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 |
| Doug George | Lake Brady UMC | CN | |
| Frank Rogers | Riverview UMC | OV |
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.
Financial and Administrative Services
2021 Apportionments
In a typical year, preliminary apportionment figures for the next year are sent out in July. The preliminary apportionment figure for next year (2021) is calculated using data in the Local Church Report from the year just ended (2019). Final apportionments are typically mailed to treasurers and pastors by mid-October.
This year has been anything but typical. Please make a note of the following changes to the apportionment timeline:
- Because the vote approving the 2021 East Ohio Conference budget will not take place until Saturday, September 26, when Annual Conference meets virtually, preliminary apportionment figures will not be processed and mailed until mid-October, at the earliest.
- Church pastors and treasurers will have a much shorter time frame than they have had in prior years to review preliminary apportionments and, if needed, to request corrections.
- The final 2021 apportionments will be mailed at the end of October or early in November.
Pastors, treasurers and others with finance responsibility are encouraged to review their 2019 Local Church Reports now to ensure that no changes to them are needed. This will help to ensure that 2021 apportionments can be processed and mailed out in as orderly a fashion as possible.
Multicultural Vitality
The Deacons of the East Ohio Conference in partnership with the Multicultural Vitality office hope that many of you have had the opportunity over the past month to watch Just Mercy. If you’re like many of us, you now want to continue the conversation. Deacons and other clergy are offering Zoom discussion groups in each district during the month of July and we look forward to faithful discussions that will lead to transformation.
- Canal – Tue., July 28 @ 7:00 p.m.
- Mid-Ohio – Tue., July 14 @ 7:00 p.m.
- Mahoning Valley – Wed., July 15 @ 7:00 p.m. (Please RSVP by July 13)
- North Coast – Wed., July 22 @ 7:00 p.m.
- Three Rivers – Wed., July 8 @ 4:00 p.m.
- Tuscarawas – Thurs., July 16 @ 12:00 p.m. and @ 7:00 p.m.
- Western Reserve – Sun., July 19 @ 7:00 p.m.
- Firelands – TBD in August
- Ohio Valley – TBD in August
- Southern Hills – TBD in August
All are welcome to join any of the zoom gatherings; it doesn’t have to be the one in your district if a date does not work for you. E-mail the Rev. Linda McCowen, chair of the Order of Deacons, for more information, and stay current on Multicultural Vitality ministries by visiting the Multicultural Ministries Facebook page.
Dismantling Racism: July 1 Town Hall
The Council of Bishops, the General Commission on Religion and Race, the General Board of Church and Society and United Methodist Women invite you to join a Town Hall conversation on July 1 at UMC.org/EndRacism, where we will take a deep dive into the true (and sometimes suppressed!) history of our nation and church. A panel of experts will dialogue with each other and with the audience as we engage key questions.
Teach • Reach • Bless
Monies Collected Move Us Closer to Our Goal
The goal of the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign is to raise and collect $1.5 million to build and furnish a residence hall for female students on the campus of Africa University in Zimbabwe so that female students will not need to find off-campus housing that makes them vulnerable to untenable situations.
The campaign currently has commitments of $1,067,142 toward that $1.5 million goal. To date, $272,708.20 of that amount has been received. In supporting the campaign we are showing that the East Ohio Conference is committed to improving the education and wellness of women today for a better Africa tomorrow.
A new resource has been created that provides local church leadership with ideas of how to introduce a Teach • Reach • Bless fundraising opportunity to unite congregations in the common goal of raising money to build the AU dorm. View and download this new resource, and many others on the Conference website.
Learn more, download resources, and support the campaign.
Annual Conference
AC 2020 Will Meet Virtually Sat. Sept. 26 – Sun., Sept. 27
Speakers will present from, and worship services will be live from, Church of the Saviour UMC in Cleveland Heights. Annual Conference members will receive additional information in the coming weeks and the Pre-Conference Workbook will be mailed in August.
Those who have already registered for Annual Conference, do NOT need to register again. Those who have yet to register, need to do so here on the Conference website.
This year, all business sessions and worship services of Annual Conference 2020 will be livestreamed on the East Ohio Conference website.
Learn more about Annual Conference 2020.
Clergy Executive Session
Clergy Executive Session Will Meet Virtually Fri., Sept. 25
Speakers will present from, and worship will be live from, Church of the Saviour UMC in Cleveland Heights. Clergy will receive additional information in the coming weeks.
Those who have already registered for Clergy Executive Session, do NOT need to register again. Those who have yet to register, need to do so here on the Conference website.
NOTE: There is no fee to attend the virtual Clergy Executive Session. Those who paid the fee for the session that was to be held in-person in June will be issued a credit. You do not need to take any action since this will be an automatic process on the part of the Conference.
- If you paid by credit card or electronic check (e-check), you will receive a credit to the account from which you paid.
- If you paid by check, the Conference will process the refund through its vouchering system. You will receive a paper check in the mail. Please allow several weeks for your refund check to arrive.
Learn more about Clergy Executive Session.
Missions
Missions 5K Walk/1-Mile Run
The Mission 5K Walk/1-Mile Run is a tradition at Annual Conference that raises money for mission projects in East Ohio. Annual Conference will now be a virtual session but that doesn’t mean that we have to skip the Missions 5K Run/1-Mile Walk. EOC Coordinator of Missions & Community Engagement the Rev. Kathy Dickriede and the Board of Missions are encouraging churches or individuals to organize their own walk/run events this summer.
Traditionally, funds raised from the Run/Walk benefitted the East Ohio Missions Fund 9936, but this year you can decide for whom you wish to raise funds. You could promote a mission project in your own church or district, or pick a project from our list of Advance Specials. You can organize an in-person event or a virtual event.
Learn more about this opportunity. Please e-mail Kathy Dickriede with questions and to let her know you are interested in organizing a Run/Walk. She can help you promote your event if you let her know about it in advance.
Join the EOC Virtual Mission to Peru July 12-19
You are invited to be a part of a virtual mission trip to Peru. Our team from East Ohio will journey to the South American country via Zoom July 12-19, the same dates on which a team of 14 were scheduled for a medical mission to Peru.
The virtual trip is open to anyone ready to experience a new culture, discover missions in their local community, and who can set aside a week for intentional learning and discovery about Peru.
Cost of the virtual trip is $20 to cover books and materials. Learn more and register by July 5. A team Zoom meeting is scheduled for noon on Sunday, July 5.
E-mail the Rev. Kathy Dickriede with any questions. She is co-leading the virtual mission with Peruvian-born Carmen Kluth of Mogadore UMC, and Annie Solis of the Peru Methodist Conference.
Eastbrook Mission Barn
Eastbrook Mission Barn is a new Advance Special (Fund 9918) of the East Ohio Conference. A mission ministry of the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church, Eastbrook Mission Barn is located in New Castle, PA, not far from Youngstown in the East Ohio Conference.
Eastbrook Mission Barn Director Katie Peterson shares this message with East Ohio:
“We have been doing outreach mission since 2008. We build handicap accessible ramps for our neighbors in need. We are also a UMCOR Relief Supply Network, where we collect, verify, store, and ship UMCOR relief kits (mostly hygiene kits and cleaning buckets). We accept volunteer teams of 1-12 people, normally from kindergarten on up (due to COVID we are only accepting volunteers entering 6th grade and above). Volunteers can serve with us for 2-6 hours a day. We do have availability for offsite church housing, or hotels and campgrounds are also available for 2- to 3-day teams. Check us out on Facebook, send us an e-mail, or call us at (724) 856-8241. We accept volunteers, prayers, monetary donations, UMCOR supplies and hygiene and cleaning kits. I am available to come share the joy of missions with your church or group (any size or age). Thank you to the congregations in the East Ohio Conference that have donated and volunteered with us already! We look forward to getting connected with more of you.”
Learn more about Eastbrook Mission Barn.
Credit Union
Tax Time Is Coming
July 15 is the new tax deadline to make contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) and Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for the 2019 tax year. If you have questions or concerns, please call Kim McMillan who will be happy to assist with your needs. Call her in our Cincinnati office at (800) 373-1059 ext. 10 or send her an e-mail.
Media Center
The Media Center has recently acquired the following resources:
- I Still Believe; Small Group Kit shares true testimony of redemption and hope along with the lessons God has instilled through life’s struggles and pain. Each episode will also contain select scenes from the I Still Believe movie.
- For His Glory: Living as God’s Masterpiece, A Study of Ephesians is an in-depth study of Ephesians to help us dismantle the lies we’ve believed about ourselves and replace them with a new identity built on God’s Word and equips women to overcome shame, insecurity, inferiority, and condemnation.
- Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood; How the Church Needs to Rediscover Her Purpose will help improve the culture of our churches and disciple men and women to read, understand, and apply Scripture together within them by exploring the feminine voice in Scripture as synergistic with the dominant male voice.
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 
For They Know Not What They Do
For They Know Not What They Do shares the personal stories of four Christian families and how they deal with raising children who self-identify as gay, transgender and nonbinary. It is vital viewing for anyone who identifies as United Methodist and who cares about children.
In other words, you need to see it, especially if you are engaged in the current conversations about LGBT marriage and ordination and the current prohibitions in The Book of Discipline. I know that I have Christian friends whose opinions on this topic differ from mine. I have been praying for a film that could provide a common ground for conversation with them. This is that movie.
Obituaries
Please pray for the families of:
- Walter S. Chisholm, retired Elder, died June 25.
Classifieds
Details of listings may be found here.
Positions Available
- Interim University Chaplain – The University of Mount Union
- Chief Financial Officer – The New England Conference of The United Methodist Church
- Executive Director – Canton Calvary 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, July 13, 2020.
Deadline for submission is Thursday, July 9. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
EAST OHIO NEWS 