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 |
| Lee Ann Dunlap | Gnadenhutten & Tippecanoe UMCs | South Forest | |
| LaRita Hand | Mt. Pleasant & St. Paul UMCs | Northern Waters | |
#BeUMC
“I like the connection of The United Methodist Church. I like the Wesleyan tradition of the United Methodist Church. And I like the camaraderie,” said Cazzell Smith, a lay member of Akron Centenary UMC, in explaining why he is proud to #BeUMC.
He is one of many lay and clergy persons in the East Ohio Conference who have shared how their lives have been transformed through The United Methodist Church. E-mail Brett Hetherington to schedule a time to record your one- to two-minute story.
View #BeUMC stories & the EOC #BeUMC website.
Our EOC podcast, Storyboard: Faith Witness Transformation, explores what it means to #BeUMC.
Episode 38 is titled “Experiencing God Through The UMC: Empowering Female Refugees to Transform Africa”. Rev. Bruce Hitchcock, Judy Kidder and Rev. Steve Knisely share about the Lift Her Up ministry that is raising money for scholarships so that female students in a Zimbabwe refugee camp who have been accepted to Africa University can enroll at the United Methodist-related institution of higher learning.
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.
North Central Jurisdiction Conference 2024
NCJ 2024: “Lift Every Voice” – July 10-13
Twelve clergy and 12 lay delegates from East Ohio will join delegates from the other episcopal areas of the North Central Jurisdiction for the 2024 Jurisdictional Conference to be held July 10-13 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The theme of the conference, “Lift Every Voice”, highlights our call to love our neighbor just as God loves us.
There will be no election of bishops at this year’s conference, which will conclude on Saturday, July 13 with the announcement of bishop assignments for the 2024-2028 quadrennium. Assignments take effect September 1 and are determined by the North Central Jurisdiction Committee on Episcopacy made up of one lay person and one clergy person from each conference in the jurisdiction.
The services, celebrations, and plenary sessions of NCJ 2024 will be grounded in the words of Romans 12:9-16 (CEB): “Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic – be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home. Bless people who harass you – bless and don’t curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart.”
View the livestream of NCJ 2024.
View the NCJ 2024 page of the EOC website.
Annual Conference 2024
Return Voting Devices to the Area Center
Annual Conference members who accidentally took their voting device with them upon leaving Akron should turn in the device to the Area Center as soon as possible. The East Ohio Conference Area Center is located at 8800 Cleveland Avenue NW in North Canton, 44720.
Clergy Robe Left at Annual Conference
A clergy robe was left in the John S. Knight Center after the Service of Commissioning, Ordination, and Retirement. Call Executive Director of Communications Rick Wolcott, (330) 499-3972 ext. 118, to identify the robe and arrange picking it up.
Strategic Ministries
August 1 is Deadline to Register for The Listening Church Workshops
In a culture where not being heard is a major reason for church flight and church/community disconnect, The Listening Church workshop can be transformative for our local churches, the people already within them, and the people they hope to reach with the Good News of Christ. The Listening Church guides church leaders through a community assessment process rooted in contemplative practices that will aid churches in better understanding their communities and becoming spiritual homes to their neighbors. Listening is a crucial part of any ministry, and this training will help prepare leaders for wherever God is leading them.
Rev. Luke Edwards, associate director of Church Development for the Western North Carolina Conference of The UMC, and others will lead a 2.5-hour workshop at six local churches in the East Ohio Conference August 13-15.
- Tues., Aug. 13 @ 9:00 a.m. in Canton
- Tues., Aug. 13 @ 2:00 p.m. in Old Washington
- Wed., Aug. 14 @ 9:00 a.m. in North Olmsted
- Wed., Aug. 14 @ 2:00 p.m. in Bucyrus
- Thurs., Aug. 15 @ 9:00 a.m. in Poland
- Thurs., Aug. 15 @ 2:00 p.m. in Mentor
Clergy and laity are invited to attend the workshop that is most convenient for them to be introduced to the concepts and skills of being a Listening Church. Following the workshop there will be monthly Zoom calls to help deepen and utilize the trainings.
Registration by August 1 is required to participate in the free workshop. If you have questions about The Listening Church, please e-mail Rev. Beth Ortiz, director of Strategic Ministries, or e-mail Rev. Kathy Dickriede, director of Missions & Community Engagement.
Register for these trainings by August 1 on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
Download The Listening Church flyer.
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
New Mission Advances
Annual Conference approved three new Advance partners and the Board of Missions strongly encourages EOC pastors, congregations, and faith communities to learn about and support their work.
- All In Community (EOC Fund 9984) engages individuals, churches, criminal justice professionals, and community leaders in local efforts to restore hope and support healing during and following lived experiences with the criminal justice system. Begun as a ministry of the West Ohio Conference, and now in partnership with the East Ohio Conference, All In Community helps prepare and properly position its faithful servants to be in ministry with criminal justice-involved persons because they have felt called to enact the teachings of Matthew 25 and/or because circumstances in their own lives require a caring response. Learn more about and support All In Community.
- Lift Her Up (EOC Fund 9168) is raising money for scholarships so that female students in a Zimbabwe refugee camp who have been accepted to Africa University can enroll at the Pan-African United Methodist-related institution of higher learning. Learn more about and support Lift Her Up.
- Royal Family KIDS Camp (EOC Fund 9965) is a week-long residential camp for children who have been abused and neglected and who are often part of the foster care system. The East Ohio Conference currently offers three Royal Family KIDS Camps, part of the For The Children national program, sponsored by Northampton UMC, Willoughby Hills UMC, and Strongsville UMC. Royal Family KIDS Camp is a place of safety, love, and hope. Donations will be shared by all three camps. Learn more about and support Royal Family KIDS Camp.
Learn about and support all EOC Advance Mission Partners.
Midwest Mission Collects 4,304 lbs. of Donations at AC 2024
Thank you to everyone who donated items to the Midwest Mission truck during Annual Conference. The Mission collected 4,304 lbs. of United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) cleaning buckets and other items. If you were unable to donate, you may take items year-round to the Midwest Mission outpost at Gay Street UMC and you can make financial donations to EOC Fund 9944.
Learn about and donate to Midwest Mission Fund 9944.
Learn about the Gay Street UMC Midwest Mission collection site.
Canton For All People Information Session – July 16
EOC laity and clergy are invited to Crossroads UMC from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16 to learn about Canton For All People (EOC Fund 9978). The EOC Health & Well-Being ministry has a lot to share: a movement of forming creative partnerships, advocacy for affordable housing, opening a grocery store in a neighborhood that long experienced food apartheid, and the faithful witness of the Crossroads UMC congregation answering prayers. There is no cost for the session but participants do need to register in advance.
Register on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
Learn more about Canton for All People.
July 23 is Deadline to Submit Make A Difference Day Grant Applications
ServeOhio has announced the availability of $250 to $1,500 grants to support community service projects organized for Make A Difference Day on October 26. Eligible projects for non-profit and Ohio public organization grants must be completed between October 1-31 and can include volunteer centers, faith-based organizations, school districts, community colleges, universities, and local governments.
Learn about and apply for Make A Difference Grants.
Learn about EOC/UMC scholarships, grants & financial aid.
Nehemiah Mission Open House for Rev. Michael Parisher’s Farewell – July 30
Executive Director Rev. Michael Parisher will be honored during a 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. open house at the Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland on Tuesday, July 30. Parisher is leaving the EOC Health & Well-Being ministry at the end of the month to become director of Development for South Street Ministries in Akron. Parisher has led Nehemiah Mission faithfully and well, with compassion and integrity, and will be missed. Nehemiah Mission is located at 6515 Bridge Avenue in Cleveland.
Learn more about the Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland.
Bridges Out Of Poverty Cohort Begins September 11
Bridges Out of Poverty offers a new way to view the issue of poverty through the Triple Lens approach of individual, community, and structural/policy. Participants will review poverty research, examine a theory of change, and analyze poverty through the prism of the hidden rules of class, resources, family structure, and language. This online cohort is for community leaders to learn to empower, lead, and facilitate the Bridges movement in their community. The cohort will meet online on the first and third Wednesdays of the month starting on September 11 and concluding March 26, 2025.
Learn more and register on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
Community Engagement Cohort Begins September 11
Community Engagement cohort participants will learn the scriptural foundation for community partnerships, discover the framework for community partnerships to create systemic change, and be accountable to develop a unique plan of action for community partnership and ministry in their local context. The cohort will meet online via Zoom from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. on September 11 & 25, October 9 & 23, and November 6 & 20. The cohort will be led by Rev. Kathy Dickriede and Rev. David Hull-Frye and ideally each participating faith community would be represented by its pastor and a lay member of the church. There is no cost for participating but you are asked to register online in advance.
Learn more and register on the Events Registration page of the EOC website.
All In Community Leadership Lab – September 14
All In Community offers an anchor of support and guidance on the journey of leading and doing justice-involved ministry. All In Community leadership labs are environments for Matthew 25 co-laborers who minister with justice-involved persons and/or who are transforming their own justice-involved journey.
“I have participated in two sessions of All In Community leadership labs, and they have been a blessing,” said Rev. Nathan Howe of Kent First UMC. “The content is interesting and immediately relevant. The presenters and other participants offer insightful perspectives and opportunities for collaborative learning. I look forward to the third session in September and the ways that this experience will continue to grow me personally and in ministry.”
The next All In Community leadership lab is September 14 from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the West Ohio UMC Conference Center in Worthington, OH. There is no cost to participate but you do need to register in advance because breakfast and lunch are provided.
Learn more about and register for All In Community leadership lab.
Download the All In Community leadership lab flyer.
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
Summer Camp is Happening Now
Right now, hundreds of children, youth and adults have been or are attending summer camp here in East Ohio. Campers’ lives are being transformed as they experience God in creation. Campers are testing their limits in new adventures and they’re experiencing community and making new friends. If you know of a child whom you would like to have the same type of life-changing experience at summer camp this year, 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: July 8 – July 21
Click to view East Ohio Conference Calendar.
- Saturday, July 13
Free Community Meal in Lakewood - Sunday, July 14
Poverty Simulation - Tuesday, July 16
Canton For All People Field Trip - July 19-21
Mission u
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.)
Classifieds
Details of listings may be found here.
Positions Available
- Organist/Pianist – Gay Street UMC in Mount Vernon
- Youth Director – Northampton UMC and St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Custodian – Aldersgate UMC in Warrensville Heights
- Director of Music – Rocky River UMC
- Head Custodian – Bay Village UMC
- Church Treasurer – Independence UMC
- Director of Modern Worship – Mentor UMC
- Youth Director – Mentor UMC
- Pastor of Visitation – Mentor UMC
To submit a classified ad please e-mail swilliams@eocumc.com.
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Deadline for submission is Thursday, July 18, 2024. Send articles to eoccommunications@eocumc.com.
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