June 1, 2010
Iowa Conference News
Mission Events Planned as part of Iowa Initiative
Listed below are those who responded to our request for information on various projects happening this Saturday.
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On June 5 members of Marshalltown Hope will be working on projects at the domestic violence shelter in Marshalltown. This is a mission we have supported financially and now our volunteers will be assisting with light construction and painting.
Hope United Methodist Church
641-752-5104
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The Parkersburg UMC will be serving lunch to the Habitat for Humanity volunteers in Parkersburg on Saturday, June 5.
Karen and Dana Anderson lost their home in the 2008 tornado. Dana has undergone several operations for injuries incurred at that time, and the home being built will be handicap-accessible.
There are many more opportunities to help during the summer as the Anderson home is built. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Heeren at 319.267.2378 to make your arrangements.
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In response to the "be encouraged" mission of the conference, the Excelsior UMC has been taking donations of food, paper products, and household items for a local homeless shelter/half-way house. Our youth group has taken on the responsibility to load up the donations and deliver them, and will also be touring the facility and meeting the residents.
Jennifer Hesebeck, Excelsior UMC, Northwest District
jenhesebeck@yahoo.com
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I am chair of our local missions committee at Christ United Methodist Church in Toledo. We are choosing to support our local Food Pantry with donations. This is an ongoing project for our congregation and many members also volunteer regularly at the distribution site.
Becky Heeren
beckyheeren@iowatelecom.net
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We are in the process of choosing a project. A banner with the "Be Encouraged" logo is being prepared for placement in front of our church building along the highway.
Darline Balm-Demmel
Waverly, Trinity
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My energy on June 5 will be devoted to the mechanics of staging the Peace and Social Justice March, June 7, with its goal of making a difference by encouraging Iowans to have a world vision.
Chet Guinn
chetguinn@gmail.com
Thank You Note – Pastors Ordained at Annual Conference
Click here to read this week’s Thank You Note
Josie Martinez from the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits will be with us at Annual Conference. Josie is available for personal pension consultations to make sure you are meeting your retirement planning goals, or will help you set them.
If you are interested in meeting with Josie, please call Cynthia Davis at 515-974-8920 to schedule a time.
Josie will be located in the Treasurer’s office on Saturday, June 5th and available in a separate room on Sunday, June 6th and Monday June 7th.
Are you on track for retirement?
When can I retire? How do I initiate the retirement process?
How would I know if I have enough for my retirement income? Can a pension projection help me plan for retirement?
When I retiree, I heard the housing allowance exclusion can help me pay less income tax? How does that work? Should I have a mortgage or not at retirement?
Do I need to receive all my pension when I retire? Is my pension from the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits taxable?
Will my pension amount increase every year? How much?
Will my spouse receive a pension when I die?
When will I get my first retirement check? How will I get it?
Can I have different beneficiaries on my pension and welfare accounts?
My statement of account shows less contribution into the Clergy Retirement Security Program (CRSP) than what my church is being billed for. Why? Will this be sufficient for retirement?
How much do I need to put in my United Methodist Personal Investment (UMPIP)? What is the maximum allowable amount for UMPIP?
If I leave the ministry, is there a benefit available to me? When can I receive it?
If I get disabled, is there a benefit available that I can receive? How much?
Is there a death benefit when I die? How much?
Can I borrow some money from my UMPIP? How much?
Annual Conference Food Concessions
There is confusion as to the availability of food at Annual Conference.
YES, there is a concession area for you to purchase food (on the same level - just north of where you will be seated). Please check your pre-conference manual for the listing (3 pages) of food availability, along with pricing.
A message went out last week informing everyone that there will also be a buffet available at lunch time on 3 days. Click here for more information on the $10.00 inclusive buffet (cash only!).
All food and drink consumed in Hy-Vee Hall must be purchased there. No food or drink of any kind can be brought into the hall from outside the building. Thank you for understanding and respecting the rules of our new venue.
United Methodist and Other News
HAITI: Emergency School Tents
Hundreds of school administrators and teachers and thousands of students perished in Haiti’s Department l’Ouest during the January 12 earthquake. Schools in the province were damaged or completely destroyed, leaving surviving children with no class to go to, and teachers unable to teach.
UMCOR is responding by setting up emergency classroom tents for six primary schools in Tabarre Issa and one in Corail, which will benefit a total of 1,870 students and 52 teachers. UMCOR also will provide chairs, desks, and tables, as well as school kits from UMCOR Sager Brown relief depot.
Since the earthquake four months ago, generous donors have given more than $33 million to UMCOR’s relief and recovery work in Haiti. Much more will be needed as the Haitian people rebuild over the coming years. One hundred percent of your gift supports these efforts. Please give to Haiti Emergency, UMCOR Advance #418325.
GLOBAL: World Refugee Day is June 20th
Dawn Evans and her husband Chris wanted to get involved in hospitality ministry when they moved to their new home in Hanover, Pennsylvania. They became interested in refugee resettlement and, with their pastor’s support, they invited the Lohr’s Memorial United Methodist congregation to help.
Before long, Lohr’s UMC welcomed not one family from Bhutan but three. Evans and other congregants scrambled to locate apartments and furnish them for a total of 17 refugees. “It has been such a blessing,” Evans said. Read the full story in the Refugee Ministry Newsletter.
World Refugee Day is June 20. Share UMCOR resources with your congregation. Download a World Refugee Day poster, web banner, children’s sermon, and PowerPoint slide now. Learn more about this ministry by clicking here. And please, support refugee resettlement with your gift to New Hope for Newcomers, UMCOR Advance #901779.
mid-week update is a ministry of the Communications Ministry Team
of the Iowa Annual Conference
