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WEST DISTRICT CENTER
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NEW MAILING ADDRESS:
704 S. State Road 135
Suite D379
Greenwood, IN 46143
1-877-781-6716
Preferred Telephone Hours:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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| West District Staff |  | |
Rev. John Groves
Superintendent
765-51-UMC-DS
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West District News
June 18, 2013
The West District Center has been having difficulties with our telephone system for a few days. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Cincinnati Bell is working on resolving the issue. Please try to use e-mail or mobile phone to connect with the West District Staff until we can get this problem resolved. Thanks! Katie
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Greetings Pastors & Leaders in West District,
June 10th was the final day the district office will be in Greencastle. The movers came to collect the final items and the keys were turned over to Asbury Towers, who have been extraordinary to work with.
Katie Swisher is now working from home in Greenwood, Indiana. This is why the new mailing address is in Greenwood. It is about two miles from where Matt and Katie live. She has identified a 9am-4pm on Mon., Tues., and Thurs., work week schedule similar to her hours at the district center in Greencastle. Since she is working from home, please be sensitive to the family time and be good stewards of your time and hers.
John Davis and I will have offices in our homes but we will be traveling with laptops, iPads, and mobile phones. We will be traveling to various places throughout the district each week. After our assessments are completed we will be sending out advance notices on where we will be, and we will want you to drop by and visit with us, if even for just a few minutes.
This is a fluid model that can change, be modified and adapt to different ways. The model may change from week to week, depending upon the responses we receive.
This week, John Davis and I will be at Harmony and Sullivan First UMCs for one on one assessments.
This "Virtual Office" is new to our Conference and District. West District is the first to attempt this model for functionality. Please pray for safe travel and good fellowship as we become more mobile as a District. We look at ourselves as modern day circuit riders with better transportation.
Blessings and prayers,
John Groves
West District Superintendent
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Charge Conference Schedule Published
 The 2013 West District charge conference schedule is now published on the West District Center website. Please click here to view the schedule. Make sure to mark your church and personal calendars for your particular charge conference date!
Information about the charge conference forms will be released in the coming months. Please begin planning for your charge conference by setting meetings now to have the proper information gathered at that time. There are many changes coming to the charge conference forms this year. One way your church needs to begin preparing for these changes is to have ALL PASTORS begin using the INUMC.ORG e-mail account provided by the Conference. Access to the new charge conference forms will be granted using this e-mail account, so it is vital that these accounts are set up now. If you have questions about setting up your INUMC.ORG account, please contact the Indiana Conference Center at 317-924-1321.
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Local Church Events Calendar
In an effort to keep this newsletter as concise as possible, we are listing local church events only on the district web site. To view these events, simply CLICK HERE, and you will be directed to it. If your church has an event you would like featured on this calendar, please e-mail the details to Katie Swisher at west.district@inumc.org.
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Safe Sanctuaries Training and Q&A Sessions Scheduled for West District Church Leaders
Two sessions have been planned for church leaders to learn more about creating and updating abuse protection policies for their churches. Both sessions will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church in Greencastle, to allow both new and experienced persons to participate in one or both of the sessions. 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Safe Sanctuaries/Abuse Protection Policy Training (for new clergy and laity abuse protection leaders who have not yet attended an initial training held previously in the West District) 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch (lunch will be on your own, to provide for a break for participants and leaders to process ideas, needs, and questions for the afternoon session) 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Abuse Protection Policy Q & A Session (for those clergy and laity previously trained in the West District, those who are presently reviewing and updating their church's policies, and those who attended the morning session who would like more information) Sessions will be led, once again, by the West District Abuse Protection Policy Team including Rev. Michael Baker, Rev. Andrew Charnstrom, Ms. Teddy Shuck, and Rev. Diane Menke Pence. A link to the West District Abuse Protection Guidelines can be found here. Please plan to bring a copy of this policy with you to the training and Q & A sessions. Please reserve your place at one or both of these sessions by emailing Katie Swisher by August 8. |
An exciting new ministry event, and you are invited! The Lion and Lamb Festival is a community of hope gathering to share gifts, inspire authentic conversation, and passionately follow God in the world. It will gather August 31-September 1, 2013, at Praise Park, a property of Saint Joseph UMC in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Through art, music, and word, the festival will encourage attendees to reflect on issues of spirituality, faith, and justice in their everyday lives. 2013 festival keynote speakers include Rachel Held Evans and Bruce Reyes-Chow, and currently booked musicians include Andrew Peterson, Heatherlyn, John Tibbs, Amy Cox, and Elle/the Remnant. A joint effort of the INUMC Young Adult Ministry Team, the Social Advocacy Team, and Saint Joseph UMC, the festival is open to everyone of all ages. More information at www.lionandlambfestival.org. |
Clergy Spouse Retreat
September 20-22, 2013
Holiday Inn Indianapolis North
Featuring Marilyn Elliott
Vice President of Community Formation at Asbury Theological Seminary
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West District Operation Classroom News
The next Operation Classroom Packing Day is scheduled for Thursday, October 3rd at 8:30 AM at Breden Memorial UMC in Terre Haute. There will be no Operation Classroom Packing Day this spring.
Operation Classroom gets no financial support for the General Board of Global Ministries - we get no financial support from any other mission agency. Every nickel that we receive has to be raised from local churches and individuals.
In the past, the shipping operation has often operated "in the red" - that is, people who provided materials to be shipped to West Africa DID NOT provide the funds to ship it there. We simply aren't in a position to do that any longer. Please see the policies listed below related to shipping (copied from off of our web-site.) If our churches and individuals in Indiana (and elsewhere) aren't willing to provide the funding, then sooner rather than later the shipping program will cease to be a part of OCI. It costs us about $10,000.00 each time we ship a container to West Africa - and that doesn't include the warehousing and receiving costs here in Indiana.
Shipping Costs
Listed below is the schedule of MANDATORY contributions for shipping. We're sorry, but if material shows up at the warehouse or at in-gatherings without arrangements having been made to cover these costs, IT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED for shipment.
� Box 12x12x12= $10
� Box up to 12x12x18 -$15
� Box over 12x12x18 up to 18x18x18 =$ 20
� Over 18x18x18 to a computer sized box = $ 30
� Computer sized box = $ 40
The donation for the shipping costs is the responsibility of the local church or individual who donates or secures the items, unless you or your district has made other arrangements. These charges cover:
� The leasing and of the container
� Clearing customs
� Freight forwarding (Truck and Ocean-going vessel)
� Customs clearing in-country
Make checks payable to OPERATION CLASSROOM. Shipping costs are tax deductible.
If shipping costs are sent through the conference to GBGM in New York, use the advance number: Africa Operation Classroom: 12922Y
If you have questions, contact John Barker (765.346.0979) or Bob Coolman at
219-464-8055 (O) 219-464-2702 (H) 219-405-5821 (C). |
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