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Operation Classroom
VBS can mean more than Vacation Bible School. It is also the acronym of Operation Classroom’s Vacation Bible School project for the summer of 2010! This year, Operation Classroom, a United Methodist-related Indiana based mission ministry to Liberia and Sierra Leone, will be collecting these items from Vacation Bible Schools across Indiana who would like to participate in this mission outreach.
The items include:
These items can be purchased by the VBS group or you can send funds to the Operation Classroom office for us to do the purchasing. Other supplies are also needed, such as pencils, pens and notebooks.
Pack your supplies in a box (35 pound max) according to the OC shipping instructions (available from the OC office or Web page). A suggestion – deflate the balls to take less space in a box. You may wish to mark your box “Liberia” or “Sierra Leone.”
Either deliver or send UPS to: Operation Classroom, Mori Sales, 806 Woodward Street, Lapel, IN 46051. John Barker is the warehouse coordinator and can be contacted at 765-346-0979 or jl.barker36@live.com. Contact him to make arrangements for your delivery arrangements. For more information about Operation Classroom, visit www.operationclassroom.org.
Work Team
As teams form, we will put the information out so that some may join a team as space allows.
A Haiti Mission Team is forming for July 2-10 with team leader Doug Ahlfeld. Doug has many years of experience with mission work and mission work in Haiti. Only a few spots on the team remain and Doug indicates it is nearly time to purchase the airline tickets. The cost of the trip will be $1,600 plus $350 for the project. Each team is to supply $3,500 for the cost of doing the project in Haiti so with a team of 10 that means each person would contribute $350. The cost includes everything except food coming and going in the airports and personal items.
Our hope is that we can find a few people who have indicated early on that they were interested in serving in Haiti and would someday want to lead a team from their church to go with Doug and take serious notes. So in addition to some construction work (specific work has not been defined), we hope that you might consider it as an extension of team leader training for a future trip to Haiti. If you have questions, please contact Doug at dahlfeld@ershigs.com.
– Bonnie Albert, Indiana Conference Volunteer in Mission Coordinator
Disaster Response
The Tennessee Conference UM Relief Coordinator, Jason Brock, has indicated that Early Response Teams are being accepted to help with the cleanup from the recent floods in the Nashville area. If you are trained as an early responder and have a group ready to serve, please contact Jason Brock DisasterResponse@tnumc.com or 615-329-1177 (office) or 615-695-2765 (hotline). Volunteers may register online and keep updated via a blog that has been set up for that purpose. Thanks to those who are ready to serve in such times.
– David Powell, Indiana Conference Disaster Relief Coordinator, davidpowell@danvilleumc.org
and Bonnie Albert, Indiana Conference UMVIM Coordinator, bonkay@hotmail.com
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Operation Classroom
Ongoing
Bishop Rodolfo A. Juan of the Philippines Central Conference has requested a construction team to rebuild the sanctuary of the 77-year old UMC congregation of Pagangpang. He is envisioning a larger church building with a balcony to safely and comfortably accommodate the growing number of worshipers. The team will also have opportunities for fellowship with members of the congregation. This is a new project relationship that UMVIM is hoping to strengthen and Bishop Juan is hoping to have a team as soon as possible. Please respond here if you are interested in leading a team.
Operation Classroom
Work Team
Work Team
Work Team
The Indiana Conference Team on Native American Ministry is sponsoring two trips to the Crow Creek Reservation in Fort Thompson, South Dakota. The trip are August 1-7. Projects will range from light construction and fence work to working at a local church and community center. Evenings will include traditional native ceremony. Trip leaders can only register 50 participants for each trip. Registration deadline is May 28. The trips are for both youth and adults. Youth attending must be at least 14 years old. All participants 18 years old and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All participants must attend one of the three scheduled mandatory desensitization training sessions and must be in attendance the entire time. Dates are May 15 at Shiloh-Wesley UMC in Spencer, Ind. and June 5 at Northside Community UMC in Terre Haute, Ind. Team leaders: first trip the Rev. Diane Wells; second trip the Rev. Frank Oakman. Cost is $400 per person including lodging, meals, and supplies at the reservation. Transportation and other expenses to and from Crow Creek Reservation are the responsibility of each volunteer. For more information, for first trip – contact Rev. Wells at bdiane1947@yahoo.com or call 812-829-0198; Rev. Oakman at foakman@clergy.net or call 812-232-2478. The insurance form required for everyone registering is at http://umviminsurance.info.
Education
The United Methodist-related Brightwood Community Center in Indianapolis is holding its annual Community Day, when the center gives away loaded backpacks to school children in need of school supplies. Community Day is planned for Wednesday, Aug. 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Supplies and backpacks need to be at the Brightwood Center by Monday, Aug. 2. This past year Brightwood supporters enabled the center to give away 185 backpacks, plus additional school supplies. Brightwood has a list of school supplies to include in each backpack. If you and/or your church are interested in assisting with this project, contact the Rev. Debra Grady at 317-543-5648 or by e-mail at djsgrady@ameritech.net.
Work Team
Work Team
Education
Intern applications are sought for our Appalachian Immersion Internship, which begins this September. This 9-12 month opportunity is for anyone 18 or older, who desires to grow in their relationship with Christ and in their relationships with people who are vulnerable and struggling with poverty. We are located in Athens, OH, West Ohio Conference. Do you know someone who has a desire to love and serve the poor and who might benefit from living in an intentional Christian community for a year? The AI internship seeks to create a discipleship training experience, where there is a balance of action, education and relationships with people in need. Housing, food and a stipend provided.
Visit our Web site and click on "Internships." Call or email us to start the application!
Web: www.good-works.net, contact: Keith Wasserman, 740-594-9000, Good Works, Inc. P.O. Box 4, Athens, OH 45701.
Operation Classroom
Training
United Methodist Early Response Team Training for disaster responses will be held Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Tyson United Methodist Church, 324 West Tyson Street in Versailles, Ind. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. Jim Byerly will be the trainer for those over 18 years of age interested in responding to disasters. The cost is $35 person and includes lunch, basic materials and an UMCOR Identification badge, to be mailed to participants after the training. Some of the topics include: Team formation, equipment, tarping and mucking out. Please be prepared to provide your Social Security number and to complete an information form for a “Safe Sanctuaries” background check. For more information: contact Jim Byerly at pastorbyerly@comcast.net or call 812-689-6976 or 812-689-5046. Registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 3. A registration form is available here or send name, full address with ZIP, phone number with area code, church and city to address below. Make checks payable to the Tyson UMC with memo “ERT Training.” Send check and registration information to: ERT TRAINING c/o Tyson Pastor, 322 West Tyson Street, PO Box 246, Versailles, IN 47042.
Education
Main Street UMC, Alton, Ill. and the Illinois Great Rivers Conference will host the Honduras Summit from Wednesday through Saturday, Oct 6-9. We invite you to check out the agenda on the Honduras UMC Web site. The agenda looks to be highly interesting and promises to be instructive for both experienced and rookie teams. This would be a great time to contact churches in your ministry cluster to send representatives to this summit. The synergy of local churches working in Honduras will be exciting for all of us. The local contact at Main Street UMC is Greg Gelzinnis. Information flyer and registration are available.