JULY 24, 2017

EOC Week of Prayer Begins July 30

The United Methodist Church is in the midst of a worldwide time of focused prayer for the mission of the church, and for the ongoing work of the Commission on a Way Forward.

Sunday, July 30 to Saturday, August 5 is East Ohio’s week to hold the denomination in prayer. During that week, Bishop Malone asks that every clergy and lay member of the conference pray specifically for the work of the Commission. In addition, she asks that every congregation include a time of prayer for the Commission on the Way Forward during its worship services on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30.

You are invited to share prayers using the East Ohio UMC Prayer Facebook page. The Upper Room has made resources available at http://umcprays.org/.

Communications

What’s New on the Web?

Heart 4 The City in Akron (Canal District) has been designated as a mission church.

Christ UMC in Louisville (Tuscarawas District) is hosting mission groups who are taking the community by STORM (Service To Others in Relational Mission).

Young people take a bold step of faith at Ministerial Recruitment Institute.

Interpreter Magazine
United Methodist Communications announced today that Interpreter magazine, the official program journal of The United Methodist Church, will cease publication after the November/December 2017 issue. The action comes in response to research regarding readers’ changing needs as part of an overall plan to align and clarify communication channels for the church’s various target audiences, including members, church leaders and external audiences.

“The General Commission on Communication is committed to serving the needs of local churches around the world,” said Cashar W. Evans, Jr., president of the Commission. “That sometimes means we need to move in new directions to remain both good stewards and relevant communicators.”

The communications agency initiated two new e-newsletters earlier this year, one targeted towards members and one towards potential new church members. New communication vehicles focused on the needs of church leaders – including a website, newsletter and social media channels – are under development and will begin to launch later this year, continuing into 2018.

Young People’s Ministries

Youth Annual Conference 2017: “Live It”
In order to illustrate for teens how easy it is to live out their faith, and to spur groups to think about how to serve in their communities, participants at YAC worked on service projects during Saturday afternoon. Groups were asked to bring gently used books, and personal care items. The books were signed with inspirational words, personal items were packed together into kits, cards were created and even stones were painted to place around Lakeside. Teens created cards and bracelets as well. There was an overwhelming response with hundreds of donations. Here are all the organizations that accepted the donations:

Care Kits: Urban Mission
Books: United Methodist Community Center
Care Kits: Ronald McDonald House
Books: Akron Children’s Hospital
Books: Rising Hope Ministries
Cards: Cleveland VA Hospital
Baby Items: Pregnancy Support Center
Sock Care Kits: ICan Housing Solutions
Sock Care Kits & Books: Canton Calvary Mission
Books: Lorain Trinity UMC
Books & Sock Care Kits: Lorain Lighthouse UMC
Books: Mansfield First UMC
Books: Harmony House Mansfield UMC

Timothy Circle Mentor Training
Youth workers of the East Ohio Conference! You know how to work with youth, and you do a great job at it. But do you know the questions to ask youth as they figure out how God is calling them to use their gifts? And do you know the resources that are available to young people to give them experience or guidance as they figure it out?

The Timothy Circle is designed to be a resource for exactly this. It’s an online database of volunteer, job, internship, scholarship and schooling opportunities for young people covering a wide range of topics. It’s also a mentoring program that churches can participate in. Several sessions of the mentor training are enrolling right now; I bet your church would cover the $45 cost so you could gain this leadership skill. There are several sessions of the online mentor training enrolling right now – August 7, September 11, and September 25. Each session is 4 weeks, but the class runs at a slow pace and you can participate in the discussion and readings when it fits your schedule each week. To enroll go to Timothy Circle.

Ministry

July 29
Opiate Addiction Public Memorial Service
For families and friends of those who lost their life to opioids and other addictive substances. The service will feature music, prayer, and a time of reflection on the individual lives lost. For more information.

Resources/Training

Spiritual Care Training – August 26
This class helps equip members of early response teams to provide an intentional focus on the spiritual and emotional needs of persons affected by disasters as well as team members. This will provide practical tools for spiritual and emotional care, the ministry of presence, compassion and the importance of self-care. For more information.

Pastoral Care and Counseling

July 24, 2017 Resources
In this edition we feature:

4^th Annual Mid-Summer Spiritual Formation Retreat
Gospel-Driven Communities: Being a Church with a Biblical Vision of Justice
The Gift of Constraints
Rebuilding on a Contemplative Foundation: a Creed
Science and Practice of Staying Present through Difficult Times
A Yoga Story Straight from the Heart
Video: Free 6 Minute Yoga Lesson
Listings of our Spiritual Directors

Contact Us
If you have any questions or issues you would like for us to address, or would like to get email alerts when new resources have been posted, please contact Howard Humphress or use our quick contact form.

Media Center

The Media Center recently acquired the following resources:

In The Wesley Challenge; 21 Days to a More Authentic Faith small groups or whole churches will spend three weeks working through 21 questions that will engage their physical, spiritual and emotional lives and their relationship with God and others.
A Woman Overwhelmed: A Bible Study on the Life of Mary, the Mother of Jesus walks through the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who knew what it was like to be overwhelmed. As we explore Mary’s life we find ourselves on a journey from overwhelming joy to overwhelming sorrow and back again, learning along the way how to be consumed with the mission of God rather than the “mission of me.”
happy?: what it is and how to find it explores the idea of lasting happiness by examining the book of Ecclesiastes and taking a creative look at what things do not contribute to happiness. He concludes that relationships are the essence of deep contentment, emphasizing the importance of forgiveness to relationships and lasting happiness.

Call the Media Center at (800) 831-3972 x 139 or send an e-mail to sarnold@eocumc.com. Browse the resource catalog at www.rqmweb.com/eocumc

Message in the Movies

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures
Movie review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor-Glader

Dunkirk “Christopher Nolan made a creative decision to film Dunkirk as a PG-13 film. Swearing is kept to a minimum and graphic violence is non-existent. Death is real, but sensational gore is avoided. This is a war film that you can watch as a family and talk about later. You may not all agree about exactly what was happening (or why One Direction’s Harry Styles is one of the soldiers) but you will still have much to remember and talk about. There’s a good message in this movie.”

For full review by Rev. Bruce Batchlor-Glader