2020 Appointments
Bishop Tracy S. Malone announces the following 2020 clergy appointments and/or changes of status, effective 7/1/20 unless otherwise noted.
Districts: (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
| Pastor | Appointment | District | Effective |
| Diane Bell | Bell Chapel UMC | OV | |
| Jeff Coggins | Caldwell UMC | SH | |
| Ivy Smith | Canfield UMC | MV | |
| Edna Stahl | Toronto First UMC | OV | |
| Shannon Trenton | Church Hill UMC | MV | |
| Harley Wheeler | Broadway UMC | TW |
Visit the 2020 Appointments and Changes of Status page of the Conference website to read the Cabinet’s Core Values for Making Appointments and to see the lists of appointments, retirements, and those who are concluding their ministry.
EOC to Build a Dorm at Africa University
Teach • Reach • Bless is an East Ohio Conference mission initiative to raise $1.5 million to build and furnish a residence hall for female students at Africa University because our Conference is committed to improving the education and wellness of women today for a better Africa tomorrow.
To date, the campaign has received $479,589.05 in commitments and donations. To support the campaign, write a check payable to your church and include Teach • Reach • Bless on the memo line. Church treasurers should send all collected campaign donations to the Conference lockbox and include the amount on their church remittance form under Fund 9915.
Learn more, download resources, and support the campaign.
General Conference 2020
Proposed Legislation
The Advance Daily Christian Advocate (ADCA) contains the agenda, rules, delegate listings, petitions, reports from the general agencies/commissions and study committees, information for delegates, and codes of conduct for General Conference 2020. The official written languages of the General Conference for publication of the Advance edition include English, French, Kiswahili and Portuguese.
The legislation included in the ADCA are those petitions submitted by the September 15, 2019 print deadline. Not included in the ADCA for General Conference 2020 is The Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation, which was announced on January 3.
“There is no plan that will prevent harm from being done,” Junius Dotson, general secretary of Discipleship Ministries said at the Pre-General Conference briefing in Nashville, TN on January 23. “There is no perfect plan other than God’s plan.”
Resources
Lent Resources for Your Church
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 26, and ends on Holy Saturday, April 11. The 40 days, not counting Sundays, are a symbolic reminder of the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness before he began his ministry. He was tempted throughout that time, but he stayed true to God.
Lent is a time of reflection, repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time to take on new life-giving practices and rid ourselves of distractions, and our own selfish desires. By doing so, we seek to live and love as more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
Download Lent resources, including worship resources, devotionals, and much more.
Camps & Retreat Ministries
Summer Staff Needed
Camps Aldersgate, Asbury and Wanake are looking for summer staff, the cornerstone of the East Ohio Camps ministry. We are looking for outstanding Christian women and men to work in any of the following areas: counselors, lifeguards, program staff, food service, administration, and maintenance. Visit our website to learn more and apply or call our camps directly: Camp Aldersgate (330) 627-4369; Camp Asbury (330) 569-3171; or Camp Wanake (330) 756-2333.
50+ Years of East Ohio Camps
For more than half a century we have been making and maturing disciples of Jesus Christ at East Ohio Camps sites. Pioneers and visionaries saw the need for sites and programs in creation where people gather to experience spiritual birth, growth, and renewal. There are thousands of people, now scattered all over the world or living in the great beyond with their Savior, who would call East Ohio Camps their spiritual birthplace or home.
Our hope is that you and your family will become a part of this rich history by participating in the 2020 Summer Camp program. Our prayer is that East Ohio Camps will become a spiritual home for your family. For information on EOC summer camps, contact your local church, visit our camps website www.EOCSummercamps.org,or call the East Ohio Camps Office at (330) 499-3972 ext. 108.
Confirmation Retreat Registration Deadline is February 10
Camp Wanake will host a Confirmation Retreat February 21-23. We will explore our United Methodist understanding of the sacraments, ways we talk about and experience God, ways we can connect with God in prayer, and our United Methodist heritage and organization. One adult chaperone is required for every six youth. Learn more and register online or call the East Ohio Conference Camps office at (330) 499-3972 ext. 108, or Camp Wanake at (330) 756-2333.
Confirmation Weekend at Camp Wanake – February 21 – 23, 2020
COST: $109/youth; $99/adults.
Missions
Connecting Neighbors – March 7
The Rev. Kathy Dickriede, coordinator of EOC Missions and Community Engagement, will lead this free workshop hosted at Wedgewood UMC. Participants will learn how, in times of crisis, the local church – a place where people connect with God, with each other, and with the community – can be prepared to help mitigate the emotional and spiritual impact of disaster and be a place of hospitality and sanctuary in a time of critical need. A plan can speed the immediate response and help lessen those feelings of confusion, loneliness, and isolation that are so common after disasters.
Congregational Vitality
Church Growth Leadership Workshop – Feb. 11-13
The California-Pacific Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church is presenting this Mary Scifres Ministries conference to Inspire Your Leaders, Energize Your Ministries, Transform Your Community’s Culture and Grow Your Church. Learn more and register.
Mosaix Regional Learning Lab – April 17-19
Garfield Memorial UMC in Pepper Pike is hosting this lab at which participants will learn best practices and cultural competencies for helping their church to become more diverse. Learn more and register.
Clergy
Ohio UMC Clergy Renewal Scholarship
During these cold and drab days of winter in Ohio, do you need a change of scenery? A chance for some uninterrupted time by yourself? As people of faith, keeping “Sabbath” is essential to maintaining one’s relationship with God. For clergy to truly have a Sabbath, it is oftentimes necessary to get away from home! However, the cost of travel is always a consideration. Lakeside Chautauqua provides a place, and also helps with the cost. United Methodist clergy may apply for a Renewal Scholarship that will provide up to three nights of hotel lodging in the Fountain Inn. You are invited to take time with God along the beautiful shores of Lake Erie for rest and renewal. You can use this unstructured time for prayer, planning and meditation. The time is yours. Lakeside Chautauqua provides the hotel room free of charge. The deadline to submit applications is February 15.
Higher Education
Faith and Public Life Immersion – May 18-22
Wesley Seminary in Washington, D.C. is offering select upper-level college students from any academic background the opportunity to participate in a one-week immersion program in faith and public life. The program draws upon the rich resources of Wesley’s Center for Public Theology and of Washington, DC, to equip college students to understand the role of faith in public life and to become leaders in their communities. Participating students stay on campus, meet for morning discussion seminars in political and religious ethics, then travel to site visits with faith-based advocacy groups, policy experts, public officials, and media representatives each afternoon. The program is led by Dr. Kris Norris and distinguished professor Mike McCurry.
Participants may elect to receive two hours of Master’s-level credit for the course to be applied to a future Master’s degree or transferred as undergraduate credit to their home institution, or the course may be audited. The program is limited to 25 students, and the deadline to apply is March 1.
Media Center
The Media Center recently acquired the following resources:
- Just Open the Door; A Study of Biblical Hospitality teaches how to replace cultural expectations with biblical hospitality to create a legacy of invitation and reflect Jesus through simple acts of service.
- Survival Guide for the Soul; How to Flourish Spiritually in a World that Pressures Us to Achieve offers fresh perspective on how certain spiritual practices help orient our lives so that our souls can flourish in the midst of a demanding, competitive society.
- Leadership from the Heart: Learning to Lead with Love and Skill is designed to recruit active volunteers to step up and become lay leaders by promoting the concept of “Servant Leadership.
- Nothing Wasted; God Uses the Stuff You Wouldn’t offers a vulnerable exposition of just how capable and willing God is to resurrect us from sin and redeem us from all shame.
To reserve these or other resources, call the Media Center at (800) 831-3972 x139 or send an e-mail to sarnold@eocumc.com. Browse the resource catalog at www.rqmweb.com/eocumc.
Credit Union
Shared Branching
The United Methodist Financial Credit Union partners with over 330 credit unions nationwide to provide our members with more options to do your personal banking through the Shared Branching Co-Op Network. Locate a branch near you on our website, www.umethodist.com. All you will need when you walk into the shared location branch is your account number and a government-issued photo ID.
Message in the Movies
Just Mercy
Just Mercy brought to mind the famous Martin Luther King Jr. quote “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” There are no quick fixes that will eradicate injustice, racism and mass incarceration. But Stevenson and his Equal Justice Initiative team demonstrate the patience and persistence necessary for moral living.
I quote again from Stevenson: “Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. The people who haven’t earned it, who haven’t even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion.”
Just Mercy is a stealth faith-based film, with positive representations of grace, church and scripture. I highly recommend it for viewing, discussion, and action. For justice doesn’t continue by simply talking about the message in the movies, but in demonstrating love and compassion in daily life.
Events: January 27 – February 9
Click to view East Ohio Conference Calendar
- Mon, Jan 27
Winter Clergy Gathering @ Howland UMC - Sat, Feb 8
Spiritual Gifts Lay Servant Course @ Wellington First UMC - Sat, Feb 8
Think Like a Fish Workshop @ University of Mount Union Chapel
(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
- Administrative Assistant – North Canton Faith UMC
- Church Journalist/Communications Coordinator – North Canton Faith UMC
- Office Assistant – Mt. Zion UMC
Items Available/ Wanted
- Five kneeling rails – North Canton Grace UMC
To submit a classified ad please email swilliams@eocumc.com.
To Subscribe
To subscribe to E-News and all East Ohio Conference news updates, enter your email address in the “Follow News via Email” widget on the right sidebar. Information from this E-News may be copied and used in your local church. The next scheduled edition of the E-News is Monday, February 10, 2020.
Deadline for submission is Thursday, February 6. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
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