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                                                                                                                                              March 5, 2012- Vol. 5, Issue 78

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IMPORTANT ANNUAL CONFERENCE DATE CHANGE

The 2012 West Ohio Annual Conference will begin in the evening on Sunday, June 10, 2012 and end late afternoon on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, which is one day shorter than the past several years.

  

(Click on the logo for details) 

Resources

The Bearing Fruit Companion Study Guide

 

Ethnic young-adult internships

Did You Know...?

 

Charitable Gift Annuities are a fantastic planned giving vehicle that support the mission and ministry of a United Methodist church or agency.  [more]  

Official Director of Hispanic/Latino Ministries named

Karen Brantley was recently named as the official Director of the Hispanic/Latino Ministries of the West Ohio Conference after serving the last six months as the Interim Director.  Karen has been actively involved within the Hispanic/Latino Ministries of the West Ohio Conference following her involvement in two mission experiences to Monterey, Mexico in 2007 and 2008.  [more]

The Power of a Cross
By all appearances, the people of Templo Aleluya Church in Mexico have anything but abundant life. They have little in the way of possessions or wealth.

 

Acknowledging the need to give their children a chance for a better life, Templo Aleluya raised the funds to build an elementary school on their property. Today, the building stands ready to be filled with the sounds of children's learning and laughter, awaiting only the money for teachers' salaries.

 

Evangelic CrossFlavio, caretaker of the Templo Aleluya church grounds, knows what it means to be given a second chance at life. The people of the church gave him one. In return, Flavio creates beautiful, intricately-designed wooden crosses to sell to mission teams and churches in the U.S. All of the money goes toward the church and school:

 

On the other side of the world, crosses from Templo Aleluya are now hanging on the walls at Orphanage #1 and Samara United Methodist Church in the Russia Volga District, a gift from a recent West Ohio VIM team visit.
 
The crosses are a visible reminder of the people in West Ohio and Mexico who are praying for them. Now, in return, there are gifts from Russia waiting to go to Piedras Negras, Mexico. Never doubt that God's Spirit can overcome barriers of distance, language, history, and culture. Even now, a new partnership is being birthed that connects Mexico, Ohio, and Russia.

To order a beautiful cross for your church visit Aleluya Ministries of Hope

New! Director of Planned Giving for the West Ohio Conference
The West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church has designed a new position that will be added to the Council on Development staff team. The "Director of Planned Giving" will equip local church to grow generous stewards to advance the mission and vision of the West Ohio Conference.

 

The right candidate will have a deeply committed Christian faith consistent with the standards of The United Methodist Church-as well as vision, experience and outstanding expertise in stewardship, planned giving and skills to expand a development office.   Please see the full job description and application instructions by clicking here.

 

This position will remain open until filled. For specific questions, contact Rev. George D, Cooper Director of the Council on Development, at [email protected] or at the West Ohio Conference Center office, 614.844.6200.

Credit for small employer health insurance premiums

In 2011 many West Ohio Conference churches collected from $800 to $8,000 from the IRS after making claims through the health care reform law's "credit for small employer health insurance premiums."  The credit is available again this year, and I hope you will follow the process to see if you qualify for a credit and can secure unexpected resources for your local church.

 

A credit of 25% of premium paid in 2011, capped by the amount of payroll taxes withheld or paid, is available to local churches if claimed by the deadline of May 15, 2012. The credit is available through the 2017 tax year. Churches with ten or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees can claim the full credit; those between 11-25 FTE employees can claim a reduced amount of credit. Churches with an average wage of $25,000 per FTE can claim the full credit; there is a partial credit for salaries of up to $50,000 per FTE.  [more information]

A Faithful Response: Facing Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence

Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence are prevalent in communities across Ohio. At this conference, you will hear real stories from survivors and learn how you and your church can respond appropriately with tools we'll provide you, and with the love of Jesus Christ.

 

Leadership and teaching at the conference will be provided by United Methodist organizations, survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence, and many leaders who provide services of restoration for survivors.

 

Join us on Saturday, March 17 at Normandy UMC. Click here for brochure and more information. 

Immigrant-Welcoming Congregations
Jesus was constantly on the move throughout his life. Jesus welcomed all and taught his disciples to do the same. A new tool is available to assist churches in reaching their neighbors and applying their faith in daily life!

 

Immigrant-Welcoming Congregations is a year-long covenant journey equipping churches to allow their faith in Jesus Christ to empower them to create incarnational friendship with their neighbors. Along the way, churches will receive ideas and guidance so that through you, God's reign on earth can become a reality in your community now.  [more]

Is "money" a four-letter word in your congregation?

"Money" doesn't need to be a four-letter word for churches. The Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) and the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving are partnering to offer a unique opportunity for congregational leaders.  

 

MTSO is hosting the three-part seminar, titled "Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity" starting in April. This seminar is designed to help pastors and their leadership teams rethink their role in congregational finances and awaken an ongoing spirit of generosity within their communities.  [more]

Cantometodista.com launches

The National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, in partnership with Global Praise, announced the launch of  www.cantometodista.com. CantoMetodista.com is a fully bilingual website, an online community, a liturgical and musical resource to churches and a global ecumenical resource to provide bilingual resources about Latin American cultures.

 

For more information on CantoMetodista.com contact Jorge Lockward at [email protected] or [email protected].

Deadline to submit Recommendations to Annual Conference

The deadline to submit Legislation to the Annual Conference is March 15, 2012. All recommendations are to be submitted to the Reference and Procedure Committee which can be done by emailing Kathy Pack at [email protected]. Recommendations can be submitted by the Conference Staff, Cabinet members, other officers of the Conference, Boards, Agencies, Committees, Commissions, Task Forces, local congregations, lay persons, and clergy.

 

Once recommendations are received, the Reference and Procedure Committee will provide the process for bringing the recommendations to the floor of the Annual Conference session and the submitter of the recommendation will be notified as to when that will take place. Please direct any questions to Cean Wilson, Conference Secretary.

Wings of the Morning Caravan Campaign - 2012 Miracle Offering

Making a Miracle Happen

This year's West Ohio Annual Conference Miracle Offering promises to make a tremendous impact on one of the United Methodist Church's most vital ministries. Wings of the Morning aviation ministry, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, needs a new airplane. Already, $1 million has been raised...and West Ohio's goal is to raise the remaining $600,000!  continue reading...

 

More than Just an Airplane

Wings of the Morning is more than just an airplane. It saves lives. It saves souls. The North Katanga Conference, where this critical aviation ministry is located, is a geographically remote area of the Congo that is the size of Texas.  In a place where there are no paved roads, the main forms of transportation are walking and riding a bicycle. You can support the evangelistic ministry of the North Katanga Conference by supporting the Miracle Offering at Annual Conference. continue reading...

 

How can we achieve the Miracle Offering goal of $600,000? To help, we've planned a series of training events across the conference in March for persons who want to give leadership to their congregation's share of this miracle.  training information...

Passages 

Rev. Teodoro Cano (retired 2000), died on February 27, 2012. Messages of condolence may be sent to his wife Elisa at 305 Duck Pond Rd., Upper Sandusky, OH 43351.

 

Mrs. Marjorie L. Imhausen, surviving spouse of Rev. Chester Imhausen (deceased 1978), died on February 20, 2012. Memorial contributions may be made to the Family Assistance Fund or Hospice of Cincinnati, PO Box 633597, Cincinnati, OH 45263. Messages of condolence may be sent to her son Chester at 1699 Collinsdale Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45230.

 

Rev. Percil J. Stratton (retired 1984), died on February 18, 2012. Memorial contributions may be made to Premier Community Health-Diabetes, 23 Jasper St., Dayton, OH 45409. Messages of condolence may be sent to his wife Esther at 585 N. State Rte. 741, #132, Lebanon, OH 45036.

 

Mrs. Ethelwyn Shimer, surviving spouse of Rev. H. Myron Shimer (deceased 1977), died on February 5, 2012. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Community Church Mission Council, 1320 Cambridge Blvd., Columbus, OH 43212.

 

Rev. John Armentrout died on December 15, 2011. Messages of condolence may be sent to his wife Celeste, 4174 Goldfinch Ct., Lebanon, OH 45036.

 

Mrs. Vivian Dial-Jackson, surviving spouse of G. Pearl Dial (deceased 1959), died on October 31, 2011. No family contacts at this time.

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