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 |
| David Baker | Batemantown & Waterford UMCs, Interim Pastor | TR | |
| Beryl Baum | Nova, Brighton & Rochester UMCs | FL | |
| John Carpenter | Herrington Bethel UMC | OV | |
| Ruth Douglas | Jelloway & Berlin UMCs | TR | |
| Mark Shaferly | Vickery UMC | FL | |
| Eddie Warne | Kimbolton, Pleasant Grove & Tippecanoe UMCs | TR |
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.
Guidelines for Phased-in Reopening of EOC Church Buildings
The Extended Cabinet is now recommending that churches can consider moving from Phase 1 to Phase 2. We appreciate the way pastors and church councils (and equivalents) are giving serious attention to the details of the EOC guidelines as they develop and implement plans that prioritize care for people.
During Phase 2, small groups such as bible studies and other spiritual groups, committees, and office functions can begin to meet together in-person. Small group gatherings could include worship in some contexts, if clergy and lay leadership mutually and prayerfully determines that they will follow the worship practices and other practices listed in Phase 3 of the Guidelines for Phased-in Reopening of EOC Church Buildings as well as the guidance of their county health department.
Download the statement in its entirety.
Download the UPDATED guidelines.
Multicultural Vitality
An Anti-Racism Commitment from the EOC Extended Cabinet
We, Bishop Tracy S. Malone and the Extended Cabinet of the East Ohio Conference, sign our names below as an act of repentance for our silence in the face of the racially motivated brutality that is pervasive throughout the nation. We are appalled by the recent killings of unarmed black people – George Floyd killed at the hands of police officers in Minnesota, Breonna Taylor killed in her own home in Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery killed while jogging on a public street in Georgia. We have witnessed the abuse of white privilege and power, in events such as the recent incident in Central Park where a black man’s life was put at risk.
We have been silent when it happened within our own communities. We will be silent no longer.
Will we be among those who recognize Christ saying, “I can’t breathe” (Matthew 25:31-46)?
Read the statement in its entirety.
Resisting Racism in East Ohio
The United Methodist Church from its beginning has toiled in its struggle to overcome racism. From the desegregation of the newly formed United Methodist Church in 1968 to today’s challenges, the people of The United Methodist Church have consistently stood against racism and racist policies in our world. Our baptismal vows challenge us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. Today, we are confronted with the recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. We see the tension in our world as protests have erupted across the United States. You may be feeling profound sadness, anger, hurt, guilt, or any range of emotions as you process the events that unfolded over the last couple of weeks.
We as Christians are called to believe God’s love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers. So, we care enough about people’s lives to risk interpreting God’s love, to take a stand, to call each of us into a response, no matter how controversial or complex. The church helps us think and act out a faith perspective. Such involvement is an expression of the personal change we experience in our baptism and conversion.
Read the complete article which includes Wesleyan Questions designed by the EOC Board of Church & Society and resources from The United Methodist Church.
Children’s Ministries
Ministry with Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Schools and churches shifting in-person classrooms and services to online gatherings has impacted the lives and the routines of children of all ages. Rev. Gary Jones, director of Spiritual Formation and Camps & Retreat Ministries has compiled helpful resources, creative ideas, and VBS suggestions for ministry with children during the COVID-19 pandemic and the phased-in reopening of EOC church buildings.
View and download the resource.
Teach • Reach • Bless Resources for Children
Children in East Ohio can make a difference in Zimbabwe by participating in the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign to build a dorm for female students on the campus of Africa University. East Ohio lay and clergy leadership have created two resources to inform and engage children about Zimbabwe and its people. Fun Facts for Kids, Families, and Congregations explains about life in the African country, teaches words of its native language, offers recipes that anyone can make at home, and provides an opportunity to color the flag of Zimbabwe. The I Will Always Write Back resource gives suggestions for engaging children in a conversation about the book which tells “the true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.”
View and download the resources.
Teach • Reach • Bless
Campaign has Commitments of $1,067,142 Toward the Needed $1.5 Million
The EOC campaign to build a dorm on the campus of Africa University to house female students has commitments of $1,067,142 – of this amount, $239,747.68 has been received. The goal of the campaign is to raise and collect $1.5 million to build and furnish the residence hall so that female students will not need to find off-campus housing that makes them vulnerable to untenable situations.
Lorraine Charinda is one of countless AU graduates who are changing lives on the continent of Africa and beyond. She is a missionary from Zimbabwe assigned to the North Katanga Conference as an agricultural rural economic development specialist.
View Lorraine’s story and consider how you can support the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign.
Learn more, download resources, and support the campaign.
Congregational Vitality
Invite, Ignite, Inspire! – August 30-September 2
Join colleagues and friends this summer at Lakeside Chautauqua for the Invite, Ignite, Inspire! Church Revitalization Conference. Join us in hearing experts from Lutheran, Presbyterian and United Methodist denominational offices, as well as leaders from Stadia and Church Sports Recreation Ministries (CSRM), as they present seminars and workshops about church revitalization best practices.
“Looking for a way to enjoy time for renewal this summer and discuss church revitalization? Join me in attending Invite, Ignite, Inspire! August 30-September 2, 2020,” said EOC Director of Connectional Ministries the Rev. Steve Court. “This will be a great opportunity for all us who miss Lakeside Chautauqua to reconnect. Bring your family.”
Missions
Virtual Mission to Peru – July 12-19
The July medical mission to Peru has been postponed until July 2021 because of COVID-19. Some of the 14 scheduled to have traveled next month are inviting you to join for a virtual United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) journey to Peru July 12-19. The virtual trip is open to anyone in East Ohio, or beyond, who is ready to experience a new culture, discover missions in their local community, and can set aside a week for intentional learning and discovery about Peru, its people, faith, food, culture, history, natural beauty, tourist sites, and more.
Cost is $20 to cover books and materials. Learn more and register by June 5.
The first team meeting to prepare and plan for the virtual journey is scheduled on Zoom for 7:00 p.m. on June 7. E-mail Rev. Kathy Dickriede, East Ohio UMVIM Coordinator, if you have any other questions. She is co-leading the virtual mission with Peruvian-born Carmen Kluth of Mogadore UMC, and Annie Solis, Health and UMVIM coordinator of the Peru Methodist Conference.
Mission Sites
Many of our East Ohio mission sites are seeing, and meeting, an increased demand for help during these last few months and they need our support! Learn more about the missions in and around East Ohio here and share this flyer with your congregation and missions coordinator. Contact one of the sites that interests you, ask how you can help and pray for everyone whose lives have been affected by COVID-19.
Media Center
The Media Center is featuring following resources from our Christian History section:
- From Jesus to Christ; the First Christians discusses Jesus’ ministry, the circumstances of his crucifixion, and social and religious problems facing early churches.
- The Gospel of Judas and Other Gnostic Secrets Revealed provides an enlightening Bible-based journey to uncover the truth behind the supposed “secrets” of Gnosticism.
- People of Faith surveys the history of Christianity in the United States from before the Pilgrims to the present.
- Church History, Vol 1; From Christ to the Pre-Reformation offers a unique contextual view of how the Christian church spread and developed from the days of Jesus to the years prior to the Reformation.
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.
Message in the Movies 
Military Wives
It’s a well-cast film, with great chemistry between Scott Thomas and Horgan and a lot of memorable smaller roles. The British are always better creating movies that mix sarcasm with sentiment. This is a perfect example of the genre, with the kind of tonal shifts that enhances so many memorable movies like Love Actually, Sing Street, and The Full Monty (also directed by Peter Cattaneo).
Military Wives offers us yet another example of how realized community building can result in something greater than the sum of its parts. Sure, it’s comfortably familiar, but right now comfort food can be mighty tasty.
Obituaries
Please pray for the families of:
- Paul D. Whipple, retired Elder, died May 15.
Classifieds
Details of listings may be found here.
Positions Available
- Custodian – Christ UMC in Alliance
- Administrative – Assistant Canton Calvary Mission
- Program Assistant – The Nehemiah Mission
To submit a classified ad please e-mail 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, June 15, 2020.
Deadline for submission is Thursday, June 11. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
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