Mission News for July 16, 2012

HOOSIER UNITED METHODIST Mission Opportunities

An electronic newsletter of the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church

For Monday, July 16, 2012
This newsletter is paid for through your annual conference connectional ministries tithe.
Edited by Dan Gangler, dan.gangler@inumc.org, director of communication.
The Rev. LeKisha Reed, Associate Director of Mission and Advocacy, would like to hear what your congregation is doing in mission and advocacy. Contact her at lekisha.reed@inumc.org or call 317-924-1321. Like on Facebook at Indiana Mission & Advocacy.

Deadline for submissions is Monday at 10 a.m.

MISSION AND ADVOCACY NEWS

UMC dedicates Skills Training Center for Hope at school for deaf in Liberia

MONROVIA, Liberia – The Hope for the Deaf Ministry of the United Methodist Church in Liberia has dedicated a modern $14,000 skills training center for deaf students in Monrovia. Liberia Bishop John G. Innis along with the director of the department David T. Wolobah dedicated the three-classroom building July 11. During the ceremony, Bishop Innis thanked the director of the department for the level of work done impacting the lives of the children through the years. The construction of the Modern Skills Training Center was made possible through donations from the Middletown United Methodist Church of Middletown, Md. The skills training center, which is located on the same compound that hosts The United Methodist Church central office in Liberia, is expected to teach hearing impaired children various in skill areas in addition to their academic knowledge. The United Methodist-related hard of hearing school has 58 registered students. The Liberia Annual Conference established it eleven years ago. Meanwhile, plans are underway to establish an additional school for hard of hearing students in Kakata, Margibi County.

New Albany church gives $12,000 to North Katanga bishop for church construction

While visiting in Indiana in June, Bishop Ntambo accepted a $12,000 check from Wesley Chapel UMC in New Albany, Ind., for church construction. This gift revitalizes an old partnership between Indiana UM congregations and the United Methodists of North Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. Four years ago, Bishop Ntambo challenged the pastors and lay leaders of North Katanga to quit being squatters and start being builders. He also challenged the leaders to stop being beggars and recognize the abundance of resources available to the community at the local level, and not wait for charity from outside as the solution to their problems. These two challenges have resulted in a boom of new church construction. Everyone is building their community a new church to replace the old ones that were destroyed by the war, or by weather, or are just too small for the growing congregations. They also are building schools and clinics. Wesley Chapel’s donation will not just be used to “build a church in Africa,” but will rather become matching funds for five congregations who are in a place in their construction where a couple thousand dollars will help them finish their buildings.

Making plans for the next 100 years at McCurdy in New Mexico

ESPAÑOLA, N.M. – May 26 marked the centennial of the United Methodist-related McCurdy Schools of Northern New Mexico as an end of an era and a new beginning. The 100-year-old United Methodist mission will continue, but the name will not. The McCurdy Board proudly announced the establishment of McCurdy Ministries and the continuing McCurdy Charter School. The new McCurdy Ministries will seek to surround the students and families of McCurdy Charter School with ministries that will make the students, families and school stronger. Under the new direction of Executive Director Patricia Alvarado, members of the McCurdy Ministries pledge to live out their calling to serve the children, youth and families of the Española Valley. The ministry offers a Christian-centered environment in which each child and youth experiences care, respect and encouragement to learn and grow socially, physically, academically and spiritually. McCurdy Schools of Northern New Mexico is a mission of The United Methodist Church, formerly known as McCurdy School. For more information, visit www.mccurdy.org.

Hoosier United Methodists to fund, build five homes in southern Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS – The members of the Indiana United Methodist Conference Disaster Response Team approved July 13 at the Indiana Conference Center the sponsorship of two Habitat for Humanity homes, one in Henryville and one in rural Madison. The two houses will be part of an 18 house Habitat for Humanity Southern Indiana blitz week beginning Sept. 10. Each home will cost $50,000 in materials and will require up to 20 volunteers per house per day. All volunteer scheduling will be done by Habitat. Habitat also will need volunteers with special building skills as well as other volunteers who do not need certified skills such as framers, painters and landscapers. More information will be published as it becomes available, according to the Rev. David Powell, chair of Disaster Response and pastor of Danville United Methodist Church. Habitat hopes to dedicate all 18 houses the week of Thanksgiving in November. The Disaster Response Team also allocated up to $150,000 to build three more houses in the Henryville area to be administered through Volunteers ROC at www.volunteersroc.org based at the Country Lake Christian Retreat Center north of Henryville in rural Underwood. Five houses now under construction were begun by the Henryville Community Church, which needs assistance in completing them. The $250,000 commitment by the Conference Disaster Response Team is made possible by using Indiana Conference Disaster Response funds administered through the Conference Treasurer, Jennifer Gallagher. According to Gallagher, the generosity of Hoosier United Methodists received March through June provided $658,085. For more information about the Indiana Conference Disaster Response to the recovery of homes in southern Indiana, visit www.inumc.org/volunteer. More information about the builds will be posted in the July-August issue of Hoosier United Methodists Together both online and in the mail.

Indiana UMW leader named Indiana Conference UM Volunteer in Mission coordinator

INDIANAPOLIS – During a regular meeting of the Indiana Conference Disaster Response Team July 13, the Rev. LeKisha Reed, conference associate director of Mission and Advocacy, announced the appointment of Beth McDaniel of Carmel as the next Indiana Conference United Methodist Volunteer in Mission Coordinator. McDaniel is a member of Carmel UMC and a leader in the United Methodist Women of Indiana. This year she serves as assistant dean of the School of Christian Mission convening next week at DePauw University in Greencastle. McDaniel also is a member of the Indiana Conference Communication Team. She was a volunteer in Henryville earlier this spring at the Volunteer ROC center at Country Lake Christian Retreat Center. Her new duties begin Aug. 1. She will assume the responsibilities of Bonnie Albert of Chesterton in the North District, who retired from this position following the Indiana Annual Conference Session in Indianapolis. Albert served in this position and the UM VIM Coordinator for the former North Indiana Conference for the past eight years.

Missionaries ‘put a lot on the line’

L’VIV, Ukraine (UMNS) – “This incident reminds us that Christian missionaries put a lot on the line to follow their calling,” writes Jan Snider, a producer with United Methodist Communications. On July 10, David Nevotti, a volunteer from First United Methodist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, and Illya Onoprienko, a member of the Ukrainian student ministry, were killed while repairing a church-related facility. Youth ministry leader David Goran was seriously injured. Read story and post a comment.

Africa University grads become mission trainees

MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) – Four graduates of the Africa University class of 2012 who went to school with the help of United Methodist scholarships are now in the United Methodist Young Adult Missionary program. One of those graduates, Christian Zigbuo, summed it up in a thank-you letter to the Indiana Annual (regional) Conference: “I don’t know if I’d be here without you.” See full story and post a comment.

Senate endorses fight against malaria

WASHINGTON (UMNS) – The U.S. Senate approved a resolution July 11 supporting World Malaria Day and efforts to end malaria deaths by 2015. The resolution also commended “the recent progress made toward reducing global malaria deaths and prevalence.” The United Methodist Church’s Imagine No Malaria campaign has distributed almost a million bed nets to ward against malaria-carrying mosquitoes and has raised more than $20 million to fight the disease. To learn more.

Cash donations best for wildfire aid

NEW YORK (UMNS) – The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has issued $10,000 in emergency grants to three annual conferences hardest hit by the “profound disaster” of this summer’s horrific wildfires. “After a fire, people have a very small chance of finding anything that is not destroyed,” says UMCOR consultant Gordon Knuckey. He and other experts say cash donations are best, because they enable responders and survivors to purchase locally as needs change. UMCOR has set up a special Disaster Response relief account (Advance #901670) to aid in recovery efforts. Read details.

Haitian farmers get boost from quake survivor

DELMAS, Haiti (UMNS) – Two years ago, Gontran Delgrace’s world shook so violently that he thought he would die. All around him was ruin and despair. But Gontran hung on, and with the help of the United Methodist Committee on Relief and the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, he attended an agricultural training program in Japan. Now he’s back in his homeland, introducing new techniques to farmers. Read full story and learn how you can help.

From the ashes, comes solace and support

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UMNS) – In the shadow of charred mountains and the pall of burned-out homes, the congregation of Wilson United Methodist Church came together Sunday morning to pray, hug and find solace in the wake of the Waldo Canyon Fire. While the church building was spared, members lost five houses in the June 26 firestorm, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette. As with other churches in the area, Wilson is already at work in the recovery, offering meals and childcare to neighbors digging out of the ashes. Read full story and see photos.

Greetings from COPACABANA!

Andean people greeted Winter Solstice last week with the traditional June 20 farewell to the old sun and a 2,000-year-old dawn ceremony on June 21 welcoming the new sun with burnt sacrifices in hopes that Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) will bless the coming growing season. Unlike last year, the rising sun fully illuminated the ancient Incan altar near our home – a good omen for local farmers!

Daylight, and therefore warmth, is limited now. Our hen's water freezes at night, and our little dog, Wawi, sleeps under the covers with us to keep warm.

Despite the short days, it is construction season at last! In addition to the greenhouses featured in the newsletter, another greenhouse is being built in nearby Chani, and a new brick church will soon get started in Huacuyo Valley. We are thrilled to have so many projects up and going right now! See the newsletter, please, for details and lots of pics!

Much love, Deb and Jeff Wasilevich (jeffandeb@gmail.com)

NEW MISSION OPPORTUNITIES

Operation Classroom needs school supplies for schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia

Operation Classroom asks for support to sustain its 25 schools in Sierra Leone and Liberia, as well as Ganta Hospital in Liberia and Kissy Hospital in Sierra Leone. There are many supplies, easily available in the United States at Walmart, Office Max and other stores, that are greatly needed .The students especially need loose-leaf notebook paper, spiral or bound notebooks (8½ by 11), pencils, pens, rulers, protractors, pencil sharpeners, chalk, chalkboard erasers, copy paper and crayons. For a full listing of needed supplies, visit www.gbgm-umc.org/operationclassroom. Supplies can be boxed and shipped by UPS or FedEx to Operation Classroom, Mori Sales, 806 Woodward Street, Lapel, IN 46051. Visit the Operation Classroom website to read packing and shipping instructions. Supplies can also be dropped off at the same address by appointment with John Barker. Please contact Barker at 765-346-0979 or Joe Wagner at 765-650-0231 before taking anything to the Operation Classsroom warehouse.

Camp counselors needed for 2013 season at Riverdale, drama camp week of July 16

Camp Riverdale, located 11 miles south of Bedford, is seeking up to four directors for new camps they are adding in 2013: 3rd-5th grade camp, K-2nd grade camp and possibly a family camp and a unique camp just for foster children. For more information, talk to Missi Weeks Jones at 812-849-6824.

North Central Jurisdiction UM VIM posted these coming mission opportunities

• PERU, LIMA – Feb 16-23, 2013. Judy Bruun (WI) and Jody Pratt (W MI) are announcing the first of two trips in 2013 to the Lima, Peru area. Bishop Bravo and Liliana Garcia, UMVIM coordinator for the Lima area, will provide the local support. The group will work with 2-3 area churches providing Vacation Bible School programs, parent education and possibly light construction. Cost is $1,000 for food, lodging and project materials plus approx $1,000 for air fare . Registration deadline of October 1, 2012 with a $100 commitment fee. Contact Jody Pratt (prattgji@hughes.net) for additional information, 269-792-0481.
• JAMAICA project list for St. Elizabeth Circuit has been updated. Contact: Rev. Jacqueline Liddell (j_h_liddell@yahoo.com)

PREVIOUSLY LISTED MISSION OPPORTUNITIES

Mission Guatemala accepting reservations for 2013 mission teams

United Methodist-related Mission Guatemala is accepting reservations for mission teams for 2013 and beyond. Mission Guatemala is an Indiana-based ministry working in the highlands of Guatemala. Excellent mission trip resources are available on the organization’s website at http://missionguatemala.com. The website has a team calendar showing available dates, a downloadable mission trip planning guide, and testimonials from teams. If you have additional questions after visiting the website, you can send your email to Tom Heaton at tom@missionguatemala.com.

Holton Long-term Recovery Group continues to assist March 2 tornado survivors

The Holton Long-term Recovery Group continues to make progress toward recovery. With the hiring of a case manager, volunteer coordinator and construction manager, they are now focusing on case management, with the goal to assist residents in the recovery process and identify those with remaining unmet needs. After all FEMA, Small Business Administration loans and insurance benefits have been paid, there remains a need to build approximately 14 Habitat for Humanity-style houses for residents who were uninsured or under-insured. To date the Holton group has received funds necessary to build three houses. Here is how Hoosiers can help:

• Send donations to support the Holton, Ind. reconstruction efforts to the Holton Volunteer Fire Department, Attn: Tony Franklin, P.O. Box 126, Holton, IN 47023 or to the Holton Long-term Recovery Office at 7040 W. Versailles St., Holton, IN 47023.
• Large and skilled construction crews will be needed to rebuild the destroyed homes, once the case work is completed and funding secured. It is estimated that this process will start in mid-July to early August. Notice will be sent when Holton is ready for larger house-building teams.
• In the meantime, there is a need for a small construction/demolition crew. Interested volunteers may contact Phil Deiwert by calling 812-689-1300 or by e-mail at holton.ltr@gmail.com. Please do not self-deploy.

For the latest in Disaster news and recovery
www.disasternews.net ~ www.umcor.org ~ www.churchworldservice.org

DISASTER RECOVERY TRAINING, UPDATES, LINKS

Dakotas ERTs needed

The Dakotas Conference is in need of Volunteers in Mission. Teams should contact the Dakotas Conference Office at 605-996-6552 and ask to speak with Barb Myers (barb.myers@dakotasumf.org). For more information on how you can help; visit www.dakotasumc.org/Contents/DisasterRelief.aspx.

UM Volunteers in Mission Haiti Response website

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For more information about these opportunities,
listings of ongoing projects and contact information,
please visit http://inumc.org/volunteeropportunities/category/10.