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| Greetings! | 
More than 111 United Methodist bishops from Africa, Europe, Asia and the U.S. will converge on Columbus May 2-7 for a Council of Bishops meeting to explore ways to sharpen the church's focus on ministry with the poor and eliminating the global diseases of poverty.
During the week, council members will attend strategic planning meetings, workshops, and plenary sessions. The plenary sessions and some workshops are open to the public and the news media.
The United Methodist bishops will undergo testing for HIV/AIDS on Monday morning beginning at 9:30am. This testing, intended to raise awareness of the killer diseases of poverty, is being provided through the generosity of OhioHealth, a West Ohio United Methodist related health care system in central Ohio.
Preceding the Council of Bishops meeting on Saturday, May 1 is a day of activism in Columbus, ( www.rethinkpoverty.org) focused on worldwide and community issues of poverty. The weekend includes workshops led by several of the bishops, community service projects, a public witness walk and a rally for children in poverty on the Ohio Statehouse Lawn. (more) |
| May 1 - A whole day of opportunities and ways to get involved! | |
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| Greg Traucht to retire |
 Greg Traucht, Executive Director of the Council on Development will retire from his position effective February, 2011. Greg has been of service to the West Ohio Conference for over sixteen years.
"Greg has provided the Council on Development with exceptional leadership. Please hold him and the entire Council in your prayers as we prepare for this leadership transition." stated Bishop Bruce Ough .
The West Ohio Conference Council on Development informs, counsels, and encourages individuals and congregations to respond to Jesus Christ with wise financial decisions and, when appropriate, assists them in making outright and deferred gifts to the ministries of The United Methodist Church. |
| Cokesbury sales fight malaria |
 The Rev. Mike Slaughter (left) receives a check for Imagine No Malaria from Ed Kowalski, senior vice president of marketing and sales for the United Methodist Publishing House. That figure represents 5 percent of Cokesbury sales for the Change the World celebration and the check goes straight to the Imagine No Malaria campaign. Imagine No Malaria is a new effort of The United Methodist Church to raise $75 million to eliminate malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. [more] |
| Canals save lives in Congo village |  People thought Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo was crazy when he directed villagers to dig out canals in this central African village. Four years ago, the United Methodist bishop saw that his hometown of Kamina was constantly flooding. When the floods settled, stagnant water remained, creating breeding conditions for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes mean malaria, a disease that kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds. [Read More About this West Ohio MIssion Partner] |
| Mission agency to stress collaboration |
 Global mission is about to become more local. Officials at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries are signaling a "cultural shift" in how the denomination does mission. Instead of acting as an implementer of mission for the denomination, the agency must be "a resource to those individuals, churches, conferences and institutions already in mission," Bishop Bruce Ough, board president, told directors. [more] |
| Spanish-language ministry resources available |  "El Cristiano como Ministro," the Spanish-language edition of "The Christian as Minister," completes the list of 12 Spanish-language resources published by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry for people exploring ordained or licensed ministry in The United Methodist Church.
Fliers and brochures about ordained ministry are also available for downloading at www.gbhem.org/bom. Other Spanish-language resources can be ordered from Cokesbury at 800-672-1789. |
| Aid ongoing as China mourns quake victims |  As China observed a national day of mourning for earthquake victims on April 21, a team from the Amity Foundation, a United Methodist partner, was assisting survivors. More than 2,000 people were killed when the 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Yushu area of China's northwestern province of Qinghai on April 14. Amity distributed three shipments of blankets, food and water. The fourth Amity shipment arrived in the Qinghai province April 21.[more] |
| Confessions of a 'green mommy' |  In the third installment of the "Green for Life" series, environmentally conscious United Methodist Heather Bennett describes her initial calling to be a good steward of God's creation, how she merged her eco-friendly lifestyle with parenthood and how important it is to her to pass her values on to her son. Plus, more than you ever wanted to know about the benefits of cloth diapers. [more] |
| Recent bombings in Moscow |  Terror returned to the heart of Russia, with two deadly suicide bombings on the Moscow subway at rush hour, including an attack at the station beneath the headquarters of the secret police. At least 38 people were killed and more than 60 wounded in the March 29 morning's blasts, the first such attacks in Moscow in six years. Many people have inquired about the Russia United Theological Seminary in Moscow in regard to the bombing. [more] |
| Faith groups urge closing of 'gun show loophole' |  The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society is among faith groups that have endorsed a letter to members of Congress urging closing of the so-called "gun show loophole." Federal law permits private sellers, who often congregate at gun shows, to sell guns without background checks or recordkeeping. "Closing this loophole will help bring an end to one of the most painful chapters in the history of American gun violence," according to the faith-based group's letter to Congress. [more] |
| Strength: Evelyn Wangui and the Children of Africa Hope Center | |
 Evelyn Wangui was found lying in her dead mother's arms. Her mother had been dead for two days, yet miraculously Evelyn survived. Even as a baby, God blessed Evelyn with the gift of strength, and she has used that strength to overcome many other difficult obstacles. Evelyn was born with the AIDS virus that killed her mother, and after being orphaned, her new caretaker, who was also HIV+, abused her physically and sexually until she was three years old. The neighbors, who happened to be United Methodist, reported the abuse and Evelyn was moved to the United Methodist Naivasha Orphanage & Rehab Centre. [more]
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| Passages | | PLEASE NOTE THE CORRECTION IN RED:
Rev. Kenneth Sol Ludwig (retired 1997), died on March 28, 2010. Messages of condolence may be sent to his wife Sherron Ludwig at 3193 S. 1075 East, LaGrange, IN 46761. |
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