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Pastors and laity are invited to drop in and visit with Rev. Cobb at her "Virtual" offices on the calendar. If you would like to have a scheduled appointment, please contact the District Center.
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TransFormation
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A new initiative in the North Central District has been born. TransFormation was launched on June 28, 2015. This initiative is made possible through the collaborative work of the North Central District, Rev. Jeff Newton, and the Indiana Conference's Leadership Development Team. Designed to assist young people in discerning their call to ministry as well as providing ministry experience, TransFormation has the potential of becoming a ministry model in other areas of the Conference.
The mission of this initiative is to TransFORM churches and neighborhoods as disciples and potential pastors are being FORMED.
We are thankful for the willingness of five churches in the District to participate in this initiative: Cassville UMC, Faith UMC, Hillsdale UMC, Parr UMC and Trinity UMC.
The interns started on June 28th with orientation provided Dr. Aleze Fulbright with Leadership Development. The interns had their first Sunday on July 5, they will rotate between five churches for two months and then will be assigned to a primary church. Interns will focus on preaching, discipleship, pastoral care, and administration. The interns are being supervised by Pastor Jeff Newton. The churches and the interns are excited to see how God will use them to make disciples.
The new interns for TransFormation in Kokomo are:
Emily Gearhart, Akron, IN, is a member of Beaver Dam UMC. Emily is the administrative assistant for the athletic director at Tippecanoe Valley Schools.
Kayla Grehl, Aurora, IN, is a member of Mt. Sinai UMC. Emily is a student at IU and will graduate with a major in Psychology.
Jonathan Newton is from Kokomo, IN and is a member of Trinity UMC, Kokomo. Jonathan is a web developer. He is married to Jessica and they have two children, Oliver and Rex.
Jacob Shockney grew up in Logansport, IN, and more recently from Lafayette, IN, and is a member of the Dayton UMC. Jacob recently graduated from Narrow Gate, a discipleship program in Tennessee. |
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Gratitude and Generosity Workshop
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 Gratitude and Generosity workshops are open to both clergy and laity, providing an opportunity for congregational leaders to grow in their discipleship through stewardship education. The focus will be on five stewardship standards: Leadership, Education, Mission Giving, Budget, and Accounting Practices.
- Sat., August 8 at St. Mark's UMC, 100 N. SR 46, Bloomington
- Sat., August 22 at New Life UMC, 3039 W. 400 N., Mexico
10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Lunch provided)
Registration opens at 9:30 a.m.
Cost: $15 per person
Walk-ins are welcome! (Lunch is not guaranteed.)
To register, contact Jody Patty at jpatty@UMFIndiana.org or 877-391-8811.
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Spiritual Care Classes
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 Indiana University Health is offering spiritual care classes. These classes will help participants learn to help others experience, as fully as possible, the reality of God's presence and love in their lives. Participants will have the opportunity to learn to provide spiritual care to a variety of patients, family members and staff. IU Health is interviewing for classes that are set to begin in September. IU Health offers a variety of settings including classes at IU Health's Methodist (Indianapolis), Arnett (Lafayette), North (Carmel), University/Riley (Indianapolis), or West (Avon) hospitals. For more information about this learning opportunity or CPE in general, please contact Frank Impicciche at fimpicci@iuhealth.org or at 317 944-7415. More information may be found by clicking here. |
Rethink Church Outreach Resources Available Now!
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 United Methodist Communications has available several resources for local churches this year.
LOW-COST DIRECT MAIL: Right now, they have an exciting opportunity for local churches to participate in a low-cost direct mail campaign for Back to School. Churches can place their orders HERE. Order deadline is Sept. 1. FREE DOORHANGERS: They have free customized door hangers (1 pkg. of 100 per church) available HERE. This offer is available until Dec. 1. FREE CUSTOMIZED TV SPOTS: Churches can also order free customized digital copies of our brand new "Church Can Happen Anywhere" TV spots HERE. FREE WORSHIP RESOURCES: A Sermon Starter, Bulletin Cover, Invitation Cards, Worship Slides and Social Media Items have been developed to match the new "Church Can Happen Anywhere" campaign. Download all items from the United Methodist Communications store for FREE HERE! |
First Annual Clergy, Parsonage Family, and Friends Picnic
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 Join colleagues, families and friends for a day of food, fellowship, and fun!
Pastors, parsonage families (or friend, if you are single) of the North Central District are invited to gather at the Davis Park in Anderson, IN, for a time of food, fellowship, and fun. Food and table service will be provided by the District. Bring your favorite game to share with others.
Date: Sat., August 29
Place: Davis Park, 4507 Nichol Ave., Anderson
Time: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
RSVP: District Assistant (DA) Becky Rees, northcentral.district@inumc.org, 765-319-3704 or 877-781-6710 - please indicate the number of persons attending by Monday, August 24.
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North Central District Fall Pastors' Convocation
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The North Central District Fall Pastors' Convocation will be Thurs., Sept. 10 at 9 a.m.-12 noon at Kemp UMC, 228 N. Main St., Tipton.
A breakfast will be provided by the church. This is mandatory for all full-time clergy in the North Central District. Part-time pastors (local pastors and supply pastors) are expected to attend this gathering of pastors under appointment in the North Central District. Those pastors on extension ministry and retired pastors are welcome.
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Clergy Spouse Retreat
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This year's Clergy Spouse Retreat will be September 18-20 at the Holiday Inn Indianapolis North. All spouses (both male and female) are invited to attend, no matter what stage of life in ministry they may be. The retreat theme this year is "You're Amazing! Celebrate the Journey" with Rev. Karen Devaisher as the speaker. It will be a great weekend of fun, food, discussion, fellowship, and worship. For more information and to register, please click here. Register by August 15!
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District Lay Servant School - Mark Your Calendar!!
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The North Central District will be having a Lay Servant School on Saturdays, Sept. 12 and 19 at First UMC, 2051 Monument St., Noblesville.
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Laity Day with the Bishop - Save the Date!
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Academy of Faith and Money
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The Academy of Faith and Money is a four-day, Mon., Aug. 17 to Thurs., Aug. 20, money and ministry training led by Horizons Stewardship and hosted by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. It will be held in Atlanta, GA. Tailored specifically for provisional members and younger clergy. The Academy of Faith and Money offers vital training for personal and church financial management. Topics of discussion include capital campaigning, the theology of stewardship, planned giving, and fundraising. The Academy will also feature an additional workshop with a student loans expert on Public Service Loan Forgiveness for clergy, as well as an evening AMA panel with financial experts. After the event, all the attendees will receive resources from Horizons Stewardship to use in their future ministries.
If you are a provisional member or younger clergy person in the The United Methodist Church, we encourage you to join us for what will be a fantastic four days of learning and growing together in ministry and mission.
To learn more about Horizons Stewardship, visit their website by clicking here. Up to 1.8 CEUs are available for this event.
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School of Congregational Development Event in Indianapolis!
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 The School of Congregational Development is a premier event for United Methodist Leaders for equipping conference leaders, clergy, and laity to lead vital, dynamic, life-changing congregations. The event will be Aug. 13-16 at the Sheraton Hotel at Keystone Crossing (317-846-2700). A limited number of School of Congregational Development 2015 Scholarships are available through Global Ministries. Click here for a brochures.
Indiana Conference leaders participating in the event include:
- Bishop Coyner - Opening Worship - Thursday afternoon
- Sergio and Janie Reyes, Co-Pastors of Getsemani UMC in Fort Wayne will lead worship Sunday morning
- Aleze Fulbright and Dave Neckers will also lead a workshop during the event.
A special one day rate is also available.
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Sierra Leone Partners - Health & Education Trip
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 An information session for medical and educational professionals interested in serving for two weeks in Sierra Leone, West Africa, in January and February 2016, will be held at 3 p.m., Sun., Aug. 23 at St. Luke's UMC, 100 W. 86th St., Indianapolis. Sponsored by Sierra Leone Partners (SLP), trips will leave either January 15 or January 29, 2016, depending on Sierra Leone's being declared Ebola free by health authorities. Deadline for the information session registration is August 29.
The cost for each two-week, all-inclusive experience is $3,600. For further information or to register for the information session, contact Don Griffith, drdongriffith@aol.com, 317-823-9390 (Medical Team) or Amy Zent, amyzent@yahoo.com, 317-701-8712 (Primary Education Team).
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Copier Available for Purchase or Assume Contract
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 Due to the closing of a church, the District has a copier for sale or may assume the contract. It is a Ricoh MPC2051, color copier-fax-scanner. It was purchased in 2011. You may find out more about the copier by clicking here. If you are interested, please contact the District Center at northcentral.district@inumc.org or 877-781-6710.
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Employment Opportunities
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 To see what employment opportunities that are available, please click here.
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Revitup!
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 The General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits is again offering a unique opportunity for young clergy to enhance their personal, financial, and leadership skills. Revitup is scheduled for Oct. 5-7 in Bloomingdale, IL. For more information, check it out on their website. They are offering an incentive for the first 50 clergy to register. Rejuvenate is offering six $500 scholarships for this event. Contact Mary Ann Moman (mmoman@umfindiana.org) for more information.
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Vital Signs
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 Reporting your church's vital signs continues to be important. Bishop Coyner and the Cabinet use this information every month. Continue to report weekly; catch up if you have missed reporting; begin now if you have not reported vital signs in the past. Find more information HERE about the process. If you have stopped receiving the weekly reminders, please contact us.
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New Babies!
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 Rev. Patti Napier (Carmel UMC) has a new grandchild.
Rev. Mike and Stephanie Collins (Carmel UMC) have a new baby!
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Youth Events
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 Click here for more details on these events and other youth events. Be A Camper - Register for camp by clicking here.
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United Methodist Women Upcoming Events
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 Please click here for the District UMW website. The UMW May newsletter may be obtained by clicking here.
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District Upcoming Events
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- Luncheon for Newly Appointed Pastors, Tues., Aug. 11, 12 noon-2 p.m., Cross Roads UMC, 2000 N. Scatterfield Rd., Anderson
- District Leadership Team Meeting, Wed., Aug. 12, 3-5 p.m., Kemp UMC, 228 N. Main St., Tipton
- First Annual Clergy, Parsonage, Family, and Friends Picnic, Sat., Aug. 29, 10-4 p.m., Davis Park, 4507 Nichol Ave., Anderson
- District Pastors Convocation, Thurs., Sept. 10, 9 a.m., Kemp UMC, 228 N. Main St., Tipton
- District Lay Servant School, Saturdays, Sept. 12 and 19, First UMC, 2051 Monument St., Noblesville
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Area Events - For full details, please click here.
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- 26th Annual Chicken Noodle Dinner, Sat., Aug. 1, 4-7 p.m., Colfax UMC, 114 Oakland St., Colfax
- GriefShare, Mondays, Aug. 3-Nov. 2, 7-9 p.m., St. Mark's UMC, 126th St. & Gray Rd., Carmel
- Annual Tenderloin Dinner, Sat. Aug. 15, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Mt. Olive UMC,2015 N. 300 W., Marion
- 35th Annual Missions Auction, Sept. 12, 9 a.m., Kokomo Zion UMC, 5051 E. 400 N., Kokomo
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District Staff Contact Information
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Rev. Michelle Cobb, District Superintendent
(317) 459-7220, michelle.cobb@inumc.org, ds.northcentraldistrict@inumc.org
Rev. Gary Elsten, Associate District Superintendent (765) 754-7998, gary.elsten@inumc.org
Rev. Lamar Imes, Associate District Superintendent (765) 251-0792, lamar.imes@inumc.org
Rev. Steven Clouse, Church Development (574) 238-2461, steve.clouse@inumc.org
Rev. David Schramm, Chaplain (574) 457-3813, dcschramm@live.com
Becky Rees, District Assistant
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