November 3, 2009
Iowa Conference News
Thank You Notes – a new Blog on the IAUMC website
Apportionments support a Sidewalk Sunday School program of First United Methodist Church in Fort Dodge.
Follow this link to read more
United Methodist and Other News
S.O.W.E.R.
Sharing Our Witness – Enriching Relationships
Sowing the Seeds of Christian Love in Southeast Kentucky
SOWER is an UMVIM outreach project of the West Ohio Conference UMC which constructs new housing as part of the Henderson Settlement work camp program. Henderson Settlement, Frakes, Kentucky, is a component of the Red Bird Missionary Conference providing a multitude of services to the southern Bell and Whitley counties in Kentucky and parts of two counties in Tennessee. The Work Camp Program is one of the services provided which repairs existing housing and builds new houses (26 to date) to raise the quality of life for the owner families in the local area.
In 2009 the SOWER VIM project completed an 18’ by 30’ house addition for a single mother with 5 boys. The addition expanded the house to 5 bedrooms and two baths. This represented the 10th home completed by SOWER teams.
The SOWER VIM Team is in the planning stages for constructing the 11th home for a family in 2010.
Work Camp Schedule for S.O.W.E.R. 2010
Week 1 - May 16 – 22 Frame shell
Week 2 - May 23 – 29 Roofing, interior walls, exterior doors, windows, siding
Week 3 - July 11 – 17 Install insulation and drywall, finish siding & soffit
Week 4 - July 18 – 24 Finish drywall & paint, install porch railing
Week 5 - August 8 – 14 Finish interior trim, install underlayment, and flooring
Week 6 - August 15 – 21 Install interior doors, trim, and kitchen cabinets
To learn more or to join one of these camps contact Ralph & Carolyn Brandon, SOWER VIM Team Leaders. 231 McMillen Dr., Newark, Oh 43055, 740-344-5581, SOWER@wocumc.org
2009 Clergy Age Trends Report Released
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary is releasing its latest version of Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church containing updated 2009 statistics. The new report, prepared with assistance from the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, contains again this year modest good news for United Methodists.
The consistent decline in under-35 elders as a percentage of all elders hit its low point in 2005 and has held relatively steady with slight increases since then. In 2009 under-35 elders were slightly up as a percentage from 5.21 to 5.25 percent and down by four in total number at 906. The overall number of elders continues to decline each year.
At the same time, the percentage of deacons under 35 grew to 8.42 percent, and young local pastors increased to 5.5 percent.
The five conferences where young elders are highest as a percentage of elders in 2009 are Alaska (one out of three), Mississippi, Holston, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The largest number of young elders is found in Western North Carolina with sixty-two.
The report shows the numbers and percentages of young clergy for each annual conference, as well as the average and median ages of clergy by conference. New features in the 2009 report include breakdowns for middle age and older clergy by conference and a look at emerging retirement patterns among Baby Boomers. The report can be found at the Center’s website, www.churchleadership.com.
mid-week update is a ministry of the Communications Ministry Team
of the Iowa Annual Conference
