2021 Appointments
Bishop Tracy S. Malone announces the following 2021 clergy appointments and/or changes of status. Appointments are effective July 1, 2021 unless otherwise noted.
Move Out: Monday, June 28 Move In: Tuesday, June 29
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 |
| Don Ackerman | Crossroads UMC & Canton for All People Extension Ministry | TW | |
| Jeff Calkins | Union Hill UMC | TW | |
| David Cann | Oberlin Rust & Oberlin First UMCs | FL | |
| Kevin Daugherty | Tiltonsville, Brilliant, & Smithfield UMCs | OV | |
| Rebecca Evanoff | Fairhope & The Vine UMCs | TW | |
| Michael Farmer | Crossroads UMC, Associate Pastor | TW | |
| Debbie Gheen | Byesville Main, Bethlehem, & Derwent UMCs | SH | |
| Kenneth Gifford | Youngstown Trinity & Poland UMCs | MV | |
| Frank McAtee | Norwich, Salem, & Sonora UMCs | SH | |
| Phil Murphy | Irish Ridge, Birmingham, & Kimbolton UMCs | TR | |
| Dail Parish | Otsego & Bethel UMCs | TR | |
| Nancy Parsons | Senecaville & Cambridge Ninth Street UMCs | SH | |
| William Payne | Emmanuel & Adario UMCs | MO | |
| Scott Racut | Minerva UMC | TW | |
| Ken Smailes | Nashville, Killbuck, & Blissfield UMCs | TR | |
| Charlene Thomas | Sycamore, Union Salem, Tiffin St. Paul, Republic Trinity, & Melmore UMCs | FL | |
| Amy Vittorio | Sycamore, Union Salem, Tiffin St. Paul, Republic Trinity, & Melmore UMCs | FL | |
| Jason “Eddie” Warne | Pleasant Grove & Chandlersville UMCs | SH | |
| Jennifer Whitmore | Nankin Community & Paradise Hills UMCs | MO | |
| Jonathan Williams | West Austintown First UMC | MV | |
| Karen Wolcott | Pleasant Hills & Ridgewood UMCs | NC |
Visit the 2021 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.
Annual Conference 2021
Registration Ends Friday, May 14
If you are a member of Annual Conference and have not yet registered for this year’s session, you must do so by Friday, May 14 to be able to participate in the webinar and cast votes. Annual Conference begins at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16 with the Service of Commissioning and Ordination.
Visit the Annual Conference 2021 website.
May 14 is also the deadline to register to participate in the Clergy Executive Session that begins at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16.
Register for Annual Conference and Clergy Executive Session.
Pre-Conference Workbook
The Pre-Conference Workbook is available as a resource on the Annual Conference 2021 website. You may view and download the workbook there. Printed copies of the Pre-Conference Workbook have been mailed to Annual Conference members.
View and download the Pre-Conference Workbook.
Get to Know Akron, OH
The Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau has created a flipbook highlighting the many attractions, restaurants, and hotels in the Akron area. The flipbook is available in the dropdown menu of the Resources tab of the Annual Conference 2021 website.
View the Get to Know Akron, OH flipbook.
Health Benefits
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Emotional well-being is one of the five dimensions of well-being (emotional, spiritual, physical, financial, social). Wespath is committed to shining a light on mental health and raising awareness for those living with mental or behavioral health conditions noting that the mind-body connection is powerful. Tending to your emotional well-being can help you feel better physically, and vice versa. Emotional well-being includes the ability to manage your feelings and related behaviors, cope effectively with stress and adapt to change.
View Wespath emotional well-being resources.
Congregational Vitality
Webinars with Jason Moore of Midnight Oil Productions
In May, Congregational Vitality is hosting two webinars by Jason Moore that are designed to help your church adapt to a world changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is ‘Telling the Old Story in a New Time’ on May 18. The second is ‘Both/And’ on May 25. If you cannot attend in May, these two webinars will be offered again in August.
Young People’s Ministries
2021-2022 Conference Council on Youth Ministries
Church leaders, we are currently recruiting for teens to serve on our 2021-22 Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM). If you have teens in the high school classes of 2022-27, who take their discipleship journey seriously and are leaders, please encourage them to fill out an application for CCYM. This is an awesome opportunity for faith formation and leadership development. This next year’s group will also be instrumental in shaping the future of CCYM and Conference youth ministry. For more information, including commitment expectations, please e-mail Angela Wright or e-mail Stephon Poulton.
Camps & Retreat Ministries
Summer Camp 2021
There is still room for you at Camps Aldersgate, Asbury, and Wanake! It is not too late to get registered for Summer Camp 2021. Our prayer is that East Ohio Camps will become a spiritual home for your family.
For a brochure or information on Summer Camps, contact your local church, visit the Summer Camps website, call the Camps office at (330) 499-3972 ext. 108, or e-mail the Camps office.
Spring Workdays at Camp Wanake
Each spring work needs to be done to prepare the site for summer campers. We are looking for groups and individuals with willing hearts and all skill sets. Projects include trail work, carpentry, general clean up, construction, and more. If you are skilled in a particular area, please share that information when you register. Lunch is provided to all volunteers.
Saturday, May 22 is the next scheduled workday. If your group is available a different day, you can arrange with Wanake Site Manager Justin Miller for your group to do work onsite that day. E-mail Justin or call him at (330) 756-2333 ext. 106.
Fall workdays will be announced later.
Multicultural Vitality
Peace with Justice Sunday – May 30
Peace with Justice Sunday is an opportunity for United Methodists to celebrate and bring awareness to issues of peace and justice across The United Methodist Church and to take a special offering to support this important work of our denomination. This special Sunday is typically recognized on the first Sunday after Pentecost, but it can be celebrated on any Sunday during the year.
Learn more about Peace with Justice Sunday.
Download Peace with Justice Sunday resources.
Peace Walk and Community Festival – June 6
The Tuscarawas District Urban Action team in cooperation with the East Ohio Conference Multicultural Vitality team will celebrate Peace with Justice Sunday by sponsoring a peace walk and community festival on Sunday, June 6. You are invited to walk and celebrate beginning at Crossroads UMC (120 Cleveland Ave. SW) in Canton at 1:00 p.m. on that day. Rev. Jake Heskett will offer opening words and prayer before the 1.5-mile walk to the new Gonder Ave. location which will be the site of a hybrid fresh market and health clinic.
Dr. Tejai Beulah, assistant professor of History, Ethics and Black Church and African Diaspora Studies at Methodist Theological School in Ohio will offer a keynote presentation at the conclusion of the walk. Community leaders will join us for the walk, after which area community services will share information about their organizations, and food trucks and music will provide nourishment for the bodies and minds of participants.
For more information about the walk, please call the Crossroads UMC office at (330) 455-0153.
Missions
Mission News
Be sure to visit the Mission News page for more missions related news.
UPDATE: Drop-off Sites for June 7-13 UMCOR Kit Collection
A big “thank you!” to each church that volunteered to serve as a collection site for kit donations to benefit the Midwest Mission Distribution Center (MMDC). The collection site in the Tuscarawas District is yet to be determined but the UMC church collection sites in the other nine districts are: Family of Faith (Canal), Trinity Sandusky (Firelands), Boardman UMC (Mahoning Valley), Trinity Mt. Gilead (Mid-Ohio), Strongsville (North Coast), Carrollton First (Ohio Valley), Old Washington (Southern Hills), Roscoe (Three Rivers), and Mentor (Western Reserve).
Items should be dropped off June 7-13 at any of the above EOC churches. MMDC will collect the kits June 14-15. Let’s fill the truck East Ohio!
Learn more about the EOC UMCOR Kit Collection.
Learn more about Midwest Mission Distribution Center.
Guatemala Virtual Mission Journey – June 13, July 11, August 8
Do you watch the news and wonder how you can make an impact in the migration crisis in Central America? On June 13 begin a virtual journey to Guatemala and discover how people there are working to build safe, dynamic communities through the mission movement of the Methodist Church. Rev. Kimberly Arbaugh will be the team leader, connecting participants with UMC Missionary Lourdes Ramirez in Guatemala.
There is no charge to be part of the virtual mission trip team, but participants will be asked for donations to help renovate a United Methodist mission station so that it can be used to host work teams that travel to Guatemala. The team will meet virtually at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 13, Sunday, July 11, and Sunday, August 8. Call the Rev. Kimberly Arbaugh at (330) 627-7671 for more information and to ask any questions.
Register for the virtual Guatemala mission journey.
Clergy
FAMLP Annual Meeting – June 9
The Fellowship of Associate Members and Local Pastors (FAMLP) Registration will hold its annual meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 9. The Class of 2023-2024 board of directors will be elected during the meeting. If you are an associate member or a local pastor and have not yet received your invitation to the meeting, please check your spam filter, then, if the invitation is not there, please e-mail Melanie Thomas or call her at (330) 499-3972 x102.
Spiritual Formation & Christian Education
Facebook Live Conversation – May 12 @ 1:00 p.m.
Join us for a conversation about “How to use old VBS curriculum in new ways!” Director of Spiritual Formation the Rev. Gary Jones will share information on how to access old VBS curriculums and Medina UMC Director of Children and Family Ministries Patty Neidert will offer guidance on how to use those materials in new, cost-effective ways.
Join the EOC Spiritual Formation Facebook Live May 12 conversation.
Christian Education Resource for the Whole Family
“Bible Adventure Road Trips” is a Bible-based resource for families to assist in exploring surroundings while having fun together and deepening understandings of the Bible. The resource, developed during the pandemic by an EOC Elder and a graphic artist, takes Christian Education out of the classroom and into the family car, as families take five road trips to some favorite places in their community to take pictures and explore the meaning of assigned Bible passages.
On road trips to a favorite restaurant, lake, river, woods, and cemetery the setting and surroundings provide a deeper insight of assigned scripture. Discussion questions are provided to help families discuss the Bible passage. Families earn points by completing various challenges on each road trip and by attending weekly Zoom meetings. Every family that earns 100 points receives a $25 grocery gift card for a family picnic.
View and download “Bible Adventure Road Trips”.
Media Center
The Media Center is featuring some items from the section on United Methodism:
- What Does It Mean To Be United Methodist? Classes will learn just what does it mean to be United Methodist. The sessions cover Wesleyan Heritage, John Wesley’s Theology, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Sacraments, and How Do United Methodists “Do” Church.
- Revival; Faith as Wesley Lived It follows the life of John Wesley and explores his defining characteristics of a Wesleyan Christian. Wesley’s story is our story. It defines our faith and it challenges us to rediscover our spiritual passion.
- The Wesleyan Way; A Faith That Matters helps seekers and believers to envision and practice discipleship as a way of life. Presenting Christianity from a Wesleyan perspective, Jones invites participants into a deeper, more thoughtful, more active commitment to Christ.
- Top 10 United Methodist Beliefs are the non-negotiables for the founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley. He inspires us to travel the road to perfection using these basic beliefs as signposts, not hitching posts, so that we can more fully follow Jesus.
To reserve these or other resources, call the Media Center at (800) 831-3972 x139 or send an e-mail to ageorge@eocumc.com. Browse the resource catalog at www.rqmweb.com/eocumc.
Credit Union
Tax Deadline 2021
May 17, 2021 is the 2021 extended tax deadline, and the tax deadline to make contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) and Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for the 2020 tax year. If you have questions or concerns, please e-mail Kim McMillan in our Cincinnati office or call her at (800) 373-1059 ext. 10. She will be happy to assist you with your needs.
Mortgages
As spring rolls in, new homes for sale hit the market. Whether you are looking to relocate, expand or downsize your space, Christian Family Credit Union is here to help. E-mail Terry Laws in our Cincinnati office or call her at (800) 373-1059 ext. 15 to get the process started.
Message in the Movies
Fatima
Although this film features a renowned international cast (including Harvey Keitel and Sônia Braga) and high production values, it was released in just a few theaters, barely reviewed, and quickly moved to Video on Demand limbo. It was so obscure that I was surprised to discover that it was an English language movie.
It’s also a film that celebrates Catholicism of earlier generations. It is steeped in Mariology and relates a story in which Mary not only predicts future events but instructs her three young witnesses to return to see her at a future date. The children’s testimony inspires an entire village to witness an incredible demonstration of the presence of God. Before that occurs, the children are encouraged by Mary to pray the Rosary repeatedly so that war would end and peace would prevail. There is political oppression that is unable to thwart the children’s witness. And there is plenty of guilt along the way, with images of death and hellfire thrown in for good measure. (Despite the PG-13 rating, this is not a film for children.)
Obituaries
Please pray for the families of:
- Charles Warren, retired Local Pastor, died March 4.
View obituaries
To submit the obituary of an EOC clergy, clergy spouse, or surviving spouse, family should contact Melissa McGee, Executive Secretary to the Bishop, by phone at (330) 499-3972 ext. 112 or via e-mail.
Classifieds
Details of listings may be found here.
Positions Available
- Director of Music for Sanctuary Services – Church of the Lakes UMC in Canton
- Coordinator of Children’s and Youth Ministries – Millersburg UMC
- Office Manager/Bookkeeper – Grace UMC in Coshocton
- Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries – Bay UMC in Bay Village
- Staff Chaplain – TFC Global Ministry
- Custodian – North Industry UMC in Canton
- Ecumenical Staff Officer – The Council of Bishops of The UMC
- Administrative Assistant – Gay Street UMC in Mount Vernon
To submit a classified ad please e-mail swilliams@eocumc.com.
Items Available/Wanted
- In need of a gently used upright piano – Windham UMC
To Subscribe
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Deadline for submission is Thursday, May 13, 2021. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
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