AUGUST 7, 2017

Episcopal Office

Preparing for a New Church Year
Bishop Tracy S. Malone asks that each church in the East Ohio Conference do something bold in this next ministry year.

What will that look like in your church? How will your congregation reach beyond the walls of its building to offer Jesus Christ to the communities the church serves?

Back-to-school outreach ideas is just one of hundreds of resources from The United Methodist Church available for your use. Additional resources are available from the staffs of the East Ohio Conference office of Connectional Ministries, office of Communications, and office of Financial and Administrative Services.

“We are blessed beyond measure with resources to equip your capacity to reach more people, younger people, and a more culturally diverse people in your community,” Malone told church leaders at Annual Conference 2017.

Communications

September 21
Social Media Workshop is Just Weeks Away
Is your congregation utilizing social media to connect with members, visitors, and seekers?

Websites, texting, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, videos, live streaming, and Flickr are just some of the tools available to churches to help them reach people for Jesus Christ. These platforms offer new opportunities for people to serve, while enabling individuals to see, hear, and feel how churches are changing lives and impacting communities locally, nationally, and around the world.

To learn more, plan to attend the Social Media Workshop on Thursday, September 21 from 9 a.m. – noon at Faith UMC in North Canton. EOC Director of Communications Rick Wolcott will provide tips for creating and implementing a social media strategy that is copyright- and Safe Sanctuaries-compliant.

Cost for the workshop is $5.00. Register to attend.

In Case You Missed It – News on the Conference Website

Finance & Benefits

September 13
Calling Active Clergy
What do you know of the benefits provided by the church? What changes pension eligibility? How does your pension accumulate? Who owns it? How is it invested? What if you…?

The East Ohio Conference Board of Benefits is sponsoring a one-day seminar to answer these questions and a multitude of other benefit-related concerns. There is no cost to the participant! Spouses are welcome. The seminar will be offered from 9 am-3:30 pm at Westbrook Park UMC.

PLEASE NOTE: SEATING IS LIMITED! Reservations are a must for every person attending (this includes spouses – they must register as well.) No walk-ins will be allowed as personalized information is prepared and provided.

Registration link.

Missions

Disaster Response Volunteers Needed
Severe weather this year has caused extensive damage and impacted many lives.

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Disaster Response Liaison for the North Central Jurisdiction Jason Frazer says, “The volunteer pool has been spread very thin throughout the country. Please volunteer if you can!”

The Indiana Conference is ready to receive teams as it works through flood recovery in the South Bend area. Please e-mail Allison Curts for more details and to schedule your team.

The Wisconsin Conference is in need of adult teams to muck out basements following flooding in the southern part of the state. Please e-mail Bud Buzinski for more details and to schedule your team. You may also choose from one of these additional UMVIM mission opportunities

Pastoral Care and Counseling

August 7, 2017 Resources
In this edition we feature:

4^th Annual Mid-Summer Spiritual Formation Retreat
Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting after a Hurtful Church
Interview: I Needed a Community to Heal My Spiritual Wounds
Holding the Tension
Devotions for the Beach: God is in the Details
10 Benefits of Rising Early
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:

Renovate; Building a Life with God explores Nehemiah’s goal to rebuild the wall and gates of Jerusalem, a physically daunting undertaking. But he also knew that as the Jewish people returned to their homeland, they would need spiritual renovation through the Holy Spirit.
Disciple II; Fast Track Into the Word is an immersion into the books of Genesis, Exodus, Luke, and Acts for busy people who want to fit an in-depth Bible study into their schedule.
In Numbers; Learning Contentment in a Culture of More you’ll learn how God can fill the ache inside of you and help you focus on faith in the midst of life’s joys and pains by relating to those who wandered in the desert for forty years, unable to enter the Promised Land.

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 Netflix
Movie review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor-Glader

Okja “As dark as Okja can get at times, it keeps the love between a little girl and her superpig front-and-center. The movie is exciting and often hilarious, with beautifully filmed chase sequences and some fine moments of slapstick. The film includes English and Korean dialogue and is beautifully shot by Darius Khondji, with incredible CGI effects. Sometimes the film stumbles along the way, but it always manages to find its footing again.”

For full review by Rev. Bruce Batchlor-Glader