Teach • Reach • Bless
90% of Needed $1.5 Million has been Committed, and 25% Collected
The laity and clergy of the East Ohio Conference are showing your commitment to change lives by supporting the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign to raise and collect $1.5 million to build and furnish a residence hall on the campus of Africa University. The dorm will enable more female students to live on campus, meaning they will not need to find off-campus housing and commute to class – situations that make them vulnerable to untenable situations.
To date, commitments of $1,356,228.65 have been made toward the $1.5 million needed to break ground – and $379,318.21 has been collected. Thank you for your support, and for your commitment to improving the education and wellness of women today for a better Africa tomorrow.
Support Teach • Reach • Bless and download campaign resources.
Africa University Saturation Sunday – November 15
East Ohio Conference congregations are invited to participate in Africa University Saturation Sunday during worship services on November 15. It’s an opportunity to learn more about the United Methodist-related institution in Zimbabwe and the EOC Teach • Reach • Bless campaign to build a residence hall on campus for female students.
Videos to be used in church on Saturation Sunday, November 15 will be available for download in the weeks before the service. The videos will feature testimonials from Africa University graduates, music from the AU choir, scripture readings, a message, a call to action, and information about the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign and ways that you can support it.
View and download the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign video.
Missions
Firelands District Youth Fall 5: A Race for Hope
You are invited to participate in the virtual 5K or one-mile Race for Hope from Halloween (Oct. 31) through Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26). Runners and walkers in the virtual event are encouraged to gather sponsors and donations to benefit both the La Tannerie Methodist School in Haiti, part of North Coast of Haiti Mission Advance, and the Manos Juntas Mission in Mexico. Anyone can participate. Awards will be given to the church and the individual raising the most funds. If you have any questions, please e-mail Blair Porter, president of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM).
Registration is just $25 and includes a t-shirt. Register online today.
Early Response Team (ERT) Training – November 7
The East Ohio Disaster Response committee is hosting a United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Early Response Team (ERT) training on Saturday, November 7 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Marion Salem UMC in Caledonia. The class will be led by UMCOR-certified trainer Michael Woodward. Participants will learn best practices for responding to disaster situations and can receive UMCOR certification upon successful completion of the training session and a background check.
Health Benefits
HealthFlex Annual Enrollment Begins Oct. 28
The 2021 benefits enrollment for HealthFlex participants begins Wednesday, October 28 and ends Thursday, November 12. Mailings and emails have been sent to participants to help you prepare for the process. Video and printable resources can be found on your personal HealthFlex WebMD page and on the Health Benefits page of the Conference website.
Advocacy
Third Date Added for Clergy Training Event
Clergy unable to participate in the mandatory virtual training session Critical Conversations: A Step Toward Standing Against Racism on either October 19 or November 6 can now register to be part of the November 21 session.
Rev. E. Michelle Ledder, director of Equity and Anti-Racism for the General Commission on Religion and Race of The United Methodist Church will again lead the 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. training session that day. Participants are required to complete the prework listed in the online registration confirmation e-mail before the date of the session and then use the chat feature during the webinar to engage in conversation.
It is important that participants connect to the session using either a laptop or desktop computer or a tablet. It will be very difficult to participate in the webinar chat using a smartphone.
Media Center
The Media Center has recently acquired the following resources:
- Kingdom Stewardship includes how you manage all that God has given you—your time, your talents, and your treasures—to advance God’s kingdom and bring Him glory.
- Renewed; Finding Hope When You Don’t Like Your Story teaches women to flourish through a willingness to trust that God can transform them and trade their heartache for hope. They learn to rely on God’s movement, gain confidence to act in the part of their stories that they can change, and watch expectantly for God to redeem the parts they can’t.
- The Church and the Racial Divide; Finding Unity in the Race-Transcending Gospel features video teaching from key leaders discussing race, culture, and the gospel. Using these evangelical voices and Bible study, participants will learn about racial reconciliation and be equipped to be part of the solution.
- Trustworthy; Overcoming Our Greatest Struggles to Trust God explores the deeply applicable Scriptures that will teach us how to truly trust God when hard times come, and it seems God is deviating from the plan we assume our life should follow.
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 
Charm City Kings
There is much that I could recommend about Charm City Kings, the Sundance Film Festival Award Winner for Best Ensemble Cast. The cast is uniformly good, including young Jahi Di’Allo Winston as eight grader “Mouse”, a Baltimore kid who wants to learn how to stunt ride dirt bikes with the big boys, and rapper Meek Mill in his first film role. The location-based cinematography by Katelin Arizmendi is top notch, including a couple of truly exciting chase sequences. The film is well directed and the movie is interesting during its two-hour running time.
Classifieds
Details of listings may be found here.
Positions Available
- Building Supervisor – Thoburn UMC in St. Clairsville
- Church Caretaker – Hudson UMC
- Benefits/Human Resources Manager – The East Ohio Conference of The UMC
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, November 2, 2020.
Deadline for submission is Thursday, October 29. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
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