New toot.....

The Kokomo Urban Outreach is reaching out into14 communities. There is no competition in mission and ministry. It only takes one hot dog according to the story told by Susan at the North Central leadership training event at Christ UMC, Westfield last Saturday. They reach out in four streams of outreach. My favorite is "action." "Action is the fourth stream of neighborhood engagement and comes after relationships are made with neighbors. In the action phase, neighbors are called to neighborhood councils to make plans to make their street the best street, in the best block, of the best neighborhood in the city."

Susan Bond, Associate Director of Kokomo Urban Outreach, and I shared stories of local community mission and ministries to mission chairpersons from several churches in Central Indiana on Saturday. She tells the story of serving hot dogs to the neighbor kids. One young boy kept eating and eating. They asked what he had for breakfast..."nothing"...what did you have for dinner yesterday?...."nothing"... it turned out that he had not eaten since lunch at school the previous Friday. The Kokomo Urban Outreach is in 14 neighborhoods today.

Old Bethel UMC, Central District UMC, is back at Nottingham Apartments with their Bible Fun Hour. They take their ministry "on the road" to share Jesus Christ with the children and families in the club house of Nottingham Apartments. If you don't know, this apartment complex has had 5 arson fires since April 2010. In September, Jessica and son American, died in an arson fire at Nottingham Apartments. Jessica and her son attended Old Bethel. She had been a part of the Bible Fun Hour in previous years as a youngster. This loss has engaged the congregation again into Risk Taking Mission and Service. Metro Ministries, Inc. is working through a matching grant process with Old Bethel UMC. Join in support the local missions of Central Indiana.

Sincerely,
Lisa Morris
Executive Director
Metro Ministries, Inc.

Best Practice Model - Tooting UMC horn

There are ministries within the United Methodist Church that serve as best practice models. In this blog and future blogs, I hope to "toot the United Methodist Church horn" sharing some of those ways that we indeed are transforming lives and making a difference.

At First UMC, Sheridan UMC, there is a daily luncheon held at the church for children, youth and adults. The food is delicious and very healthy. There are secrets in the spaghetti sauce that I don't plan to tell. Only a few know that you don't have to eat your salad to get vegetables.

There are lots of reasons why this is a best practice model for many communities besides the healthy food. Volunteers come from the community and from the congregation. Children are welcome not only to eat, but they also become volunteers. Matt, Josh, and Owen were key volunteers yesterday serving, cleaning up and drying dishes. Helen gets an opportunity to have "family talk." If we listen we learn lots of things -- like when your teenagers are in the car with you. I got this opportunity yesterday to listen...I got to know them...and I hope that I shared God's love with them ...

Churches Helping Our Children

Churches helping our children is an article in the Indianapolis Star that features East Tenth UM Children & Youth. There are many programs from Vacation Bible Schools to leadership camps to theatre camps to meal programs within our churches and ministries.

I have already attended three summer youth programs. These programs are indeed a very important and valuable part of the kids' summer -- keeping them safe.

It is exciting to see the kids being engaged in fun and learning. I have no doubt that at the Castleton United Methodist Church VBS that nearly all of the 270 children were able to repeat the scripture lesson of the evening -- John 3:16 -- through the many activities and fun they were having together.

Brightwood Community Center is continuing their literacy center during the morning schedule. In the afternoon I visited, each youth was given choices of their next activity -- many headed to the gym to "just play" others watched a movie or played table games.

I was at Lawrence UMC Youth Corps this afternoon. The plan was for me to be there and participate in the morning work, but the rain kept me away. I was "called out" by Pastor Joe and Director Kevin because last year when I volunteered it rained. Even so, the kids welcomed me at Chapel Time where I enjoyed speaking to them. I'll be checking the weather before I head out for my next visit.

Follow Metro Ministries on Face Book during this summer featuring United Methodist Church and local ministry programs. Metro Ministries, along with Greg Dupuis (Reel Good Videography), are working on a summer youth program video celebrating these ministries.

It is time to prioritize

I just returned from the Indiana Conference, The United Methodist Church, is a gathering of lots of United Methodists from each church in Indiana. It was a great opportunity to talk with many people about Metro Ministries. At the Metro luncheon that we sponsored at the conference, the focus was on "Putting it all together" which for us is to communicate to all people. No matter whether you are on the Internet or receive the news by mail; the goal is to get the word out about the work of Metro Ministries. It seems that it is hard to communicate all the things we are doing fast enough, but it will be a priority this new conference year. Metro will be using all forms of communication from videos, eNews and announcements, Face Book, Twitter, blogging, YouTube and post card newsletters. "Let's Put It All Together"

Radical Hospitality -- You never know Where it is going to come from....

I attended the leadership training events at Calvary Brownsburg UMC and Christ Westfield UMC on January 10 and 17, 2010. Each location was very hospitable to those of us with a display, teachers and participants coming for these events. The events were all well attended and appreciated.

But, you never know where your church is being “radical” until you look around the community. I stopped at the Marathon station in Westfield following last Sunday’s event to fill up my tank. I was surprised to see that I would need to go into the station to pay. I stepped into the station and thought maybe a snack was in order for me – laughed that was smart of this station to make people come inside for the hot chocolate and other items available – and told the clerks this. In our conversation I told them I had been at Christ UMC nearby for an event. One of the clerks smiled and said, “Yes, I have been directing a lot of people to the church today.” Many of the participants needed help to get to Christ UMC, and there was radical hospitality received even before they entered the church. Cool.

Change -- You've Got to Love It

The Metro Ministries, Inc.’s office is now a part of the Central District of the United Methodist Church. The running of the office has gone from six persons to 3 ½. It feels like it too. We knew it was coming, but nothing prepared us for this transition.

On the other hand, change allows us all to do things differently and Metro Ministries is continuing to work in different ways. After the Metro Ministries’ Celebration on December 13, Nancy Myrland came to me with an idea of a baby shower for the BIBS pantry run by the United Methodist Women at University Heights UMC. This program promotes the healthy moms and babies in Marion County through Methodist Hospital and Healthnet. Who would not want to support something like this? Nancy learned about the BIBS Pantry at the celebration display booth led by Peggy Richwine of University Heights. I told Nancy, yes, I agree – let’s do it. The event is scheduled to be an all United Methodist Church Baby Shower on February 14, 2010 – For the Love of Mothers and babies – on Valentines Day. Please watch for the details on the website and eNewsFlashes from Metro Ministries.

The BIBS baby shower is different. Metro Ministries is about supporting the local churches doing mission and ministry in their community. Metro Ministries does not have to create mission and ministry. It is being done in the local community centers and the local churches. By supporting Metro Ministries, individuals and local churches are making a difference within Central District, Indiana Conference and the connectional United Methodist Church.

Keep in touch, Metro Ministries is changing -- doing things differently. Please invite me to visit your church for a Mission Moment, mission team, UMM or UMW meeting to tell the story of the mission and ministries that are changing lives throughout Central Indiana.

A Time to Celebrate

I have now attended all Community Center celebrations this fall. I learned so many things by attending these exciting events. I learned that they all know how to greet and receive their volunteers and guests with radical hospitality and serve great food.

Asian Help Services provided wonderful food and entertainment, and recognized those persons that are key to their ministry – teachers in their English as a Second Language classes. I was privileged to sit by the Honorable Mayor Greg and Mrs. Ballard. They greeted the guests and showed the support of the diverse ministries within the United Methodist Church and the city of Indianapolis.

The East Tenth UM Children & Youth program at Marian, Inc. provided opportunities to purchase silent auction items to support their ministry. I am still very upset that I did not get the tray of snicker doodles – I thought my bid was high enough! Thank you to the person that over-bid me for the cause of East Tenth’s ministries for children. The stories from the children, teachers and parents were highlights of the evening.

Lawrence United Methodist Church hosted Brightwood Community Center’s celebration. Bernard McFarland, recipient of ABC’s Extreme Makeover home in May 2009, spoke about how he was supported by Brightwood Community Center as a child. He spoke about how it had made a difference to him and his family. He has brought his family back to the neighborhood, and he is making a difference. Brightwood Community Center is open and working towards making a difference educating children and youth. Watch for more information about the new Literacy Program and how you may volunteer.

A wonderful group of Fletcher Place volunteers and supporters were together for their luncheon in their dining hall. The ministries and volunteers of Fletcher Place were celebrated. There is a great appreciation for the continued financial support as they continue to “Sweep Away the Debt” and work towards funding their 2010 budget. The annual “Angel Award” was given the Mrs. June Owen for her gift of volunteerism and “shopping those sales” during the Christmas Shopping season. There is no doubt that she is an angel.

I am thankful to all of the community centers and their ministries. The directors and their staff deserve a “standing ovation.”