One of the historic items for consideration at the Second Session of our new Indiana Conference will be a series of votes on forming a new foundation to support the ministries and work of United Methodists in
These three foundations (along with the IN U.M. Loan & Savings Ministry, Inc., a non-profit affiliate) have been meeting and working through a Merger Task Force for over two years to consider becoming one new foundation. Those have been arduous efforts and negotiations, and I am very proud of their fine work. I want to especially thank the staffs of those current foundations and Rev. David VW Owen, Executive Assistant to the Bishop, who has worked with this Task Force. In my occasional meetings with them, I have been impressed with their constant focus upon, “What is best for the whole of
The first step has been for the former Indiana Area Foundation to reshape itself into the United Methodist Foundation of Indiana, Inc. which will become the name of the new merged foundation. Their new Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws are posted on the Indiana Conference website for your review. (Please note that these Articles and By-Laws will not be voted on during Annual Conference, because their Directors have already adopted these materials.)
However, we are ready for a series of votes at Annual Conference to confirm the efforts of our three foundations to merge. First, the Annual Conference members from the former North Indiana Conference will vote to adopt the merger resolution as the voting members of the north foundation. Then, the Annual Conference members from the former South Indiana Conference area of
I recommend that all clergy and lay members of the Indiana Conference read and study these various documents before you arrive at Annual Conference. The merger resolutions are included in your pre-conference workbook, since these are the documents you will be voting on in the separate north and south sessions. The new Covenant document will be distributed to you in your packet when you arrive at Annual Conference, and it also will be voted on, pending the previous votes of the two foundation sessions. As noted above, the Articles of Incorporation and the By-Laws of the new United Methodist Foundation of Indiana, Inc. are posted on our Indiana Conference website, since the Annual Conference will not be voting on those documents. We will also have a few printed copies of those documents available at Annual Conference for anyone who does not have internet access.
All of these actions will occur on Friday afternoon of Annual Conference, so be prepared to follow carefully the instructions and the voting in our various entities. All of those votes may seem a little confusing, but they are of course required by