NewsNET March 12, 2012

As I was returning home from the Congo, I was saddened to see pictures and hear stories of destruction caused by tornados. The town of Moscow in Clermont county and people in four other counties experienced first-hand the brutal power tornados possess.

Moscow Ohio Tornado Damage

After the winds subsided, three people died. 257 homes have either been destroyed or sustained major damage. Our communities were shaken, with people seeking a source of hope.

Our churches and our people have been beacons of Christ's light offering the gift of presence. Felicity United Methodist Church provided a place where people found refuge. In the midst of a nightmare, people experienced the holy presence of Christ in their midst.

continue reading appeal from Bishop Ough...

100% to Ohio Tornado Response

One Great Hour of Sharing - March 18

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) is one of the six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church. OGHS enables the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to live out its mission to alleviate human suffering by covering administrative costs so 100% of all donations go to areas of need.

The value of OGHS is evident everyday in the UMCOR personnel, resources and training provided to conferences like West Ohio during a disaster. Because of congregational and individual donor support of One Great Hour of Sharing, when a disaster - like the tornados last week in Ohio and other states - UMCOR is there. [Resources]

From the Foothills to the Sierra Madres - by Dennis Mohler, District Superintendent

I've just gotten back from my third mission trip to the Oriental Conference in Monterrey, Mexico - and each time I return with more blessings than I feel that I have left there. Our last trip had us building a parsonage for Pastor Carlos and his wife high in the Sierra Madre mountains in a place called Casillas. Pastor Carlos' dream was to have a church bell that they could ring throughout the valley and let the villages know that church was beginning. [read more]

Online General Conference resources

General Conference 2012 begins April 24 and one way to prepare is to use a self-directed course about the function and importance of General Conference, now available online. Exploring General Conference invites users to read content, watch video clips, listen to audio clips, take quizzes, find supplementary materials, and participate in discussion forums.

Want to be able to track legislation, watch videos and follow news at the 2012 General Conference? There's and app for that! Click here.

Dr. Margaret Mallory to speak at Vision to Victory

United Theological Seminary (UTS) is pleased to welcome West Ohio Pastor, Dr. Margaret Mallory as speaker for Vision to Victory 2012. Vision to Victory is an annual celebration honoring the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., held each year around the time of his martyrdom. On Tuesday, April 17, Dr. Mallory will speak at Omega Baptist Church. On Wednesday, April 18, she will speak at United's Wednesday chapel service. There is no cost and the programs are open to the public. Details and information about other UTS events

Piano accompaniments available online for churches with no musicians

The many churches - rural and urban, large and small - that have no musicians to accompany congregational singing can now download hundreds of piano recordings of familiar hymns from The United Methodist Hymnal. The free resource is a joint project of the Board of Discipleship and United Methodist Communications. [to download]

Needs of rural women explored

The challenges and solutions to problems faced by rural women globally seem to boil down to one word: "access." As the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said recently: "Rural women in all regions cite lack of access to critical resources including health, education, transportation, rural economic development, personal security and other concerns." [more]

Lighten the Burden

Sponsored by The United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Committee, the purpose of Lighten the Burden is to provide up-to-date information about AIDS realities in the United States and around the globe. The conference will also equip United Methodists to eradicate the stigma associated with this disease while exploring ways the church can effectively address HIV & AIDS in local communities.Discover ways you can make a difference! April 23, Tampa, FL. [more]

Middletown missionaries return to Nepal

Les & Debbie Dornon, missionaries from Middletown, OH, have once again been approved by the General Board of Global Ministries to return to Nepal to resume mission work. Les will return to the mission hospital as a physician. Debbie will take on the role of Expat Support Officer, responsible for the needs of the missionary community. We invite you to keep the Dornons in your prayers. Read their letter....

Bishop's Challenge! We're almost there - let's go again!

Around the world in 27,400 miles!

Visit our West Ohio Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/westohioumc and start walking. No Facebook account needed.

West Ohio congregations are awesome! As of this morning, 131 Teams from around West Ohio, comprised of anywhere from 1 to 50+ people per team, have walked 26,488 miles in ONE MONTH. If your congregation hasn't joined in, there is still time. With more than 2 months left until annual conference at Lakeside, we've got time to walk several times around the world and focus our attention on Global Health in our neighborhoods and around the world. Visit the 4 Corners website to learn more about our mission partners and why you are walking.

New Dates of Note:

March 22...Kampen discusses Dead Sea Scrolls; Professor John Kampen will share insights from his extensive scholarship on the Dead Sea Scrolls and sign copies of his book Wisdom Literature at Beehive Books in Delaware.

March 31...Climate Change and Earthkeeping Summit; an opportunity to examine the challenges of the energy, climate, and environment work of our time, revisit the moral and ethical foundations of our response and offer resources to equip congregations to fulfill their responsibility for the stewardship of creation.

April 28 & Oct. 6...VIM Team Leader Training, Columbus; join experienced team leaders to learn skills and information for planning and leading a mission team in Ohio, the US or around the world.