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February, 2012

 24, 2011

A Word from the District Superintendent 

"Outdoor Voice"

     If you have been around small children very long, worked with them, or been a parent yourself, you have heard or used the phrase, "Please use your indoor voice."  When I was growing up, my Mom wasn't quite that polite when my brother and I became too loud indoors.  As young boys, we cultivated our "outdoor voice" pretty well.  Playing "Hide and Seek", calling friends from two or three blocks away (without cell phones), arguing about whether a football play was in or out of bounds, making sure everybody knew the ice-cream truck was comming...all pretty good practice for developing an "outdoor voice."

     I was reminded of that by a billboard I saw while driving home from a meeting in Indianapolis.  This billboard was put in place by a company promoting the availability of outdoor advertizing.  It said, "Use your OUTDOOR voice."

We have recently experienced seasons of proclamation with Advent/Christmas and Epiphany.  Angels proclaim God's plans to Mary and Joseph.  Angels proclaim the Good News to shepherds, who proclaim it to others.  Elizabeth, Mary, and Magi all proclaim God's work in the birth of Messiah.  God proclaims the divine incarnational presence through the child, Jesus, born in Bethlehem.

     This is the season when we sing, "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, and everywhere.  Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born."  The song is about proclamation...using our "outdoor voice."

All of this proclamation reminds me of Jesus' instruction in Matthew 10:27 (NRSV), "What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops."

     As followers of Jesus organized in congregations in the 21st century, will we have an "outdoor voice"?  Can we do it?  We have become so accustomed to indoor conversations among ourselves.  We have become very good at using our "indoor voices' and our special "insider" vocabulary, conversations, and tones.  We have become very good at talking among ourselves, about ourselves, and to ourselves about the Faith and how it applies to us.

     But can we reclaim our "outdoor voice"?  We have something much more important to proclaim to the world than the fact that the ice-cream truck is coming onto the block.  Jesus Christ, the With-Us God, is born, among us, and is alive and well to save us! 

     Like children playing out in the neighborhood developing an "outdoor voice" in order to interact, followers of Jesus must do the same.  It will take practice.

Jesus' instruction in Matthew 10:27 appears in the context of a discussion about being faithful, fearless witnesses in times of persecution.  Indeed, we need not fear.  And the billboards's invitation is helpful.  It is an echoing reminder of God's invitation to us to use our "outdoor voice" to bear witness to those-"over the hills and everywhere"-of God's redeeming love and grace.

     So, get out into your neighborhood and have fun practicing your "outdoor voice".

Go in peace.  Go with God.  And be well.

Shalom,

Charles D. Wilfong

South District Superintendent

 Year End Reporting Deadline is February 15, 2012

Your login is your church's 6-digit GCFA identification number.  The GCFA number was printed on the mailing label of the post card all pastors received pertaining to Year End Reporting.  If you have misplaced this identification number and cannot locate your post card, please call the district office at 812-951-0388 or you may call the conference office at 877-781-6706.  Use "password" as your password.  Please remember that all data must be intered ONLINE.

2012 Fourth Session of the Indiana Annual Conference

June 7-9, 2012.  For details, click here

Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis

Hotel reservation information is now available online.  Click here.

For more information about Indianapolis and attractions, click on http://visitindy.com/inumc.

Youth Ministry Training Event

Our Life Together

Rejuvenate Workships:

• Ministry & Money:  A Practical Guide for Pastors.  March 9th, 8:30am-4pm.  Park Memorial UMC, 1820 E. Park Place, Jeffersonville.  Cost:  $65 (includes lunch)  Registration deadline:  February 24, 2012
• "Extravagant Generosity":  April 20th, 8:30am-4pm and April 21st, 8:30am-12:30pm.  New Albany Centenary UMC, 309 E. Spring St., New Albany.  Cost:  $65 Clergy (must attend both Friday and Saturday).  Spouse (no cost-encouraged to Friday, welcome to attend Saturday).  Lunch provided on Friday)  $35 Lay Team - attend Saturday only.  To register, contact Jody Patty at 877-781-6706 ext. 1029 or jody.patty@inumc.org.

The Indiana Conference Rejuvenate Ministry has a list of tax preparers (www.inumc.org/pages/detail/592) who are available to assist clergy with their tax preparations.  Clergy, if you need financial assistance with your income tax preparation, contact Michelle Cobb, Rejuvenate Ministry Director (mcobb@umfIndiana.org or michelle.cobb@inumc.org).

Connect 2012 Bishop's Confirmation Rally

March 10, 2012

Noblesville First UMC

10:00 a.m.

For more informaiton and to register, visit www.inumc.org/rally2012. 

Dear South District Family,

     Thank you to the district clergy for your generous Christmas gift.  Also, we are grateful for all of the cards, gifts, and remembrances we received during the advent/Christmas Season.  God bless you all in the coming year.  Shalom, Charlie, Donna & Jessi Wilfong

Many of our churches have already reported online the Vital Signs goals adopted at their 2011 Charge Conferences and are adding to their local church report by entering weekly activity.  However, Bishop Coyner and the District Superintendents have heard of the confusion surrounding what you are being asked to report on a weekly basis.  Therefore, the Cabinet decided to make the following suggested changes in your weekly reporting and the General Council on Finance and Administration has tried to accommodate their recommendations. 

CHANGE #1 - Your weekly report form will now list seven questions but we are suggesting that you only answer five of them.  At our request, they have added a new question which corresponds to the goal set at Charge Conference  -  "Total number of small groups".  You do NOT have to answer the question "Total number of persons actively engaged in small groups".

CHANGE #2 - You do NOT have to answer the last question, "Total offering received this week through pledges and offerings".

Please enter at least the following information:

#1 - Total worship attendance at all regularly-held weekly services

#2 - Total number of persons received into the church by profession of faith

#3 - Total number of small groups

#5 - Total number of persons from the congregation engaged in local, national and international mission/outreach

#6 - The total amount given by local church to other organizations for support of benevolent and charitable ministries

REPORTS - Once you enter and save your weekly information, you can click on the "Reports" tab at the top of your screen to see your local church's dashboard of information.

IF YOU AREN'T RECEIVING A WEEKLY REMINDER EMAIL - The emails are being sent from "The United Methodist Church - (VitalSigns Group)" to inumc.org email addresses unless the Conference Center or District Centers have been notified otherwise.  Some churches have found that the weekly emails are going directly to their spam folders and not to their in-box or new mail folders.

IF YOU CAN'T ENTER INFORMATION WEEKLY

Your weekly form contains four weeks' worth of information and some of our churches are deciding to enter once or twice a month instead of every week understanding that weeks "rotate off" the form eventually.

QUESTIONS - Email ruthellen.needler@inumc.org if you have further questions or call 317/564-3254.

If you have a submission for the District Newsletter, please send the article in Word format to Lynda Alexander at south.district@inumc.org.  PDF documents cannot be published.  Not all articles will be published, and all articles are subject to editing and review.