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                                                                                                           NewsNET December 2, 2014 - Vol 7, Issue 47

  

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Advent Imagine No Malaria Resources Available:
www.inmohio.org/thebox
Advent Reflection: Waiting for the Light
"Advent done well helps us center ourselves." 
Watch and share a meditation on how to prepare 
yourself for the birth of Jesus. 

West Ohio pastor named discipleship chief strategist

Congratulations to Rev. Sara B. Thomas of the West Ohio Conference, who joined the staff of the denomination's Discipleship Ministries on December 1 as Chief Strategist for Vital Congregations. The appointment of Thomas to the position of Deputy General Secretary was announced by Dr. Timothy L. Bias, General Secretary (chief executive) of Discipleship Ministries. Ordained as an elder in the West Ohio Annual Conference in 2008, Thomas has served as senior pastor of Maize Manor United Methodist Church in Columbus since May. She previously served on the staff at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church in Cincinnati.  Read more

Schooler Institute on Preaching

Leaders for the February 2015 Schooler Institute on Preaching at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) have been announced. Valerie Bridgeman is visiting associate professor of homiletics and Hebrew Bible at MTSO. Jorge Lockward is director of global praise for the General Board of Global Ministries. The Schooler Institute on Preaching has brought renowned preachers and worship leaders to campus to share their expertise and insights. Learn more

News from our missionaries
Click on the links below for the most recent news from our missionaries:
Question: What does it mean to be "united"?
In each issue of United Methodist Interpreter magazine there is a section called which features readers' responses to a question. Here's the question for January/February, and they need your response soon: We call ourselves "United Methodists." What does it mean to be "united"? Tell other Interpreter readers what it means to you to be a "United" Methodist. Send your response of 50-75 words to interpreter@umcom.org. Please include your name, local church, city and state. Please note that by sending a response, you are giving us permission to use it in the magazine, on the website and in social media related to Interpreter. More info
6 realities and trends in bivocational ministry
In this month's Foothills District newsletter, Rev. Robbie Scott points out an interesting article on bivocational ministry which he found "encouraging and relevant to many of our congregations." The article offers that pastors who serve while having occupations outside of the church setting have always been with us. And they always will be, likely even more so in the future. In fact, some of the greatest heroes of the faith, such as the Apostle Paul, were and are bivocational pastors. Read more on the "New Small Church" website
Attract your community using content marketing

C.C. Chapman and Ann Handley, in their book Content Rules, compare content to a campfire. It attracts people, provides warmth, is a place where people tell their stories and often creates a sense of "instant community" and camaraderie. Just as it takes care and patience to build a lasting fire, the same is true of creating a content strategy that will build a center of warmth and instant community for your church and those you are trying to reach. Learn more

The beautiful music of the season
[Official Video] Mary, Did You Know? - Pentatonix
"Mary Did You Know" by Pentatonix
Traditionally sung Christmas hymns are beautiful but there are also a host of new artists making holiday music worthy of listening to. Relevant Magazine has compiled a playlist of new Christmas tunes to get your holiday season off on the right start. Good Housekeeping has The 12 Tunes of Christmas with favorites like Aretha Franklin and Faith Hill. And the New York Times has a varied list of Twangy, Jazzy, Stately, Holy holiday music.  Add to the meaning of each song by finding out their history.
Advent Quiz: Test your knowledge
Advent is a special time in the life of the church. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.  See how much you know about the traditions and symbols of the season by answering a daily quiz question. We encourage you to share the link to this page with others. The goal is to make the quiz enlightening and entertaining.  Good luck! 
Free help for Christmas

Christian Copyright Solutions has created a free Christmas Production Idea Kit to walk you through the process of planning and scheduling, auditioning, budgeting, securing licensing, and much more! It's an all-in-one guide that will walk you through these, and many other topics so that, with the details in place, you, your volunteers, your congregation and your community can enjoy the Peace of the season. As you're planning your special programs and events, here's a couple of tools to make sure you don't run into copyright issues. List of Public Domain Christmas Songs (do not require licensing for their performance) AND here's a list of songs that are not Public Domain and require permission or licensing.

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