participant in the Board of Ordained Ministry Staff Network and United Methodist Continuing Educators with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville, Tenn. Harlan will begin her new position in September. She succeeds Mildred Boes, who retired in June.
CONGREGATIONS INVITED TO BE PRAYER PARTNERS
At both North Indiana and South Indiana Annual Conference sessions, congregations were invited to partner in prayer with churches from the other conference throughout this conference year. Before those partners are notified, Conference Lay Leaders Ike Williams (South Indiana Conference) and Kayc MyKrantz (North Indiana Conference), make the opportunity available once more.
If your church is interested in becoming a prayer partner, please send your church name, prayer coordinator name and address (physical and/or e-mail) to kmykrantz@comcast.net.
INDIANA POLL SAYS VOTES SUPPORT FDA REGULATION OF TOBACCO
A new poll of registered voters in the 9th Congressional District of Indiana finds that 71 percent of voters support Congress passing a bill (HR-1108) to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products.
As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where the bill has been referred, Indiana Representative Baron Hill (D-Ind.), a United Methodist, will play a key role in the consideration of this legislation.
“We call on Representative Hill to join Senators Bayh and Lugar and Representatives Ellsworth and Carson and cosponsor this important legislation that protects our kids from tobacco addiction and saves lives,” said Aaron Doeppers, Director, Midwestern Region, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and a member of the Hoosier Faith and Health Coalition. A great majority of voters – 73% – in Indiana’s 9th Congressional District believe this legislation’s public health benefits outweighs any possible impact on tobacco farmers.
In Indiana, tobacco use kills 9,800 residents and costs the state $2.08 billion in health care bills a year, and more than 21 percent of high school students smoke.
Let Rep. Hill know your feelings on this legislation by e-mailing him at http://baronhill.house.gov/IMA/issue_subscribe.shtml The poll is available at http://tobaccofreekids.org/fdapoll/indiana.pdf –HF&HC
UINDY NAMES NEW DEAN FOR SCHOOL OF NURSING
United Methodist-related University of Indianapolis has selected a Denver nurse-educator-scholar with an impressive administrative record to be the new dean of its School of Nursing.
Mary L. McHugh will leave the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, where she has been active in teaching, research and leadership since 1999, to become dean of UIndy’s School of Nursing on Oct. 1.
The new dean replaces Sharon Isaac, who is retiring after 17 years at UIndy, the last 14 as dean. Under her leadership, UIndy’s School of Nursing added five master’s programs, a parish nurse program and the state’s only master’s-degree program in nurse midwifery. The school also created on-site degree programs for Clarian Health and Hendricks Regional Health. – UIndy
MISSISSIPPIANS HOLD PRAYER TIMES ON SECOND KATRINA ANNIVERSARY
United Methodists in Mississippi held times of prayer and reflection Aug. 29, the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall in the state. Three separate services were held during the day. At the second anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the need continues for prayers, volunteers, partners and donations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The recovery stage has evolved into the rebuilding stage in most areas, though some places in New Orleans have been untouched since Hurricane Katrina hit Aug. 29, 2005.
United Methodist churches plan to receive a special offering Aug. 26 for the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal. Donations go directly to the rebuilding of United Methodist churches, parsonages and other facilities as well as to salaries for support staff, training for lay leadership and efforts to grow congregations where membership has declined. People can make contributions to the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal #818-001 through local church offerings or online through www.umc.org/katrina. -– UMNS
NEW HYMNAL PROPOSED FOR UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The United Methodist Church could have a new hymnal by 2013 under plans endorsed by the denomination's Board of Discipleship.
Directors of the board, meeting Aug. 22-25 in Nashville, Tenn., voted to ask the 2008 General Conference to form a hymnal creation committee next year to begin developing a new hymnal.
If the committee's work is approved by the denomination's top legislative body in 2012, the new resource would replace The United Methodist Hymnal published in 1989. It would be the second official revision since the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist churches in 1968, not including new songbooks for specific racial/ethnic or language communities.
The United Methodist Publishing House already has endorsed the project. – UMNS
LIBERIAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES ELECTS UM BISHOP AS PRESIDENT
The Liberian Council of Churches elected as its new president United Methodist Bishop John G. Innis, during the council’s 23rd General Assembly and Silver Jubilee program, held Aug. 2-4 at the Stephen Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church and St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia.
In his acceptance speech, Innis said the Liberian Council of Churches has God as its president. He described himself and the two vice presidents-elect as coaches on God's leadership team.
Innis praised the leadership of the outgoing president, Bishop Sumoward E. Harris of the Lutheran Church in Liberia, and he noted the role the council has played in fostering national unity and reconciliation in the West African nation following a long civil war. – UMNS
EMERGENCY APPEAL AIMS TO SAVE REFUGEES IN CHAD
Warning that malaria could kill thousands of refugees in Chad as the African nation’s rainy season begins, the United Nations Foundation launched an emergency fundraising appeal July 16 to purchase 40,000 insecticide-treated sleeping nets.
The foundation called on Americans to help raise $400,000 to respond to the immediate need of people living in 15 refugee camps along Chad’s eastern border with Sudan and its southern border with the Central African Republic.
Children are particularly at risk among the more than 200,000 refugees displaced by spreading violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. U.N. officials estimate that 25 percent of children under age 5 living in the camps will die from malaria without protection at night, when mosquito-borne malaria is usually transmitted.
The money is being raised through Nothing But Nets, a grassroots campaign to distribute the life-saving nets. The people of The United Methodist Church are among the founding partners of the 2006 initiative, which urges people to “send a net, save a life” for the cost of $10 per net.
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY TO BE CELEBRATED OCT. 5
“World Communion Sunday calls the Church to be the catholic inclusive church.” (Par. 264.3, The Book of Discipline 2004)
On World Communion Sunday, Oct. 5, a special offering will be received in United Methodist Churches worldwide.
Recipients:
- Half of the offering provides Crusade Scholarships for international and U.S. (racial- and ethnic-minority) graduate students.
- Thirty-five percent of the receipts support Ethnic Scholarships for undergraduate students.
- Fifteen percent funds Ethnic In-Service Training Program scholarships for racial – and ethnic-minority persons seeking second careers in church-related vocations.
For downloadable resources for this special offering, log on to: http://umcgiving.org/content/sundays/WCS_nav/communion_moreinfo.asp
More stories are available online at www.umc.org.
QUOTABLE
“Faith is not about saving our own skin, but sharing that which saves all of us.”
– Phil Amerson, president
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
WORSHIP RESOURCES
A SERVICE OF PRAYER AND SONG FOR THE 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHARLES WESLEY’S BIRTH
www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=45236&loc_id=17,823
Hymns by Charles Wesley
Readings by Dr. Richard Heitzenrater, Duke Divinity School
This service is a hymn festival that was celebrated in The Upper Room Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee on Aug. 29, 2007, as one of several worship services during the 300th anniversary year of the birth of Charles Wesley. It may be downloaded, reproduced, and used in congregational worship. Included here is a worship bulletin for congregational use and the complete version with readings for use by worship leaders.
MINISTRY RESOURCES
CHILDREN' S SABBATH CELEBRATIONS
As our children need our help now more than ever, participating in the National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® Celebration the weekend of October 19-21, is a simple, yet necessary, step for creating a Safe Harbor of Hope and Health Care for All Children.
Regardless of how the U.S. Congress and the President end their current debate over what level of funding to provide for children’s health insurance, we know it is not going to be enough to guarantee them shelter from the coming storms of life. Therefore, all faith communities, who profess children are God’s beloved and how we treat children is how we treat the Divine, have a moral obligation to do what we can with our available resources to ensure ALL children a HEALTHY START and the opportunity to live out to their God-give potential.
For more information, log on to www.childrensdefense.org/Childrens_Sabbaths.
TIPS FOR STARTING A HEALTH MINISTRY
Starting a health ministry can be as simple as cultivating a healthy environment at church to support positive lifestyle choices, says the Rev. Pam Harris, M.D., a physician and United Methodist clergywoman. Find out what people want, present it in a non-threatening way, make it fun and provide support, advises Harris, associate medical director of Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care and minister of health at Leawood (Kan.) UMC. She will be among the speakers at the third annual National Congregational Health Ministries Conference Sept. 23-26 in Wichita, Kansas. Read more tips from Harris and learn more about the conference in a new Web-exclusive feature at Interpreter On-Line at www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=12290
NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE MEDIA CENTER PICKS FOR SEPTEMBER
The North Indiana Conference Media Resource Center’s latest acquisitions can be found online at www.nicumc.org. Click on “Media Library” in the left column and explore all the available options. September “Picks” include:
- Children of the Nakba, a School of Christian Missions selection
- NOOMA - Store: Dealing with our anger.
- NOOMA - Today: Learning to live in the day - not the past.
- William Wilberforce: One man’s struggle to rid the world of slavery.
- Herod’s Temple: The Temple as it was in Jesus’ day
- A second copy of Gilligan's Island - The Seven Deadly Sins
Order by calling the Media Center toll-free at 800-783-5138. This service is provided through your connectional tithe.
For information on any of these and many more, go to our website, www.nicumc.org and click on Media Library or call Angel at 800-785-5138.
NOTE: Bonnie Miller has retired from her position as director of the Media Center. Angel Rea succeeds her. We give thanks to Bonnie for her service to the Media Center.
SOUTH CONFERENCE MEDIA RESOURCE CENTER PICKS FOR SEPTEMBER
The South Indiana Conference Media Resource Center’s latest acquisitions can be found online at www.sicumc.org. Click on “Media Center” and explore all the available options, including “Newest Resources” and “Picks of the Month.” September “Picks” have been posted. Some of the newest additions include: Baptism in The United Methodist Church; Into the Heart of Hope (AIDS in Africa); Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith; and NOOMA: Today. NOTE: Coming this fall: Living the Questions 2 and Affectionately Yours, Screwtape (C.S. Lewis). By calling the Media Center toll-free at 800-919-8160, you can order these and other resources from a selection of more than 4,000 videos and DVDs. Return postage is your only cost. This service is provided through your connectional tithe. Mary Barnes, Media Director, can be reached at mbarnes@sicumc.org for more information/consultation or you can access the catalog directly at www.sicumc.org.
BOOK REVIEW
Worship in Small Membership Churches
By Robin Knowles Wallace and Terry R. Heck
- www.upperroom.org/bookstore/description.asp?item_id=416212&ep_id=1500
- www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=45191
Lyle Schaller, author and consultant, wrote in the 8/3/07 issue of UM Newscope that in 2004 there were 169 UMC congregations (0.5% of the total number of UMC congregations) reporting an average attendance of 1,000 or more, and there were 10,976 UMC congregations (32.2% of the total UMC congregations) reporting an average attendance of fewer than 35. This is a book written for those nearly 11,000 small membership congregations as well as for the thousands of larger small membership churches.
DEATHS
None listed this week.
MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENTS
Bishop Michael J. Coyner has announced the following changes within the Indiana Area. All dates effective 2007 unless otherwise noted. These appointments are based on Cabinet reports received by Indiana Area Communication during the week of August 31, 2007.
North Indiana Conference
- None this week
South Indiana Conference
- Shaw, Stanley from Letts/Letts: Burney/Letts: Milford, Rushville to Retirement, 6/30
NEW JOB LISTINGS
None listed this week.
PREVIOUS JOB LISTINGS
AKRON CHURCH SEEKS MUSIC DIRECTOR AND ACCOMPANIST
Akron United Methodist Church in Akron, Ind., is seeking a part-time music director and/or part-time accompanist. These are paid positions. Contact: Lisa Harris at mharris@rtcol.com or call 574-371-7224.
JEFFERSONVILLE CHURCH SEEKS DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MINISTRY
Park Place UMC in Jeffersonville, Ind., seeks a Director of Student Ministry with a mission to spiritually nurture young adults (11-18 yrs.) and their parents. Special care should be give to the delicate balance of reaching people attending Park Place UMC and reaching out to those in our community. Pay based on experience. 10-15 hours per week including 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 7 p.m. on Sundays and one hour per week to meet with pastor.
For more information, contact the Park Place UMC, 1820 E. Park Place, Jeffersonville, IN 47130, phone 812-282-5739 or e-mail at jmoon@sicumc.org.
Last updated on 04/01/2008Compiled as a service of Indiana Area United Methodist Communication in Indianapolis.