September Edition of the Michigan Area Reporter Now Available

  The September edition of the Michigan Area Reporter, the official newspaper of the Detroit and West Michigan Conferences, it on its way to mailboxes, and the digital edition of the paper has been posted on the Detroit Conference website.   Included in the September edition is:   - An article on the Motown Mission Experience in Detroit; - A feature on the second year of the Urban Methodist Youth Camp at Judson Collins Center; - An article on the recent Hands Across the...

10 Fold - 10 Days. 10 Projects. Be Counted

  Mark your calendar and spread the word! From October 10th through the 19th, there is going to be a 10-day online event that will mobilize passionate people to stand up and be counted for causes they believe in, and you will have a front row seat.   It's called 10-Fold.   Each day will feature a different mission project of the General Board of Global Ministries supported through The Advance, the designated giving arm of The United Methodist Church. Through live webcasts,...

GBOPHB Sponsoring Conference to Conference HealthMiles Challenge

  The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits is sponsoring a Conference to Conference Challenge for all conferences that have adopted the Virgin HealthMiles program, but are not enrolled in HeathFlex, the health care plan of the GBOPHB.   The conferences participating in the challenge will be:   Arkansas California-Pacific Detroit East Ohio Eastern Pennsylvania Illinois Great Rivers Iowa  Peninsula-Delaware   The purpose of the challenge (beyond...

Society of St. Andrew in the running for $250,000 grant

Pepsi is granting 1.3 million dollars in September to fund ideas that will refresh the world. The Society of St. Andrew’s approach to feeding the hungry will certainly refresh the world of those in need.    You can help feed the hungry by voting every day in September for the Society of St. Andrew (Advance #801600) in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project, Food & Shelter-$250,000 category.   Each month a different group of ideas submitted from all across the country...

Give a Bible to someone who’s searching

  For less than the cost of a matinee movie ticket or a couple of gallons of gas, you can place the New Testament in the hands of a spiritual seeker who has responded to The United Methodist Church’s advertisements.   This is United Methodist Communications’ message to the church, as the agency begins offering the Rethink Church Edition Common English Bible (New Testament) at no cost to seekers who request it when they visit the Rethink Church campaign website,...

Registration Open for Youth 2011 - the National Youth Gathering

Young People’s Ministries and GBOD are excited to announce that registration for the National Youth Gathering, Youth 2011 has officially launched early bird registration.  Register your group now at www.youth2011.org.    Early bird registration for the Purdue site is all-inclusive – covering programming, four nights lodging in university residence halls and all meals for $375.    Early bird registration for the Sacramento site covers programming and...

Krichbaum Named Director of Michigan Department of Civil Rights

  The Rev. Dr. Daniel Krichbaum, a clergy member of the Detroit Conference, was named director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, it was announced recently. Krichbaum has been serving as the interim director since March.   Prior to his current post, Krichbaum served as Governor Jennifer M. Granholm's Chief Operating Officer. In that position, he championed efforts to aggressively improve the state's economy, increase access to health care for all people, and ensure a high...

Detroit: Metropolitan UMC To Host Faith-Sharing Seminar

  In celebration of its' 125th anniversary, and to celebrate the opening of the Metropolitan United Methodist Ministry Center, which contains the Detroit East and Detroit West District offices as well as the offices of the United Methodist Union of Greater Detroit, Detroit: Metropolitan United Methodist Church will host a faith-sharing seminar from 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11.    The Rev. Dr George Morris, senior professor of world evangelism for the World...

Camp Kinawind and Baldwin Center partner together

Summer is a time for new experiences especially for those who go to summer camp for the first time. This summer 25 youth from The Baldwin Center in Pontiac, along with 4 staff members, experienced Camp Kinawind for the first time. Baldwin Center Director Lisa Machesky says, "It was a culture shock for them, which was good!" Most of the kids had not spent so much time in nature before. One Baldwin staff who went on a backpacking trip to South Manitou Island had never seen Lake Michigan...

Churches challenged to raise hunger awareness and action to end hunger

September is National Hunger Action Month  Hunger is a year-in-year-out problem.  But during September hunger advocates, agencies and alliances across the country work together to focus attention on the issue of hunger in America.    Make no mistake – there is hunger in this, the wealthiest nation on the planet!  Some 49 million Americans now live with food insecurity – the situation in which one never knows from day to day if they will have enough food...

Mike Slaughter to Headline Hearts Strangely Warmed Workshop In November

  The Rev. Mike Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburgh Church (www.ginghamsburg.org) in Tipp City, Ohio, will be the keynote speaker at Hearts Strangely Warmed, a worship and evangelism workshop scheduled for 8:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at Swartz Creek UMC. Hearts Strangely Warmed is sponsored by the conference Board of Discipleship.    Slaughter will be speaking at the opening worship and plenary session, and will also be teaching a workshop entitled "Change the...

Commission on Communications Offers Grants for High-Speed Internet in Local Churches

  Following a resolution passed at the 2010 Annual Conference, the Commission on Communications is offering grants for local churches in the conference to obtain high-speed internet for their primary office location.   The resolution passed at annual conference states:    "It was resolved that the Detroit Annual Conference set the goal that by July 1, 2011, the location of the main church office of each church/charge within the Detroit Annual...

Camping Creates Connections

  I spent this past week at Camp Kinawind being a dean and counselor for Babysitter Training Camp. I met a great group of girls, had fun, saw old friends and strengthened my relationship with God.    When I arrived at Kinawind the day before camp began, the first people I encountered were the Stone Family. This took me back to 1993 when I arrived for Counselor In Training (CIT) camp and Rev. Eric and Sherry Stone were the first people I encountered at a Detroit Conference...

Missionaries Dan and Rachel Gabler Visiting Detroit Conference in August

  Dan and Rachel Gabler, missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries, will be visiting the Detroit Conference from August 8-22 to make presentations on their ministry in South Africa. The Gablers are two of the 20 missionaries that are in a covenant relationship with the Detroit Conference.   The Gablers are currently serving with various aviation organizations in White River, South Africa. Dan, an aircraft mechanic and pilot, shares his gifts and skills enabling ZUMAT...

Lemonade Stand Revolution Supports Cass Community Social Services

Kids love setting up and hosting lemonade stands and the children of Birmingham: First United Methodist Church took it a step farther to start the Lemonade Stand Revolution.  In 2009, during Vacation Bible School, the children of Birmingham: First raised over $800 hosting neighborhood lemonade stands and repeated the results this year!   Ten-year old Tyler and seven-year old Mallory Bouque have been hosting lemonade stands for charity for the last four years.  Earlier this...

UMYCamp Stages First Annual Co-Ed Kickball Tournament

Four teams from three churches met last Saturday (July 10, 2010) at Inglenook Park in Southfield for the first annual Urban Methodist Youth Camp Co-Ed Kickball Tournament. The event was organized by Leon Hayes, Detroit: Peoples UMC.   Audrey Mangum, UMYCamp's program administrator, wrote the following about the event:   "Teams from Detroit: Conant Avenue UMC, Detroit: People's UMC, and Detroit: Second Grace UMC, along with coaches, pastors, and cheering groups took over the...

Outdoor and Retreat Ministries Experiences Help Prepare Seminary Student

  Thom Victor is serving as a camp counselor at Judson Collins Center this summer.  He says that he experienced his call to ministry over a long period of time.  It began with his Confirmation experience as a young person, when he first learned about prevenient grace.  His experiences in the Wesley Foundation at Central Michigan University with Revs. Eric Stone and Charles Farnum connected him with clergy and other leaders who helped him grow.  Working at Camp Kinawind...

United Methodists Support a Student’s Dreams to Become a Nurse

  Kelsey Jordan, a lifelong United Methodist, figured out pretty early that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of children when she started volunteering at her church’s nursery.    Now a sophomore at the University of Central Oklahoma, Kelsey prepares for a dream career in pediatric nursing. She attributes much of her opportunity to learn and grow as a student to a scholarship she received from the United Methodist Church, funded in part by gracious donations...

World Communion Sunday: Thankful Student off to an Amazing Start

  College sophomore Jamiela Isaiah knows the value of an education and she is working hard her to earn it. Thanks to a scholarship through the World Communion Sunday Offering she is beginning her second year at West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon where she is getting her bachelor’s in psychology.   “It has been a good first year. I made all A’s both semesters, made lots of friends, and found my niche at Chapel Hill United Methodist near campus. I was also...

Task Force Assembled to Facilitate Reduction of Districts

  A 13-person task force has been commissioned by Michigan Area Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton to assist him in reducing the number of districts in the Detroit Conference from seven to six. The conference is reducing a district to comply with action taken by the 2010 annual conference session, which instructed the resident bishop to determine the boundaries of the new districts, and for the Conference Leadership Team to name them by no later than July 1, 2011.   Bishop Keaton was not...