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 |
| Mark Cannon | Transitional Leave | ||
| Suzanah Johnson | North Industry UMC | Central Valley | |
| Leslie Mahaney | Cadiz Scott Memorial & Scio UMCs | South Forest | |
| Carla Miner | Lake Brady UMC | Northern Waters | |
| Lorrin Radzik | Family Leave | ||
#BeUMC
“I had the opportunity during college to explore different faith backgrounds and especially denominations and I always felt at home in The United Methodist Church because of our open communion table because everyone was welcome and it wasn’t our table, but it was Christ’s table,” said Rev. Michael Parisher, executive director of Nehemiah Mission.
E-mail Brett Hetherington to schedule a time to share your story of how your life has been transformed through the ministries of The United Methodist Church.
View #BeUMC stories & the EOC #BeUMC website.
Our EOC podcast, Storyboard: Faith Witness Transformation, explores what it means to #BeUMC.
Episode 35 is titled “Influence, Connection & Impact: Caring for Our Mental Health and Resourcing Mental Health Care for Others”. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S., this episode features a discussion about the importance of EOC clergy and laity understanding and caring for their personal mental health, as well as being open to engaging and resourcing others in caring for their mental health.
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.
Annual Conference 2024
Both Clergy Executive Session (June 12) and Annual Conference (June 13-15) are at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio. Registration for both opened April 1 and closed May 17.
Annual Conference 2024 Website
The most up-to-date information about Annual Conference 2024 is posted on the AC 2024 website. There you can:
- view and download the Pre-Conference Workbook, found under the Resources tab.
- view and download the agenda, found under the Resources tab.
- learn about the worship service speakers, the clergy who will be commissioned or ordained, and those who are retiring.
- view the livestream of each session and service, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 13.
View the Annual Conference 2024 website.
Hotels
There are still discounted rooms available in the East Ohio Conference block at the following hotels:
- Holiday Inn Express Akron South (898 Arlington Ridge E.)
- Residence Inn Akron South (897 Arlington Ridge E.)
- Hilton Garden Inn (1307 E. Market Street)
- Country Inn & Suites (1420 Main Street)
Make an EOC AC hotel reservation.
View the Get to Know Akron digital concierge highlighting Akron attractions.
Parking
The Broadway parking garage at the corner of Broadway Street and E. Mill Street is the closest to the main door of the John S. Knight (JSK) Center. There is a skywalk on the second level of the garage that connects to the Center. Parking in the 24-hour garage is $7/day maximum and there is no cost to park in the garage on Saturday – which is the last day of Annual Conference and the day on which the Service of Commissioning, Ordination, and Retirement will take place.
Entering the John S. Knight Center
The only entrance to the John S. Knight Center is the ground-level main door on E. Mill Street.
If you use the skywalk from the garage, take the stairs or elevator to the ground floor inside the JSK and the hallway will take you to the main door of the Center. The door will be open beginning at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday of Annual Conference week.
Check-In for Clergy Session & Annual Conference
Again, this year, there is no onsite registration. At check-in each AC member who registered by the deadline will receive their name badge, their voting device, and a packet of documents. Check-in will take place in front of the box office inside the John S. Knight Center at these dates/times:
- Wednesday, June 12 | 7:00 – 11:00 a.m.
- Wednesday, June 12 | 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 12 | 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, June 13 | 7:00 – 10:00 a.m.
- Friday, June 14 | 7:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Pre-Conference Workbook Not Mailed This Year
The digital copy of the Pre-Conference Workbook is available for viewing, downloading, and printing, and is bookmarked for easy navigation. The digital version is located under the Resources tab on the AC 2024 website, www.eocumc.com/eoac24. By action of Annual Conference 2023, during registration for this year’s conference Annual Conference members had to opt-in if they wished to receive a print copy of the Pre-Conference Workbook.
The Agenda, Rules, and Administrative Process (ARAP) Committee voted to not mail the Pre-Conference Workbook this year to save on postage costs. Those who opted in for a print copy of the Pre-Conference Workbook will receive it upon check-in at the John S. Knight Center. Those copies will be marked with the name of the person who opted in to receive it and there will be no extra copies available at the John S. Knight Center.
Watch Annual Conference on Livestream
The sessions and services of Annual Conference 2024 can be viewed on livestream, which can be viewed by clicking the Livestream link on the AC 2024 website, www.eocumc.com/eoac24.
Annual Conference Worship Services
- Thursday, June 13 @ 9:00 a.m.
Service of Commemoration & Holy Communion
Preacher: Bishop Tracy S. Malone - Friday, June 14 @ 9:00 a.m.
Morning Worship
Preacher: Rev. Allison LeBrun - Saturday, June 15 @ 9:00 a.m.
Morning Devotion
Preacher: Rev. Philip Wilden - Saturday, June 15 @ 2:30 p.m.
Service of Commissioning, Ordination and Retirement
Preacher: Bishop Lanette Plambeck
Click on the Speakers tab of the AC website to learn more.
Coat Rack for Clergy Robes
The coat rack for clergy robes has been moved upstairs this year. It will be in Goodyear Room A, down the hall from the Exhibit Halls where worship services will be.
Wholeness, Well-Being & Resilience Education Sessions
Rev. Dr. Ronald Bell, director of Healing and Resilience for Discipleship Ministries and The Upper Room, will lead these two sessions during Annual Conference 2024:
- Friday, June 14 @ 11:15 a.m.
A Theological Framework for Emotional Freedom - Saturday, June 15 @ 9:45 a.m.
God’s Image in Broken Clay
Special Laity Session – June 13
There will be a special Laity Session at Annual Conference on Thursday, June 13 at 6:00 p.m. to elect lay persons to fill vacancies in the East Ohio Jurisdictional Delegation. The North Central Jurisdictional Conference will be held July 10-13, 2024, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We anticipate electing three lay delegates and three lay reserve delegates to that conference. No clergy delegate elections are needed.
Childcare Scholarship Deadline – June 1
Again, this year, the Connectional Ministries office is offering a $100/child scholarship to assist with the cost of childcare during Annual Conference. There will be no onsite childcare at the John S. Knight Center during Clergy Executive Session on June 12 nor during Annual Conference June 13-15. E-mail Melanie Thomas, Connectional Ministries office administrative assistant, if you have any questions about the childcare scholarship.
Apply for the childcare scholarship by June 1.
Parent-Child Room
A parent-child room will be available for use inside the Exhibit Halls where Clergy Executive Session and Annual Conference meet.
Hospitality Coffee & Tea
These generous donors are sponsoring hospitality coffee/tea during the following sessions of Annual Conference 2024:
- Wednesday afternoon, June 12 – provided by the Board of Ministry
- Thursday morning, June 13 – provided by the Methodist Foundation of Ohio
- Thursday evening, June 13 – provided by AC Program Committee
- Friday morning, June 14 – provided by the Christian Family Credit Union
- Saturday morning, June 15 – provided by Foundry Commercial & The East Ohio Conference Cabinet
Prayer Room and Prayer Wall
A prayer room (Harvey S. Firestone Room, main floor next to the escalator) will be available during Clergy Executive Session and Annual Conference, and prayer requests can be placed on the prayer wall that will be inside the Exhibit Halls where worship and plenary sessions take place.
Meals
Meals will be available for purchase a la carte in the main floor rotunda of the John S. Knight Center. You may purchase:
- breakfast prior to 9:00 a.m. worship,
- lunch during the 12:30-2:00 p.m. (Thursday/Friday) and 1:00-2:30 p.m. (Saturday) meal breaks, and
- dinner during the 4:30-6:00 p.m. break before the special Laity Session.
Special Event Lunches with Speakers
The deadline to purchase boxed lunches for this year’s speaker series is Sunday, June 2.
AC members who registered for this year’s session by the May 17 registration deadline can purchase meals online by clicking the Modify Registration button the AC 2024 website, www.eocumc.com/eoac24, entering the e-mail address you used to register for AC 2024 and then entering the Reference # you received in the e-mail confirming your AC 2024 registration.
If you would like to purchase a meal but you are not a member of Annual Conference, please e-mail Melanie Thomas in the Connectional Ministries office or call her at (330) 499-3972 ext. 102. You will not be able to register for Special Event meals after June 2 or at the door.
View information about the Special Event lunches.
Proposals and Resolutions
Five resolutions were submitted by the March 15 deadline. The resolutions and a proposal to transition the East Ohio Conference to the Simplified Accountable Structure (SAS) governance model will be presented at Annual Conference for conversation and vote.
View the proposals and resolutions for AC 2024.
Annual Conference Offering
This year’s Annual Conference offering will benefit three ministries, with each receiving one-third of the offering:
- All In Community
- Royal Family KIDS Camp
- Bishop’s Discretionary Fund
The offering will be received the afternoon of Thursday, June 13 but you can contribute to the offering prior to, during, or after Annual Conference by making an online donation or mailing a check to the East Ohio Conference lockbox.
Learn more and donate to the Annual Conference offering.
Midwest Mission Collection Truck – June 13-14
The Midwest Mission collection truck will be outside the John S. Knight Center in Akron for you to donate life-changing relief items that United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) will provide to assist people in need both locally and globally. The truck will be in the South Broadway parking lot at the northeast corner of the Center on Thursday, June 13 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Friday, June 14 from 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. before heading to its next destination.
AC Blanket Collection for Refugees – June 13-15
The East Ohio Conference Order of Deacons invites you to bring a new blanket or a gently-used blanket that has been laundered to donate during Annual Conference. Collected blankets will be given to the International Institute of Akron, which is assisting refugees who are resettling in Akron, Ohio. Last year the Institute provided resettlement services to 523 immigrants and refugees and in March of this year welcomed 48 refugees from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma, and Honduras.
The Deacons will have a pick-up truck in the John S. Knight Center parking lot near the Midwest Mission collection truck during Annual Conference where you can donate your blanket.
Ministry Opportunity Tables
Throughout Annual Conference June 13-15 clergy and laity can interact with representatives of nearly three dozen local church, district, conference, and general agency ministries who will have display tables throughout the John S. Knight Center.
Tell Your #BeUMC Story
The Communications team studio will be set-up in the second-floor rotunda to record your 1- to 2-minute #BeUMC story telling how your life has been transformed through the ministries of The United Methodist Church. E-mail Brett Hetherington to arrange the date/time during an Annual Conference break that you wish to have him record your affirming #BeUMC story.
Missions & Community Engagement
Community Action Poverty Simulation – July 14
Poverty is a reality for many individuals and families. But unless you’ve experienced it, poverty is difficult to understand. The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) bridges the gap from misconception to understanding. CAPS is an interactive, immersive experience. It sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty. This is a simulation, not a game. Your next opportunity to experience the poverty simulation is from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 14 in a yet-to-be-named location in Akron. The simulation is free, but you need to register in advance. If you have questions about the Community Action Poverty Simulation, please e-mail Melanie Thomas, Connectional Ministries administrative assistant.
Register on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
Mental Health First Aid Class – July 31
The Mental Health First Aid course equips you to recognize the signs of a mental health or substance use issue. It gives you the tools and confidence to take action and help. Make a difference in the lives of your loved ones, colleagues and your own mental health by getting certified in Mental Health First Aid.
The next course is scheduled at Girard First UMC from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31. The course is free but you need to register in advance. Lunch will be provided. If you have any questions about Mental Health First Aid, please e-mail Meghan DeGregory of Thrive 10:10.
Learn more and register for Mental Health First Aid.
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.
Camps & Retreat Ministries
There is Still Room for You at Summer Camp 2024
Register today for summer camp at one of our East Ohio Conference Camps sites: Camp Aldersgate, Camp Asbury, or Camp Wanake.
If you have questions or would like to receive a Summer Camp 2024 brochure, call the EOC 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.
Events: May 28 – June 9
Click to view East Ohio Conference Calendar.
- Wednesday, May 29
Nehemiah Mission lunch - Saturday, June 1
Lay Servant Training: Basic & Advanced - Saturday, June 1
Transition Training - June 7 & 8
Youth Annual Conference - Saturday, June 8
All In Community Leadership Lab - Saturday, June 8
Free Community Meal in Lakewood
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:
- Terry E. Litton, retired Elder, died May 25.
- Melvin W. Lindberg, retired Elder, died May 23.
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
- Assistant Teacher – Solon UMC
- Higher Education Ministry Leader – United Protestant Christian Ministries (UpCAM)
- Administrative Assistant – Mogadore UMC
- Board of Ministry (BOM) File Manager – The East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church
- Choir Director – Strongsville UMC
- Donations and Sorting Coordinator – Rocky River UMC
- Director of Christian Education – Chagrin Falls UMC
Items Available/Wanted
- Lakeview UMC in Barberton is in need of new choir robes.
To submit a classified ad please e-mail swilliams@eocumc.com.
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Deadline for submission is Thursday, June 6, 2024. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.
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