Yearly Meeting Preview
; We are trusting by the end of July it will be safe to gather for our yearly meeting sessions at Quaker Haven Camp, July 23-25. “Knowing Jesus” will be our theme as we begin our bicentennial year. Special guest, Michael Card, will be sharing our Bible messages in addition to his well-known music. Make plans now to gather with Friends from across IYM for a weekend of inspiration, celebration and fellowship.
Cash Flow Problems?
We understand in these days your church may be facing challenges to meet normal expenses. The IYM Executive Committee has re-designated some existing funds to make possible the awarding of “Friends Helping Friends Grants” to churches with low financial reserves. Additional financial assistance is available through a low-interest loan program approved by the IYM Trustees from the Revolving Loan Fund. For more information go to
www.iym.org
.
Congregational Relief Fund:
Everence, Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) have joined together to launch a new COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund to aid churches facing financial crisis due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The fund will accept grant requests of up to $5,000 each from churches that might not have means to recover from this unprecedented global situation. Recipient churches may use the grants to meet their congregational financial needs (such as rent, mortgage, utilities, staff salaries, etc.) or to assist families and individuals in their midst recover from COVID-19 hardships. Friends Churches are eligible. Contact
doug@iym.org
for more information.
The Indiana Yearly Meeting
office remains closed while government restrictions are in place, but your staff is working remotely and available by email or cell phone. The Communicator will only be available electronically while the IYM office remains closed
From the Advancement Committee:
Let the joy of Our Lord Jesus Christ fill us as we walk through these days. We are grateful to see our IYM folks figuring out how to serve well in the midst of confusion, uncertainty, and some fear. We are amazed and grateful for your giving. Here are the details for fundraising for the 2021 IYM budget:
·
$24,807.30 Cash Already Received
·
8,013.00
Pledges still to be paid
·
$32,820.30 Total
Committee Day
originally scheduled for May 12 at South Marion will instead meet on two different dates via video conferencing. Committee members can expect to receive an email the week prior to their meeting with an invitation to join a Zoom conference that you can participate via video from your computer or smart phone, or by audio from any telephone.
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Sunday School Curriculum orders
for the summer quarter are now being accepted. Contact
doug@iym.org
for more information or an order form. Please make your order by April 30. Orders requested by April 30.
Important Information Concerning Quaker Haven Summer Camps:
Since schedules are now fluid, Summer Camps at Quaker Haven are affected. Click on this link for a video where Pat Byers gives the latest information regarding the summer camps:
https://youtu.be/6PadeFZPwp0
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GOOD NEWS reports from our IYM Churches
Amboy Friends
reports that God is on the move at their church! Right before the Corona virus outbreak restrictions, ten couples were able to gather at Quaker Haven for the 4th Annual AFC Marriage Retreat. Once again, they were blessed to have Tony and Stacey Wheeler as our speakers and to lead us in worship. For the past three weeks, the church has served free hot lunches to the community three days a week. The drive-thru is open for 1 1/2 hours each day and is averaging 150 meals a day. Last week, five moms of the church and their elementary-aged children
caravan
throughout the community. They stopped at several houses of those from church and sang "Jesus Loves Me" and "This Little Light of Mine" to lift the spirits of those that can't get out during this time. They hope to go out again soon! Easter Sunday morning many of the congregation gathered in the parking lot (observing social distances) and sang along as the church carillon played “Amazing Grace,” “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” and other Easter songs. Other people in town stood in their yards and sang with us. Youth pastor Gary Creech closed with prayer. The Overman
semi-truck
drove all through southern Miami County shouting the news that Christ has risen. They went by each congregational home, and many more houses, blowing their horn and waving. It was wonderful!
Bear Creek Friends
has continued to worship "virtually" during the period of closure. Pastor Zach Kennedy posts each week's message on Sunday morning, and others have contributed accompaniment for hymns, songs for children, special music, Sunday School lessons, testimonies, and children's stories. You can visit
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Church/Bear-Creek-Friends-Church-108151739227221/
to find links to these items. The families of the church have been divided into groups, and each member of the M & O is responsible for keeping in contact with one group until worship resumes in person
.
Knightstown Friends
had a get together by way of Zoom on April 8th. It was a time to see one another and share what’s going on in our lives, pray together, and worship the Lord.
Liberty Friends
has been having services on Facebook Live during this quarantined time. Their pastor and his wife traveled to each child's home, visiting from their car and presenting them with snacks, Bibles, lesson plans, and crafts, so the children can still be a part of their Junior Church activities.
Mooreland Friends’ Pastor Brenda and Pastor Ross
are working together to bring live sermons that are on Facebook with a link to the church website. They plan to have a sermon posted each week. Hard copies are delivered to those with no internet service. As Pastor Brenda said, “God’s love will sustain us through it all!”
Portland Friends pastor, Herb Hummel,
asked his congregation to send him praise stories of when each person had felt God’s presence in their everyday life. He made these into a devotional booklet and delivered them back to the people (with no close contact). On Easter morning the congregation was able to read these messages from each other and they felt a real connection during this time of separation.
Sycamore Friends
recently were surprised with deliveries (at a safe distance) of beautiful Easter flowers from the church.
Pastor Ben Snyder of West River Friends
is doing a series of on-line devotionals beginning with Psalms 120. These can be accessed through any of the following sites:
Pastoral
Openings:
Please continue to pray for Amboy, Center, Georgetown, and Maple Run as they are searching for new pastors. To learn about these and other openings in IYM congregations look under “Positions Open” on
www.iym.org
.
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Have you mailed in a contribution for IYM’s
annual fundraising effort?
Lots of people have, but we still need your help!
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IYM Upcoming Calendar
04/19 Thank You Event has been postponed
04/26 IYM Sunday--Please reschedule your observance to a Sunday that works for your church
05/12 Committee Day will be held via video conference (see earlier announcement about Committee Day
05/16 Representative Council is still scheduled to meet at Bethel Friends at 9:30am; watch for updates as the time for this meeting draws near
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A Note from Doug Shoemaker
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Good Morning!
Have you been paying attention to the birds this spring? They are ignoring social distancing directives and have refused to stockpile toilet paper. While outside recently I thought of the Skeeter Davis song, “The End of the World,” released in December 1962. In it she asks, “Why do the birds go on singing? Why do the stars glow above? Don't they know it's the end of the world? It ended when I lost your love.” Some of us might feel like it’s the end of the world as we’ve known it – or maybe the end of a job, a loved one’s life, or even the value of an IRA. And yet those pesky birds just keep on singing!
I don’t think anyone reading this will remember the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. It prompted quarantines and the banning of public worship and other public gatherings. Worldwide 50 million people died including 675,000 in the United States. Some pastors responded creatively, some declared the judgment of God, and others seized the opportunity to care for “epidemic orphans.” Some complied with the government’s directives while others defied them. And yet, those pesky birds just kept on singing.
Jesus had something to say about those birds. Really, he had something to say about us. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 26:26-27). If you are feeling stressed today, listen to the birds. They know something we don’t.
-Doug Shoemaker
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