Love: Instead of turning to an AI app, how about prayer?

In this month of Valentine’s Day, I’ve been thinking about love, namely the hunger people have for real, authentic love and relationships. The U.S. Surgeon General, last year, spoke about the “devastating impact of the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States.” One result of this “epidemic” is people turning to AI apps to receive it. One such app, Paradot, is described as “a digitalized parallel universe where you will meet your one-of-a-kind Al Being.” That being with its own emotion, memory and consciousness will provide a person with the companionship and love that they long for.

I volunteer at a ministry called Inasmuch (IAM) and its director, Mary Ann Mings, sent us volunteers this note last week:

“So yesterday I saw a woman who has never been to IAM; ever.  M [the woman’s initial] was very ‘subdued’ as she waited. She came for bus passes, but didn’t know anything about us.   She is homeless. I gave her the bus passes, and she didn’t say much.   I told her that I would love to pray for her if that was okay.  She hesitated and then said nobody has ever prayed for me.  I said well I would love to if you are okay with it.  She sat there for a minute and said, ‘yes.’  I said, ‘How can I pray for you?’ She said, ‘Love.’   I didn’t say anything so she would continue talking. She told me she has never felt loved, and she would like to feel loved.   She said she has always wanted to be in a relationship and be loved.  So I prayed for love.  When I finished, she was crying.   

“As much as the world tries to convince everyone that the world is a Hallmark movie with a happy ending, it isn’t. There are so many people like M who just want to feel loved.  Our prayers for them are a form of connection that are not a substitute for a loving partner or a child or a parent, but they are a connection done through the love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.”

The church is in the perfect position to address this epidemic of loneliness and isolation, and it can be as simple as us offering a person a prayer. How are you and your church responding?

P.S. Fresh Expressions is a model of ministry especially designed to listen to people, meeting them where they are resulting in authentic relationships and Christian community. Check it out!

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development

Church leaves the building

Rev. Carolyn Kern, pastor of Pierceton United Methodist Church, literally has helped her church leave its building. In fact, the church recently auctioned off its building, selling it for $130,000. The proceeds will now help fund the church as it ministers within the Pierceton community. In a recent national UM podcast, Rev. Kern says, “We don’t need a building, to build community.” In fact, with 6-8 people showing up on Sundays, the building was actually a drain on the church’s ministry.

Instead the church is focused on connecting with the people of Pierceton where they live and do life. For example, Pierceton UMC has “adopted” a local downtown bar, called the Taproot Brewhouse. The church not only holds its weekly Sunday worship service there, its pastor and members also help clean, cook, and more than one even got their bartending license to help serve drinks. All this to connect with the local members of the community, to get to know them and build relationships with them, and to share with them the love of Christ.

Early on, Rev. Kern realized that the church needed to connect with people in new ways. Although it was attracting fewer than ten people to its building on Sunday mornings, the church started cardio drumming groups that each averaged 20-30 people. All together they have 125 on the cardio-drumming rolls!

The church also saw a need and filled it. The local Catholic church serves a free community meal once every-other month. Pierceton UMC folk, who have assisted the past eight years, decided to begin offering an additional free meal on the intervening months. Typically twenty or so volunteers serve around 225 people, with more than a dozen additional volunteers supporting them with their prayers and help with logistics and food preparation. Oh yes, and they do this out of the Taproot’s kitchen!

To find out more about this unique church and its community-focused ministries, visit its Facebook page.

How is your church leaving its building?

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development

We don’t need a building, to build community.

TaprootBar tending license—cooks, cleans tables, t

Friday-Monday spend time with people attending 

Cardio drumming, Monday’s and Wednesday’s Pleasant Grove, 20-30 per night, 125 on rolls, 6-8 people worshiped on Sunday mornings.

Pierceton, 3^rd Thursday a month, had a community meal.  Had 

Served 225, 20 volunteers at Taproot, another 15 prayed, prepared food ahead of time

Indiana Conference’s newest UMC launches

We celebrate the start of Noel United Methodist Church located in Santa Claus, Indiana Conference’s newest congregation! How fitting that a new United Methodist Church launched on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023.

The congregation formed after Santa Claus UMC voted to leave the denomination. Retired Pastor Jill Kaetzel has been meeting with interested United Methodists along with Rev. Randy Anderson from the Church Development staff.

On Easter Sunday, people gathered at the Santa Clause Campground chapel to celebrate the church’s first Sunday morning worship service. Ninety-eight people filled the entire space. Praise God!

The church plans to begin meeting in a local community building. Already some of its leaders are talking about starting a Fresh Expression focused on senior adults, so the church is clearly focused on mission and ministry. Conference Superintendent Mitch Gieselman is working with the Bishop and Cabinet on the appointment of the church’s first pastor.

The even better news is this is not the only project that is launching. There are other new and renewing congregations being planned and launched across the state. These include Haitian, Hispanic, urban and rural, Fresh Expressions, digital congregations, a real mix! All this is to say that God is certainly not done with the Indiana Conference and God’s Spirit is moving in amazing ways throughout the state. We are Easter people and so we praise God for our hope-filled future!

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development

Bibles, Bikes, Beer, and Bruises…

Pastors Mark Harmon and Adam Speicher

“If they won’t come to our churches, let’s take church to them!” And that’s exactly what Adam Speicher and Mark Harmon have done. These two pastors of three small churches started a new Fresh Expression called “Bibles, Bikes, Beer, and Bruises.” It’s for persons who like motorcycles and beer and who have experienced bruises in life. It’s for folks who don’t frequent churches for whatever reason, but who are interested in learning about the healing power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in a place that is unconventional, where you don’t have to fear of being judged.

Bibles, Bikes, Beer, and Bruises, which launched on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, meets from 6:00-7:00pm every Wednesday at Polsinelli’s, a bar in Logansport. Adam and Mark shared the idea with the bar owner. She attended worship online but never attended in person, so she saw the value in the idea and offered Wednesday nights as a time the group could meet. (Jesus, in Luke 10, refers to someone like her as a “person of peace,” someone who isn’t necessarily a believe but who is receptive and can open doors to make things happen.)

As they prepared to start this new group, Adam and Mark kept wondering if anyone would show up. Adam says they had been praying that God would send us people, hoping for four or five to attend. To their surprise, eighteen folk joined them! It reminded Adam of how true Ephesians 3:20 is… “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”

Every Wednesday night, the group has a topic and the topics are printed on a bookmark that each person receives. (Mark and Adam ordered twenty of them not knowing that would be the exact number of persons at the first gathering!) Adam and Mark saw the bookmark in a catalogue. It has “911 Emergency Numbers” at the top and lists thirty topics on each side. For example, one says, “Feeling down and out? – Romans 8:31.” Another says, “Relational advice? – Romans 12.” They cover one topic each Wednesday night, and Mark and Adam base the following Sunday sermon on the same passage. Wednesday nights help them prepare for Sunday!

Most of those who showed up on Wednesday had attended church at some point of their lives, but no longer or rarely attend now. They came Wednesday because they were invited by church members or saw a flier that Adam and Mark distributed. One person who came doesn’t attend church, yet he brought an unchurched friend along with him. Near the end of their time together, Mark and Adam asked if anyone had prayer concerns and three or four responded. And while they prayed together, the noisy bar became quiet. Even those not actually attending the group were touched! Praise God!

Adam and Mark demonstrate that it doesn’t take a large church to launch a Fresh Expression of church. Adam is pastor of Lake Cicott UMC (20 in average worship) and Twelve Mile Bethlehem UMC (40 in average worship), and Mark is a pastor Wolcott UMC (20 in average worship). It just requires hearts that care for a particular group of people, in this case folks that love bikes and beer and have lots of bruises, and finding perhaps a person of peace. So who is God calling you to reach? Who might be your person of peace?

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director for Church Development

Note: If you’re church is interested in launching one or more Fresh Expressions and could benefit from ongoing training, coaching and encouragement, check out the Godsend Incubator from our denomination’s Path 1. The first thirty Indiana Conference UM churches to register get a scholarship to cover half the participation fee! Visit Godsend Incubator to register or contact Ed for more information (ed.fenstermacher@inumc.org).

Being the church in a virtual world

The church I attend, Faith United Methodist in Fort Wayne, is preparing to receive members who have never attended our building. That’s right! They got connected with the church after we had stopped meeting in our building due to the pandemic last spring. So how did they get connected? Through our pastor, Melissa Fisher, and some of our members, and through participating in our on-line worship and ministries that happen outside the building. This has reminded us that the church is not the building at all but the people, the ministry!

Centenary United Methodist Church just announced that it is becoming a virtual church. It has been sharing space at a Disciples of Christ church in New Albany, Indiana. Since the Covid-19 pandemic started back in March, the congregation has been meeting virtually. Its leaders began realizing that the church was functioning fine without a building and that it could invest more money in ministry and mission if it had no building expenses. So at least for now, it has decided to be a church without a building.

The church’s pastor, Rev. Harriett Akins-Banman, says, “Using Zoom for worship, weekly prayer, monthly fellowship gatherings, meetings and studies has made a positive difference.  These people thought they knew each other; now the knowing goes deeper.” In order to make sure church members without computers can be a part of the virtual church, the congregation has bought members laptops with WiFi hot spots.

Despite the pandemic, Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Indianapolis started a Fresh Expression this summer. Its pastor, Rev. Dave Buckner, loves bicycling and so he started a bicycling group this summer and intentionally invited youth from a nearby low-income apartment complex. As a result, each week a number of adults and a dozen or more youth from the apartment complex go on bike rides, hear about Jesus and pray together. Recently they received a grant from Church Development to help them with their effort.

So how is your church doing during this time of social distancing? How might not having a building actually enhance your church’s ministry? How does your church need to make a mind shift in order to thrive during this challenging time?

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development

Learning from the Korean Methodist Church

Rev. Eun-Pa Hong and Ed

Last week, I had the unique opportunity to go on a Congregational Developers Pilgrimage to South Korea with 27 United Methodist leaders from the U.S., including a team from our denomination’s Path 1. Here’s an article they wrote about it. I ditto everything in it! The experience was amazing!

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development

(P.S. Although I paid my own way, the Indiana Conference graciously viewed my time away as part of my job with the conference rather than vacation. I am so grateful I got this opportunity and certainly learned a lot!)

UM developers group singing at a worship service

Last month, Path1 took a deep dive into Korean Christian spirituality. We traveled to Bupyeong Methodist Church in Incheon City, South Korea. There we were met with extraordinarily radical hospitality. The church housed and fed us for a week. While physical eating kept us satisfied, spirituality fed our souls in a deep and abiding way. Each morning, we attended 5 AM worship that included hymn-singing, scripture, preaching and prayer. We participated in the Korean practice of Tongsung Kido, which means, “praying altogether out loud.” It started with three shout-outs to God and followed with passionate prayer spoken by individuals at the same time. It lasted for 20 minutes. It was cathartic and it was powerful as congregants and leaders alike cried out to God with their innermost supplications.

During our time, we learned at the feet of Rev. Eun-Pa Hong, Senior Minister since 1981, and his team of associate pastors. We learned about Korea, its history and economy, and the revival and growth of the Korean Church. We visited the Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery where missionaries and their families are buried. In many instances, we heard heartfelt thanks for the sacrifice of foreign missionaries who gave their lives to help bring Christianity to the Korean peninsula. We visited the War Memorial of Korea where we learned about the Korean conflict of 1950-1953 and the many lives lost. Music, including the annual festival of choirs, filled our hearts and souls with sacred songs. We are forever grateful for this magnificent opportunity to take a deeper dive into spirituality and for the generous hosts who made every moment special. This experience will inform our own spirituality and infuse our work with a greater measure of the power of prayer.

Bupyeong Methodist Church, Incheon City, South Korea

Indiana UMs stand together against bigotry

“Pastor, come quickly!” the youth urged as he was filling up the church van. They were returning from a youth event and were at a gas station in northern Indiana. “There’s a problem inside the store!”

The pastor upon entering found a man berating his church’s youth because they were speaking Spanish to one another. The man said that in America we speak English, not Spanish. The pastor immediately intervened and tried calming the man down. He explained that it’s common for his youth to speak in Spanish among themselves, and that they meant the man no disrespect.

The man asked him who he was, and the pastor explained that he was a United Methodist pastor returning from a trip with his church youth. Two women witnessing this exchange went up to the man and laid into him, defending the pastor and youth, saying this was America and people can speak whatever language they want. They went on to point to the van at the gas pump and say, “We’re all a part of the same church. See that cross and flame? That’s our church, The United Methodist Church.”

The pastor told me that his people are very anxious because of the present climate in the state and country. So, may all of us United Methodists be quick to stand with our Hispanic sisters and brothers, whether they’re members of our churches or not. And may we speak up and confront bigotry and racism even when minorities aren’t present. The Bible makes it very clear that we are to do this, and if we have the heart and mind of Christ we can’t help but do this. So let’s do it!

— Ed Fenstermacher

Who says small churches can’t make huge difference?

Can small rural churches really make a difference? Well, three United Methodist churches in the West District of the Indiana Conference are doing just that. Shelburn, Ebenezer, and Farmersburg UM churches are changing the lives of young people in their area through JAM, Jesus and Me. Although the churches collectively average around 100 people in weekly worship, they are reaching fifty children through their JAM ministry!

Bonnie Greene, a part-time school bus driver and one of the JAM leaders, says that the primary objective of the ministry is that every child knows God and how to pray.

Most of those being reached don’t attend traditional Sunday morning church. Bonnie says that they used to refer to the youth as unchurched until they realized that they were churched, that JAM was their church. And now she has a dream to reach their parents too.

A couple years ago, she was challenged by her church’s Conference Superintendent, Rev. John Groves, when he closed a Charge Conference with a prayer that included the phrase: “May the Holy Spirit come upon you and disturb you until you fall on your knees and He fills you with His power.”

Bonnie says that she kept thinking about that prayer, and as a result the Lord gave her a vision of reaching the JAM youth’s parents by offering them dinner at an off-site location. Bonnie says God even provided the name for it, The Table. To begin working on it, she and another person from the ministry recently attended Dinner Church training the Conference provided and are working on making that vision a reality!

So just think of how God can use your church!

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development

To hear more about this amazing story, watch this video of Bonnie sharing about the JAM ministry.

Meet Korean Disciples UM Church

The following is an interview with Rev. Jack Hartman and the Korean Disciples UM Church in West Lafayette, Indiana…

1. Tell us how and when you began as a UM congregation

Korean Disciples Church (KDC) began in July, 2013, as a non-denominational church to serve Koreans residing in the West Lafayette/Lafayette area, particularly Korean students attending Purdue University. The first service was held with 16 attendees, including the founding pastor Rev. Jong Hyun Jung, who was a graduate student at Purdue University at that time. Shortly later, KDC moved in the First UMC at West Lafayette, and First UMC generously offered KDC to share its facility. Due to the graduation of Rev. Jung, KDC initiated a nation-wide search and found a new pastor Rev. Kook Jin Yun. As Rev. Yun was a UMC pastor, KDC became affiliated with UMC as a plant church on his joining of KDC in July, 2016. Upon the unexpected dissociation of Rev. Yun from KDC in March, 2017, Rev. Steve Clouse, Director of Church Development at the time, started to provide the pastoral service to KDC. For the following seven months, Rev. Clouse not only led Sunday services but also reformed the decision-making process of KDC. Thanks to his dedication and exceptional efforts, KDC revived and re-strengthen trust among church members and between KDC and UMC. In June, 2017, KDC reaffirmed its affiliation with UMC through an overwhelming ‘yes’ votes in a congregational meeting.

2. What is your vision?

KDC has five vision items. First, KDC spreads the Gospel to the world by worshiping together. Second, KDC makes disciples of Jesus by bolstering the spiritual growth of the members. Third, KDC provides a loving community by strengthening the fellowship between the members. Fourth, KDC nurtures young generations by awakening them spiritually. Fifth, KDC makes the world better by serving and helping the community outside the church.

3. Describe your discipleship process.

KDC emphasizes small group activities in various forms. KDC has been building and supporting a vibrant college group named ELIM, which has grown to a significant body of more than 30 members in the past several years. The group convenes every Friday for worship services and conducts small group Bible studies. ELIM strives to create an atmosphere where people can experience the presence of God.

The Sunday school is one of the most important components of KDC’s discipleship process. Approximately, 20 children and youth attend the Sunday school weekly, and 6 to 7 volunteers devote themselves to assist the students with their spiritual growth. As many of the church members are young parents, the congregation always shows strong support to our Sunday school. Moreover, the Sunday school at First UMC provides KDC with generous support by sharing their facility and teaching resources.

KDC has also formed five small groups for families. Approximately, 25 adults regularly attend the bi-weekly small group meetings, where they reflect on Bible verses together and share their experiences and learning as Christians in everyday life. KDC also offers two Bible study sessions for adults. The Bible study groups meet weekly and study Bible with the guidance of Rev. Lee or his wife, Eunsun.

4. Share about Pastor Lee.

Rev. Lee has an extensive array of experiences in young adult ministries. Rev. Lee obtained his B.Th. and M.Th. degrees from the Methodist Theological University in Seoul, Korea. After having served as a pastor at Broom-Tree Korean Methodist Church, a plant church in Seoul for three years, he was ordained as a full membership pastor in 2012 by the bishop of the Seoul Conference in the Korean Methodist Church. After his ordination, he moved to California and obtained his M.Div. degree in 2016. While pursuing his D.Min. degree, Rev. Lee accepted the leading pastor position at KDC. Before his move to Indiana, Rev. Lee had served as an associate pastor at several churches in the Bay area, including Bethel Korean UMC in San Jose, CA, with an emphasis on young adult ministry. His rich experiences in young adult ministry and his interest in campus ministry have acted as a driving force that leads KDC to move forward.

5. What does KDC mean to its participants?

KDC is indeed a group of people who love God with reverence and awe. We had our challenging time, but by overcoming the challenges, we have learned who is truly the leader of this church and what the church members as the body parts of the Christ should do. Our Lord unified us, guided us, and taught us through the challenging time. I am so excited and also delighted by expecting what amazing things God will do with KDC on Purdue campus. – Minhye Hwang

I’m exceptionally fortunate to be a member of Korean Disciple Church and serve other followers of Jesus at church. As the name of the church explicitly states, we desire to be disciples of Jesus Christ and to spread the gospel of Jesus and God’s love to anyone. This church has offered me with a variety of opportunities to build a stronger spiritual life. I learned to spend time with God every day, early in the morning. Developing the habit of praying to God daily with other followers contributed to my spiritual growth and made me feel that God is with me all the time. If you are seeking fellowship with other followers of Jesus in such a home-like, supportive environment, this church would be the ideal place for you! – Taejung Ma

6. What ministries are you involved in?

About 15 church members of KDC have been visiting dementia patients at Rosewalk Nursing Home in Lafayette every month for the past four years. They sing gospels along with the patients, have a conversation with them, and also share the Good News.

KDC is very proactive in supporting oversee missionaries. Since its inception, KDC has been supporting five missionaries in Africa and South America. Moreover, KDC has been supporting ten underprivileged children in developing countries through Compassion.

KDC recently started a new outreach ministry to support Korean students on Purdue campus. This October KDC women’s bible study group made 200 lunches and distribute them to Korean students and non-believers in town. KDC plans to continue this effort especially at the final weeks at Purdue University.

7. What’s attendance like?

Because a big portion of our members are college students, the attendance fluctuates according to Purdue’s academic calendar. While the University is in session during a semester, the average attendance of KDC is 90, of which about 30 are Purdue students, and 20 are Sunday School children.

8. What else would like to share?

Volunteerism is one of the key words at KDC. The majority of church members are willing to serve the congregation according to their ability and capacity. For example, we have meal together every week after our Sunday service. Members voluntarily bring whatever they can prepare or afford and share the meal with everyone. The meal is always full of joy and love whether the meal is sufficient or not. This spirit works in every part of the church activities in KDC and contributes to unifying the church.

 

 

 

Don’t underestimate simple acts of love

I just got a call from a stranger.  “My grandmother, Miriam, died and she asked you to participate in her funeral.”  My wife and I had just received a Christmas card from Miriam yesterday, the day she died at the age of 103!  We had just told each other that we should visit her over Christmas week.

Miriam had been a part of Simpson UM Church, where Marlene and I had worked until 1995 when I went to work for the Conference.  I can count on one hand the number of times I saw Miriam since then, but every Christmas we exchanged notes.  Why was my name on the first page of her funeral planning notes?  I guess I didn’t realize what I meant to her.

You, I’m sure, have had similar experiences, especially if you’ve lived sixty or more years like me.  People touched by your love along the way.  It might seem fleeting or inconsequential to us, yet it stayed with that person over the arc of their lives.  What a wonder…

Similarly, do you think the shepherds, who were among Jesus’ first visitors on that first Christmas, were aware that their one-time visit would still be talked about 2000 years later?  What a wonder…

May we keep shining the light of Christ in 2019!  And may we not underestimate the power of even the smallest act of love.

— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development