Bishop Tracy S. Malone announces the following clergy appointments and/or changes of status which, unless otherwise noted, are effective July 1, 2024.
| 2024 Appointments | |||
| Pastor | Appointment | District | Effective |
| Carolyn Baker | Cambridge Center, Cambridge Faith & Cambridge First UMCs – Associate Pastor | South Forest | |
| Allan Georgia | Good Shepherd, Pleasant Hills, & Ridgewood UMCs – Associate Pastor | Northern Waters | |
| Tyler Rollinson | West Lafayette & Canal Lewisville UMCs | South Forest | |
| Stephanie Scovell | Good Shepherd, Pleasant Hills, & Ridgewood UMCs – Lead Pastor | Northern Waters | |
| Ben Weisbrod | Danville UMC | West Plains | |
#BeUMC
You are invited to be part of the #BeUMC campaign that calls us to embrace our Wesleyan heritage. #BeUMC honors the core values that connect the people of The United Methodist Church and aligns with our shared East Ohio Conference vision: disciple making; belonging & inclusion; influence, connection & impact; and experiencing God through The UMC.
Join laity and clergy from across the East Ohio Conference in sharing your 1- to 2-minute story of the ways your life has been transformed through the ministries of The United Methodist Church. E-mail Brett Hetherington to schedule a time to record your video.
View #BeUMC stories & the EOC #BeUMC website.
Each episode of our East Ohio Conference podcast, Storyboard: Faith Witness Transformation, explores what it means to #BeUMC.
Episode 29 is titled “Disciple Making: Making Lasting Connections with Young People”. The episode features a discussion with Connectional Ministries Office Young People’s Ministries Co-Directors Tim Beck and Pastor Christy Suffecool about ways EOC congregations can connect with teens and young adults on “their turf and their terms”.
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.
Teach • Reach • Bless
Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence Dedicated on AU Campus
On February 26, Africa University dedicated the Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence for female students. The residence hall, which can house 92 students on three floors, was built thorough generous donations to the East Ohio Conference Teach • Reach • Bless campaign. A team of clergy and laity from East Ohio was on campus for the dedication celebration.
“It all started with a dream – we’re the school of dreams – the dream of Bishop Tracy S. Malone,” said Dr. James H. Salley, Africa University president. “She laid out her vision. When there’s a clear vision, resources will come. She articulated that vision to thousands of persons in the East Ohio Annual Conference. In the time of COVID it was supposed to be a three-year campaign, but the vision was clear, and the people represented here caught that vision and they raised $1.5 million in not three years but, during COVID, in two years.”
“I give thanks to God for each and every gift that was made to the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign from the laity, the clergy, the congregations, the matching gifts from the districts, the challenge gift from Rev. Bill and Marty McFadden,” said Bishop Tracy S. Malone. “I thank God for your faithfulness. I thank God for your resiliency. I thank God for your generosity and the success of this campaign reminds us – and I want us all to hear this – if God gives a God-size vision and if we trust God with the vision and if we commit to it wholeheartedly, giving it everything we’ve got, being all in, God will make the necessary provisions to bring the vision to a reality.”
Read the full article and view the video of the dedication ceremony.
General Conference
March 19 Webinar to Give Information About Next Month’s Postponed 2020 General Conference
Bishop Tracy S. Malone and the East Ohio Conference delegation invite laity and clergy to participate in a General Conference information webinar from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19.
The online webinar hosted on Zoom will provide information about, and give participants an opportunity to ask questions about, the upcoming postponed 2020 General Conference to be held April 23-May 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina so that we are all more informed as we live into our shared vision for how we can fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The assembly meets at the beginning of each quadrennium to consider revisions to church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, economic, and public policy issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs for the next four years.
Delegates from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the United States will be present in the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina for the postponed 2020 General Conference, which was not able to be held as scheduled in Minneapolis, Minnesota because of the pandemic. The East Ohio Conference delegation to the upcoming General Conference is comprised of six clergy persons and six lay persons who were elected to serve by action of Annual Conference.
The link to join the webinar will be posted in the next E-news.
Strategic Ministries
Small Church Advantage: Worship
If you are a church with less than 50 people in attendance on a Sunday morning, come to this exciting workshop that explores the creative and engaging ways smaller congregations can worship and celebrate your amazing connection. Led by Teresa Steward, the author of Small Church Advantage, this is a workshop that truly celebrates the energy and passion small congregations can bring to worship.
Attending this session on March 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 at Simpson UMC in Canton with a small team of pastoral and lay leadership from your church could lead to transformative worship practices for your congregation. There is no cost to attend. The deadline to register for the workshop is Thursday, March 7.
Register for this workshop on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
Microgrant Applications are Now Available
The Connectional Ministries office of Strategic Ministries and the Board of Congregational Development are excited to announce the spring cycle of microgrants, which award up to $2,000 to help churches launch new ministries in their communities and/or to help the church reach new people. Congregational creativity to reach beyond the walls with Fresh Expression-style ministries and other new ministries is one way our churches continue to follow the Gospel, and these grants are designed to help remove the barrier of cost. If you have questions about microgrants, please e-mail Rev. Beth Ortiz, Connectional Ministries office Strategic Ministries director.
The deadline to apply for a microgrant is Friday, April 12. The application is available below, and on the Scholarships, Grants, and Financial Aid page of the East Ohio Conference website.
Download the microgrant application.
Transition Trainings – April 20 & May 4
All churches and clergy who are experiencing a pastoral transition this year are invited to a transition training. A time of pastoral transition at the local church can be a season of excitement, stress, and anticipation. This workshop is designed to help make the transition healthy for all involved, prepare the congregation to launch its next season of ministry, provide helpful tips about important details, review the Rule of Christ, and much more.
This workshop is for Staff Parish Relations Committee members, simplified boards, other local church leadership, and pastors. It is ideal that you attend with other members of the committee from your local church so that you can participate as a team. Trainings this year are offered on April 20 at Wooster UMC and May 4 at Cuyahoga Falls UMC. There is no cost for the training, but registration is required. If you have questions about the transition training, please e-mail Rev. Beth Ortiz, Connectional Ministries office Strategic Ministries director.
Register for these trainings on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
For questions about Strategic Ministries opportunities, please e-mail the Rev. Beth Ortiz, Connectional Ministries office Strategic Ministries director, or visit the Strategic Ministries pages on the Conference website.
Missions & Community Engagement
Board of Missions Offers Serving Others, Inviting Others Grant
Serving Others, Inviting Others is a ministry grant and mission journey scholarship awarded by the East Ohio Conference Board of Missions from Undesignated Missions Giving Fund 9001. Since 2021, more than $300,000 in grants has been awarded to multiple churches, missionaries, and mission partners of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church. The deadline to apply for the grant is April 1. If you have questions about the grant, e-mail Melanie Thomas, administrative assistant in the Connectional Ministries office, or call her at (330) 499-3972 ext. 102.
Apply for this and other Missions grants and scholarships.
Support EOC Fund 9001.
UMVIM Team Leader Training – March 17
If you are interested in mission work, or if you are already involved but want to improve your leadership skills, make plans to attend the next United Methodist Volunteers in Mission team leader training from 1:00 – 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 17 at Wedgewood UMC in Akron. The training will offer a day of fellowship and conversation to learn best practices for leading a mission team locally, nationally, or internationally. There is no cost to attend but you must register online by March 13.
Register 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.
Multicultural Ministries
Pro-Racial Equity Network to Feature Bishop Tracy S. Malone – March 14
The Connectional Ministries office Multicultural Ministries team invites laity and clergy to join a pro-racial equity network meeting via Zoom on the second Thursday of every month. The pro-racial equity network is a collaboration between the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church and the Ohio Heartland Conference of the United Church of Christ as we seek to stand against racism.
March is Women’s History Month and during the March 14 online meeting of the pro-racial equity network Bishop Tracy S. Malone, resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church will reflect on the intersectionality of race and gender. We will hear a message of the work yet to be done, but the hope we can work towards together.
Ecumenical spaces and partnerships allow for cross-pollination and the opportunity to create new relationships in our communities. The goal of this network is to connect individuals or groups to others who are journeying on the path toward racial reconciliation. The monthly gatherings follow a format of learning opportunities, collaborative work and sharing, and opportunities to engage in action: Come and Learn, Come and Do, Come and Change.
Register for the Zoom link on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
For questions about Multicultural Ministries opportunities, please e-mail Will Fenton-Jones, Connectional Ministries office Multicultural Ministries director, or visit the Multicultural Ministries pages of the Conference website.
Camps & Retreat Ministries
Take advantage of Early Bird Savings
Encourage kids in your congregation to participate in Summer Camp 2024. The deadline to receive discounted registration is fast approaching! Campers who are registered by March 15 will receive $25 off their registration fee and will be entered into a drawing to receive free registration. Encourage kids from your congregation to register now and make Camp part of their summer in 2024! If you would like a Summer Camps brochure, please call the Camps office at (330) 499-3972 ext. 139 or send us an e-mail.
Learn more about and register for Summer Camp 2024.
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.
Clergy
Toward Healing the Harm Registration Extended to March 10
Join your clergy colleagues on Monday, March 18 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at North Canton Faith UMC for an empowering day of Toward Healing the Harm 2: How to Lead with Courage Even When Your Voice Shakes. This healing event is for all clergy – women and men, introverts and extroverts – because courageous leadership still needs to happen in our ministries, even when hurtful and harmful situations arise and challenge our hearts. Come and let the Lord bless us through His Word and gain strength, support, and encouragement from Jesus as well as those in attendance and other resources.
As we journey to the Cross and prepare to celebrate Easter, let Jesus, through trauma informed teaching, help us to be free to continue to minister with boldness and grace even if our voice shakes. The deadline to register is Sunday, March 10 @ 8:00 p.m.
Register on the Events Registration page of the East Ohio Conference website.
Events: March 4 – March 17
Click to view East Ohio Conference Calendar.
- Saturday, March 9
Bridges Out of Poverty Training - Saturday, March 9
Free Community Meal in Lakewood - Saturday, March 9
Games with Friends - Saturday, March 16
Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser - Sunday, March 17
UMVIM Team Leader Training - Sunday, March 17
Unnatural Disasters: Creation Care in the Age of Climate Change
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:
- Jane E. Wilds, surviving spouse of the Rev. Neal Wilds, died February 19.
- Jack O. Schierloh, retired Elder, died February 18.
- Elizabeth Parks, surviving spouse of the Rev. Richard Parks, died February 13.
- David N. J. Smith, clergy spouse, died February 15.
- Thomas S. Taylor, retired Elder, died February 22.
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
- Administrative Secretary – Apple Creek UMC
- Donations and Sorting Coordinator – Rocky River UMC
Items Available/Wanted
- In need of new purple paraments – Mt. Pleasant UMC of Cleveland
To submit a classified ad please e-mail swilliams@eocumc.com.
To Subscribe
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Deadline for submission is Thursday, March 14, 2024. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
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