SMALL HEADER
February 4, 2014
WEST DISTRICT NEWS
A weekly newsletter to keep you connected.

Virtual Office Calendar Now Online

VO Calendar  

On the West District website www.inumc.org/westdistrict, you will notice the VIRTUAL OFFICE CALENDAR Button.  Click on it.  This will lead you to a screen that displays John Groves, John Davis and Katie Swisher's Calendars for a week or two in advance.

 

It is our hope that when you notice where we are planning our "office for the day" you will join us for conversation and share what exciting events are taking place in your places of worship and ministry.

 

This office time is open to the laity and clergy.

 

Blessings and Prayers,

The West District Staff

 

 

Are you working on your Year End Reports???
Year End ReportingThe GCFA website for 2013 Year End Reports will be open January 15 - March 1, 2014. You are able to print a blank form from the GCFA website to use in preparing to submit your data online. (Google Chrome users need to use a different web browser when accessing these) We are recommending that you print and prepare the blank form before logging into the website to submit since the system times out after 30-45 minutes.

Your login is your 6-digit GCFA church identification number, and your initial password is "password". Once someone has logged into the system this password no longer works. To access the GCFA website and Year End Reports you can go to www.inumc.org and you will be redirected or go directly to http://ezra.gcfa.org/. 

To request a paper copy of the forms please contact Carla Johnson at the Conference Center at 1-877-781-6706.
Thanks to Indiana Churches for Faithful Giving!
The giving reports from the year 2013 are completed, and the good news is that we came within $83,000 of meeting our expected Tithe Budget goal of $13.1 million. Several churches showed large improvements in their percentages paid, although the full tithes of many of our congregations indicated that those congregations had a slight decrease in their own giving for the year. The overall receipts from our churches allowed our Indiana Conference to pay our general church apportionments at a 91.56 percent level, which is the second year in a row that we have exceeded a 90 percent payout to support the worldwide ministries of our United Methodist Church. Thank you to all the generous United Methodist people and congregations of Indiana for your faithful giving. Because of your giving, our Indiana Conference is fulfilling our ministries and missions. - from Jennifer Gallagher, Indiana Conference Treasurer and Director of Financial Services

IRS Sets New Mileage Rate
Beginning Jan. 1, 2014, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

56 cents per mile for business miles driven (down from .565 in 2013)

23.5 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes

14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

The business, medical, and moving expense rates decrease one-half cent from the 2013 rates. The charitable rate is based on statute. The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs. Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates. For more information, click here.

EVENTS
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 [email protected].

Our Life Together - Registration Now Open!
February 24-25, 2014
St. Luke's UMC, Indianapolis 

INDIANAPOLIS - The Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners based in Washington, D.C. and the Rev. Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg Church (United Methodist) in Tipp City, Ohio, are scheduled to be the featured speakers at the 2014 Our Life Together Pastor's Retreat, Feb. 24-25, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. The theme of the two-day retreat will be "Engaging the World" and John 17:20-23 will be the Scriptural base. Wallis is scheduled to speak twice on Monday, Feb. 24, during the day to Indiana Conference clergy. Wallis will address social justice issues he deals with in his special ministry in our nation's capital. Wallis will NOT speak in the evening to the general public as previously announced. A change in his scheduled prevents him from speaking in the evening. Slaughter, lead pastor at Ginghamsburg Church, will speak twice on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The two-day retreat also will feature an opening communion service with Bishop Mike Coyner, Monday afternoon breakout sessions, a Taize-contemplative style service and vendors. More information and registration for the event is now open at www.inumc.org/olt

Pathways Through The Bible Trip
November 24 - December 3, 2014

Dave Marty and his wife will be hosting a tour of Israel/Palestine through the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies (a branch of Educational Opportunities), and you are invited to join them! An electronic brochure is available for viewing here. If you would like more information about the trip, Dave is glad to talk with you.  You may contact him at Rockville First UMC (765-569-5356).

 

 

NEW Groves
NEW Davis
NEW Swisher
Rev. John Groves
Superintendent
765-51-UMCDS
(765-518-6237)
Rev. John Davis
Associate Superintendent
(office) 765-276-4797 
Katie Swisher
District Assistant
(office) 765-276-4797
Preferred Telephone Hours:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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704 South SR 135, Suite D379, Greenwood, IN 46143 � 765.276.4797