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	<title>Making Disciples, Transforming Communities</title>
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	<description>Assisting churches in the Indiana UMC to more effectively reach their communities for Jesus Christ</description>
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		<title>Making Disciples, Transforming Communities</title>
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		<title>How to rid the church of young people</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/how-to-rid-the-church-of-young-people/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/how-to-rid-the-church-of-young-people/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:24:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=288</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The following is a tongue-in-cheek commentary from Ben Boruff, an active lay member of the Indiana Conference and a leader in the denomination.  You can read his entire article by going to UM Portal.  &#8211; Ed Fenstermacher Here are Ben&#8217;s comments&#8230; The following strategies should, if executed properly, help to permanently distance any aging church from young [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=288&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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			<media:title type="html">Ben Boruff Call to action Leadership Summit</media:title>
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		<title>Small church moving to former car dealership</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/small-church-moving-to-former-car-dealership/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/small-church-moving-to-former-car-dealership/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:19:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=273</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“Mr. Angel, tear down this wall!”  That was the clarion call when Jack Angel, the patriarch of Black’s Chapel UMC in Mount Vernon, wielded a large sledgehammer to demolish a solid block wall.  That wall was located in a recently purchased building that is being re-purposed by the members of Black’s Chapel.   The building is [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=273&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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			<media:title type="html">Blacks Chapel</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>Non-Christmas Eve service for kids worked well!</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/non-christmas-eve-service-for-kids-worke-well/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/non-christmas-eve-service-for-kids-worke-well/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:05:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=278</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most of us in church work have already turned our attention to how we will observe the season of Lent.  Before we completely say good-bye to the Christmas season, take time to reflect on what seemed to work well for you this past year and what you would change.  Share your thoughts here by posting [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=278&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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			<media:title type="html">efenster</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">flame</media:title>
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		<title>New Hispanic church plant launching</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/new-hispanic-church-plant-launching/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/new-hispanic-church-plant-launching/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:11:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Information]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=266</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week I mentioned a new church planting effort in the City of Gary.  Nearby, the Indiana Conference&#8211;in partnership with First United Methodist Church in Hammond&#8211;is launching a new Hispanic United Methodist Church called Iglesia Torre Fuerte (Strong Tower Church).  The church is being planted by Esequiel &#38; Suri Becerra and is now meeting in the chapel [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=266&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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			<media:title type="html">efenster</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Ethnic</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>New Indiana UM churches being launched</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/new-indiana-um-churches-being-launched/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/new-indiana-um-churches-being-launched/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:26:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=258</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Exciting news!  The Indiana Conference is launching two new United Methodist churches.   Gary UM Plant  &#8211;  One is being started in the City of Gary in the North District.  It is being led by Rev. David McLin, who had pastored Gary Fifth Ave. UMC a few years ago.  David is a full-time public school teacher [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=258&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">church-planting</media:title>
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		<title>New Johnson County UMC plant needs your help</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/new-johnson-county-umc-plant-needs-your-help/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/new-johnson-county-umc-plant-needs-your-help/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:49:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Information]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=253</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[    One of the Indiana Conference&#8217;s newest church plants&#8211;The Grove United Methodist Church&#8211;is getting ready to launch weekly public worship in January.  Its pastor, Rev. Tony Johnson, needs your help.  (See his message below.)  If you can attend the church&#8217;s new worship services, they will be held each week at 10:30am.  At the least, let&#8217;s [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=253&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">The Grove</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>UM church planting increasing&#8230;again</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/um-church-planting-increasing-again/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/um-church-planting-increasing-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:05:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Information]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=238</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is a direct correlation between the number of churches planted and the growth of the United Methodist Church in Indiana.  During the 1800&#8242;s the predecessor denominations of the United Methodist Church planted churches at a rate manytimes higher than during the past century and decade.   And it was during that earlier period that the church in [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=238&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">church-planting</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>Indiana Conference churches&#8217; worship attendance trends</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/indiana-conference-churches-worship-attendance-trends/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/indiana-conference-churches-worship-attendance-trends/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:23:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Information]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=234</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently analyzed our conference church statistics from 2010.  And discovered some interesting facts&#8230; 1. Nearly half our churches last year had fewer than 50 people in average weekly worship attendance.  Our media size was 52 people a week.  2. Only 4% percent of our churches averaged more than 350 in weekly worship, yet a [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=234&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">efenster</media:title>
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		<media:content url="http://churchdevinumc.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/upward-arrow.jpeg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Upward arrow</media:title>
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	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Baptisms:  The Spirit moves within a church</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/baptisms-the-spirit-moves-within-a-church/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/baptisms-the-spirit-moves-within-a-church/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:06:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=229</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The following account is shared by Rev. Barry Humble, pastor of Boehmer United Methodist Church.  Boehmer is a rural church in the Northeast District that averages around 50 people in worship each week.  Praise God for what is happening through their ministry! &#8220;Three years ago a young lady, a 7th grader, came to me and said [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=229&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/baptisms-the-spirit-moves-within-a-church/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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			<media:title type="html">efenster</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">baptisms</media:title>
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		<title>A vital congregation is fruitful</title>
		<link>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/a-vital-congregation-is-fruitful/</link>
		<comments>http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/a-vital-congregation-is-fruitful/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:57:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>efenster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/?p=224</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our denomination is launching a Vital Congregation initiative that is asking its churches to set specific goals in five key areas.  Before setting the goals, perhaps it would be helpful to consider just what a Vital Congregation is.  How would you define it?  The following is an article that Rev. Jeff Stiggens, Director of Congregational [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=churchdevinumc.wordpress.com&amp;blog=15541248&amp;post=224&amp;subd=churchdevinumc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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			<media:title type="html">efenster</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Fruit</media:title>
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