The concept of Clustering

The concept of Clustering has worked well for my church, and for the 16 UM churches in Sullivan County, Indiana.  Our Cluster Group meets on a regular basis and worships together throughout the year for special services.  We are an active cluster which together helps to finance and operate our own summer youth camp.  Recently we have been able to form and charter a UMMen's group as a UMMen county-wide group which includes all 16 UM churches in Sullivan County, Indiana.  This has allowed our Men to meet for fellowship on the first Saturday morning of each month for breakfast and to discuss how we can make a difference in our communities, county, and the world; and we meet every Tuesday evening for Bible study.  The relationships we have developed have made us closer in spirit and friendship.

When the March 2 tornadoes moved through Southern Indiana our UMMen group met the next day and decided to make ourselves available for assistance.  We contacted our DS and she kept us informed as the relief efforts progressed.  Last Sunday, April 15, we sent a group of 15 to Henryville as the first team to be received to work in the Long-term Recovery Process.  We formed into three separate work-teams (1 electrical/plumbing; and 2 construction/repair) working in the damaged areas of Daisy Hill/Borden, Nabb, Marysville, and Henryville.  Two of our pastors' wives came along with us to help with the staff of the center where we stayed to help the kitchen and household staffs provide for our needs.

Our UMMen's group has worked to help finance a weekend feeding program for students identified by their local schools.  This program is now available in all Sullivan County schools in both School Corporations and is serving 102 children, providing them three nutritious meals per day each Saturday and Sunday.  Carlisle UMC serves as the southern County staging area serving the elementary and junior high schools in Carlisle.  This ministry continues to grow, and our UMMen's group continues to find creative ways of helping to finance the program's needs by utilizing our group's resources in the community through grants and networking. 

We have embraced Clustering and are working to redefine this concept in the 21st Century as we apply this method of ministry to our local churches to achieve a vitality individually, while coming together to do GREAT things in the name of Jesus Christ.  We believe we are redefining the way small churches can be in ministry together, making each local congregation vital.