More than 400 members participate in Brownsburg outreach Rethink Church well worth the effort to reach across county

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1 HOOSIER UNITED METHODISTS 1 July/August Volume 40 Number 6 Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. The people of The Methodist Church More than 400 members participate in Brownsburg outreach Rethink Church well worth the effort to reach across county By Daniel R. Gangler BROWNSBURG, Ind. Engaging more than 400 members and guests in a Rethink Church community outreach was the biggest single event for this suburban Indianapolis congregation s members since they moved into their new building a few short years ago. The outreach was well worth the time the 800-member Calvary Methodist Church put into the venture, according to Associate Pastor Michelle Knight, who played a key role in the day-long activity that occurred both at the church building and across Hendricks County. The whole church, every age group was engaged. People here loved it and met more people than usual (on a Sunday), said Knight. A core group of ten members worked on a task force for several months to bring the May 16 community impact into being. Everyone was engaged in an intergenerational way from pre-school children to 90- year olds. There were projects for everyone. The congregation worshipped on Saturday night and did the Rethink Church emphasis on Sunday morning. Rethink Church included Greg Kelly and Jim Huston who organized evangelistic teams to canvas more than 800 homes leaving Rethink Church door hangers across a whole section of the city north of 56th Street, inviting residents to the church. Rethink Church included a prayer bus led by Knight, which made 11 stops across the county to offer intercessory prayers at Kroger and Kmart parking lots, a food pantry, the school corporation office, Clarian West Medical Center in Avon, a mobile home park, city hall, the fire station, a women s and children s safe house, Hendricks Regional Hospital in Danville, the county jail and at home base Calvary Church. For those who could only do sit-down Photo courtesy of Calvary UMC Calvary s Sue Labrash and others write thank you cards during the church Rethink Church outreach. The whole church, every age group was engaged. Michelle Knight projects, there were care packages to the military personnel, health and layette kits for Operation Classroom programs in Liberia and Sierra Leone, cards to shut-ins and love notes to mission and Indiana Conference organizations. Senior Pastor Todd Outcalt told Together, We sent cards and letters to more than 300 clergy, district and conference staff throughout Indiana, The cards were made by the church s children. An Eagle Scout project planted perennials at the scouting shelter house. Volunteers immediately outside the church mulched the entire daycare playground and placed flowers and plants in beds surrounding the building. Music Director Mark Herris took two chartered buses with the praise team, bell ringers plus the children s and youth choirs to two nursing homes for spring caroling. Youth Director Andrew Attwood led the church youth, who picked up trash along Main Street and received many honks of appreciation for their work. Other volunteers planted flowers in two city parks. Responses It was just really fun putting our faith into action and being compassionate about it, not just talking about it, Knight told Together in an interview in her church office the week following the emphasis. Visitors who showed up for their first time to Calvary also were invited to join in. Some took the offer and volunteered their time. Others said they would return on another Sunday, she said. Following the Rethink Church event, unexpected notes of thanks began to come into the church office. One member wrote: I want to tell you what an awesome experience I had being a part of Calvary s Rethink Church and particularly the Prayer Bus. I was deeply moved by the sincerity of the prayers and the depth of compassion I personally felt and witnessed on both trips. I felt humbled and blessed to be a part of the intercessory prayer team and honored to be able to pray for our community and all of Hendricks County. The Hendricks County Sheriff wrote: thanks so much for your prayers and good wishes! We certainly appreciate being in your prayers. I have many friends who attend your church During these trying times, we need all of the help we can get from our friends but especially from God. The Director of Pastoral Services at a county-wide women s shelter wrote: Thank you very much for including Sheltering Wings in Rethink Sunday. We are most grateful to God for the faithful partnership of Calvary UMC through the years of our existence. The Brownsburg Superintendent of Schools wrote, I appreciate your including the schools, staff, faculty and students in your day of prayer and outreach. I would ask your prayers for our continued focus on the education of the children of this community, that we would attend diligently to their academic, emotional and character needs, and that each of us that works with children would be strengthened to be moral exemplars, and role models for life-long learning in all that we do. Downsides Like any emphasis in the church, the Calvary Rethink Church day did have a few downsides, according to Knight. One was around registration. Some members signed up and didn t show up. Other members who showed up didn t sign up. It all balanced out in the long run. www. inumc.org Photo courtesy of Calvary UMC Members of Calvary Methodist Church in Brownsburg spruce up a flower bed in nearby Williams Park as part of their Rethink Church outreach to their community. Photo courtesy of Calvary UMC Music Director Mark Herris leads Calvary s praise team at the Brownsburg Health Care facility as part of their Rethink Church outreach. The task force struggled between projects here at the church or in the community. What matters was the impact on the community, especially the faith community, Knight said. The real plus was that such an organized impact engages more volunteers in a short amount of time compared to other church projects. There was very much a good feel. It was an exciting day, Knight reported. For more information about Calvary s Rethink Church outreach, call or Michelle Knight at mknight@calvaryunited.org. Editor s note. This Rethink Church day of outreach has been replicated several times across Indiana in congregations. It was first done as a project of the Indiana Conference session meeting in June The conference held another Muncie community outreach June 12 with more than 630 volunteers. Their story can be read on page 5.

2 2 FROM THE BISHOP Multiplying our Mission Outreach across Indiana During our second Indiana Annual Conference session, we once again sent forth more than 600 to participate in a Saturday afternoon of Mission Outreach projects across Muncie. Once again, our people reported having a great experience, and once again, we received much notice and appreciation from the community. At the celebration worship service that same evening, I preached on the multiplication of the fish and loaves in John 6:1-13, and challenged the participants to multiply our experience of Mission Outreach. At the time, I was thinking we might sponsor several such Mission Outreach events across Indiana during the next 12 months, perhaps with video and personal witness reporting at next year s annual conference session. I pictured either regional or district events, where we might multiply those hundreds of participants into thousands of participants thus making a greater impact We were from the beginning. This is what I recently said to Bob and Teri Walters at their kitchen table (in Plainfield, Ind.). Before I was a bishop, I had the idea that we could provide bicycles for our pastors and other church leaders. I asked Bob to raise enough money for 200 bicycles. With the money he brought from churches in Indiana, I shopped every store in Lubumbashi to find 200 bicycles and they were delivered at the 1995 annual conference session. I said, This is the most important thing we have done in all my years. The bicycles put pastors on the road as evangelists. They were transportation for the whole village. That next year, 59 babies were delivered by bicycle. When I became bishop, I asked the General Board of Global Ministries to hire Bob as a missionary and station him at the Likasi School of Theology as the Director of Leadership Development for North Katanga. Unfortunately, Bob s time as a missionary was made short by the war. The General Board of Global Ministries evacuated all its missionaries in late 1998, but Bob s messages can still be heard from pulpits throughout Katanga. Those messages of hope helped me create a vision for the pastors and churches of North Katanga. When the war came, we remembered the call to courage, and instead of running, The Methodist Church stayed and continued to minister to the villages. We built churches and schools. We talked of peace with the most feared warlords. We worked with the army on issues of food security. We built a chapel on the army base and I said to the soldiers, I am your pastor. The worst of the war is behind us. There is much recovery work to do. We want to return to the vision that God gave me for our pastors and churches. This past year at annual conference, Bob and (his daughter) Taylor (Walters Denyer) brought farm tools for our pastors, so that they might make gardens and set an example for their people. It was Methodist churches in Indiana who paid for those farm tools, across our whole state than what we currently do in local mission outreach. At the summer planning retreat of our cabinet and conference directors, those leaders helped me to see an even larger picture of multiplication. Instead of three or four regional events across Indiana, perhaps we could hold events in all 10 of our districts. What if we challenged our 185 ministry clusters to each have a time of Mission Outreach in each of their areas of the state? Perhaps not all 185 clusters of congregations will choose to participate, but what if three-fourths or even just half do? Then instead of five or ten events, we could have 80 or 100 or even 120 such events. Wow, what an impact that could make in our state! What a unifying and team-building activity that would be for our ministry clusters. So, here is our challenge to all of the 185 ministry clusters: We (the cabinet, directors and I) are going to plan and participate in a Mission Outreach event during the next 11 Congo says thank you Together photo Bishop Mike Coyner (left) greets Bob Walters and Bishop Ntambo at the Conference Center in Indianapolis. as well as for 300 bicycles and $50,000 in church construction. Bob has returned to North Katanga with a passion for the pastors who serve in our most remote villages, especially the villages destroyed in the war. He has demonstrated his love for them by suffering with them as he traveled 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) visiting 10 districts by bicycle. (See page 8.) We have no money to pay him. Therefore, we give thanks to each church and person in Indiana and in other places who donates to make it possible for Bob and Taylor to work alongside our pastors. We give thanks to you Bishop Mike for agreeing to this special appointment. We speak with one voice. The projects that Bob and Taylor bring to Indiana are projects that I and my cabinet have asked them to make a priority. They are projects that help support the work of our pastors and lay leaders. God has blessed the people of North Katanga with so many good friends in Indiana. Thank you, and may God bless the churches in Indiana for all the help you have given to us for so many years. Bishop Ntambo Nkulu Ntanda North Katanga Conference Democratic Republic of Congo Editor s note: The Rev. Bob Walters is president of Friendly Planet Missiology based in Plainfield. He can be reached at or bob@friendlyplanetmissiology.org. What if we challenged our 185 ministry clusters to each have a time of Mission Outreach in each of their areas of the state? months, and we challenge each ministry cluster to do the same. Learn about your own community; study the needs; work with your local agencies, which are already helping people, find out how your presence can encourage them. Then, plan a Mission Outreach event, encourage many of your church members to participate and discover the teambuilding and joy of helping others. We also ask that you take some digital images or videos of your Mission Outreach event to be shared at our next Indiana Annual Conference session. Tell us your stories of what happens, how lives are touched, and how your own people are blessed by reaching out to others. Let this conference year be a time, when all across Indiana, we have engaged personally in Mission Outreach to HOOSIER UNITED METHODISTS July/August July/August Vol. 40 No.6 MISSION STATEMENT: To reflect the teachings of Christ through stories and pictures, thereby sharing key moments and concerns in the life of his Indiana church and its people. To share joy, to share personal faith, to share challenges, and to refresh the spirit. Indiana Area Bishop/Publisher: Michael J. Coyner Editor: Daniel R. Gangler Editorial Assistant: Erma J. Metzler Conference Assistant: Roscel S. Carandang Printed by: HNE Printers, Columbus with soybased inks on recycled/recyclable paper Editorial Offices: Together 301 Pennsylvania Parkway, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana Phone: editor@inumc.org Together (ISSN x) is a monthly (except June, August and December) publication of Indiana Methodist Communications, 301 Pennsylvania Parkway, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46280, for clergy, laity and seekers. Periodicals postage paid at Indianapolis, IN. Printed in the U.S.A. Members of the Indiana Conference Communications Team and Editorial Advisory Group: Char Harris Allen Dan Gangler, Convener Carolyn Maxey Beth McDaniel our local communities. If you need help planning or implementing such a Mission Outreach event, our conference staff and district leaders stand ready to help you. If you need demographic information about your community, talk to any of our Church Development staff. If you are not sure where to start, start by praying as a ministry cluster asking God to show you the needs in your area. Let s multiply really multiply the wonderful Mission Outreach experiences of our past two annual conference sessions. Let s show everyone including our own what it means to say: The church has left the building. Let s multiply our Mission Outreach. Bishop Michael J. Coyner Indiana Conference of The Methodist Church Making a Difference in Indiana and around the world For more information about organizing a Mission Outreach in your community, visit and click on Impact Community Event Planner Workbook and similar resources. Copyright Indiana Area of The Methodist Church. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Together, 301 Pennsylvania Parkway, Suite 300, Indianapolis, Indiana Subscription Information: Call One-year subscription, $12; single copy $1.50 Change of Address: Send the mailing label with your new address to: Erma Metzler, Together, Indiana UMC, 301 Pennsylvania Parkway, Suite 300, Indianapolis, Indiana or erma.metzler@inumc.org Commentaries and letters provided by Indiana Methodist Communications do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of Bishop Michael Coyner and/or the Indiana Conference of The Methodist Church. Mark L. Eutsler Paula Shrock Amber Sterns Matthew Stultz, Team Leader Permission is hereby granted to Methodist congregations to reprint stories, not copyrighted, in church newsletters and Web sites. Together is supported by the conference tithe.

3 Summer is the pictures-taking, image-capturing season, also the seasons for weddings, family reunions, picnics, church camps, mission trips, vacations, day trips across Indiana, all perfect for our cameras. We are on the go and digital photography has become as common as the cell phone. Smile, I think you re going to like this one. This issue of your Together also captures images and stories from a wide variety of sources about our people both here at home and around the world. We lead with a tie from the Rethink Church community outreach during last year s annual conference to this year s community outreach at the second Indiana Conference session. Calvary in Brownsburg came Sunday, May 16, with more than 400 members and guests to touch the lives of hundreds across Hendricks County for a few hours during their expression of a Rethink WELCOME Summer pictures, stories capture images of the church Church community outreach event. Read the Brownsburg story on page 1 and follow it up with the story of the conference s second Mission Outreach to the residents of Muncie on page 5. Greatly impressed with the conference s outreach events, Bishop Mike Coyner challenges the 185 ministry clusters of congregations across the state to take the mission outreach idea across Indiana to touch the lives of thousands of people statewide. Read his challenge on page 3. Several pages of this issue are dedicated to coverage of the second Indiana Annual Conference session at Ball State University in Muncie. Names and pictures of Photo by Enid Gangler the retirees, newly ordained and commissioned clergy, and those clergy and clergy spouses who died since the past annual conference session are listed. The teachings of Bishop Robert Schnase and his five practices of fruitful congregations are highlighted on page 4. He gives us snapshots of how to enliven and engage our congregations to reach out to our communities. You also will experience 3 Smile, I think you re going to like this one. snapshots of a bike trip across the Congo, read reasons for building new cabins at the conference s Epworth Forest Convention Center and think thourgh a viewpoint about what was missing at annual conference on pages 9 and 10. Another commentary supports guaranteed pastoral appointments in answer to a committee of the church coming closer to suggesting the elimination of guaranteed appointments. Read about this developing proposal on page 11. What do you think? Write a letter to the editor and join those expressing their viewpoints and comments on this page. In order to get all these midsummer snapshots to you, we expanded this issue to 16 pages instead of the usual 12 pages. Also remember, that news, information, events, mission opportunities and Bishop Mike s E-pistles come to you weekly if you are subscribed to the electronic (e-hum). If you don t receive the weekly e-hums and announcements as they break, subscribe today. For your complimentary subscription, visit click on Subscribe to e-hum and enter your address as directed. This is a double-month (July- August) issue. I m taking vacation time next month pitching my tent by the side of a lake, lighting a camp fire and capturing pictures of God s creation all around. Enjoy the pleasures of the summer months as well as enjoy the stories of your Together. Welcome, Daniel R. Gangler Cuts, increased salaries During the past year, I have watched as we have cut support to our community centers, as well as missions overall. I read the daily sent out from the annual conference sessions, and was dismayed to read that campus ministries was being cut $200,000. We have become one conference and streamlined staff in an effort to meet budget during tough economic times. So could someone please explain to me why a raise for the position of district superintendents was given the okay? A salary package of $100,800 might appear a little excessive in lieu of what the people in our pews are experiencing economically, plus it doesn t appear to be the best response to Christian stewardship. The people in our pews are faithful givers and we have a responsibility to be forthright in managing those funds. I personally cannot financially support top heavy conference staff salaries with a clear conscience. My only ethical response will be to give my tithe to missions and programs that have been cut, and to encourage all those faithful people in our churches to become aware of how the money they are giving is being allocated, and make sure the allocation is worthy of their giving. Serena Rasmussen Indianapolis Haitian artisans Bonjour! My name is Tamara Kreigh and I m a Methodist Volunteer-in-Mission serving for this next year in Mizak, Haiti with Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI). I moved here on May 13 from Fort Wayne and Good Shepherd Methodist Church, so I ve only been here a short while. Let me tell you a little about my life and ministry. Mizak is a rural community 24 miles up a mountain from the southern coastal city of Jacmel and is more than a three-hour drive from Port-au-Prince. There is no electricity although some people have generators and solar panels. Water is from cisterns and rain barrels. Clean drinking water can be purchased Correction It was reported in the Annual Conference e-hum Newsletter during the annual conference session that Jim Bushfield announced that Marlene Fenstermacher will represent Cokesbury in Indiana, since Cokesbury no longer has a store in Fishers. She is not representing Cokesbury. That position has not been filled. In fact Fenstermacher is working with the Methodist Publishing House on a project in children s ministries. Indiana Methodist Communications regrets this error. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR in five-gallon jugs. There is a market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, where seasonal produce, fresh meat (slaughtered while you wait) and used clothing may be purchased. Goats guard my latrine. Roosters wake me, beginning at three each morning. We cook over charcoal and have two solar ovens. I live at the Peace Inn guest house run by Paul Prevost and his family wife Amab and daughters: Doris,10, and Majina, 3. Paul also is the Haitian head of HAPI. Lorelei Verlee and Valerie Mossman-Celestin are the American directors and pastors at the local church. As most people in Mizak, Paul also does subsistence farming. In this area, two crops a year are sown by hand. At the end of February, fields were planted with corn and black beans, which have already begun to be harvested. The corn is not field or sweet corn but a variety of hardy popcorn which is roasted over charcoal and served for breakfast. Sweet potatoes will be planted after this crop is out of the field. As a VIM, I have many responsibilities. Primarily, I am the volunteer coordinator working with mission teams which come for post-earthquake reconstruction projects, such as Peace Pals children s programming; and community health care through the HAPI health clinic. Currently, we have a team building our second earth bag home constructed of bricks made by filling 50 pound rice bags with dirt. Bags are stacked and covered with cement stucco. Earth bag homes can withstand hurricanes and earthquakes. The current team consists of leader Ellen Daiber and Richard Clester, both from Georgetown, Texas and Mike and Carla Windover from Traverse City, Mich. I thought it would help get the group off to a good start by holding a quick orientation followed by a Love Feast when they first arrived. The trip from the Port-au- Prince airport to Mizak is over mountains. It s a scenic trip, but long, bumpy and hot. Love Feasts are similar to Holy Communion in that a group of people invite Christ to sit with them as they share Scripture and prayers over a snack of bread and in our case, some hot chocolate. The Scripture I chose was 2 Corinthians 9: In addition to the team, I invited Paul s house, the ladies who work in the kitchen, and any neighbors to come and join us in the love feast. As we shared the bread and hot chocolate, we took turns answering the question, What is your prayer for the week? John, who was doing a remodel on Paul s kitchen, joined us. At the time I thought that since my Creole language skills are weak, that the family had misunderstood me by inviting this workman when I really meant to invite the neighbors. I wasn t going to turn anyone away from sharing time with Jesus. As the selected Scripture reads, Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others. In the next few days, the boss that had begun the construction project quit. John and his son Silas were hired to finish the earth bag house. John had the longest prayer of all of us when it came to his turn. He thanked the American people for their gifts of money and aid. He asked blessings on each of the team members, thanking God for their presence in his country and for their desire to help Haiti beyond paying their taxes, which he understood was the source of the American aid. He asked blessings on the house that the team was building and for the safe keeping of the team. Tamara Kreigh Mizak, Haiti Editors note: For more information about Haitian Artisans for Peace International, visit HAPI is registered as an Advance Special # through The Methodist Church. Addition to story Thank you for including Covenant UMC in the Methodist Change the World events article in the May-June issue of Together. The other four Methodist churches from the same cluster of churches with Covenant UMC in the Fort Wayne Area that equally participated in this walk were the Churubusco, Huntertown, Leo and Robinson Chapel Methodist churches. David W. Heim. Pastor Leo UMC

4 4 Summary of Indiana Annual Conference session s learn practices of faith then put faith into practice during conference session at Ball State By Daniel R. Gangler MUNCIE, Ind. Practice Faith was the theme of the second Indiana Annual Conference session held on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. More than 2,000 conference members and guests spent equal amounts of time on learning, volunteer mission service, worship and the business of the conference. Clergy and laity heard Missouri Bishop Robert Schnase set the pace of the conference teaching more than 3.5 hours during the two opening days about the content of his two books: Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations and its sequel Five Practices of Fruitful Living. Conference members put Schnase s teachings into action on Saturday afternoon during the second annual Day of Outreach to Muncie. More than 630 members and guests dressed in bright-orange Practice Faith lettered t-shirts, joined 150 volunteer hosts serving Muncie residents in 30 locations across town with projects that included prayer walking, gathering and sorting food, picking up trash off city streets, visiting seniors in ten nursing homes, sprucing up neighborhood parks, repairing homes and community mission sites, assisting in the Habitat for Humanity RE-store and assembling health kits for use in Sierra Leone and Liberia. During a Saturday evening outreach celebration, Indiana Bishop By Matthew Oates MUNCIE, Ind. Ike Williams and Kayc Mykrantz, conference co-lay leaders, welcomed the laity into session Thursday evening, June 10, of the Indiana Annual Conference session. During the evening, the laity received updates on a variety of issues. Highlights include: Rev. Doug Anderson provided an update on cluster training and some of the outcomes from the clusters. Outcomes include praying for each church and their ministries, joint worship services, joint mission projects, joint youth groups and more. The laity were informed that next year will be an election year for lay delegates to the 2012 General Conference. Williams shared that one of the items coming up will be ways to restructure the general church level of the UMC. Information was given about the Methodist ANNUAL CONFERENCE Mike Coyner challenged members to multiply this community outreach by replicating it in their own communities. Many churches across Indiana have held Rethink Church community impact days since last year s Day of Outreach. From General Church agencies, The Advance Conference Liaison David Malloy of the General Board of Global Ministries, emphasized the importance of a covenant relationship through The Advance with Global Ministries missionaries. Upper Room Publisher Sarah Wilke thanked s for their contribution to The Upper Room in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of The Upper Room devotional booklet. Gil Hanke, the newly installed general secretary of the General Commission of Methodist Men, challenged men at a breakfast to take men s ministry in new directions including Scouting. He also greeted the conference on behalf of Methodist Men. Director of Young People s Ministries Hank Hilliard thanked the conference for partnering with the national Youth 2011 event to be held July 13-17, 2011 at Purdue University in West Lafayette. During Sunday morning worship, Bishop Coyner commissioned 14 provisional members and ordained 19 elders and three deacons. Clergy congratulated five Local Pastor Course of Study graduates. The conference also retired 58 clergy who gave a total of 1,540 years of service and remembered 77 clergy and clergy spouses who died during the past 12 months. Four of the five services were led by a conferencewide Praise Team consisting of vocal and instrumental musicians. In other business of the conference: Approved the uniting of three conference-related foundations (of North Indiana, South Indiana and the Indiana Area) into one new Indiana Methodist Foundation, Inc., which will begin operations on Jan. 1, 2011; Emphasized the importance of providing financial support to Methodist-related campus ministries which have lost funding from the conference; Chartered two congregations and challenged each church to add a worship service; Considered the possibility of mandating a conference-wide property insurance package; Celebrated the new Indiana Conference Center in Indianapolis; Approved a $15.6 million budget including more than $5 million in General Church apportionments; Emphasized personal financial planning for pastors and laity through the conference s Rejuvenate program underwritten by a grant from the Lilly Endowment; Reported that gave more than $800,000 to Haiti earthquake Laity learn of opportunities, thank those who are fruitful Youth 2011 event coming to Purdue University in West Lafayette, July 13-17, For more information, visit Bread and Basin Award recipients were David Ashmore of First UMC in Pendleton for local missions, Helen Aylsworth of Springs Valley UMC in French Lick for national missions, and Carolyn Olivier of Chapel Hill UMC in Indianapolis for international missions. This year s laity manuscript contest had 19 entries. Jane Heustis of Irvington UMC in Indianapolis was this year s winner. Her entry, titled The Taste of Spiritual Strawberries, is based on John 15:16. A complete version of her manuscript is available online at click on Annual Conference. First runner up was Jennifer Kintner of First UMC in Mishawaka; the second runner up was Mildred Ferro of St. Paul s UMC in Elkhart. Shane Bennett of Union Chapel UMC in Muncie shared Three Things We Need to Know About the World. They included the world is a scary, mixed-up place; the world really is our parish; and the world exists for Jesus. Bennett also talked about working and living with Muslims and ways to interact with those of different faiths and beliefs. We lived in a crazy mixed-up world that is different from the ones our grandparents grew up in. The world is no longer way out there. It has come right here into our midst, he said. Music at the Laity Session was provided by the University Methodist Men s Choir which sings both spirituals and gospel songs. The group started in 1984 under the leadership of the Rev. Rosa Harris. relief and sent some of the first volunteers to Haiti following the earthquake; Encouraged congregations to celebrate each of the denomination s six Special Sundays and pay their conference tithe (10 percent of each month s income) in full for the support of conference and general church apportionments; Announced more than $2.2 million has been pledged to the Epworth Forest Conference and Retreat Center capital campaign, with a $10 million goal; July/August Created a conference-wide network to support advocacy ministries; and Announced next year s session will be held June 9-11 at Ball State University in Muncie. Membership stands at 194,495, down 10,032 (5.1%) from the previous year. Worship attendance stands at 116,722, down 4,941 (4.2%). Church school attendance stands at 39,329, down 3,770 (9.5%). Some of the drop in all three areas was due to reviewed data gathered by the new annual conference. Retiring clergy of Row 1 (left to right): Jack Hartman, Carolyn Hartman, Rebecca White, Dennis White, Marilyn Couger, Laura Jones, Ann Hutchins-Case Row 2 (left to right): Hugh Severance, Leslie Severance, Judith Wooden, Kenneth Wooden, John Windell, Kenneth Mahan, Patricia Mahan Row 3 (left to right): Patrick Sinnott, James Taylor Row 4 (left to right): Judith Marshall, Al Smith, Teresa Rynkiewich, Michael Rynkiewich Row 1 (left to right): Harold Klinker, Joy Klinker, Myron James, Sharon James, Cleveland Shields, Linda Dolby, Mary Ellen Craddock, Billy Craddock Row 2 (left to right): Diane Barrett, Jean Finney, Alan Rumble, Patricia Rumble, Carol Lee Greene, Don Smith Row 3 (left to right): Rosa Harris, Dennis Alstott, Tom True, Jan True, Malcolm Greene, Bill Farmer, Donna Farmer Row 1 (left to right): Nancy Chizmar, Dan Barker, Joyce Barker, Sharon Hall, Edward Scherer-Berry, Mark Day, Glenda Woodcox Row 2 (left to right): Chris Madison, Robert Ostermeier, John Hall, Leonard Sjogren, Patrick Schonbachler

5 ANNUAL CONFERENCE By Matthew Oates MUNCIE, Ind. They sorted food. They visited nursing homes. They weeded flower beds. They washed cars. And that s just a few of the mission projects completed by on the second annual Day of Outreach during the Indiana Conference session, Saturday, June 12. More than 630 participants and 150 local volunteer coordinators spread out across Muncie, partnering with social service agencies, local churches, community organizations and businesses. Rick and Amy Hartig of Stewartsville UMC in Posey County participated in this day last year and this year, brought their two daughters, Ashley, 10 and Maddie, 9. I m helping people who need food by doing this, said Maddie, between counting out six packages of food and handing them to her mom at Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. This is my favorite thing to do. Cheryl Britt of Roanoke Seminary UMC signed up, because she thought it would be interesting. A previous church she attended had a food pantry and Roanoke Seminary helps their local food pantry. This will give me some inspira- Day of Outreach sends more than 600 across Muncie to serve residents Together photo Volunteers board a bus to go to one of the launch sites for the Day of Outreach. We re still making a difference. Priscilla Campbell Together photo Volunteers pickup trash in a Muncie neighborhood during the Day of Outreach. tion, said Britt, who will take the information and see how her church s youth group could help out more with their local food pantry. According to Tony Baarsma of Second Harvest Food Bank, more than 100 volunteers helped sort out food. The food bank helps between 400 and 800 families each week, depending on which location they deliver food. In downtown Muncie at the Heartland chapter of the American Red Cross, volunteers assembled comfort kits that would be distributed to people displaced by house fires. The volunteers even brought items for these comfort kits, which include personal hygiene items. Several weeks ago, the Red Cross responded to 11 house fires in the seven county area they serve. It s very neat for others to come in and help fill the need, said Eva Hall, a volunteer with the American Red Cross. The Rev. Nancy Richmond of Attica First UMC, said, We reach out and help others. Church is a verb. This is one of the things we can do. Richmond added that her church has been serving a free community meal on Thursdays. Comfort kit for the residents is something they could consider doing. Just down the street from the Red Cross, Dick and Priscilla Campbell of Newburgh UMC and Revs. Gary and Sandy Cooper of New Albany Main Street UMC and Depauw Memorial UMC, respectively, and Rev. Tim Johnson of Pfrimmer s Chapel, were picking up trash and having a prayer walk and praying and talking with people walking down the street. We re still making a difference, said Priscilla Campbell. Bob Brake of Selma UMC was coordinating some of the work being done at Christian Ministries of Delaware County by 20 volunteers. The homeless shelter can house 17 homeless men and two apartments for families and is supported by more than 26 area churches. Our small group cooks dinner for them, said Brake. Brake was overseeing 20 volunteers pulling up carpet, painting rooms, replacing ceiling tiles, general cleaning, sorting and counting canned foods and more. The Rev. Wendy Canon of Economy/Greens Fork UMC was counting canned foods. This is what God calls us to do to help others who need help, said Canon. What a blessing it is to do this. We re doing something to help the community and individuals. A few blocks away at Blood and Fire, 15-year-old Allyson Oakman of Terre Haute Northside Community UMC, helped set up a sidewalk sale in the second-hand store. It makes me think of how privileged we are and how some people aren t, said Oakman. It s a wake-up call. When she returns to Terre Haute, Oakman is hoping to start something and learn more about poverty issues and how to address these issues. On the other side of Blood and NUMBERS Parts of the Indiana Annual Conference session were about the numbers. Here is a list of numbers that complete the story of the session June in Muncie. 3,296 members eligible to attend conference 1,604 actual number of members who attended 383 guests who registered Support, professions 18% percentage of Indiana UMCs that paid nothing to support the conference in % percentage of Indiana UMCs which reported no new professions of faith in 2009 Operation Classroom In Gathering received: 557 health kits, 173 layettes, 38 sewing kits, 72 boxes sewing supplies, 234 Bibles, 54 elementary kits, 343 yes kits, 111 boxes of dried milk and 61 boxes of other supplies Special Conference Appeals in $791,564 amount received for UMCOR Haiti earthquake relief $11,269 amount received for Conference Campus Ministries appeal 5 Together photo A Methodist volunteer cleans out a flower bed during the Day of Outreach on June 12. Fire, which is a community organization dedicated to helping the poor in Muncie s downtown neighborhoods, is a community center where more volunteers were cleaning its community center, baking cookies for an after-school program, mowing grass and cleaning flowerbeds. Jessica Vogel of Blood and Fire was grateful for the volunteers. Everything we do is volunteerbased, said Vogel. We are getting a lot done in one day, especially as we re about going into the community. Michelle Grant of Indianapolis Wesley UMC was baking cookies and counting pretzels in the overly warm kitchen at the community center. I like doing service projects, said Grant. It s always an enjoyable experience. Another service project grabbed the call of several other youth and young adults at the Muncie Mission on South Liberty Street. They were dancing and singing throughout the afternoon as they washed the mission s three large vans and box truck. Emily Lumpkin of Modoc Rehobath UMC, Jack Stringer of Fort Wayne St. Joseph s UMC, Megan Wright of Fort Wayne Robinson Chapel UMC, Kaylee Stoops of Monroe UMC and Casey Madsen of Odon Cornettsville UMC were dancing with several adults the Holy Ghost Shuffle. Membership 194,495 lay membership in Indiana UMCs at close of ,722 average worship attendance in ,329 average Sunday school attendance in ,200 number of congregations 2 number of new congregations chartered 8 number of congregations discontinued and abandoned Day of Outreach figures 631 number of participants 150 number of Muncie volunteers that hosted event 3,442 number of food items collected Offerings $3,560 amount received for local missions offering $6,964 amount received for Cabinet s pastors emergency fund offering Webcasting 735 number of hits on Web cast 655 number of hits on Web cast in USA 80 number of hits on Web cast beyond USA

6 6 ANNUAL CONFERENCE MUNCIE, Ind. During the Indiana Conference clergy executive session June 10 at Union Chapel Methodist Church, these 22 provisional members were approved for ordination as Elders and Deacons. They were ordained by Bishop Mike Coyner on June 13 in Emens Auditorium at Ball State in Muncie. They included: Elders Dennis Adams of Evansville; Karen Bray of West Terre Haute; Ted Chalk of New Middleton; Kevin DeKoninck of Winamac; Rebecca Fisher of Fort Wayne; Bradford Garrett of LaFontaine; Alex Hershey of Monticello; Warren Kirk of Grandview; Dave Marty of Huntington; Robert Preusz of Converse; Kevin Reed of Indianapolis; LeKisha Reed of Indianapolis; Dave Scifres of Noblesville; Ann Spahr of North Salem; Jerald Turner of Columbus; Eduard van Wijk of Kentland; Mary van Clergy, date of death Baker, Robert, 11/26/2009; Berry, John, 3/16/; Bill, Lester, 7/9/2009; Blessing, William, 8/ 29/2009; Chrispell, Richard, 11/ 24/2009; Custer, Rex E., 10/3/ 2009; Enlow, John, 3/19/; Grame, Sheldon, 1/26/2009; Hamilton, Lucinda, 3/13/; Hayden, Ernest, 1/2/; Hendrix, Cecil, 12/31/2009; Herr, Berneice, 12/20/2009; Hill, George, 2/11/; Hinds, Dorothy, 3/26/ ; King, Norris L., 9/13/2009; Lamar, William Fred, 1/13/; Lewke, Richard, 3/18/; Meddock, William D., 7/1/2009; Miller, Lloyd Howard, 5/18/; Moody, William C, 4/2/; Morgan, Ivan, 10/25/2009; Myers, Raymond, 9/11/2009; Palmatier, Howard Norman, 7/1/2009; Pavy, Doyle Jack, 2/27/; Pritchard, J. Samuel, 10/5/2009; Ray, James, 3/9/; Robertson, Charles, 5/ 15/; Schnepp, Kasey, 1/7/ MUNCIE, Ind. The Indiana Annual Conference session chartered the Movie Theater Church, a ministry of Old Bethel UMC in Indianapolis, and the New Song Fellowship of First Methodist Church of Valparaiso with 230 members. Get wet, get dirty, connect with people the good news of Jesus Christ, said Kurt Nichols, pastor of New Song, during the chartering of his church. The conference does have grants for your congregations to create a new congregation. Church Development grants from the Indiana Conference can provide Indiana Methodist congregations July/August Clergy approve 22 for ordination, 14 for commissioning, 58 for retirement who represent 1,540 years of ministry Wijk of Remington; Brent Wright of Jamestown; Kevin Wrigley of Plainfield. Deacons Julie Macy of Columbia City; Mary Beth Morgan of Bloomington and Sheri Rohrer of Delphi. Provisional members These14 candidates were approved for commissioning as provisional members seeking ordination. They included: Bessie Adams of New Albany; Daniel Cho of Mundelein, Ill.; James Clark of Kokomo; Christopher Gadlage of Central; Lauren Hall of South Bend; Anthony Hunley of Indianapolis; Jacob Juncker of Lafayette; Kim King of Indianapolis; Matt Landry of Delaware, Ohio; William Nickrand of Ramsey; Damon Soper of Brownstown; Anthony Stone of Summitville; Gregory Waggoner of Morocco; and Donna Ward of Anderson. Retirees Also during the clergy session, 58 clergy were approved for retirement. They are listed in alpha order by their date of retirement and the number of service years. Included are: Jimmy Abbott, 10; Marcia Faye Carpenter, 18; Philip Granger, 32; Rosa Harris, 10; Laura Jones, 15; Thomas Shanahan, 8.5; Donald Smith, 39.5; Jon Walters, 30; Dennis White, 31; Donald Wilson, 22; Karen Morrow, 23; Richard Lyth, 15; Dennis Alstott, 10; Daniel Barker, 36; Diane Barrett, 12; Roy Eugene Carpenter III, 29; Nancy Harmon Chizmar, 29; Robert Church, 27; Marilyn Couger, 7; Billy Craddock, 10; Mark Day, 39; Linda Dolby, 33; Bill Farmer, 25; Jean Finney, 7; Malcolm Greene, 44.5; John Hall, 43; Jack Hartman, 44; Ann Hutchins-Case, 25; Myron James, 26; Jeffrey Jones, 30; David Kyle, 18; Harold Lee Those remembered at the memorial service ; Sharp, Earl, 9/24/2009; Sievers, Robert W., 8/11/2009; Smith, Laurence I., 7/24/2009; Taylor, Charles, 5/12/; Temple, Paul, 6/17/2009; Voit, Charles, 11/20/2009; and Wilks, Donald, 10/18/2009 Spouses, date of death Ballard, Karleen, 9/5/2009; Beery, Merry, 1/24/; Bell, Roberta, 7/28/2009; Clark, James, 2/13/; Cobbs, Geraldine, 7/ 26/2009; Cook, Thurl, 3/5/; Dunten, David, 5/10/; Emerick, Mattie, 2/8/; Gowan, Judy, 3/18/; Huber, Betty Ann, 4/2/; Joyce, Pauline, 1/ 1/; Lafke, Willet, 12/15/ 2009; LaSuer, Mary Gene, 12/30/ 2009; Michel-Kaetzel, Evelyn, 11/ 8/2009; O dell, Mary Jane, 3/31/ ; Saltzgaber, Carol, 11/6/ 2009; Smith, Doris Irene, 8/1/ 2009; Smith, Jane Anne, 12/3/ 2009; Smith, Norma, 10/3/2009; Conference charters two new congregations partial funding for certain outreach efforts. These efforts all involve the development of a strong new faith community designed to reach unreached population groups. Congregations are encouraged to contact the Indiana Conference Church Development team if interested in applying. Here are the five grants being offered: New Campus/Off-site Congregation Grant, New Church Grant, New Worship Service Grant, Relocation Grant/Loan, and the Vital Merger Grant. For more information, visit and click on Church Development. Steele, Diana M., 8/29/2009; Thistle, Muriel, 9/19/2009 Surviving Spouses Brett, Shirley A., 7/4/2009; Carey, Cordelia, 5/2/; Crecelius, Agnes, 8/2/2009; Fields, Mabel, 5/17/; Hathaway, Beverly Joan, 5/25/10; Heath, Eleanor, 12/16/2009; Loomis, Marcella Sally, 11/25/2009; Moman, Amy Marguerite, 6/1/10; Morgan, Barbara, 3/21/; Persons, Madonna E., 8/31/2009; Rapson, Eleanor, 4/18/; Rich, L. Louise Doyle, 5/23/; Rowland, Doris, 11/4/2009; Schinkel, Leah, 9/19/2009; Schwein, Mildred, 12/18/2009; Shoemaker, Irene, 11/1/2009; Smith, Imogene, 10/27/2009; Stephens, Laura, 7/ 13/2009; Turley, Vesta, 9/23/2009; Williams, Rose, 12/29/2009; Yeater, Eileen, 9/21/2009 Klinker, 26; Chris Blane Madison, 34; Kenneth Mahan, 45; Judith Ann McGuire Marshall, 20; James Miller, 40; Joe Mitchell, 28; Robert Ostermeier, 40; David Overmyer, 20; Thomas Pitcher, 36; Timothy Rasmussen, 38; Alan Rumble, 41; Michael Rynkiewich, 17; Edward Scherer-Berry, 20; Patrick Schonbachler, 36; Hugh Severance, 17; Patrick Sinnott, 17; Leonard Sjogren, 36; Alvin Smith, 26; Doris Smith, 15; Larry Smith, 38; James Taylor, 45; Thomas True, 40; Don Viviano, 4; Roger Walby, 10; Glenda Ray Woodcox, 30; Kenneth Wooden, 33; and John Windell, 29. Their ministries total 1,540 years of service. Retirees were honored June 11. In other business, the chairs of the clergy orders, Tim Burchill Elders, Jennifer Pollard Deacons, and Don Ransford Local Pastors and Associate Members, encourage the clergy to be involved in covenant groups. Clergy congratulated Local Pastors Course of Study graduates Linda McBride, John Long, Sharon Taylor, Daniel Voorhies and Warren Kirkwood. Deacons commissioned were (left to right): Julie Macy, Sheri Rohrer and Mary Beth Morgan Commissioned/Provisional: (left to right): Front row: Kim King, Jim Clark, Gregory Waggoner, Jacob Juncker, Lauren Hall and Donna Ward Back row: Daniel Cho, Matt Landry, Damon Soper, Billy Nickrand, Anthony Stone, Anthony Hunley, Chris Gadlage and Bessie Adams Elders ordained were (left to right): Front row: Dave Scifres, Mary van Wijk, Ted Chalk, Ann Spahr, LeKisha Reed, Alex Hershey, Karen Bray and Jerry Turner Back row: Dave Marty, Kevin Wrigley, Warren Kirk, Dennis Adams, Ed van Wijk, Kevin Reed, Kevin DeKoninck, Bob Preusz, Rebecca Fisher, Bradford Garrett and Brent Wright

7 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Bishop appoints superintendents, associate superintendents During the recent session of the Indiana Annual Conference at Muncie, Ind., Bishop Mike Coyner confirmed the appointments of district superintendents and associate district superintendents. Nine of the current ten district superintendents appointed this past year will continue their appointments. The Rev. David Byrum, senior pastor of First UMC in Valparaiso, became East District Superintendent succeeding the Rev. Dale Mendenhall, who became senior pastor of High Street UMC in Muncie. All appointments began on July 1. Here is a listing of those superintendents and their announced associate superinten- dents by district. Associate District Superintendents are part-time positions. Central District Superintendent Bert Kite and Associate Superintendent Robert Coleman of Franklin. East District Superintendent David Byrum and Associate Superintendent David Neckers of Muncie. North District Superintendent Cindy Reynolds and Associate Superintendent Katharine Walker of West Lafayette, who will continue in her current position. Northeast District Superintendent David Michel and Associate Superintendents Steve Burris, a retired pastor living in Woodburn, and C. Wesley Brookshire, a retired pastor living in Columbia City. Northwest District Superintendent Craig LaSuer and Associate Superintendent Katharine Walker continuing. North Central District Superintendent Frank Beard and an Associate Superintendent will be appointed in September. South District Superintendent Charlie Wilfong and Associate Superintendent Sandra Cooper of New Albany. Southeast District Superintendent Brian White and Associate Superintendent Robert Ostermeier of Bloomington, a retired pastor who will continue as an Associate Superintendent and Bill Helms, a retired pastor living in 7 Milltown. Southwest District Superintendent Glenn Howell and Associate Superintendents Randy Anderson of Evansville, Patrick Jackson of Evansville, Melvin Camp of Petersburg, Mark Miller of Chrisney and Jarmon Perkins of Evansville. West District Judi Purvis and Associate Superintendent John Davis of Terre Haute, a retired pastor of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. More information about District Superintendents and Associate District Superintendents can be found at click on District Superintendents. Special music, honoring seniors all part of conference Together photoby LindaHoopes Laity s Bread and Basin Award recipient was 99-year-old Helen Aylsworth of Springs Valley UMC in French Lick, honored for her service to missions. Together photoby LindaHoopes Music at the Laity Session was provided by the University Methodist Men s Choir of Indianapolis, which sings both spirituals and gospel songs. The Rev. Rosa Harris started the group in Together photoby LindaHoopes The Rev. George Dinwiddie, 98, was honored by the Indiana Conference as the oldest living clergy member of the conference. He was ordained in Bishop Coyner presented him with the conference cane in recognition of this honor. Together photo by Linda Hoopes The praise and worship team led the annual conference in song during the Outreach Celebration Service on Saturday evening and during worship service that opened each plenary session. The team is composed of musicians and singers from across Indiana and was directed by Chuck Scott, director of music at St. Joseph Methodist Church in Fort Wayne. Photo by Enid Gangler Bell ringers from Meridian Street UMC in Indianapolis provided special music during the memorial service on Friday.

8 8 INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS Lifelong advocate to relieve hunger in the world and 1972 Democratic candidate for U.S. President, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota, spoke June 6 to all three worship services at St. Luke s Methodist Church. McGovern was introduced by Jim Morris, former director of the World Food Program based in Rome, Italy. Morris, a Presbyterian and moderate Republican called McGovern a remarkable man, one of the great humanitarians of our time, especially on the Central Indiana are coming for the Second Annual Methodist Church Home Build with Habitat for Humanity. have long partnered with Habitat and were strong supporters of the first Indianapolis Habitat home built in The goal for the participating Central Indiana Methodist churches is to unite enough support and volunteers to fully fund and build a home for The Ghebremedhin/Wurota Family, refugees from Ethiopia. The build, located at 849 River Avenue in Indianapolis, will begin on Oct. 12 and end Nov. 20 with a dedication on Dec. 4. To date, 85 percent of the $70,000 building goal has been raised. However, Methodist Habitat volunteer builders still need funds and other support, according to Ted Mosey, development consultant for Habitat. The support and contributions of members and their congregation are needed. Organizers ask Methodist for McGovern July/August Former South Dakota U.S. Senator speaks to world hunger needs issue of world hunger. McGovern has worked with the Food for Peace program for 50 years, which has fed millions of people. McGovern shared in his opening remarks his first glimpse of hunger entering Naples, Italy during World War 2. He said, I pledged then that if I ever had a chance to speak out against hunger I would. That opportunity came during President Kennedy s administration ( ) when he was named as the first director of the U.S. Food for Peace program, which brought the agricultural community and the federal government to feed the hungry people not only overseas, but here in the States. Domestically, McGovern said his efforts tripled the size of the federal food stamp program and increased the federal school lunch program, so that children in America would not go hungry. He said his change in attitude about hunger in America came while watching a CBS-TV special titled Hunger in America. He said he saw in that report migrant labor camps, people living in shacks and hungry children in the slums of our great cities. In the 1990s, President Clinton appointed him to Rome with the World Food Program. He discovered that we weren t reducing the number of hungry people in the world as the population continues to increase. He urged New Indiana Methodist Foundation board elects officers The new Indiana Methodist Foundation in one of its first items of business on Wednesday, June 30, elected officers. They are: Rick Childs, chairperson of the board; Mary Miller of Indianapolis, vice-chairperson; Forrest Bowers, secretary; and David V.W. Owen, treasurer. The foundation was created by action of the members of the Indi- ana Conference during its annual session last month in Muncie. About the new officers: Childs of Cicero in the North Central District is the former president of the Methodist Foundation of South Indiana, Inc. Miller of Indianapolis in the Central District is the former vice-chairperson of the former Indiana Area Foundation and a retired pastor of the conference who has served the church at all levels including General Board of Pension and Health Benefits. Bowers of Muncie in the East District is a retired local pastor serving the Losantville UMC and a member of the former North Indiana Methodist Foundation. Rejuvenate announces new workshop INDIANAPOLIS July 1 marked the first anniversary of Rejuvenate, the Indiana Conference-wide project that offers financial literacy-related educational opportunities to clergy and laity. The project also provides an economic initiative to clergy. As Rejuvenate begins its second year, the emphasis will continue to be on offering educational opportunities Enright to clergy and laity that will help them grow personally in the areas of financial literacy and generosity. In addition to personal growth opportunities through faith-based stewardship education programs, such as Financial Peace University, Good $en$e Ministries, and David Bell s Extravagant Generosity workshops for clergy and clergy spouses,to name a few, the educational opportuni- ties for congregational clergy and lay teams, who desire to grow in the areas of financial literacy and generosity will expand. In addition to the David Bell Extravagant Generosity workshops for clergy and lay teams, a new workshop has been added Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity. The Rev. Dr. William Enright, a national speaker and executive director of The Lake Institute on Faith and Giving ( iupui.edu/ Lakefamilyinstitute), will lead a four-night workshop Sept Clergy and lay teams (including chairpersons of the administrative council, staff-parish relations committee, finance committee, and the treasurer, plus the lay leader and the lay member to annual conference) can register by contacting Lisa in the Conference Center at or tollfree at The registration fee for the four-night workshop is $30 per congregation (clergy and lay team). The workshop will be held at Irvington Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon Road in Indianapolis. Workshops will include: The Altered Landscape of Religious Giving and its Implications for the Future, Creating a Congregational Culture of Generosity: Talking About Money with Theological Integrity, Creating a Congregational Culture of Generosity: Donor Care as an Extension of Pastoral Care and Creating a Congregational Culture of Generosity: The Roots of Generosity: Fiscal Transparency and Institutional Accountability. For more information, contact Project Director Michelle Cobb at michelle.cobb@inumc.org or call or the Nations in Rome to provide a universal lunch program worldwide. He was appointed Nations Ambassador on World Hunger in Kansas U.S. Senator Bob Dole and McGovern were named the 2008 Word Food Prize Laureates for their work to promote schoolfeeding programs globally. McGovern continues to keep his optimism that we will eliminate hunger in the world. He said it s not a problem of production, but a problem of distribution. It s a big order, but we can do it. Central Indiana prepare for Habitat build prayful consideration of this project with Habitat for Humanity and fellow Methodist congregations.the construction of a house brings large and small pieces to make a home. Planners say they need as much participation from congregations as they can to ensure a complete project. So far, 20 congregations are committed to this ministry outreach. Donations can be mailed to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis, Attn: UMC Build, 1011 East 22nd Street, Indianapolis, IN Or online donations can be made at: For more information about the project, contact Stephen Craig at Ext. 121 or scraig@indyhabitat.org. If you wish to volunteer as an individual to work on this build, please contact Beth Butcher at ext. 101 or bbutcher@indyhabitat.org. Owen is executive assistant to Indiana Bishop Mike Coyner. Other foundation directors include: Nancy Armstrong of Indianapolis, Dixie Arter of Fort Wayne, John Clay of Warsaw, Bishop Mike Coyner, James Gentry of Indianapolis, Julie Goldsberry of Indianapolis, Tom Heck of Muncie, Walt Koon of Morgantown, Glenn Larson of Zionsville, Jay Love of Indianapolis, Mitch Norwood of Columbus, Nancy Raidy of Frankfort, Gene Robbins of Frankfort, Jim Shaw of Indianpolis, John Stroh of Columbus, Roger Summers of Fort Wayne and DeVon Yoho of Muncie. Community garden unites Hammond neighborhood HAMMOND, Ind. (Northwest Indiana Times) Woodmar Methodist volunteers, residents from Hammond Housing, and community residents planted a Community Garden this spring near the corner of Columbia Avenue and 173rd Street. The garden is on 8,000 square feet of land owned by the Hammond Housing Authority. It will provide low-income residents with free, healthy food. We believe it will also make the community a better and safer place by uniting residents and providing educational opportunities to children at O Bannon, said organizer Heather Demantes. The event was organized by Woodmar Methodist Church and called Change the World Day, with the message that people everywhere should take more active roles in their own communities. Sandwiches and water for volunteers were donated by Food 4 Less, which also made a monetary donation, and hot dogs were provided by youth and young adult groups from the church. Volunteers, including residents Susan Stevens and Carol Buse, who worked tirelessly the entire day, began by clearing the plot and planting the garden. They have been part of the project since the start last fall and attended meetings. We also had a lot of senior volunteers from Golden Manor help sign people in and create interest in the garden, said Demantes. For more information on how to get involved, contact Woodmar Methodist Church at or woodmarumc@att.net or the Hammond Housing Authority at A Habitat for Humanity photo Pictured here is a typical Habitat for Humanity house for this area of the country.

9 By Bob Walters It was in late 1998 when the General Board of Global Ministries in New York City decided to evacuate all Methodist missionaries from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was in the mountains in the Mitwaba District when the call came on the district superintendent s ham radio. I left in this ordered retreat. Now in early, I arrived at the border of the Mitwaba District at the village of Kyubo, greeted by a wave of. Those who have visited communities in Africa know what these greetings can look like. Scouts met us several kilometers outside of town to relieve us of our bicycles. District and local lay leaders brought water and walked with us. Methodist Women led the singing and dancing. An official delegation met us at the district border with gifts of flowers and doves. Hundreds of children were underfoot. This was all that and something much, much deeper personally. These were my people. I was their missionary. And even after a 12- year absence, they still thought of me as their missionary. And beyond that, my arrival represented the return of the greater Methodist Church. Their long wait was over. Human tragedy Since my leaving, these brave people have gone through the most under-reported human tragedy of the last two decades; 4 to 5 million Congolese killed and I was stepping onto this hallowed ground. As I stepped into the district, I saw the piles of BEVERLY, Ky. The song The Great Adventure by Steven Curtis Chapman perfectly describes the journey of Susan and Harry Brooks during the past five years. They blazed a new trail at Methodist Red Bird Mission in the Appalachian area of eastern Kentucky, complete with abundant evidence of God s amazing grace. The first ever dental laboratory at Red Bird Mission became a reality in fall 2008, supplying dental patients of Red Bird clinic with prescribed dental appliances that were fiancially beyond their reach, as well as providing free laboratory fees in both dentures, crowns and bridges. But the adventure didn t stop there. It was Harry s dream and intention to establish a program to train local residents in dental laboratory technology to give them a road to financial stability. This spring, Harry, in conjunction with the Eastern Kentucky Consolidated Employment Program, graduated three local women with a new vocation and a bright future. All three have been placed in local jobs and have started their new vocation. A second class will begin in the fall with six local participants already enrolled. Although more GLOBAL & MISSION NEWS missionary returns to Mitwaba, DRC, Africa remaining bricks of the burned out church. Eighty five percent of the village had been burned. (UN numbers) Then I was taken to the mass graves marked by three simple wooden crosses. First the May-May (pronounced My My) came through burning and killing. Then government troops swept out the May-May, likewise burning and killing. The slaughter was indiscriminate and brutal; rape and machete being the weapons of choice. Everything I know about the war in Congo I learned in the village. Village leaders taught me that when the regular Congolese troops were shown to be no match against the invading Rwandan and Ugandan armies, the May-May arose as the saviors of the Congolese people. (Think Khmer Rouge.) They were saving the people through a reign of fire and death. The name May-May means Water-Water. Spiritually high (and drugged up), the May-May believed that bullets passed through them like water. They were led by war lords who wore necklaces of human body parts. They terrorized the land. That being said, when the government troops finally displaced them, the village experienced death and destruction all over again. Like brush With Superintendent Mulongo of Mulongo District and Superintendent Mutombo of the Mitwaba District, I had just entered what had come to be known as Le Triangle de la Mort (The Triangle of Death), also known as the Route Rouge (the Red Road). As we rode north, we saw village after village with the same story. Vil- 9 This spring Walters finished a 1,000 kilometer (600 mile) bicycle tour of remote districts of the North Katanga Conference in the Democratic Republic of the Congo evaluating the state of The Methodist Church with an eye toward two concerns: communities struggling to recover from the war, and communities who once had resident missionaries and now are struggling to keep those mission stations alive. lages that at one time were things of beauty, now looked like the bush. The task before us is daunting. A visit like this is a promise, a promise to return with real help. Friendly Planet Missiology is all about delivering the kind of help that moves a community toward self-sufficiency and our ultimate goal is to leverage local resources, but right now we have a lot of churches, schools, and clinics to rebuild; wells to be dug; bicycles, farming tools, and mosquito nets to be delivered; and future leaders to be trained. Bob Walters and his daughter, Taylor Walters Denyer, are the leadership and community development team of Friendly Planet Missiology. For more information, visit Brooks graduates three dental technicians in Kentucky Photo courtesy of the Brooks Graduates (from left) Shandra Harris, April Banks and Lori Bradford display their Certificates of Achievement for their successful studies in dental lab technology at Red Bird. Standing behind the women are Harry Brooks (left) and Dr. Lamar Keiser on the right, the dentist at the Red Bird Dental Clinic. funds will be necessary to accommodate the additional students, Harry remains committed to creating skilled workers and unlimited hope in the economically depressed Appalachian area. Original goal The Brooks original goal of building the dental lab at Red Bird, and supplying dentures and appliances for the less fortunate, has turned into a huge blessing. Harry has spent hours on the phone to dental manufacturers and supply companies asking for donations; sometimes traveling across the country to pick up the larger items. When a major dental industry publication wrote an article about the Brooks mission and their need for supplies and equipment, boxes and boxes of donations flooded Red Bird. Several dental manufacturers, some of whom had never heard of a project like this, have donated ongoing disposable supplies. As the Brooks began to assemble the lab, it became evident that certain high-end equipment would need to be purchased. The couple didn t know how God would accomplish this, but then one night Harry had a dream, and Dollars for Dentures was launched. Dollars for Dentures became an opportunity for the Methodist community to participate in the great adventure. With the help of Pretty Lake Trinity UMC in Plymouth, the Brooks sent letters and collection boxes to a number of Methodist churches throughout Indiana. Their thought was that if each person in a congregation just placed one dollar into the box, it would make a huge difference in their ministry. Many people responded and the support was overwhelming. Because Harry and Susan do not yet have a mission advance number, the funds were sent directly to the central office of Red Bird Mission. Appreciation While Harry and Susan deeply appreciated all the support, many names slipped through the administrative cracks, leaving them with an incomplete list of donors. It is their desire to ensure that each donor receives a proper thank-you and a Follow the Star certificate of appreciation. They also wish to send updates to those contributors who would like to be kept informed of the progress of the Red Bird Mission Dental Laboratory and Harry s vocational efforts. If you have contributed to Dollars for Dentures and have not heard from the Brooks, they would love to hear from you by mail or . God has blessed the extravagant generosity of the Methodist family and there are many success stories to tell. Susan told Together, I would love to share the many God moments that have taken place as a direct result of the generous spirit of the Methodist family. Our work continues to bless us every day in the form of changed lives and changed futures, and that s a story worth telling. Donations are always needed and much appreciated. For those interested in becoming part of the Red Bird Dental Lab story, contributions can be sent to Red Bird Mission, 70 Queendale Center, Beverly, KY plainly marked c/o Dental Laboratory, or sent in care of Pretty Lake Trinity Methodist Church, P.O. Box 266, Plymouth, IN For further information you may contact Harry and Susan at Brooks2313@aol.com or call anytime.

10 10 VIEWPOINTS This train is leaving the station, get onboard By Jean Brindel There is an old saying This train is leaving the station. In 2006, the former North Indiana Annual Conference session approved the concept of the Epworth Forest Project at the conference owned Epworth Forest Conference Center in North Webster, Ind. Since that time, many across the state have been working toward the day when six cabins would be built to provide facilities for year-round programming to help reach the goal of 10,000 campers a year for Jesus Christ. If all goes as planned, dirt will begin to move at Epworth Forest in early September. Several wonderful things have Brindel Reflections on annual conference: Asking the right questions By Andy Kinsey Driving home from the Indiana Annual Conference session at Muncie in June, I felt disconnected. I knew something wasn t right, but what was it? Were my expectations too high? Were my expectations different than the expectations of the planners? Was it the business of the church, the many motions and amendments on pensions and health care? Was it the question around why some churches tithe and others don t, or was it sitting in a huge auditorium wondering if this is what Wesley had in mind when Methodism began? Were we even asking the right questions? To be sure, since the early days of Methodism, the church has undergone change, sometimes necessary, always messy. The denominations that now comprise The Methodist Church have had many different forms of connection, from corporate to federalist models, to name a few. Organizational styles have also varied depending on larger patterns of organization in the culture. Not always have conferred well. Perhaps this recognition made me realize the obvious: Regardless of organizational structures, we can never escape our history and need for God s grace. We can never forget we stand in line with Christians who sought the Spirit s direction and found ways of offering Christ; such persons also faced challenges not unlike our own, yet discovered God s faithfulness in their midst. They were willing to ask the hard questions and test the Spirit s movement. Like all organizations, we in the church can fall into the temptation of focusing solely on the human side of the equation; we can throw up our hands and say, What s the point? Or, we can become so critical we slip into cynicism and say, Why bother? And yet, deep within, we also know, There is more! Perhaps this is where we can learn from the early. In June 1744, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and the societies in London and Bristol that had grown needed a way to confer about the workings of the Holy Spirit and the direction the needed to go. They needed a means of seeking God s grace amidst the demands of an expanding movement. In short, they needed ways to comfort and strengthen one another. Or, as Wesley himself asserted, they needed the wisdom of others to learn how to save not only the souls of those who heard us but our own! In early Methodism, a Conference was meant to seek the leading of the Spirit and to gather those Regardless of organizational structures, we can never escape our history and need for God s grace. whose spiritual insights Wesley knew he needed. In fact, as the early records indicate, a Conference was to be guided by three basic questions: What to teach; How to teach; What to do; that is how to regulate our doctrine, discipline and practice. Within these questions other questions would also be addressed. The goal was on seeking clarity and coming to grips with the essentials of the mission. Conferring with one another was intended to be a spiritual practice. Maybe this was the disconnect I was feeling. Was it the yearning for grace amidst the business on the floor? Was it the recognition that a Conference in the Wesleyan tradition does not begin with a series of motions or whereas clauses, but with a series of questions: What are we teaching and how are we teaching it? How are we practicing our doctrine and holding one another accountable? How are we seeking the Holy Spirit s direction? Perhaps Wesley s own concerns are still relevant: Unless we are connected to the power of the Spirit that began 2000 years ago in Jerusalem and swept to the ends of the earth, we might as well cease to exist (Acts 1:8). The Methodist Church only matters if it is part of God s redeeming mission in the world. To understand that mission, however, requires prayer and discernment, and true prayer and discernment requires an attentive community, a community willing to ask the right questions as it also seeks to move with the Spirit. I don t know if others felt the way I did driving home from Conference. It is hard to gauge such a large gathering. And yet, I wonder what would it mean to have our Conference, congregations and agencies shaped by the above three questions. After all, it may be, as it was for Wesley and the early that our attention to how we respond to these questions may not only concern the souls of those we seek to save, but our own as well. Andy Kinsey is the senior pastor of Grace UMC in Franklin. Readerss may respond by going to Andy s blog at happened to make this construction possible. A new building committee, chaired by David Wilson of First Wayne Street Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, has done a huge amount of work. With detailed information in hand, the building committee reconsidered the site, the foot print and the original bids of the proposed build. The committee changed the site for the first three buildings. They will now be located near the old amphitheater. Cabins will be built in clusters of three, and the cost for the project will drop from approximately $10 million to $7 million. The 2006 annual conference session also established prerequisites that require strong stewardship steps. The first requirement is that cash must be in hand for the building before contracts will be let. In other words, no loans of any sort can be made for the project only cash. The other requirement is that an equivalent of 20 percent of the total cost of the building will be placed in a maintenance endowment fund before the contracts are let. In other words, if the building cost is $500,000, then there must be $600,000 in hand before construction can begin. The Epworth Forest Project team believes those numbers will be met in the next few weeks; contracts will be let; the Indiana Conference Council on Finance and Administration and the Conference Trustees will provide due diligence; and the project will begin. This train is leaving the station, come and get onboard. If you d like to join in making this build for the future of Indiana Conference camping ministries a reality, visit to make a cash gift, a pledge or other opportunities, or to simply BODY, MIND & SPIRIT Ministering through employment By Todd Outcalt Not long ago I seemed to be the most popular guy in town. People were literally lined up outside my office door. There was a young woman who needed diapers for her infant, a father with severe burns who needed money for food and prescriptions, and two other families who needed rental and utility assistance. I was overwhelmed by the need and of course, could not meet all of the deep financial realities these families were facing. But not long after this experience, I began Re-Thinking church. I considered John Wesley s loan ministry a unique concept well ahead of its time. I began thinking about the difference between a handout and a hand-up. I wondered how the congregation and I could have a more profound impact in meeting the needs of families in our county? I m not sure I have all of the answers to this question, but I did arrive at one answer. The answer came one afternoon when an older gentleman visited yet again a fellow who made his weekly rounds and requests like clockwork. His request was always the same: Do you have any work I could do for pay? Pastors often hear this line when someone is in need and quite frankly, we often have reasons to disbelieve people will actually work for pay. But in my friend s case, I believed him. I asked him what line of work he was in. I m a painter, he told me. The next day, I put my friend to work painting the hallway at church. He did a great job, and three weeks lat- July/August gain more information about the project. This train is leaving the station. As individuals and churches share the joy of this project, they also share in doing everything it takes to reach the next generation for Jesus Christ. The Rev. Jean Moorman Brindel, CFRE, AFP, serves as Development Director of The Epworth Forest Project at North Webster, Ind. er, when he once again appeared in my office asking for work, I set him to the task of painting my house. He is indeed a painter! I am paying and tipping him well for his experience and expertise. Nothing shoddy about this man s work ethic, his gifts or his ability to paint my house which looks like new, by the way. Since this time, I have grown to appreciate the ministry of employment that Outcalt the church and the individual has to offer. Since hiring my friend to paint my house, I ve also offered work to men, women and teens who are eager to mow my yard, trim shrubs or line trim my flower beds. And listen I pay good wages. I m a good employer. People work hard for me and they want to do more than I ask. Here s what I ve learned: there is a great ministry in employment and the lifechanging, life-giving threads of human dignity inherent in hard work are significant. I ve also learned that most people would rather work for pay than receive a handout from the church or the pastor. There is worth and value in labor and whenever I hand my friends and helpers a wad of greasy dollars they always say Thank you and I get to say: No, THANK YOU. You are a blessing! What work can people do for you and your congregation? Isn t this Gospel? Todd Outcalt is the senior pastor at Brownsburg Calvary and author of twenty books, most recently, The Ultimate Christian Living and $5 Youth Ministry. He s saving his money so he can employ more people.

11 Finance group explores clergy job guarantees A UMNS Report By Heather Hahn Add another voice to a growing number of church officials calling for reconsideration of clergy job guarantees. The Sustainability Advisory Group, a body examining church finances, estimates there are 784 more U.S. clergy than there are positions needed to meet church needs today, and that some conferences are trying to fill jobs the denomination does not have. The group is recommending church bodies review and, if necessary, change church policy that states elders in good standing shall be continued under appointment by the bishop, according to The Book of Discipline. The current UMC clergy appointment structure and compensation system are unaffordable and unsustainable, and too often do not achieve the desired results of placing competent and qualified leadership in local churches, the group s report said. It simply does not make sense to maintain By the Rev. Jim Perry A UMNS Commentary a larger work force than local churches can afford. Facing tough times The study group was formed in the wake of the economic recession that put pressure on conferences and brought greater attention to the financial challenges already facing the church. Barbara Boigegrain, top staff executive of the Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits, in March 2009 requested volunteers to examine the sustainability of the church s financial obligations. The group initially started by examining benefits, she said, but soon expanded its research to include compensation and infrastructure. Boigegrain further stated, We decided we needed to get a bigger picture. As we started to focus on benefits, we saw there is no specific area that is not affected by others, especially when it comes to benefit, compensation and church costs. You ve heard the saying, If it ain t broke, don t fix it. Too often today, we also believe, If it is broke, throw it away, when that may not be the best thing to do. Sometimes we experience referred pain pain in a part of our body that is not where the actual problem lies. Likewise, problems within a system can appear in no relationship to the source of the problem. There has been a lot of conversation over the last few years about whether or not guaranteed appointment for elders has outlived its usefulness. I had been singing that song, but I am starting to change my tune. I work very closely with two critical bodies in the life of a Methodist annual conference: the cabinet and the conference Board of Ordained Ministry. We are blessed in Minnesota with an excellent cabinet and a great working Board of Ordained Ministry. The two groups don t always see eye to eye, because they are charged with different responsibilities. Among other tasks, the cabinet (superintendents and bishop) appoints pastors, while the board determines whether those who offer themselves for ordained or licensed ministry have the gifts, graces and fitness for it. Inadequate supervision The cabinet and the Board of Ordained Ministry share responsibilities for supervision, although the board does not become involved in supervision once individuals are qualified unless those individuals fail to live up to the disciplinary expectations of their ministry. It is not the guaranteed appointment that is broken. It is the failure of the board and cabinet to provide adequate supervision so that clergy who need specific assistance or skills are getting them at their point of need. This isn t because they don t care or are not paying attention, it is because we expect a span of supervision by the superintendent that is impossible to achieve. We also need a more transparent and simpler way to determine a clergyperson s inability or unwillingness to perform competent ministry once remedial assistance has been offered. At that point, the Board of Ordained Ministry can address the issue through such actions as involuntary leave of absence, involuntary retirement or administrative location. The problem must be named. It may be VIEWPOINTS Do not discard job guarantees for clergy A UMNS photo by Jill Shirley, Minnesota AC The Rev. Katie Menne is ordained during the Minnesota Annual Conference session in Saint Cloud, Minn. poor working habits; it may be health issues that impair one s work; it may be disinterest; or it may be incompetence. There is a delicate balance in our current system that is not always seen even by those of us intimately involved in it. There must be a balance between the power of the bishop and superintendents and the Board of Ordained Ministry. (Let me reiterate, I do not see an imbalance among our current bishop, cabinet and board.) Without guaranteed appointment, all the power rests with the bishop and cabinet. If the power is too heavily on the side of the Board of Ordained Ministry and there is no process for exiting ineffective clergy, then mediocrity becomes the norm and the bishop, cabinet and local churches must make do. This shouldn t happen. Churches have the right to expect solid, competent leadership. Clergy have Promised jobs The effort found that total local church expenses may include trying to support full-time clergy in small congregations that may not be able to afford them. Eventually, the group looked at the total employment costs of the current appointment system. The group s report follows an interim recommendation by the Commission to Study the Ministry to do away with clergy job guarantees. Guaranteed appointments are a major contributing factor to mediocrity and ineffectiveness, the commission told the Methodist Council of Bishops at its recent spring meeting. The commission will not make its final report until next year. Methodist elders agree incompetent clergy should be removed from their ranks. However, many say The Book of Discipline already outlines a process for such action, one with rights of appeal. Clergy have expressed fears that the commission s proposal would leave them open to arbitrary dismissal, compromising their freedom to speak hard truths to troubled congregations. In addition, they worry that such a shift would leave women and ethnic minorities more vulnerable to discrimination. 11 Fewer people support, more clergy In its report, the Sustainability Advisory Group said the church must confront a hard financial reality: The denomination now has fewer people responsible for supporting more clergy. The Methodist Church in the States has seen its membership decline by 25 percent to fewer than 7.8 million members since its peak in 1968, the report said. More than 80 percent of congregations now have fewer than 125 members. Yet in the past 25 years, the number of active clergy has held relatively steady, and the number of retirees has grown by 250 percent. The church simply cannot afford to support itself much longer without drastic change, the advisory group said. One of those necessary changes, the group said, is managing the clergy pipeline so supply does not exceed need. New approaches The group suggests following the examples of the Indiana and Missouri annual conferences. The Indiana Conference helps clergy who might do better in another profession with the Called Anew program, which includes three to six months of severance. The Missouri Conference provides intervention and training for struggling clergy. But if no improvement happens, the conference counsels ineffective clergy out of pastoral ministry. Another possible savings, the study group said, is extending the terms of appointments. Such an action would not only save on moving costs, but also likely improve the emotional and spiritual lives of clergy, their families and local church members. Visit Churches have the right to expect solid, competent leadership. Clergy have the right to expect churches that are eager to be an expression of the body of Christ in their communities. the right to expect churches that are eager to be an expression of the body of Christ in their communities. Helping clergy when needed I think that the shortcomings of supervision could be fixed by our instituting a remedial process for clergy who need to acquire or sharpen essential skills. We have done some of this over the years. It helps in some cases and not in others. We also need metrics to assess progress. We need a clearer and more streamlined process that assists clergy to exit our system. This can be done while maintaining fair process for the clergy involved. We also have to be willing to set aside funds to assist clergy to make a career change. We should have a similar expectation for each local church, regardless of location or size. All of our churches, by The Methodist Book of Discipline, are charged to minister to persons in the community where the church is located, to provide appropriate training and nurture to all, to cooperate in ministry with other local churches, to defend God s creation and live as an ecologically responsible community, and to participate in the worldwide mission of the church, as minimal expectations of an authentic church (Paragraph 202). Our appointment system is part of the Wesleyan genius. Let s fix what needs fixing. Fixing it will take more work and be more complicated than tossing out one piece, like the guaranteed appointment. To start to dismantle it would upset the delicate balance between cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry, and could start what I fear will be a fundamental change in our system that will be for the worse. Jim Perry is director of ministries and appointed leadership for the Minnesota Annual Conference.

12 12 CHRONICLES July/August Bishop, superintendents express concern for well-being of pastors There is a wise saying, People don t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Here is a statement from Indiana Bishop Mike Coyner and the ten Indiana Conference District Superintendents. It is another indication Bishop Coyner and the Superintendents (also known as the Cabinet) are concerned about and care for the pastors of the Indiana Conference. A Statement to Clergy and Congregations regarding Rejuvenate The Bishop and Cabinet are thankful for the leadership of the clergy of the Indiana Conference to parishioners and non parishioners alike. We recognize that many people are facing economic chal- LEBANON, Ind. (IUMCH) The annual program of the Indiana Methodist Children s Home Auxiliary was held at Gress Memorial Chapel on the Home s Lebanon campus in April. The gathering brought Auxiliary members and guest from across Indiana, representing several Methodist congregations. The Auxiliary was organized more than 40 years ago and sponsors several meaningful projects which benefit the youth. Through annual dues of $3, the Auxiliary helps fund flu inoculations, orthodontia needs, school supplies, APPOINTMENTS lenges caused by educational and family debt. We know that our clergy in the Indiana Conference are not immune to these same economic challenges that their parishioners are facing. As Bishop and Cabinet, we are empathic toward those clergy and congregational members who are facing such economic challenges. We worry about what impact this has on their ability to serve the church. We know the stigma that our clergy may feel about this and we stand with our clergy and congregations to overcome this struggle. We fully endorse the Rejuvenate project as a way of helping our pastors and congregations face this reality. Although the details of a pastor s finances are kept confidential by the Rejuvenate project, we affirm those pastors who participate in this project and develop a plan to become financially healthy as a person, family and pastoral leader. When a pastor is to be considered for a pastoral assignment, we see their involvement in Rejuvenate as a significant asset which they bring to the pastoral leadership of the congregation. We also affirm the support a congregation provides when they participate with their pastor in the Rejuvenate project. Our expectation is to have well-equipped and financially sound pastoral leadership for all our churches. From Bishop Coyner and the Cabinet of the Indiana Conference of The Methodist Church, adopted May 19,. Lebanon children s home auxiliary officers confirmed educational and recreational supplies and much more. Auxiliary officers were confirmed at their Annual Meeting. Rev. Marcy Patrick co-pastor of Centenary UMC, Lebanon, conducted the installation service. Officers are: Nancy Beesley, President of Thorntown UMC; Millie Reid, Secretary of Christ UMC in Indianapolis; Pat Grubb, Membership Chairperson and Jack Enos Treasurer, both of Covington UMC. For more information about the Indiana Methodist Children s Home, visit IUMCH Auxiliary Executive Committee members, officers and guests were in attendance at the annual meeting. Pictured from left to right are: Pat Grubb of Covington; Delores Brown of Covington; Jack Enos of Covington; Mildred Rogers of Greensburg; Peggy Enos of Covington; Esther Hurley of Covington; Ersel Rogers of Greensburg; Ruth Ann Horstman of North Vernon; Denise Horstman of North Vernon; Bill Horstman, of North Vernon; Marty Moll of Lafayette and Ann and O.L. Hamilton of Brownsburg. Bishop Michael J. Coyner has announced the following changes within the Indiana Conference. These appointments are based on Cabinet reports received by Indiana Conference Communication during the months of May and June. Abbott, Jim W. from Anoka, Northwest District to Retirement, 10/31/2009 Abel, David L. from Pilchers Chapel, Northeast District to No Appointment, 2/28/ Adams, Judith K. from Burlington, Northwest District to North Liberty, North District, Adams, Judith K. from No Appointment to Burlington, Northwest District, 3/ 21/ Ahlemeyer, Clayton from New Market/ Waveland, West District to No Appointment, 6/30/ Alexander, Jerrold D. from Colonial, North Central to No Appointment, Alexander, Will from Portland Center/ New Mt. Pleasant, East District to No Appointment, 7/12/ Allen, Jeffery S. from New Appointment to Pine Village, Northwest District, Alstott, Dennis from Dillsboro/Aurora Mt. Tabor, Southeast District to Grant Line, South District, Anderson, Randy L. from Evansville Salem, Southwest District to Evansville Salem/Associate Superintendent, Southwest District, 5/1/ Barnett, Harold David from Benson Chapel, Northwest District to Discontinued, Black, Lowell from New Appointment to Extension Ministry: Chesterton Fire Department, 5/1/ Bleecker, Edith from New Appointment to Lanesville/Corydon Zoar, South District, Blessitt, Scott from New Appointment to Corydon Pleasant Ridge, South District, Bloom, Kim from Clay, North District to No Appointment, 5/30/ Blue, Byron from New Appointment to Point Isabel, North Central, Bourne, Chiyona from Hillside, Southwest District to Indianapolis Epworth/rescinding Lawrence, Central District, 1/1/2009 Brookshire, C. Wesley from Retirement to Associate District Superintendent, Northeast District, Brown, Steve W. from Loraine, Illinois Conference to Evansville Albright/ Chandler, Southwest District, 7/1/ Burnworth, Brenda Kay from Swayzee, North Central to Benson Chapel, Northwest District, Burris, J. Steven from Retirement to Associate District Superintendent, Northeast District, Cain, L. Stephen from Fort Wayne Trinity, Northeast District to Temple, West District, Camp, Melvin D. from Petersburg First, Southwest District to Petersburg First/Associate Superintendent, Southwest District, 6/1/ Carpenter, Roy Eugene from Holland/ Holland Zoar, Southwest District to Ames Chapel, South District, 7/1/ Chattin, Jarrod from New Appointment to Bruceville/Wheatland, Southwest District, Cherry, Constance from Grant, North Central to No Appointment, 7/1/ Childress, James from No Appointment to Termination, 5/25/ Cho, Daniel from New Appointment to Westville, North District, Cline, James E. from West Middleton, North Central to No Appointment, 6/1/ Cook, Pamela Carol from Paoli, South District to Richmond First, East District, 8/1/ Couger, Marilyn from Carlise, West District to Retirement, Craddock, George William from New Albany Centenary, South District to Retirement, Cross, Barbara K. from South Milford, Northeast District to South Milford/ Rome City, Northeast District, 7/1/ Davis, Gregory from Patoka, Southwest District to Loogootee, Southwest District, 7/7/ Davis, John from New Appointment to Associate Superintendent, West District, Day, Mark A. from Atwood Aldersgate/ Bourbon First, North District to Hamlet/Grovertown, North District, DeKoninck, Kevin G. from Winamac First, Northwest District to North Manchester, Northwest District, 7/ 1/ Denney, Robert James from Bellefountain/Portland Fairview, East District to Swayzee, North Central, Dolby, Linda from Otterbein, Northwest District to Retirement, Downing, Stacy Elaine from Fort Wayne Good Shepherd, Northeast District to Hoagland Hope, Northeast District, Dunbar, Deanna L. from Delaware/Napoleon, Southeast District to Mt. Sinai, Southeast District, Dunlevy, Sharon G. from New Appointment to Plainfield, Central District, Dunten, Marilyn DeLancey from New Appointment to Arcola/Lake Chapel, Northeast District, Eads, Steven G. from No Appointment to Mineral, West District, 4/1/ Eckert, John R. from New Appointment to Ohio Falls, South District, 8/1/ Elrod, Jim from New Appointment to Clay, North District, 6/1/ Foughty-Killion, Valarie Ellen from Vincennes Community, Southwest District to Paoli, South District, 8/ 1/ Frejie, Brenda Hacker from Roberts Park, Central District to Lockerbie Central/Roberts Park, Central District, 5/1/ Frymier, Bret Alan from Albion Asbury, Northeast District to Albion Asbury/ Albion Trinity, Northeast District, 7/ 1/ Gadlage, Christopher S. from Corydon Pleasant Ridge, South District to Tanner Valley, Southeast District, 7/ 1/ Garbe, Cheryl P. from Richmond First, East District to Vincennes Community, Southwest District, 8/1/ Garris, Wes from Princeton Mt. Olive, Southwest District to Otwell, Southwest District, 8/1/ Gilbert, Daryl A. from Crawfordsville Trinity, West District to Crawfordsville Trinity/Waynetown, West District, Ginder, Duane A. from Indiana Village, Northeast District to No Appointment, 5/18/ Greene, Malcolm B. from Retirement to East Side, East District, Harlan, Sandra K. from Bloomington St. Mark s/indiana Conference, Southeast District to Indianapolis St Luke s/indiana Conference, Central District, Haskins, Jack Barnett from Bicknell Asbury Chapel, Southwest District to Retirement, Haskins, Peter from New Appointment to Bicknell Asbury Chapel, Southwest District, 8/1/ Helm, Daniel M. from Leave of Absence to Involuntary Leave of Absence, 2/ 15/ Helm, Laura from No Appointment to Discontinued, 5/25/ Helms, William H. from Milltown/ Hancock Chapel, South District to Retirement, Helms, William H. from Milltown/ Hancock Chapel, South District to Associate Superintendent Southeast District, 6/30/ Herrmann, William John from Laurel, Southeast District to Whitcomb/ Brookville Mt. Carmel, Southeast District, Hinshaw, Matthew Boone from New Appointment to Milltown/Hancock Chapel, South District, Holcomb, Donna from Alvarado, Northeast District to Helmer, Northeast District, Hunt, Curtis Clark from Morton Memorial, South District to Park Memorial, South District, 3/14/ Huntsman, Paul from Hazelton/Decker/ Princeton Mt. Olive, Southwest District to Poseyville St. Paul s, Southwest District, Hutchins-Case, Ann from St. Francis Hospital to Retirement, Irvine, Michael Vincent from Kent/ Deputy/Pisgah, Southeast District to Carlise, West District, Jackson, Patrick Michael from Fairlawn, Southwest District to Fairlawn/Associate Superintendent, Southwest District, 6/1/ James, Myron K. from Center Point/ Ashboro, West District to Retirement, Jeffers, Terry Lee from Lewis, West District to Harmony/Lena, West District, Johnson, Carol Stephen from New Appointment to Burlington, Northwest District, Johnson, Stephen Wendell from Extension Ministry: Ecumenical Stewardship Center to Incapacity Leave, 3/ 4/ Judson, Richard Frankland from New Appointment to Aroma, North Central, Karkosy-Litten, Amber from New Appointment to Mentone, Northwest District,

13 CHRONICLES HealthFlex Dependent Children Coverage coming Jan. 1 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of (the Health Reform Acts ) require health plans that cover participants dependent children to offer that coverage to those children up to age APPOINTMENTS 26, if the children are not eligible for employer-provided coverage. This requirement goes into effect the first plan year after Sept. 23; for HealthFlex, our Indiana Conference-wide healthcare insurance, this plan year begins Jan. 1, On Jan.1, HealthFlex will Redkey-Dunkirk pastor officiates at first wedding in Lucas Oil Stadium Photo and story courtesy of Pastor Randy Davis. Pastor Randy Davis of Redkey and Dunkirk Mt. Tabor Methodist churches recently officiated the first known wedding at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The vows were received Saturday afternoon, June 26. The bride, Brittany VanSkyock, of Dunkirk, carried a blue bouquet in the shape of a horseshoe. The groom, Justin Smitley of Dunkirk, wore a Colts tie. The colors were blue and white. The wedding was followed by a reception in the Quarterback s Suite on the stadium s upper-deck. begin offering coverage to participants children who are under age 26 years, regardless of their student or dependent status if the children are not eligible for their own employer-provided coverage. Participants whose children are not currently covered in Health- INDIANAPOLIS The Rev. Adolf Hansen completed his term June 30 as the Indiana Conference Interim Director of Human Resources. Yesterday, July 1, Brent Williams, conference director of administrative service, assumed the duties of HR. Hansen was hired primarily to establish HR policies and procedures for the new Hansen conference, create a common conference employee handbook, and assist Bishop Mike Coyner and the conference directors in hiring the new conference staff. Human resources will now be administered by Williams. Hansen was instrumental in the uniting of the two conferences prior to his HR appointment. He retired from being vice president of administration at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., after 21 years of service. He and his wife, Naomi, then moved back to Indianapolis. In relationship to 13 Conference human resources duties shifted July 1 from Hansen to Williams Indiana s two conference now united, this is the role he played in helping to establish the new Indiana Conference Member of the Visioning Task Force (SIC) under Bishop Woodie White 2004 Member of Futuring Task Force (SIC) under Bishop Mike Coyner Flex, but who would be eligible for this coverage, may enroll the child or children during the HealthFlex Annual Election period in November for coverage beginning Jan. 1, Some of the details surrounding that coverage will be determined in part by forthcoming regulations and guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For more information on this coverage and how it will work, visit and click on Benefits. Williams 2005 Member of Merger Task Force (NIC and SIC) 2006 Co-chair of Imagine Indiana Planning Team (NIC and SIC) 2007 Member of Imagine Indiana Design Team (NIC and SIC) 2008 through June 30, Interim Director of Human Resources Even though retired anew, Hansen plans to work with the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and some of our Methodist-related seminaries. Kelly, Debora C. from Fredericksburg/ Hardinsburg/Fredericksburg Mt. Carmel, South District to No Appointment, 6/30/ Kerkhoff, Barbara from New Appointment to Bringhurst, Northwest District, Kessler, Kent K. from Alto/Sharpsville, North Central to Discontinued, 7/1/ Kirkland, Regina from New Appointment to Colonial, North Central, 7/ 1/ Kline, Duane from No Appointment to Claypool, North District, Klinker, Harold L. from Arcola/Lake Chapel, Northeast District to Retirement, Kyle, David B. from Aroma, North Central to Retirement, Landon, Jeffrey Alan from Incapacity Leave to Flora, Northwest District, Landry, Matthew from New Appointment to Winamac First, Northwest District, Langdoc, Bryan from New Appointment to Darlington, West District, 7/1/ Langdoc, Maureen from New Appointment to Darlington, West District, 7/ 1/ Lewis, James F. from Ohio Falls, South District to No Appointment, 7/31/ Lewis, Teresa from New Appointment to Roann, Northwest District, 5/15/ Long, Sharan A. from Huntertown, Northeast District to Wayne Center, Northeast District, 11/8/2009 Low, David S. from Waynetown, West District to Incapacity Leave, 6/30/ Lugar, Tammy from New Appointment to Washington Center, Northeast District, 7/16/ Lynn, L. Ray from East 10th St., Central District to No Appointment, 5/ 26/ Madison, Chris B. from Incapacity Leave to Retirement, Mangum, John from New Appointment to Kewanna Pleasant Hill, Northwest District, Mathys, William F. from New Appointment to Joyce Chapel, North Central, 6/3/ Matthews, Timothy from Greencastle Union Chapel, West District to No Appointment, 6/30/ McAfee, Stephen D. from New Appointment to Bethany/Perseverance Chapel, South District, McGawn, Mary from Howe/Extension Ministry, Northeast District to Leave of Absence, 9/1/ McKinney, Michael W., Sr. from Rome City, Northeast District to Incapacity Leave, McKnight, Elijah from Hartford City Trinity, East District to No Appointment, 1/3/ Miller, Mark Jeffrey from Cornerstone, Southwest District to Cornerstone/ Associate Superintendent, Southwest District, 5/1/ Mingus, Jeffrey Kent from Ohio Chapel, Southeast District to No Appointment, Moman, Mary Ann from Ext. Ministries: GBHEM to Ext. Ministries: Garrett Seminary, 8/15/ Moon, Jim Paul, III from Park Place, South District to Park Memorial, South District, 3/14/ Neckers, David from Muncie Union Chapel, East District to Muncie Union Chapel/Associate District Superintendent, East District, Nelson, Chris from New Appointment to Dunkirk Calvary, East District, 7/ 1/ Nichols, Kurt D. from Valparaiso First, North District to New Song Fellowship, North District, 6/1/ O Neal, John K. from Rosedale, West District to Greencastle Union Chapel, West District, Ostermeier, Robert L. from Southeast/ South Associate District Superintendent to Retirement, Ostermeier, Robert L. from Retirement to Associate Superintendent Southeast District, Ottjes, Karen from Akron, Northwest District to Thorntown, North Central, Overmyer, David L. from North Manchester, Northwest District to Retirement, Overmyer, David L. from Retirement to Warsaw Pleasant Grove, North District, Parker, H. Russell from No Appointment to Oolitic, South District, 6/1/ Parks, Kristen C. from St. Paul Union Chapel, Southeast District to No Appointment, Patterson, Dave from New Appointment to Kniman/Tefft, Payne, Debra K. from Grant Line, South District to No Appointment, 6/30/ Pence, Diane Menke from Bloomington Fairview, West District to Bloomington Fairview/Extension Ministry: Private Counseling Practice, West District, 4/29/ Perkins, Jarmon L. from Retirement to Associate Superintendent, Southwest District, 5/1/ Perkins, R. Glenn from Hanover, East District to Portland Fairview/ Bellefountain, East District, 7/1/ Phillips, Gary G. from Dunkirk Calvary, East District to Pennville, East District, Pinney, Jeff L. from Otwell, Southwest District to Mt. Vernon Faith/St Peters, Southwest District, Randall, John A. from Hoagland Hope, Northeast District to Otterbein, Northwest District, Rinearson, Richard from New Appointment to Goshen St Mark s, North District, Roth, Veryl from New Appointment to Pilchers Chapel, Northeast District, 4/11/ Rumble, D. Alan from Temple, West District to Retirement, Rynkiewich, Michael Allen from Asbury Theological Seminary to Retirement, Sanders, Mark A. from Oakland Trinity/Patoka Grove, Southwest District to Marion Center Chapel, North Central, Schonbachler, Patrick J. from Extension Ministry: Brown Center to Retirement, Seitz, Stephen R. from New Albany Wesley, South/Huntingburg, Southwest to Retirement, 5/6/ Shanahan, Thomas B. from Retirement to Crown Point First, North District, 4/1/ Shore, Christa from New Appointment to New Jerusalem, Southwest District, 2/1/ Sinnott, Patrick from Orleans, South District to Fredericksburg/ Hardinsburg/Fredericksburg Mt. Carmel, South District, Sinnott, Patrick J. from Orleans, South District to Retirement, Smith, Alvin F. from Kniman/Tefft, Northwest District to Retirement, 7/ 1/ Smoot, Randy from New Appointment to Beaver Dam, Northwest District, Sparks, Rose Ann from Sullivan, West District to Lyons/Marco, West District, Stepp, Todd A. from New Appointment to New Albany Centenary, South District, 8/1/ Stone, Anthony David from Summitville, North Central to Summitville/Grant, North Central, 7/ 1/ Tarner, Michael E. from Goshen St. Marks, North District to Hazleton/ Decker Chapel/Princeton Mt. Olive, Southwest District, Temple, James from New Appointment to Heltonville, South District, 5/15/ Tiedeman, Chris from Pennville, East District to Kewanna, Northwest District, Troxell, Ernie from Whitcomb/ Brookville Mt. Carmel, Southeast District to Middletown, East District, True, Thomas Lynn from Southwest/ West Districts to Retirement, 7/1/ Tucker, Daniel E. from Wheatland/ Bruceville, Southwest District to No Appointment, 6/30/ Tucker, Daniel E. from Wheatland/ Bruceville/Loogootee, Southwest District to Wheatland/Bruceville, Southwest District, 12/31/2009 Tucker, Miriam from Decker/Wheeling, Southwest District to Akron, Northwest District, Viviano, Don A. from Chandler, Southwest District to Retirement, Wanner, Charles G. from New Appointment to Greenfield Mt. Lebanon, Central District, Welty, Myron from Patricksburg, West District to No Appointment, 5/1/ Whitacre, Matthew Blane from Bedford Erie, South District to No Appointment, 5/15/ Willis, Ronald Alan from Tell City First, Southwest District to Blythe Chapel, Southwest District, Wilson, Jean V. from Jeffersonville Wesley, South District to Retirement, Wooden, Kenneth J. from Retirement to Faith Trinity/Boston, East District, Woodke, Rose from Grovertown/Hamlet, North District to Retirement, 7/ 1/

14 14 reflects on life, times in personal daily memoir The Rev. Dr. Donald Lacy, a retired member of the Indiana Conference living in Muncie, has written another book, his 15th, about spirituality and life. This one, titled With an Attitude of Gratitude: A Personal/ Professional Memoir, was written from Jan. 1, through Dec. 31, In this year-long day-by- IN MEMORY Lacy day accounting of his life and life s work, Lacy regularly greets the morning with gratefulness and a heart of remembrance and receptivity. With daily entries, he meditates upon the faithfulness of God, reflecting upon those people who have related with him during each day, always pressing forward with his life s vision and mission with gratitude. Of interest to s, Lacy included many of their names and his interaction with them in these daily remembrances. Many, who are in regular contact with Lacy, will discover their names in the text. Seldom do we get such a daily, personal feel that Lacy provides of one s life. Readers will find they are reflecting on July/August and remembering times and events that they share in common with him. He also captures his 75 years of life, ongoing ministry and wisdom that fills both. With an Attitude of Gratitude was published by Providence House Publishers of Franklin, Tenn., a familiar publisher to. The 187-page book can be ordered online at Cokesbury.com. KENNETH M. AUSTIN, father of the Rev. Steve W. Austin, pastor of First UMC in Pendleton, Ind., and father-in-law of Sherry Austin, benefits assistant for pensions in the Indiana Conference Center, died on May 29,. A memorial service was held June 3 at Epworth UMC in Bluffton, Ind. Condolences can be sent to the Rev. & Mrs. Steve Austin, 1022 Porto Bello Road, Pendleton, IN MARY BUCK, mother of the Rev. Jeff Buck, pastor of Emmanuel UMC in Noblesville, died June 24,. Mary was a member of Union Chapel UMC in Indianapolis. A memorial service was held June 27 at Union Chapel UMC in Indianapolis. Condolences can be sent to the Rev. & Mrs. Jeff (and Julie) Buck, Talisman Dr., Noblesville, IN KERMIT O. BURROUS, 78, a former Indiana State Speaker of the House of Representatives and active Methodist, died May 26,. A memorial service was held June 1 at New Life UMC in Mexico, Ind. Survivors include: his wife, Anita J. Snyder; daughters Deborah L. Reed of Danville and Elaine K. Rinehart of Indianapolis; son Eric Burrous of Greenwood; and four grandchildren. He was elected to the Indiana General Assembly in 1960, serving nine terms in the House, three of those as Speaker of the House. Memorial donations can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson s Research, or other charity of the donor s choice. DAVID PAUL DUNTEN, 70, husband of Associate Pastor Marilyn DeLancey Dunten of New Haven UMC in the Northeast District, died May 10,. A Celebration of Life Service was held at New Haven UMC in New Haven, Ind. May 14, with burial at Huntertown Cemetery. Survivors include: wife, the Rev. Marilyn DeLancey Dunten; a daughter, Debbie A. Dunten Krempel of Fort Wayne; sons, David H. Dunten of Lafayette, the Rev. Darwin Paul Dunten of Findlay, Ohio and Dennis Scott Dunten of Frankfort, Ind.; and ten grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Jeannie H. Dunten Endowment, 610 Lingle Avenue, P.O. Box 1687, Lafayette, IN Condolences can be sent to the Rev. Marilyn DeLancey Dunten, Leesburg Road, Fort Wayne, IN MABEL OLIVE FIELDS of Warren, Ind., 96, wife of the late Rev. Charles Fields retired minister of the Indiana Conference, died May 17,. A memorial service was held May 25 at Elzey-Patterson-Rodak Funeral in Fort Wayne, Ind. with graveside service at the Reister Cemetery in Selma. Survivors include: two daughters, Sue Davis of Tucson, Ariz. and Mary Gaddis of The Villages, Fla.; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Memorials contributions may be sent to Solid Rock UMC, P.O. Box 322, Warren, IN BEVERLY JOAN HATHA- WAY, 78, of Goshen, widow of the late Rev. Lewis A. Hathaway, an Elder in the Indiana Conference, died May 25,. She was a member of St. Mark s UMC, Methodist Women and active in missions. A memorial service was held May 29 at St. Mark s UMC in Goshen with burial at Violett Cemetery. Survivors include: two daughters, Teresa Wilhelm of Garrett and Trinda Copeland of Cedar Lake; a son, Jim Hathaway of Muncie; 20 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lewis A. Hathaway; a son, Max Hathaway and a grandson, Ira. Memorials can be made to Operation Classroom, c/ o St. Mark s UMC, 502 North Main Street, Goshen, IN JOSE HEATON, 20, adopted son of the Rev. Thomas S. Heaton, Elder of the Indiana Conference and missionary of Mission Guatemala, died July 10, in Guatemala City. He was buried July 12 in Guatemala City. Survivors include: his adopted father, Thomas Heaton, and a brother, Manuel Heaton. Condolences can be sent to the Rev. Thomas S. Heaton, 600 S. Cullen Avenue, Apt. 504, Evansville, IN MARY MARGARET HOW- ELL, 91, of Franklin, and formerly of Terre Haute, died June 9,. She was the wife of the late Rev. Jean Stanley Howell, a clergy member of the Indiana Conference. She had worked as a teacher and dietitian and also was a homemaker. A memorial service was held June 14 at the Bridgeton UMC in Bridgeton, Ind.with burial in Cottage Hill Cemetery in Brazil. Survivors include: two daughters, Margaret Buhl of Clarksville, Ind. and Carole Hayes of Terre Haute; two sons, William Howell of Indianapolis and Richard Howell of Ventura, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to Maple Avenue UMC, 1203 Maple Avenue, Terre Haute, IN or The American Heart Association. EDWARD W. HUNTSMAN, 82, father of the Rev. Paul Huntsman, pastor of Mount Olive UMC in Princeton, Ind., died May 30,. He was a member of Ohio Chapel UMC in Seymour, Ind. and attended Ogilville UMC in Columbus. A memorial service was held June 4 at Barkes, Weaver & Glick Funeral Home in Columbus, Ind., with burial at the Ohio Chapel Cemetery. Survivors include: wife, Barbara Pauline Ward; children, Terry Huntsman and Caroline Susie Newland, both of Columbus, the Rev. Paul Huntsman of Hazleton, Pam Branson of Indianapolis, Janet Ashburn of Columbus and Patti McIntosh of Virginia; 18 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of South Central Indiana, Southwest Volunteer Fire Department or Ohio Chapel Cemetery. Condolences can be sent to the Rev. & Mrs. Paul (and Virginia) Huntsman, 106 East Third Street, Hazleton, IN WILL KOCH, 48, owner and president of Holiday World and Splashin Safari and a member of the Santa Claus UMC and its administrative council, died June 13,. A memorial service was held June 17 at Santa Claus UMC with burial in the church s cemetery. Survivors include: his wife, Lori; three children, Lauren, Leah and William; his mother, Pat; and siblings Dan, Kristi, Philip and Natalie. Memorial donations can be made to the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association, Santa Claus UMC. LLOYD HOWARD MILLER of Valparaiso, Ind., retired Elder of the Indiana Conference, died May 18,. A memorial service was held May 30 at First UMC in Valparaiso. He served in Hammond First, Wanatah Faith and several churches in the Fort Wayne area before retiring and moving back to Valparaiso upon retirement in June He served parttime on staff at Valpo First. Survivors include: wife, Margie Evans Miller; three children, Sarah Conover of Troy, Ohio and Rachel Oppman of Niles, Mich.; Naomi Sipe of Louisville, Ky.; and nine grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to The Lloyd Miller Mission Fund, First UMC, 103 North Franklin Street, Valparaiso, IN Condolences can be sent to Margie Miller, 513 Calumet Avenue, Valparaiso, IN, AMY MARGUERITE TALL- EY MOMAN, 86, of Seymour, Ind., widow of the late Rev. Carl C. Moman, Sr., retired Elder of the Indiana Conference and mother of the Rev. Dr. Richard W. Moman, Elder of the Indiana Conference at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, died on June 1,. She was a member of Trinity UMC in Seymour. A memorial service was held June 3 at the Voss Funeral Chapel in Seymour. Survivors include: children: the Rev. Dr. Carl C. Moman of Lubbock,Texas, David Moman of Indianapolis, the Rev. Dr. Richard Moman of Indianapolis, Charles Moman of Seymour, Charlene Wrege of Chapala, Mexico and Marilyn Stein of Fort Wayne; 16 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. Condolences may be sent to Dr. Richard Moman, 1719 McCollough Drive, Indianapolis, IN KEITH ROBERT PFRANG, 53, son of Harold Pfrang, died May 22,. Harold was the treasurer of the former South Indiana Conference. A graveside memorial service and burial were held May 27 at Mt. Emblem of DuPage County Cemetery in Elmhurst, Ill. Memorial contributions can be made to The God Squad Youth Fellowship at Honey Creek UMC for its mission trips. Condolences can be sent to Harold Pfrang at Honey Creek UMC, 2272 South Honey Creek Road, Greenwood, IN or Harold Pfrang, 1070 West Jefferson, Franklin, IN DORIS EVELYN POINDEX- TER of Marengo, 87, widow of the late Rev. Robert L. Poindexter who was a retired clergy member of the Indiana Conference, died June 17,. A memorial service was held June 19 at the Marengo UMC. Survivors include: daughters, Wilma Benz of Marengo and Pam Wilkes of English; sons, Bob Poindexter of Reno, Nev., Ronnie Poindexter of Columbus, Darrell Poindexter of Lawrenceburg and Lyndon Poindexter of Cloverdale; 14 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren. Memorial gifts may be made to the Marengo UMC, P.O. Box 277, Marengo, IN or Hosparus. L. LOUISE DOYLE RICH, 90, of Franklin, wife of the late Rev. Willard J. Doyle, a deceased clergy member of the Indiana Conference and mother of the Rev. John C. Doyle, pastor of the Mount Vernon Welborn UMC in Mount Vernon, Ind., died May 23,. She was a member of Grace UMC in Franklin, Ind. A memorial service was held May 27 at the Franklin Methodist Community in Franklin with entombment at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens in Greenwood. Survivors include: son, the Rev. John Doyle of Evansville; daughter, Kathleen Mc- Clain of Auburn; foster-daughter, Martha Gall of South Whitley; stepson, David Rich of Marion, Ohio; stepdaughter, Jana Corbin of Fort Wayne; grandchildren, Jeff Doyle, Tim Doyle, Erica McClain and David McClain; step-grandchildren, Matt Rich, Joshua Rich, Kami Schroeder, Kati France, Kelsey Corbin. She was preceded in death by her husbands, the late Rev. Willard J. Doyle and the late Leroy E. Rich. Memorial contributions can be sent to the Franklin Methodist Community, 1070 West Jefferson, Franklin, IN or to Asbury University, Development Office, 1 Macklen Drive, Wilmore, KY Condolences can be sent to the Rev. & Mrs. John C. (and Ruth) Doyle, 500 Washington Ave., Evansville, IN CHARLES BERT ROBERT- SON of Evansville, 77, a retired Elder of the Indiana Conference, died May 15,, in Evansville. A memorial service was held May 19 at Central UMC in Evansville with burial at Pleasant Hope General Baptist Church Cemetery in McLean County, Ky. Survivors include: his wife of 53 years, Jerrine (Hoover) Robertson of Evansville; two daughters, Julie Ann Newman of Vincennes and Lisa Dixon of Mount Vernon; son, Charles Bill Robertson of Lawrenceburg; and six grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to VNA Charlier Hospice Center, 610 E. Walnut St., Evansville, IN or Central UMC, 300 Mary Street, Evansville, IN Condolences may be made to Jerrine Robertson, 2915 Washington Avenue, Evansville, IN RAYMOND SCHRADER, father of the Rev. David A. Schrader, senior pastor of Grace UMC in South Bend, Ind., died May 19,. A memorial service was held May 24 at the Epworth Memorial UMC in South Bend. Memorial contributions can be made to Epworth Memorial UMC. Condolences can be sent to the Rev. & Mrs. David A. (and Pam) Schrader, 3114 S. Twyckenham Drive, South Bend, IN CHARLES WILLIAM TAY- LOR, a retired Elder of the Indiana Conference, died May 12,. A memorial service was held May 17 at the First Nazarene Church in Seymour. Survivors include: wife, Wilma Taylor; 13 grandchildren; 33 great grandchildren; 22 great-great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by three children. Contributions may be made to the Methodist Foundation of South Indiana, 3530 South Keystone Avenue, Suite 300, Indianapolis for retired pastors or the Brownstown UMC, 110 N. Poplar Street, Brownstown, IN Condolences can be sent to Wilma Taylor, 847 Freedom Drive, Seymour, IN JAMES H. THOMPSON, father-in-law of the Rev. Robert J. Walters, president of Friendly Planet Missiology; grandfather of the Rev. Taylor Walters Denyer, executive director of Friendly Planet Missiology (both are clergy members of the Indiana Conference); and father of Teri Walters (wife of Robert Walters), died July 5,. A memorial service was held July 10 at the Shelburn UMC in Shelburn, Ind. Condolences can be sent to the Rev. & Mrs. Robert (and Teri) Walters, 402 East Main Street, Plainfield, IN or on Facebook.com.

15 UIndy names full-time dean for School of Nursing INDIANAPOLIS (UIndy) The new dean of nursing at the Methodist-related University of Indianapolis plans to build on a history of designing innovative programs in response to a shifting health care landscape. Anne C. Thomas, Ph.D., joined the university full-time in 2008 as director of nursing graduate programs and recently has served as interim dean of the School of Nursing. She had been teaching in UIndy programs since 1996, even while working as a research director at the National Cancer Institute and the Two wind storms destroy church building in Yeoman YEOMAN, Ind. The Yeoman Methodist Church, which was hit by a tornado storm early Sunday morning, June 6, resulting in the destruction of its education wing, was hit again by high winds on Friday night, June 18, that ripped the roof off of the church building and scattered it to the surrounding area. The church had just renovated the building within the past year. Upon hearing about the first storm, the Indiana Conference Disaster Response Team gave $2,000 to the congregations to assist in their clean-up efforts. The congregation of the church continues to remain positive de- Church agency, university honors UIndy professor NASHVILLE, Tenn. da Bigham, interim associate general secre- (GBHEM) Assistant Professor Karl Knapp tary of GBHEM s Division of Higher Edu- of the University of Indianapolis was one cation, said, Outstanding teaching is a of 40 professors at Methodist-related schools, colleg- Methodist-related hallmark of the es and universities school, colleges and nationwide, who received the Exemplary universities. These Knapp professors are the stars Teacher Award from the who share their expertise in such Methodist General Board of a way as to inspire our students to Higher Education and Ministry. greater achievement and often to This program, an important partnership with Methodist-re- to recognize and honor these explore new vistas. We are proud lated educational institutions, expresses the church s support of and their institutions for. teachers who have been chosen by appreciation for outstanding teaching on our campuses. The recipi- of the Year this spring at the Uni- Knapp also was voted Teacher ents of the annual award receive a versity of Indianapolis. He teaches in the university s School of certificate of appreciation and $500. With this announcement, Wan- Business. INDIANAPOLIS (UIndy) New deal builds pipeline for students seeking bachelor s degrees in business. The Methodist-related University of Indianapolis and Ivy Tech Community College have reached an agreement that will allow qualified graduates from twoyear Ivy Tech business programs to transfer into several business bachelor s degree specialties at UIndy. The agreement involves Associate of Science degrees at Ivy Tech feeding into Bachelor of Sci- spite their situation and the likelihood that they will need to rebuild their church. You normally find with adversity it does bring everyone and it becomes a stronger congregation. I am sure it will. Something good will come out of it, said Walt Williams, chairman of the board of trustees for the church. The church plans to rebuild its building and remain in the community it has been a part of for more than a century. All donations to help the Yeoman Methodist Church can be sent to the church at P.O. Box 656, Monticello, IN National Institute of Nursing Research in Bethesda, Md., and more recently as coordinator of the Adult Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. UIndy s nursing programs, which celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2009, include on-site course Thomas Methodist Early Response Team Training for disaster responses will be held Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Tyson Methodist Church, 324 West Tyson Street in Versailles, Ind. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. Jim Byerly will be the trainer for those over 18 years of age interested in responding to disasters. The cost is $35 person and includes lunch, basic materials and an UMCOR identification badge, to be mailed to participants after the training. Some of the topics include: Team formation, equipment, tarping and mucking out. Please be prepared to provide your Social Security number and to complete an infor- 15 offerings at area hospitals and a number of progressive Master of Science specialties, including Family Nurse Practitioner, Gerontological Nurse Practitioner, Women s Health Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator, Nursing and Health Systems Leadership, an MSN/MBA dual degree program, and Indiana s only master s degree in Nurse-Midwifery. In 2008, the School of Nursing launched the Accelerated Master s Program, which combines nursing bachelor s and master s courses into a 27-month curriculum that prepares graduates for managerial roles in health care. In May 2011, UIndy will introduce a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree. More information on UIndy s School of Nursing is available at Early Response Team training will be offered in Versailles by UMCOR for volunteers mation form for a Safe Sanctuaries background check. For more information: Contact Jim Byerly at pastorbyerly@comcast.net or call or Registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 3. A registration form is available on the Indiana Conference UMC Web site at or send name, full address with ZIP, phone number with area code, church and city to address below. Make checks payable to the Tyson UMC with memo ERT Training. Send check and registration information to: ERT TRAINING c/o Tyson Pastor, 322 West Tyson Street, P.O. Box 246, Versailles, IN UIndy, Ivy Tech announce statewide transfer agreement ence and Bachelor of Arts programs in the UIndy School of Business, specifically: A.S. in Computer Information Systems to B.S. in Information Systems; A.S. in Accounting to B.S. in Accounting; A.S. in Business Administration to B.A. in International Paul s second, third missionary journeys to become journey Business or B.S. in Business Education, Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Global Leadership, Human Resources Management, International Business, Marketing, Sports Marketing or Operations and Supply Chain Management. Join Indiana Bishop Mike Coyner and the Indiana Conference on a 13-day cruise in November Working with Educational Opportunities, Coyner has chosen a customized trip that offers a unique opportunity. Participants will visit the Parthenon in Athens, stand on the synagogue bema where Paul preached in Corinth, worship in the ancient marble city of Ephesus, spend a day around the Sea of Galilee in Israel, visit the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and explore ancient Christian Rome including a visit to the Coliseum. In response to this educational opportunity, Bishop Coyner responds, This trip is a great follow-up experience for those who have been on one of our Holy Land trips, or for those who want an introduction to the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Although we will travel in comfort on a cruise ship, still we will get a sense of the travels of Paul and his willingness to spread the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean. This trip is not a vacation, it is a pilgrimage, and I look forward to sharing it with the people of Indiana. Brochures are available and those, who register by August 5,, will save $150 per person. To see a brochure or obtain more information you may contact EO Regional Director Norm Nellis at normgumc@aol.com or call or visit EO online at Faculty at the two institutions have worked to develop course requirements for the new agreement, which is effective beginning with courses taken this fall and is subject to review every two years. Prospective transfer students must meet the same admission standards as other transfer applicants to the University of Indianapolis. Any coursework taken prior to Fall will be evaluated by UIndy faculty to determine transferability. Applicants who meet the requirements will be admitted to UIndy as third-year students. The university also offers Master of Business Administration degrees in many of the same specialties. The new arrangement follows a similar one announced last year that allows graduates from Ivy Tech s two-year associate degree program in Transportation, Distribution and Logistics to transfer into the UIndy bachelor s degree program in Operations and Supply Chain Management, one of a handful in the state.

16 16 July/August