The first Committee Night of the 2021-22 Committee Year was a success! Thank you to all who attended and for the vital work you are doing in IYM committees. And a special 'thank you' to Marion First Friends for hosting. The next Committee Day will be Saturday, December 11 at Marion First Friends.
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Bear Creek Friends is hosting a workshop led by Katy Moran of Kaleo Academy on Growing Young. This book and workshop are results of a study by Fuller Seminary on what churches who attract and retain young people are doing. Plan to attend with the leadership team from your church! Email Bear Creek pastor Zach Kennedy to RSVP by September 15.
Bethel Friends pastor, Doug Haag, informed the meeting that he plans to retire July 1, 2022. Doug and Karen have a home in east Tennessee and plan to move there. Doug said they have spent some time praying for God’s leading in this decision and feel the Lord has other work for them to do in Tennessee. Doug said that Bethel will always feel like home and they have been blessed to have had these years to serve at Bethel and in Indiana Yearly Meeting.
Danville Friends recently had their annual outdoor worship/picnic. Hot dogs and hamburgers were served, a corn hole tournament was enjoyed, and a sprinkler event for the kids was a highlight.
Fairmount Friends handed out over 200 backpacks to their community plus water and popsicles. They placed information cards in each backpack and as a result, several new people have been coming to their church. Their VBS served 30 children.
Long Lake Friends has completed the remodeling of their restrooms, making them handicap assessable.
Wabash Friends recently celebrated their summer which included sending 87 youth to Quaker Haven Camp plus four adults going as campers, four adults being counselors, two adults playing in the band and three kids/adults on staff.
You are invited to a reception for Lynn and Larry Guyer in celebration of their upcoming retirement after many years of service to Quaker Haven Camp. The reception will be held in the Activity Center at the camp from 3-5 pm on September 5. No RSVP necessary, just come!
Don't forget Family Camp, Labor Day weekend, September 3-6. There will be family events, various activities, and lots of fun available to campers of all ages. Call the camp office for more information and pricing.
We like to hear from you so please send your meeting's news to us to use in the Communicator.
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The new quarter for the IYM Adult Sunday School Curriculum is ready and available. If you have not ordered any for your church, there are still some available. Contact the IYM office to order!
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West River Friends is hosting a
'drive-thru' Pork Chop Dinner on September 25, from 5-7 pm. A free-will donation will be taken.
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The Advancement Committee continues to thank those who support the IYM fundraising efforts. Please visit the IYM website for information on the 2023 fund-raising efforts. Click HERE to view or download the 2023 Budget Narrative and get a closer look at how IYM funds are used.
The Advancement Committee has also discussed the fact that no lasting spiritual movement happens without prayer. If you would be willing to be a part of a prayer team that will uplift the IYM Advancement efforts, as well as other yearly meeting endeavors, please contact the IYM office.
From the Christian Service Committee:
We are grateful for Tonya Scalf, from the Friends Counseling Center, for sharing at our workshop during IYM Sessions. Tonya's guidance with how to care for folks during these times offered resources, insight, and hope. As our monthly meetings continue to serve our communities, let's keep aware of needs and be prepared to take care of the folks around us -- reflecting the love of Jesus Christ. --Damon Seacott
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White's RFS is continually seeking new ways to meet the needs of the students we serve. In light of this, Student Chaplain Shane Chellis recently launched a weekly 12-step group for students in our TREC program. Currently, this group is specifically for students struggling with substance use disorder.
"I believe the 12-steps easily lead into spiritual formation by dealing with the core of the issue and providing a space for those things to come to the surface," said Shane.
While the initial group began as a 6-week trial run, students have been eager for the program to start back up. The program will begin again soon and in the future, Shane hopes student interest will continue to increase. White's is excited to continue to integrate faith and recovery through this new group! For further details on the TREC program, visit our website! https://whiteskids.org/residential-services/trec/
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A thought on Multiplication:
Luke 5:17-26 tells of forgiveness and healing. There were some men on a quest. It was a quest that turned into one with eternal results. Their quest was to take a paralyzed man to Jesus. There were obstacles to their quest -- a crowd blocking the entrance. So to get to Jesus they were creative, making a hole in the roof to let the paralyzed man through right in front of Jesus. In my mind, I continue to see those men looking down and watching. Jesus saw their faith. I wonder what they thought when they walked away that day. I believe there is a quest before Indiana Yearly Meeting. The quest of multiplication. It will result in Jesus seeing our faith. It will result in seeing Jesus saying to those we will carry to Him, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
-Sid Martin
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Pastor Gatherings for the 2021-2022 year will meet on the second Thursday of the month from 10-11:30 am. We are working on securing host churches. We will have studies inspired by Thom Rainer's books; Scrappy Church and Becoming a Welcoming Church. There is no need for pastors to purchase the books, but if you would like to pick them up, they are a quick read with a lot of practical information. The first gathering will be on Thursday, September 9 from 10-11:30 am at Lynn Friends.
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We recently received this letter via email:
Thank you for sending us a copy of your colorful Indiana Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers) 1821–2021 bicentennial history, directory, and scrapbook, and also Gregory P. Hinshaw’s "A Beginner’s Guide" to the Friends Church. Both have arrived safely at Friends House, London, and will be added to the Library’s collections as soon as we can.
In peace & friendship,
--David Irwin
Midwest Region of USFW:
Dear Friends, it is with sadness that the Transition Team for USFW has decided to cancel the retreat at Quaker Haven that was to have taken place September 13 and 14. Due to the increase in the spread of the COVID Delta variant, we feel that we don't want to take the chance of any one of us getting ill from our gathering. Mark your calendars for September 12 and 13, 2022, when we hope to be able to gather at Quaker Haven together.
Also, mark your calendars for October 26, 2021, when we hope to hold an in-person celebration of our new, united group. You'll be hearing more about that soon.
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Upcoming Events:
September 9 - Pastor Gathering at Lynn Friends; 10-11:30 am
September 13 - Executive Committee at the IYM Office; 6:30 pm
September 20 - Advancement Committee on Zoom; 4 pm
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Good Morning!
I came across this quote from Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird’s book Viral Churches, “Many congregations and pastors measure their health by whether their church is growing. The better measurement is whether their people are learning to reproduce themselves. (Church Multiplier, Ralph Moore calls it ‘disciples multiplying churches’).
It represents a profound shift in ministry, one that few churches and even fewer church plants have made.” (pg. 40).
This seems a bit odd. Why would we not be able to look at church growth as a sign of church health? Can there be such a thing as a growing church that is unhealthy? Perhaps…
What if we were to begin to ‘shift’ our thinking as this quote suggests, from church growth strategy to a disciple growth strategy? Think about this…if more people are becoming mature disciples of Jesus Christ, then church growth would be a natural outcome. If there are more disciples, then there are more people following Jesus, and there are more people filling church sanctuaries. Could church growth be a natural outcome of there being more disciples of Jesus?
So, maybe the idea is to shift the thinking from simply growing the church, to growing the Kingdom of Christ by helping people become disciples of Christ. And, in that ‘becoming’ process, people are discipled in a manner that reflects the truth that a natural product of maturity is multiplication. Then, as we multiply disciples, we are multiplying churches in order to produce more disciples who produce more disciples, who produce more churches who produce more disciples…and so on.
I like the word ‘shift’ here because we are not completely changing everything. I do not think the authors of this book are suggesting we change everything about who we are and how we do things. I think they are merely suggesting a shift…a new gear…a different perspective.
What kind of emphasis does your church place on multiplying disciples? Are you ready to shift to a new gear?
-Pat Byers
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