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| SE Ohio Community Works Together After Tornado |  The people of The Plains, a small town near Athens and part of the Foothills District of the West Ohio Conference, continue cleanup efforts after Thursday's tornado left homes damaged and injured people within this SE Ohio community. At least 55 homes were destroyed and hundreds more damaged.
The Plains United Methodist Church (pastor Joel Harbarger) continues to provide free meals and water to those in need as the community comes together after the storm.
Jim Rodgers and the UM Disaster Response Team are assessing the damage and making decisions on what areas need assistance. Along with the outreach efforts of The Plains United Methodist Church, community members and students of Ohio University in nearby Athens have come out to help friends and neighbors in need.
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| Journey to the Congo a new beginning for Lucas Atha |  Lucas Atha, the son of Capital Area North District Superintendent Marcus Atha, recently traveled with his father to the Democratic Republic of Congo to visit several projects supported by the West Ohio Conference. Lucas tells his experiences in his own words. "Alpha is the beginning. God is the beginning. This trip to Africa was very much the beginning of understanding the world for me. Alpha is also the name of a new friend from the Kamina orphanage who is one year older than me, but half of my size." [more] |
| "Sermon on the Wall" featured at New Life UMC | |
"A Safe Place." by Duarte Brown  |
New Life United Methodist Church in Columbus was highlighted in the Short North Gazette for their new mural entitled "A Safe Place." by Duarte Brown
A public opening of this "sermon on a wall," will be held on September 21. |
| Early Response Team Training scheduled |  Early response teams assist survivors of natural disasters to return to safe, sanitary and functional homes. The next Early Response Team Training is scheduled for Saturday, September 25th at Trinity UMC, in Columbus. Time will be 8:30-4:30 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:00 p.m. Cost is set at $35.00 which includes manual, lunch and the cost of a background check. Session will include examination of personal protective equipment and hands on training will be scheduled at a local fire department. Maximum size of class is 30. [register] |
| Covenant in the Midst of Conflict | 
How do Christians lead in a situation of theological diversity and division? How can we in good faith, maintain our covenant in the midst of conflicting understanding and practices? Sponsored by the West Ohio Conference and the Unity Taskforce, Covenant in the Midst of Conflict in October will provide an opportunity for persons to consider how we, as a diverse theological community, can stay at the table together. Guest leaders include Wesleyan scholars, Lutheran and Episcopal leaders, colleagues from a variety of churches around the conference. [more] |
| "Let's Get Together" United Methodist Women's Annual Meeting |  Harriett Jane Olson, the Deputy General Secretary of the Women's Division will be coming to West Ohio as keynote speaker at the 37th Annual Celebration of West Ohio's United Methodist Women in November. A dynamic speaker, Ms. Olson will share some of her story and challenge us to serve as Christ would. [registration] |
| Legislative Consultation for United Methodist Rural Fellowship |  United Methodist Rural Fellowship, United Methodism's advocate for town and country ministry, will hold its annual legislative consultation this November in Tampa. Laity and clergy are invited to the working consultation to draft legislation in support of town and country ministry for the upcoming 2012 General Conference. For North Central Jurisdiction Rural and Urban Network scholarships, email Geri Litchfield. For East/West Ohio's Town & Rural Resource Programming scholarships, email Debbie Ketcham |
| Church Legal Forum to Focus on Insurance, Bullying |  Whether small, midsize, or large, all churches must deal with insurance issues. These are other questions will be addressed at the 14th Annual Legal Forum on Friday, November 5. Discussions will include questions about insurance, important legal problems related to bullying in the church, as well as other legal challenges to local church mission and church property use. [details & registration] |
| Crosby named top executive of black caucus |  Pamela Crosby has been elected executive director of Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR), a caucus of The United Methodist Church. Since July 2007, Crosby has served in this position in a part-time capacity. She has worked in editorial and production capacities for United Methodist general agencies for more than 20 years. BMCR represents and is dedicated to more than 2,400 Black United Methodist congregations and approximately 400,000 African American members across the United States. The caucus represents persons in the general, jurisdictional and annual conferences. Crosby begins her full-time duties on Oct. 1. |
| Fund supports United Methodist archivists |  Josephine Forman was so dedicated to preserving the history of The United Methodist Church that she fought for years to save what she considered to be the important records of the denomination's Southwest Texas Annual Conference. Now the late church archivist is being remembered through the Josephine Forman Dedicated Fund of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. Income from the gift will be used for the training of conference archivists. Other news from the 2010 Annual Meeting in Budapest. |
| The dark side of chocolate |  Did you know that much of the chocolate we eat today has been produced through child labor, and in some cases, slavery? This Halloween, you can make a difference in the lives of children around the world by hosting a screening of the new documentary, 'The Dark Side of Chocolate.' You can also teach your children, neighbors, friends, and congregation about the importance of buying Fair Trade Chocolate with a Reverse Trick-or-Treat kit! [more information] |
| Casa de Misericordia Orphanage |  Rhonda Luetje is a member of the Mission Trip Team that traveled to Casa de Misericordia last July. The orphanage is a part of the West Ohio Conference partnership with the Oriental Conference in Mexico. King Avenue UMC has taken several trips to the orphanage in Piedres Negras, Mexico.
"I've heard about these trips for a few years, but somehow felt a strong 'nudge' to be a part of a team this past July." Click here for full story. |
| Grace UMC holds 'Be the Church' Sunday |  What would change if church wasn't just a place you go to on Sundays, but the way you live? This was the question that Rev. Ron Dodds posed to his congregation at Grace United Methodist Church during a recent sermon series. And two Sundays ago, the congregation received an opportunity to find out how things can change in just one day. Several teams represented by several different colored t-shirts went out into the community to help the sick, the needy and those who just needed prayer. [more] |
| Alert: Upper Room not involved with movie | | A movie titled "I AM," which is scheduled for release this fall, currently is being promoted to churches in North America by its production company, "Upper Room Multimedia." The Upper Room, a division of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, released a statement that it wants churches to know it is in no way affiliated with the California-based production company. The Upper Room Ministries is a Nashville-based ministry. |
| Passages | |
Mrs. Evelyn W. Shoup, surviving spouse of Fletcher E. Shoup (deceased 1997), died on August 31, 2010. Messages of condolence will reach the family c/o Mr. David Shoup, 3160 Dunlavin Glen Road, Columbus, OH 43221.
Rev. Fred Junior McComb (retired 1991), died on August 26, 2010. Messages of condolence may be sent to his wife Violet at 1100 N. River Road, Unit 3202, Shorewood, IL 60404. |
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