Kathy has been the co-director of Joysingers choir since March 1995. She’s always enjoyed teaching and working with young children (church, public and private schools). Her undergrad and grad degrees are in elementary education and early childhood education, so working with young children is a real blessing. Music is a very special part of who she is, so helping CUMC Joysingers “make a joyful noise for the Lord”, and to be “ministers of music” to our church family is a way of sharing our gifts and talents with the body of Christ.

Debbie has worked and volunteered at Central in may capacities, but her over 12 years with the Joysingers have been quite memorable. She loves the relationships with the children as they grow together in love and knowledge of the Lord. She is married to Terry and they have two grown children (Abby and Greg) and three grandchildren.She loves reading, painting, and warm, homemade bread with lots of real butter (yum). She lokes the movie Shawshank Redemption, the music of the Eagles and the Bible (of course!).Finally, Debbie admits that she is a cat magnet. She wants to know if anyone wants a lovely calico...?

This is Nikki's first year with the Cantus Choir, but she is no stranger to show choir dance moves. (She previously worked as a high school choir director...and she loves Glee). She is married to Ben and they have two children, Zoe and AJ. Nikki also owns her own baking business, called Goodies by Nikki, renowned for her brownie bites throughout the region.

Sandi has been working with the kids' choir at Central for over seven years. She has three grown sons, Philip, Matt, and Mark and six grandchildren: Emma, Sarah, Gabriel, Grant, Noa and Ian.Sandi enjoys watching the choir members become more confident as they sing for church services. They learn using the tool of music to grow in their faith and service to the churchShe loves retirement and is enjoying working on shows at Richmond Civic Theater. Outside of musical endeavors, she enjoys gardening, swimming, relaxing on her deck , and being with friends and family.Sandi grew up iin New York and summered in Maine.

Brian has been leading music at Central since fall of 2009. He is married to Kristy and they have a toddler named Annabelle. His hobbies include theater, live music, and making funny faces.Brian has a BA in Pastoral Ministries from Greenville College, IL. He did mission work in Freetown, Sierra Leone during college. He loves the color green, but the book Blue Like Jazz. In high school, he hated his Keystone class.His love of music includes these artists: The David Crowder Band, U2, Radiohead, Guster, Glen Hansard, Matt Maher, The Arcade Fire, Paper Route, Robbie Seay Band, Steve Fee, and Mutemath. He also loves Chris Tomlin, sometimes referred to as the Lady Gaga of worship music. His love of live music allowed him the opportunity to meet Amy Grant in line for the port-a-pots at a music festival in Tennessee.

Chris has been a pianist/organist/choir director here at Central for over 17 years. She is married to Pat and has two sons, Sam and Josh. She loves working at Central because of the comfort level with her colleagues and the mutual respect they have for one another. She is grateful to be a part of the musical team and enjoys worshipping with the congregation. Chris describes herself as shy and insecure, but you would never guess from her musical ability and "game face" when she plays on Sunday mornings. She has always believed that sports and music are interconnected, and as such she prefers ESPN Radio in her car to music. She loves to eat Chinese, Thai, or Italian food and sour candy. She loves Grey's Anatomy and Sunday afternoon football.

Central's music program is unique, and its organist and music Director, Ron Matson, may be even more so. In fact, it is that rare opportunity to create music on the organ that has kept Ron coming back to Central for more than 35 years."I have always wanted to keep Central on my calendar because walking away would mean, essentially, not playing the organ any longer," Ron says.However, the organ was not always Ron's passion. He grew up singing in the church choir and playing the piano. While he admired his church organist as a child, he never really thought about becoming one until his dad put in a bid on a silent auction for a semester's worth of organ lessons - and won. As a senior in high school, Ron changed course, taking advantage of those free lessons.While studying mathematics at Miami University, Ron continued to play the organ and sing, visiting Central regularly with the Miami University choir."I discovered the instrument at Central, and Ed Eby discovered that I played the organ."Eby offered the opportunity for Ron to succeed him in 1976 - and Ron's been here ever since."It seems God was more in control of my music ministry than anyone else," Ron says.Of course Ron has an entire musical career away from Central's sanctuary as well. He performed all over the world with Miami University colleagues, worked summers in Austria and has conducted for ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere."Of course, I could get a church job closer to where I live, but not one that would allow me to attend to the rest of my musical life," Ron says.And why music ministry? "For me, music has always been about creating in the present, in this time and space. My music is the next opportunity I have to create something. whether it's the next ballet rehearsal, or next Wednesday afternoon alone at Central preparing for a Sunday morning."

LaVera has worked at Central for 11 years in the evenings. LaVera likes working at Central because of the people. She says, "They are so nice to me and my husband Charles. It's not like a job, it's like a family. I can truthfully say that this is the best place to work."

John has worked at Central for almost three years. He works evenings and weekends, and can be found working hard during those hours and then waiting for the late meetings to end before locking the doors (he waits especially long for the youth group stuff). He likes working at Central because of the people that he works with and for.

Billy has been keeping Central running during the day for over five years. He has been married for over 50 years to Liz and has three grown children: Jeff, Judy, and Jenny. Billy loves old cars and NASCAR races and he is a true Richmond native. He attended Finley, Warner, Garfield, Dennis and Richmond High School. He loves pizza and the music of the Eagles.

Pat just started here at Central in the fall of 2010. She is married to David and has two sons: Ryan and Ross. She enjoys cooking and doing yardwork as well as reading and playing the guitar. Pat has traveled to Hawaii and loves the Colts, the color red, and her favorite foods are chocolate, Cheerios, and salads.

Denise has been keeping Central going for more than ten years now and loves helping people. Many people come in from the neighborhood, looking for help with food or other needs. She distributes lots of food pantry referrals, and directs many to another pastor on hand. There are, on average, at least 10-20 people per week looking for help from the church. “When I know that I have helped someone in a special way that just makes my day. I love what I do, the church members, and that fact that I work for the Lord.” She is in charge of many aspects of church business, including production of the Lamplighter newsletter, the stewardship campaign, production of weekly bulletins, church brochures and keeping track of the calendar and appointments. She also spends time with “odds and ends” tasks such as tracking down the baptismal or membership records for former members. Yet despite the many facets to her work, she feels fortunate to have found this job, and it was certainly the right place at the right time. “God truly was at work when I found this job. He knew just where I needed to be at that particular time in my life.” In her free time, she loves to spend time with my family and friends. She has been married for 22 years to Ron, and they have four daughters and 10 grandchildren. Denise says that her grandchildren are a true blessing in my life. She also enjoys being outdoors…camping, hiking, gardening and reading.

Amanda has been with Central's Parents Morning Out program for one year. She has been married 14 years to David, her high school sweetheart, and has three children all under the age of eight: Lili, Zander, and Phoebe. She loves Central because of the family-friendly atmosphere.Amanda enjoys scrapbooking and making crazy character or theme cakes for her kids' birthdays. She loves Italian food, books by Nicholas Sparks, and rockin' out to hits from the 80's.

Kristin is beginning her second year as Central Preschool's assistant teacher. She is a student at Ivy Tech pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has two small children: Raven and Sadie.If you caught her eating her favorite meal, you would find a plate of baked potato with a yogurt and dark chocolate for dessert. She loves the movie The Green Mile, and her favorite color is...green! She has been rock climbing in Colorado and loves reading and scrapbooking.

Donna has been the parish nurse at Central for five years. Her favorite thing about working at Central are the people. She enjoys spending time with her family, which includes three adult children and five grandchildren. She loves reading, gardening and doing Bible study.She hated math in school (who didn't?), loves pizza and ice cream, the color blue and the classic TV show The Waltons.

This will be Amy's second year as lead preschool teacher. She is married to Matt and has a son, Kyle, who is a kindergardener. She has been our Parents Morning Out coordinator for two years prior to taking the preschool job. She has a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Cincinnati and over 10 years of experience in working with children. She wanted to become a preschool teacher because she had such an amazing preschool teacher herself. Amy has been a vegetarian for 21 years but loves NASCAR (never misses a race!). She loves reality TV and the Twilight series.

Charlie is starting his fifth year here at Central in Christian Education. His favorite thing about working at Central are the plentiful hugs from the kids here. He is married to Barb and has four kids: Michael, Michelle, Derek, and Alyssa. He loves to eat unhealthy stuff like burgers, ice cream, and hot wings. In 1991 he was on the nationally broadcast TV show Rescue 911 and had a main character role that rewarded him handsomely for a while during broadcast reruns. He's been in six different countries but loves America best of all; he's traveled in 36 states plus the District of Columbia and says they all have something beautiful to see. He is a native of Ohio but has lived most of his adult life in Indiana. He loves to be outdoors but does not like fishing, hiking, camping out in tents or RV’s so he sticks to mowing the grass, working on his yard, and golf.

Leslie is entering her eighth year at Central. She is married to Chad and has two young daughters, Mallory and Maren. Leslie graduated from Indiana University and worked in advertising in Chicago and taught middle, high school, and adult education, but thinks that her time working at Disney World in college best prepared her for this job.Leslie could eat mashed potatoes three meals a day, but tries to exhibit some self control and typically only eats them twice a day. She loves TV shows that get cancelled, like Arrested Development and The Wire. Leslie has been skydiving, swimming with barracuda, has traveled abroad and eaten eel, but she has never seen any of the Die Hard movies. Leslie's favorite part of the Bible is Psalm 139 (today...ask her tomorrow and it will be something different!) and her favorite part of working at Central is hanging out with kids.

Rev. Foulk has been with us as a visiting pastor since July of 2000. He visits around 60 people living in rest homes, assisted living centers, and private homes each month. Ron and his wife Ginny have been married for 53 years and live at Lakengren Lake in Preble County, Ohio. Before "retirement," Ron spent 39 years in ministry in the West Ohio Conference of the UMC. He still preaches at Central and Concord United Church of Christ when needed.Ron has officiated high school and college football and was a volunteer fire fighter and chaplain for 33 years.Ron loves fishing and golf, and ministering to the people of Central.



Central UMC1425 East Main Street, Richmond, IN 47374DIRECTIONSWe would love to hear from you! Send us an email or give us a call if you would like more information about us.central@richmondcumc.com 765-962-8543

CURRENT SERIES:KNOW YOUR STORYTo listen to this series or any of our archived sermons, click here.

September 18: CreationSeptember 25: SinOctober 2: RedemptionOctober 9: Holy SpiritOctober 16: ChurchOctober 23: New Creation

UPCOMING EVENTSSUNDAY, JANUARY 1stONE SERVICE at 10 amBEGINNING SUNDAY, JANUARY 8thCreated by God classes for 6th-8th grader6-8 pm each Sunday in JanuarySign up HERE

SUNDAY MORNING DISCPILESHIPSpiritual growth opportunites abound on Sunday mornings. Classes for all ages of adults meet each Sunday during the 9:40 am hour for fellowship, prayer, and study. For a detailed list, contact Charlie Black. STEPHEN MINISTRY•Stephen Ministry is in some ways, a very old and a very new form of lay ministry in our church. •It is very old because it is how the very first Christians cared for one another. It was personified in the person of Stephen, the church’s first deacon. As Christians reached out to those in need, they ministered to one another as Christ instructed them to do, “Love one another as I have loved you.” •It is very new because it is built solidly on that Biblical message and intensively trains and prepares lay people to reach out and care for those who are experiencing problems in their lives, helping to supplement the pastors’ care. •It is a confidential, on-going, helping relationship scheduled with regularity and dependability.•It is a meaningful way for our church to strengthen our many gifts by sharing one another’s burdens and joys.If you feel God calling you to this Ministry, please contact one of our Stephen Leaders, Rena Dilworth (962-9214) or Phil Dorrell (962-8543). YOU can play an important role in our Stephen Ministry...because you may know of a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or relative who is going through a difficult time and who could benefit from the focused care, encouragement and support of a Stephen Minister. If you know of someone who is hurting, talk with one of our Stephen Leaders: (Phil Dorrell at 962-8543 or Rena Dilworth at 962-8214). They can talk with you about how we can connect the person you know with one of our Stephen Ministers. It’s a great way for you to show how much you care!PARISH HEALTHWe provide the following services:Blood Pressure ScreeningGrief MinistriesCalls to Hospitalized ParishionersVisits to Nursing Homes or in HomesHealth Information and EducationAnnual Blood DrivesWalk/ExerciseThe Parish nurse can act as a liaison to community support services. Initiate referrals for support services, services to community agencies, physicians and other medical specialists. The nurse can also provide prayer support and comfort during times of need. For Further Information Contact:Donna Jurgens, Parish Nurse765-962-8543UNITED METHODIST WOMENThe organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the Church.General Meeting First Thursday 9:00 A.M.Friendship Circle (during the school year)Third Thursday 9:30 A.M.Elizabeth Circle (during the school year)Third Thursday 1:00 P.M.Thursday Evening Circle (during school year)Third Thursday 7:00 P.M.Monday Morning Connections Third Monday 9:00 A.M.Creative Hands Fourth Thursday 9:00 A.M.BAZAAR - Biennially in November: Coming November 5th!General Workshops - Second & Fourth Thursday 9:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. (lunch and child care provided). Bring a friend!Please bring stiff metal tape measures, both 3/4" and 1" widths needed. UNITED METHODIST MENMonthly Breakfast Meeting (during the school year) Third Saturday 7:30 A.M.Men’s Prayer Group – Wednesdays at noon – call office for location.Disciple's Hand Ministry: Our new men’s ministry called Disciple’s Hand has begun. Several teams of men will strive to express the love of Christ to widows, widowers, and others with long-term needs. Each team of four will be assigned to one care receiver with whom they will meet once a month. About two hours will be spent each month doing repair, maintenance, or cleaning around the home. Each visit will end in a time of prayer. For more information, email Phil HERE.MUSICCentral's music ministry has a rich tradition in Richmond. Our handbell choir, called the Wesley Ringers, meets Wednesdays at 5:30 pm and plays during worship services on a regular rotation. Our choir, the Chancel Choir, practices Wednesdays at 7 pm and also sings during both worship services. All are welcome to join us for either of these experiences.

Ever wanted to know what a vomit flavored Jelly Belly tastes like? How it feels to go hungry for 30 hours to raise money for hunger programs around the world? Feel like eating LOTS of good food, playing laser tag or sharing your weekly high and low? Then Central's youth programs are the place for YOU!The MeSsaGe youth group is for 6th-8th graders from Richmond and all surrounding schools. We meet on Sunday nights from 6-8 pm for fun, fellowship, and some silliness mixed in. This is a confirmation year, so our middle schoolers are journeying through CREDO. We also have special events, like mission projects, game nights, and our annual church overnight.SuRGe, Central's youth group for senior high, seeks to reach OUT to the community and others around us, to reach UP to our Heavenly Father, and IN to develop a lasting desire for spiritual growth. We meet Sunday nights from 6-8pm. Food is served every Sunday, and worship will be led by Brian Jackson and our youth band.Our youth are encouraged to DO ministry at Central. On Sunday mornings, you will find them serving in various ministries of the church, from Acolyting, running projection, helping in the children's and kids' areas, to singing in the worship services with the Asbury Choir (all youth are invited to join the choir. To do so, contact Chris Rogan at 962-8543).

Central is proud to be an ORANGE church! Our Sunday School and Children's Church groups for K-5th graders both meet upstairs in Studio 252. This newly-renovated kids area will be rockin' during both worship services and Sunday School. To learn more, visit whatisorange.org.Check out the Family Events page to learn more about our Monthly FX and Labs, both for families. The Cantus Choir, Central's choir for kids, meets Thursday from 4-5 pm during the school year. We sing in worship services every few weeks and then present longer productions once or twice a year. Central also hosts a Created by God sexuality class, an annual Vacation Bible School in June, and provides scholarship opportunities for summer camping. Contact Leslie Bolser at 962-8543 for more information about any of these.Many other organizations call Central their home, such as a local Boy Scout troop and the Boys and Girls Club of Wayne County. The Central Unit sees over 100 kids each day after school for tutoring, games, play, and special events. Contact Jenny O'Brien at 939-2228 for more information.

WEEKDAYPRESCHOOL:The Preschool at Central United Methodist is a multi-aged program that is open to all children ages three through five. For more information you can contact Charlie Black at 962-8543 or visit our webpage at www.centralumcpreschool.com.PARENTS MORNING OUT: Parents Morning Out is a babysitting ministry of Central United Methodist Church. It is available for all children ages 6 months to 5 years of age. We meet on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. We have two classes available during the school year: INFANT care is for babies 6 months up to 2 years of age with TODDLER care available for ages 2 years thru 5 years. Daily expense is $9.00 per child. For more information or to enroll, please contact Charlie Black at 962-8543.JOYSINGERS CHOIR: Joysingers is a choir for kids 4 years old through Cantus choir. For more information, please contact Kathy Robinson at 966-8832.SUNDAYSEvery Sunday morning during worship and Sunday School, we meet "In the Beginning," on the first floor of Central UMC. In this area, we learn three basic truths each week:God made meGod loves meJesus wants to be my friend foreverIn Room 1, we welcome babies and toddlers up to 24 months old. Our caring staff members love to rock babies and play with toys! In this room, babies will hear music each week that shares the three basic truths with them.In Room 2, we welcome toddlers up to preschool age. In this room, directed play will help reinforce the three truths, along with music, crafts, and snacks each week.In Rooms 3 and 4, we welcome children who have entered preschool. Here, children will hear a Bible story, play games, and do other activities with a small group leader to plant in their hearts the love of their Creator through Jesus.For more information about In the Beginning or Sunday School, contact Charlie Black. Click here to email him.

The purpose of Central United Methodist Church is to be a center of spiritual growth, focused on Christ, sharing the scripture, and serving all with unconditional love.

CURRENT SERIESGo to the Media Player page to hear the current series and archived sermons.

Eldon Harzman has served as Associate Pastor since 1990. He holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. His responsibilities include: assisting with worship services, hospital visitations, weddings, funerals and oversight of the financial and building/grounds ministries. Eldon enjoys his work because of the varied responsibilities. He is a “single task” “concrete sequential” thinker and worker. Eldon and Sharon have two married sons.

Senior Pastor Phil Dorrell has been at Central since December of 2001. He is the husband of Tona (they have been married 39 years!) and the father of Rachel, Sarah, and Andrew, but most of all he is the proud grandfather of five grandsons.Phil graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. There are even pictures of him (with a beard!) to prove it. He loves serving at Central because of the people, the music, and the worshipful beauty of the sanctuary.Phil enjoys community theater, reading (especially biographies), and loves music -- jazz like Diana Krall and Dave Brubeck or any orchestra his son Andrew is playing with. Phil is a big (huge!) fan of Butler basketball, the Colts and the White Sox. He loves vacationing in Door County, Wisconsin.HIs favorite Bible passage is Romans 8:39: "neither death, nor life, nor anything else in all creation will be able to seperate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

SERVE WITH US:Missions at CentralJohn Wesley said, “The world is my parish.” Central’s Outreach Task Force agrees with him. From a local food pantry or soup kitchen, to a Navajo Child on the reservation, to a hurricane victim in Louisiana, to a struggling family on the plains of the Serengeti, we join with Methodists around our planet in serving and making a difference in the name of Jesus.

SHARE WITH US:Community at CentralTo share joys and concerns with us via an email prayer chain and get announcement emails about upcoming events, subscribe by clicking the link below. Subscribe Here

WELCOME

to Central United Methodist ChurchRichmond, IndianaJoin us Sunday mornings for worship or Sunday School. Donuts, coffee, and juice are served in between!Childcare available for all services:First Worship Service 8:30 amSunday School for all ages 9:40 amSecond Worship Service 10:50 am

GROW WITH US: Discipleship at CentralThere are many opportunities for spiritual growth at Central for people of all ages. We offer Disciple Bible study classes, short-term studies for women and men, Sunday School classes for all ages, and special events, like parenting seminars, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and many other things. Check out our calendar for times and dates.Six Essentials of Spiritual GrowthHow can you nurture your spirit? What can you do to strengthen your relationship with God? How can you keep growing in the Christian life? What does it take to become more like Christ? The Bible says in Acts 2:42 that the first Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” At Central United Methodist Church we say there are six essential practices for spiritual growth. Simply put, growing Christians:WORSHIP, PRAY, RELATE, LEARN, GIVE, and HELP.Adult Sunday SchoolsWe have many discipleship opportunities on Sunday morning for adults during the 9:40 am hour. Please contact Charlie Black, Director of Adult Discipleship for more information. Email Charlie.Weekday OpportunitiesWesley Bell Ringers (during school year) Wednesday 5:30 P.M.Chancel Choir (during school year) Wednesday 7:00 P.M.Disciple Bible Study (during the school year)Monday 6:30 P.M.Parents Morning Out Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8:00 A.M.Primetimers (50 and older)First and Third Wednesdays at noonBook Study (during the school year) Monday 1:00 P.M.Bible Study (short term-during school year) Various times and dates

FOCUS WITH US:Worship at CentralIn Sunday morning worship services at Central, we come together to praise God for His greatness and to celebrate the good news of His love for us in Jesus Christ. In our worship tradition we focus on Christ by sharing scripture, music, prayer and preaching. We strive to offer a clear interpretation of the Bible for life today. Our music tradition at Central is rich in variety. Various of our choirs, including adults, children, youth, and handbells, are featured in both services. Both services include our special "children's message." Children's worship in a separate room is offered for both preschool and elementary age students following the children's message.A brief coffee fellowship is held each Sunday between services.Sunday services:8:30 am and 10:50 am

Welcome

MONTHLY FX (FAMILY EXPERIENCE)...where kids bring their parents to church! Starting this fall, we will be offering an EXCITING new addition to our youth and family programming. The third Sunday of every month, we will be gathering for a FAMILY EXPERIENCE with our friends at First English. This will include a meal, hilarious skits, message, games, and fellowship. We will alternate between Central and FELC each month. The program will be put on by a team of youth and adults from both churches working together. Parents and kids, mark your calendars NOW for the whole year! You will not want to miss these family nightsNext month's event is Sunday, January 15th from 4:30-6 pm. THE LAB: CENTRAL'S GREAT FAMILY EXPERIMENT...where families experiment together! New this fall, we will be hosting a monthly FAMILY LAB here at Central. Why are labs so fun? Because you mix stuff, try stuff out, and EXPERIMENT to see what happens! That’s what we will do at our FAMILY LABS...experiment with opportunities in service and mission to our community, world, and our own family.

Phil Dorrell is our pastor.

Sundays8:30 am Worship9:40 am Sunday School10:50 am Worship

Central UMC1425 East Main StreetRichmond, IN 47374