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| Greetings! |
 At a recent stewardship session I attended, a presenter said, "Just doing pledges once a year is like a farmer just watching soap operas all year, and then suddenly saying, 'Oh, it's time for the harvest."' No! We haven't planted; we haven't nourished the soil and all the rest."
Read this month's Stewardship Corner and download a helpful resource on weathering the recession by nourishing the soil.
Valarie Willis
West Ohio Conference Co-Lay Leader |
| Ohio Bishops address United Methodists on Issue #3 |
Bishop's Ough and Hopkins have released a joint two-page statement on Issue 3. "The United Methodist Church is very clear. Our Social Principles state that gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic and spiritual life and destructive of good government." The statement is available for downloading and distribution. [more]
(Check the conference website this Friday for a downloadable video statement.) |
| Theological School announces top alumni awards |
 Three distinguished alumni of Methodist Theological School in Ohio are recipients of the 2009 John and Ruth Mount Alumni Awards, MTSO's highest honor for former students. One of the recipients is Rev. Cyndy Garn, former District Superintendent of the Capitol Area North district and current lead pastor at Worthington UMC. [more] |
| MTSO Harding Scholarship |
Methodist Theological School in Ohio has opened its competition for the Harding Scholarship, offering full tuition plus a $10,000 annual stipend to a student entering in the fall of 2010. The Harding Scholarship is one of more than 40 full tuition scholarships offered by MTSO. Those who apply for the Harding Scholarship also will be considered for other MTSO scholarships. [more] | |
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| Impact community grants |
 Impact Community is a new Rethink Church initiative that will offer partnership grants on a first-come, first-served basis to United Methodist Church clusters, districts and conferences who will engage with their community in outreach ministry -- Rethink Church events. Each grant awarded will associate with an Impact event and assist with the promoting and advertising of the event. This new initiative is part of the Rethink Church 2010 strategy urging churches to move out into their communities, creating doors of entry to engage the unchurched. [more] |
| The Service of Commissioning |
 The United Methodist Church formally commissioned 40 persons to mission vocations in a powerful service of celebration and commitment on October 13 in Connecticut. At least 300 internet sites around the world linked for the entire live webcast of the worship service, with the number of locations linked spiking at about 1,000. Three missionaries from the West Ohio Conference. Deaconess Kyung O. Yu, and church and community workers Deborah Archie and Soraya Montano were commissioned. [more] [video] |
| General Commission on Archives and History |
 James (Jim) Barbee, chair of the conference Commission of Archives and History and historian at the Broad Street UMC, represented the West Ohio Conference at the annual meeting of the General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) at Drew University in September. Chairpersons of 34 conference commissions from across the country were trained in the latest additions to on-line material available on the GCAH website and latest advances in storage and preservation of digital materials. [more] |
| Couple offers guide to adoption |
 When the Rev. Bart and Claudia Fletcher married in June 1996, it didn't take them long to start a family. The day after their honeymoon, the couple submitted an application to become foster parents. By October, they had their first boy and, three months later, the second came along. 13 years, 6 foster children, and 12 adopted children later Fletcher, pastor of Belgrade Avenue UMC, and his wife have published a book promoting adoption that is both a guidebook and memoir. They hope to help others who are navigating the territory of foster care and adoption that they have come to know so well. [more] |
| In battle of germs, Jesus wins |
 Be not afraid. Jesus is more powerful than germs. That's the advice from The United Methodist Church's agency charged with providing leadership and resources to local churches in the face of the country's concern over the H1N1 flu virus. "Do celebrate worship and the sacraments fully and be not afraid," said Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of worship resources for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. [more] |
| United Methodists act to end Pennsylvania budget crisis |
| Thousands of Pennsylvania United Methodists advocated for children, the elderly, the homeless and other disadvantaged persons during Pennsylvania's 101-day state budget crisis. By the time Gov. Edward Rendell signed the budget Oct. 9, at least 2,000 United Methodists had signed letters and petitions to the governor and the state's 253 legislators. The appeals for a fair, moral budget were the result of a statewide call to action and prayer by Pennsylvania's four United Methodist bishops and the church's advocacy unit, A United Methodist Witness in Pennsylvania. |
| Rethink Church |
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From Irene Atwater, Parish Nurse, Belpre St Marks UMC:
At Belpre St. Marks, the team does blood pressures, educational information, coordinates with senior center educational opportunities and exercise classes, provides a grief bags to families who have had a death, gives home visits to shut-ins, hospital and Nursing Home visits and follow-up after hospitalizations. One personal experience I had involved involved working with a person who was having multiple admissions to the hospital because of difficulty in follow-up care. [more]
Submit your health care story to Dee Stickley-Miner and we may share your health ministry story, too!
From Judy Golovcsenk of Fairview United Methodist Church
On a recent Sunday in October, Fairview United Methodist Women (UMW) in Dayton stepped outside the box and hosted a gathering of approximately 47 women from New Hope Lutheran and Riverdale Lutheran congregations. This gathering celebrated the historical recognition that Lutheran & United Methodist churches are now united in open communion with each another. We hope that future years can bring more union between church efforts to witness and communion in Christian love. [more]
Submit your rethink church story to NewsNET for publication . Photos are welcome. |
| New dates of note |
Oct. 29... Older Adult Health Information Forum, Columbus; an afternoon of information from local agencies regarding older adult health. For information contact Arlington Court at 614.451.5677.
Nov. 1... Water Management in Uganda, Kettering; a discussion with Sara Kalelee, a water management specialist from Uganda, who will talk about the impacts on her community and its people.
Nov. 16... Creative Worship Seminar, Cridersville UMC; a workshop by Midnight Oil Prodcutions on using creative media in worship. Sponsored by NWP district. |
| Passages |
| Rev. J. Eugene Griffith (retired 1991), died on October 9, 2009. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family c/o sister Judy Plath, 1841 Ironwood, Fairborn, OH 45324.
Lois Marie (Oehmke) Simmons, wife of Rev. Robert L. Simmons (retired), died on October 9, 2009. Messages of condolence my be sent to the family c/o Rev. Simmons, 20311 Pemberville Rd., #729, Pemberville, OH 43450. | |
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