Appointments and Changes of Status

Appointments
Bishop Tracy S. Malone has announced the last of the East Ohio Conference clergy appointments:

• Lori Burdette-Steele, Burbank Trinity & Creston Canaan UMCs | FL
• Mariah Hayden, Trinity UMC | NC
• Clarence Hensel, Brandon & Lock Federated UMCs | TR
• Steve Nelson, James S. Thomas UMC | TW
• Bob Schmitt, Boyce UMC (Western PA Conference ¶346.1) | MV
• Matt Tomko, Calvary & Fairview Grace UMCs | NC

Districts Key: (CN) Canal, (FL) Firelands, (MO) Mid-Ohio, (MV) Mahoning Valley,  (NC) North Coast,  (OV) Ohio Valley, (SH) Southern Hills, (TR) Three Rivers,  (TW) Tuscarawas,  (WR) Western Reserve

View the entire list of appointments and changes of status.

Annual Conference

Click to find a downloadable version of the video for church use

Annual Conference 2018 Bearing Fruit that Lasts: Called explored what it means to be called and equipped as followers of Jesus Christ.  Click on the website link to:

• view and download the AC 2018 recap video,
• read the 2018 summary, and the many news articles,
• view photo galleries, and
• learn the voting results of the 2018 resolutions.

Scholarships

Many have asked about the purple “Nevertheless She Preached” shirts people were wearing on Wednesday at Annual Conference. The shirts support scholarships for young women entering ministry, and can be purchased at http://bit.ly/EOCShePreached

YAC 2018

Click to find a downloadable version of the video for church use

Communications

Church Marketing: How to Effectively Reach Your Community
Tell your church’s story with this start-to-finish guide, designed just for United Methodist churches. Take away something tangible with the practical tools and relevant help for your specific situation included in this online course.

Having the buy-in of your whole team will help ensure success at the church level. Members of your church can participate in the course as a team, enabling you to engage big ideas in a group setting, rather than the traditional top-down approach. This, combined with the Church Marketing Plan that you will build during the course, will help you make significant strides toward reaching your community through tried-and-true marketing tactics.  Enroll today.

Ask The UMC
Visit the online library of frequently asked questions and their answers to research denominational stances on key issues, find details about beliefs, learn interesting facts, and much more. This resource is designed to support your congregation as it grows in its faith. Explore Questions and Answers

Missions

Discover Haiti – March 4-11, 2019
The North Coast of Haiti Mission (EOC 9947) invites you to participate in an introductory trip to Haiti in March 2019. Tom Sperl from Church of the Saviour UMC (North Coast District) will lead a team of 10 people to visit the five Methodist schools in the Eglise Methodiste d’ Haiti – Cap Haitien district on the country’s north coast. The team will take an educational project for the Haitian students, visit an important historical site as well as one of the beautiful beaches of Haiti, and will worship at the head church of the district in Cap Haitien.

The North Coast of Haiti Mission (NCHM) assists with the school in Dondon, to which Church of the Saviour UMC has made biannual trips for the past 14 years, but has a wider scope and vision.  Its mission is to encourage, enable and support other churches in the East Ohio Conference in assisting all of the five primary schools, 10 churches, and the high school in the district.

The March 4-11, 2019 trip is limited to one person per church so a maximum number of churches can be represented.  E-mail Tom Sperl at tsperl13@gmail.com if you are interested in being part of the team.  Approximate cost will be $1,500-$2,000 per person.

Another UMVIM Trip Added to the Schedule
Mission Trip to Puerto Rico has been scheduled for September 22-29, 2018. Contact Richard Shoemaker for detailed information at  r.shoemaker@carestaffathome.com

Find additional scheduled UMVIM trip opportunities here.

Mission Awareness Abroad and Locally
East Ohio Conference Missionary Pastor Matthew Laferty will share about his life as a missionary in Russia and Austria followed by a short update on local missions in our own backyards.

Dinner will be provided (love offering) along with an evening of fellowship and mission awareness on the beautiful grounds of the Epworth Center, a historic piece of United Methodist History in Southeast Ohio.

Location: Epworth Center, 301 N. Main Street , Bethesda, Ohio 43719 Contact: Deaconess Sherri Buehl at epworthcenterohio@gmail.com or 740-484-4705  More Info: www.theepworthcenter.org 

DisAbilities Awareness

God Continues to Call Us 
The people of Fredericktown UMC (Three Rivers District) made a decision in September 2016 to do ministry with people who have disabilities instead of for them.  The church was in the midst of its 198^th year when the decision was made.

Church leadership applied for a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship to become a more Inclusive Church, and began a year of study that included: a Lenten study, two Bible studies, monthly ministry moments with bulletin inserts and YouTube videos, two workshops, sign language classes, using person first language, and hosting four speakers.

The books and DVDs on disability ministry-related issues that the church collected have been donated as a lending library to the East Ohio Conference DisAbilities Awareness Committee for others to use.  To assist other churches in becoming more inclusive, the church created the FUMC Disability Ministries website.

Health and Welfare

Alzheimer’s/Dementia Resources
In recognition of June being Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, The United Methodist Church has released a five-part study titled Alzheimer’s/Dementia: Ministry with the Forgotten.  Retired Bishop Ken Carder wrote the resource based on his experiences caring for his wife, Linda, who was diagnosed in 2009 with frontal temporal dementia.

“There is hope in the form of the church’s response to these diseases,” Carder said. “The church has the unique opportunity – even responsibility – to minister to the needs of people who are suffering from neurological cognitive disorders, as well as the families and medical professionals who care for them.”

Download the videos and the leader resources for each of the five sessions.

OCUIR

National Workshop on Christian Unity
“Why does ecumenism matter?  Many congregations are really grappling with changing realities in the communities that exist right outside the doors of the church.  We should, perhaps, be focusing on our own local congregations and making them healthy and robust once more. I understand this question, but what I gained from my week at NWCU is this: the answer likely lies in our cooperative efforts with our brothers and sisters from other Christian traditions,” Pastor Kyle Gould of Oak Chapel UMC wrote. Read article in its entirety.

Pastoral Care and Counseling

Bi-weekly Resources
In the June 18 issue we address: The gift of sleep: why we need it, how to get it and what doesn’t work; and immunity for negativity.

• Alcohol and Sleep
• Insomnias
• Book: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
• YouTube: Relaxing Music for Meditation and Sleep
• Deep Sleep Guided Meditation
• 14 Affirmations for When You’re Around Someone Negative
• Listings of our Spiritual Directors
• Tribute to Valerie Stultz

Contact Us
If you have any questions or issues you would like for us to address or if you would like to receive e-mail alerts when new resources have been posted, please contact Howard Humphress at hkhumphress@gmail.com or use our quick contact form.

Media Center

The Media Center recently acquired the following resources:

• Verse Mapping Luke; Gathering the Goodness of God’s Word is a method of “studying the historical context, transliteration, translation, connotation, and theological framework of a verse in the Bible.”
• Understanding World Religions provides an accessible introduction for anyone wanting to better understand the world’s many religions and the people who follow them.
• Short Stories by Jesus; The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi analyzes the “problems with parables” taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them.
• Rolling River Rampage Super Starter Kit: Experience the Ride of a Lifetime with God! VBS provides everything you need to kick-start your VBS! The theme Bible verse is “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” —Isaiah 43:2, CEB
• Who is Jesus? Some people say he was a good man, a prophet, or a wise teacher. Some think he was a lunatic with delusions of divinity, some say he was a liar bent on deceiving the world. Still others say he was the Son of God, the Lord. History, culture, and the Bible all agree that all of life centers on our answer to this question: Who is Jesus?
• Romans; History, Meaning, and Application comments on the text itself and then explores issues in Paul’s culture and in ours that help us understand the meaning of each passage.

To reserve these or other resources, 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

News from Our Districts

Three Rivers District:

Expanding to Better Serve Others
Fredericktown UMC  has begun a $2 million building expansion to add several classrooms and relocate the office for better accessibility, while allowing the current office space to be reconfigured for program needs.  District Superintendent the Rev. Brad Call and Fredericktown Mayor Jerry Day were present for the groundbreaking.

The expansion is necessary because the church did not have enough educational classroom space, necessitating using the doctor’s office across the street on Sunday mornings for an adult class. The new addition will add several classrooms and relocate the office for better accessibility, while allowing the current office space to be reconfigured for program needs.

Credit Union

Appointment Changes
Are you changing appointments soon? Don’t forget to let your credit union know! Contact one of our offices to update mailing information, change direct deposit information, etc. Don’t miss out on any communications and offers!

Personal Loans
Whether you’re about to go on vacation, are in the middle of a big move, or are just looking to fund your summer fun … we’ve got you covered! The United Methodist Financial Credit Union offers personal loans to fit our members’ needs. Contact one of our loan officers to get started!

Events: June 18 – July 1

Click to view East Ohio Conference Calendar.

• Wed, Jun 27
  Young Preachers Festival @ Church of the Resurrection

To submit your event to the East Ohio calendar use this form.
(The East Ohio Conference only accepts East Ohio United Methodist local church, conference and general UM events for listing on the conference calendar.)

Classifieds

Details of listings may be found here. 

Positions Available

• Director of Connectional Ministries, Illinois Great River Annual Conference
• Pianist, Clearview UMC
• Organist, Thoburn UMC
• Accompanist, Willoughby UMC

To submit a classified ad please email sue@eocumc.com

Obituaries

Please pray for the families of:

• Calvin R. King, retired elder, who died May 27, 2018,
• and Valerie W. Stultz, retired elder, who died June 14, 2018.

Obituary notices may be found here.

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The next scheduled edition of the E-News is Monday, July 2, 2018.  Deadline for submission is Wednesday, June 27.