Appointments
Bishop Tracy S. Malone announces the following clergy appointments and/or changes of status which, unless otherwise noted, are effective July 1, 2023.
| 2023 Appointments | |||
| Pastor | Appointment | District | Effective |
| Bob Alexander | Danville UMC | TR | |
| Carolyn Baker | New Philadelphia Otterbein & Dellroy UMCs | TW/OV | |
| Deborah Kellar | East Springfield Christ & Scoio UMCs | OV | |
| Carl Schaefer | Trinway UMC | TR | |
#BeUMC
Rev. Beth Ortiz, Connectional Ministries office Strategic Ministries director, shares why she is United Methodist.
“I am United Methodist because I was invited and then I was loved. I was loved for who I was in the moment and who I would be and could be. I was loved on my good days and my bad days. And I am United Methodist because through that love I learned the love of a God who knows grace ,who lives grace, who is grace, who is love and forgiveness. And I am United Methodist because I hope one day I am that person, as well.”
She is one of the many EOC clergy and laity sharing the ways our denomination is making a daily difference in their lives and ministries. E-mail Brett Hetherington, EOC Communications specialist, to arrange a time to share your #BeUMC story of the ways your life is being transformed through The United Methodist Church.
View #BeUMC stories & the EOC #BeUMC website.
Storyboard: Faith Witness Transformation
Each episode of our East Ohio Conference podcast, Storyboard: Faith Witness Transformation, explores what it means to #BeUMC.
Episode 12 is titled “Experiencing God Through The UMC: Relieve, Recover and Restore”. The episode features conversation with the pastor of Girard First UMC and a lay person about Thrive 10:10, a ministry that offers beauty, dignity, and strength to women in the community seeking to break the cycle of poverty.
For questions about Communications ministries such as the #BeUMC campaign, live-streaming, licensing, social media and more, please e-mail Rick Wolcott, executive director of Communications, or visit the Communications pages of the Conference website.
Communications
Two New Pages Added to the EOC Website
The Communications office has added two new pages to the East Ohio Conference website, each of which can be accessed from the Clergy tab dropdown menu.
The first new page, titled A Clergyperson’s Relationship to the EOC and The UMC, contains information about the clergy covenant and a joint message from Bishop Tracy S. Malone, the Cabinet, and the Board of Ministry.
Visit the A Clergyperson’s Relationship to the EOC and The UMC page.
The second new page, titled Withdrawn Clergy and Disaffiliated Churches, contains a list of each EOC church that has disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church by action of Annual Conferences in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The page also has a list of clergypersons who have withdrawn from The United Methodist Church due to matters related to disaffiliation and a link to the disaffiliation page of the Wespath website.
Visit the Withdrawn Clergy and Disaffiliated Churches page.
2023 Clergy Directory Added to the EOC Website
Clergy and laity can view and download the 2023 Clergy Directory from the Conference website. The directory contains headshots of those clergy who posed for their photo during Annual Conference last year. Continuing with what was begun with the 2017 Clergy Directory to save on cost and reduce the amount of paper used, the 2023 directory is posted as a pdf to the Conference website and only a limited number of directories were printed. Those print copies are used by team members in the Conference and district offices and will be distributed to the clergy ordained in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
View and download the 2023 Clergy Directory.
For questions about Communications ministries such as the #BeUMC campaign, live-streaming, licensing, social media and more, please e-mail Rick Wolcott, executive director of Communications, or visit the Communications pages of the Conference website.
Missions & Community Engagement
Last Day to RSVP to Meet Missionary Patrick Booth on June 29
Today, June 26, is the last day to RSVP to meet Global Ministry Missionary Patrick Booth during a lunchtime mission presentation at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 29 at the Area Center in North Canton. The lunch is free, but space is limited so you need to RSVP by June 26
Register to attend the June 29 luncheon on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
Booth is a native of Painesville who is currently a missionary in Cambodia, where he works with Project ARK tackling poverty as a culprit of human trafficking by equipping and restoring livelihood and dignity through the construction trade while introducing quality, affordable family homes into the Cambodian real estate market. If you would like to meet him but can’t attend the June 29 lunch, there are other opportunities to meet and speak with him while he is itinerating in East Ohio June 27-July 2.
View the dates/times/locations of Patrick Booth’s presentations in East Ohio.
Learn about and support the ministry of missionary Patrick Booth.
Virtual Early Response Team (ERT) Recertification – July 29
The West Ohio Conference will host a virtual ERT recertification training using Zoom on Saturday July 29, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. The four-hour course will be taught by West Ohio ERT trainers and is approved by United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Registrants must complete a background check and submit a photo prior to the training to participate. The class is only for West Ohio and East Ohio ERTs who have already completed the eight-hour basic course and need recertification, which needs to be completed every three years. The cost of the training is $20. If you have questions about this training, please e-mail Mariellyn Grace, Mission & Communication coordinator in West Ohio.
Learn more and register for the recertification class.
Meeting for 2024 Discover … Mission Puerto Rico UMVIM Journey – August 1
Rev. Kathy Dickriede is looking for mission-minded people ages 18-35 for a life-changing experience in the mission field in Puerto Rico January 5-15, 2024. The next online meeting for those interested in being part of the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) team is at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1.
The January 2024 team will do construction work and participate in lots of worship, relationship building, and discussions with young people from Puerto Rico and around the world. Missionaries will travel to the cities, mountains, and beaches of Puerto Rico as they learn and share life together. The cost per person for the trip is approximately $2,000 and scholarships are available. E-mail Rev. Kathy Dickriede, Connectional Ministries office Missions & Community Engagement director, with any questions about this opportunity.
Learn more about UMVIM Discover … Mission.
NCJ UMVIM Mission Academy – August 9-12
Join the learning and fun at Epworth Forest Camp and Conference Center in North Webster, Indiana August 9-12 for the North Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM-NCJ) Mission Academy. We will have a group from East Ohio at this event and the Board of Missions has funds to help get you there. E-mail Rev. Kathy Dickriede, Connectional Ministries office Missions & Community Engagement director, with questions.
Learn more about and register on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
Missions & Community Engagement Video Showcase
The Mission Academy video is just one of many Missions-oriented video available for viewing and downloading on the Missions & Community Engagement Vimeo showcase found on the East Ohio Conference website.
View the Missions & Community Engagement Vimeo showcase.
Bridges Out of Poverty Cohort – September 6
A Bridges Out of Poverty virtual cohort hosted by East Ohio Conference Missions & Community Engagement will meet twice each month on Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon beginning September 6 through March 2024. Participants will meet via Zoom to read and discuss Bridges Out of Poverty Strategies for Professionals and Communities (5th Edition) and to investigate opportunities for Bridges implementation within their communities. The cohort is free but participants are required to purchase the Bridges book. E-mail Rev. Kathy Dickriede, Connectional Ministries office Missions & Community Engagement director, with any questions about this opportunity.
Register to participate in the virtual cohort on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
For questions about Missions & Community Engagement ministries and opportunities, please e-mail the Rev. Kathy Dickriede, Connectional Ministries office Missions & Community Engagement director, or visit the Missions & Community Engagement pages of the Conference website.
Young People’s Ministries
Youth Annual Conference Recharge Rally
“We are here to recharge, to be renewed,” said Bishop Tracy S. Malone to the 156 youth and their adult leaders at the start of Youth Annual Conference 2023.
“Recharge Rally is about building relationships and connections with one another,” said Will Fenton-Jones, Connectional Ministries office Multicultural Ministries director, who has been resourcing the Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM) this year.
This year’s YAC was a one-day recharge rally for students in grades six through 12. Participants traveled from their home churches across the East Ohio Conference on Saturday, June 17 to be at Camp Wanake in Beach City for a day of fellowship, fun, resourcing, and worship. During the dinner period, CCYM hosted conversations about what the future of Youth Annual Conference could look like.
For questions about Young People’s Ministries opportunities, please e-mail Will Fenton-Jones, Connectional Ministries office Multicultural Ministries director, or visit the Young People’s Ministries pages of the Conference website.
Camps & Retreat Ministries
Camp is Happening Right Now
Right now, hundreds of children, youth and adults have been or are attending summer camp here is East Ohio. Campers’ lives are being transformed as they experience God in creation. Campers are testing their limits in new adventures and are experiencing community and making new friends. If you want a child from your congregation to be a part of this life-changing experience, call the East Ohio Conference Camps office at (800) 831-3972 ext. 108.
Learn more about and register for Summer Camp 2023.
For questions about Camps & Retreat Ministries opportunities, please e-mail the Rev. Gary Jones, Connectional Ministries office Camps & Retreat Ministries / Spiritual Formation & Christian Education director, or visit the Camps & Retreat Ministries pages of the Conference website.
United Women in Faith
Mission u – July 21-22
The theme for Mission u July 21-22 at the University of Mount Union is Living the Kin-dom: Exploring the Lord’s Prayer as a Spiritual Practice for Social Transformation. For Jesus, the kin-dom was not simply something to talk about but something we could live and experience. From the Lord’s Prayer to the beatitudes to the parables, this good news is at the heart of Jesus’ preaching, teaching, and ministry.
All women, and girls K-12, are welcome to Mission u, which will begin with dinner on Friday, July 21 and conclude at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 22. All age groups will study the Lord’s Prayer and all age groups will come together for meals and worship. This is a wonderful time to encourage kids and youth to learn more about their faith and the importance of relationships in the church.
Learn more and register on the Events Registration page of the Conference website.
Events: June 26 – July 9
Click to view East Ohio Conference Calendar.
- Thursday, June 29
Meet Missionary Patrick Booth
To submit your event to the East Ohio calendar use this form. (The East Ohio Conference only accepts East Ohio United Methodist local church, conference and general UM events for listing on the Conference calendar.)
Celebrations of Life
Please pray for the families of:
- Dorrine R. Burkhead, surviving spouse of the Rev. Merriel Burkhead, died June 12.
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
- Sound Room Tech – Church Hill UMC in Youngstown
- Contemporary Worship Leader – Kent UMC
- Assistant Custodian – Kent UMC
- Musician – Lockwood UMC in Akron
Items Available/ Wanted
- Cantata Books – Granger UMC in Medina
- Baldwin Pipe Organ – Lockwood UMC in Akron
To submit a classified ad please e-mail swilliams@eocumc.com.
To Subscribe
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Deadline for submission is Thursday, July 6, 2023. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
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