Latest News from Capitol Area South District

The Connection

The Official Publication of the Capitol Area South District

December 2012

In This Issue

CAS Strategic Vision

LIke Us on Facebook

Office Closings for the holidays

Paraments Available

Equip Now Available

Upcoming Events

Christmas Greetings

Jim's Tool Box

Leadership Training Day

UM Community Ministries News

SOWER VIM Update

Schooler Institute

Volunteers Needed

Good Works Needs Cars

Sex Trafficking

Apportionment Update

The Vision of Capitol Area South District is to create vibrant, growing, congregations changing lives and reshaping futures for Jesus Christ.

The Mission of Capitol Area South District is to equip congregations to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

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District Calendar

Please Note!

The district office will be closed during the following times during the holiday season:

December 17: 1:00 pm office closed for staff Christmas party.

December 24-25: Office closed.

December 31-January 1: Office closed.

Paraments Available

Heath UMC has three sets of paraments, purple, red, and green that have some age to them. Perhaps there is a church in the district that needs some paraments.

If anyone is interested please call Heath UMC at 522-5155.

Fall Equip Now Available

Check out the trainings and events planned throughout the West Ohio Conference this fall. Click here.

Upcoming Events

February 2: CAN/CAS Leadership Training Day

April 26-27 Lay Speaker Training at Crossroads UMC.

Christmas Greetings from the CAS District Staff!

"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!

The Staff of the Capitol Area South District

Barb Sholis Jim Waugh Carol Wilson

Jim's Tool Box

Taking a Look at the Demographic Tipping Point

Paul Nixon is a United Methodist pastor, church planter, and coach. He currently leads the Epicenter Group in Washington, D.C. Epicenter Groupis a leadership training and coaching organization based in Washington DC, working in an ongoing partnership with about 100 church leaders a year (many of which are church planters).

Paul writes a blog (you can check out Paul's blog HERE) that is also distributed in a monthly email. In his November post, Paul discussed the implications of the recent Presidential election and what that means for the church and other groups in our society.

I wrote to Paul and asked for his permission to reprint his article in the December Tool Box. Please read Paul's article below, and then read my take on the article following Paul's article.

You can read Paul Nixon's article "The Demographic Tipping Point" and Jim's perspective on the article by clicking HERE.

CAN/CAS Leadership Training Day Set for February 2

The Leadership Training Day is set for Saturday, February 2, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Grove City UMC 2650 Columbus St., Grove City 43123.

Schedule:

8:30 am Gathering 10:45 am Break

9:00 am Opening 11:00 Session Two

9:15 am Session One 12:30 Close

Workshop Sessions

The following workshops will be offered to equip clergy and lay leaders. Each participant should select one workshop from Session 1 and workshop from Session 2.

Session 1 (9:15 am to 10:45 am)

Biblical Story Telling -- Rev. John Keeny & Linda Middelberg

Board of Trustees: Properties Matters and More -- Mr. Phil Waid

Bringers and Includers -- Ms. RaNae Street

Intro and Updates to MissionInsite: Getting to Know Your Community -- Rev. Jim Waugh

Launching and Developing Small Groups in Your Church -- Rev. Bill Lyle $ Rev. Seth Oiler

Lay Servant Ministries -- Mr. Mike Fogle & Mrs. Joe Ann Mitchell

Making Use of Social Media -- Rev. Dan Metzger

Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee -- Rev. Marcus Atha & Rev. Barb Sholis

Session 2 (11:00 am to 12:30 pm)

Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love -- Rev. John Wallace

Assest Based Community Development -- Ms. Donita Harris

Certified Lay Ministry -- Ms. Kim LaRue

Cultivating Positive and Productive Staff -- Dr. Randy Stearns

Hospice: Methodist Eldercare -- Rev. Elaine Sturtz

Signs of Vitality in the Small Membership Church -- Rev. Roger Grace

The Work of the Finance Committee/Treasurer -- Ms. Ginny Shimrock

UM101 for Church Secretaries/Admin Assistants -- Mrs. Jill Phillip & Mrs. Carol Wilson

Click HERE to register for the Leadership Training Day.

News from United Methodist Community Ministries

Stories Yet to Be Told

This fall at the Community Ministry Festival, some congregations were given $10 each to start a new ministry. Here are a few of the stories we have received so far:

Glenwood UMC- Carmen Ator

Our $10 is going to have to stretch a long, long way at Glenwood UMC because we now have ideas for 3 new ministries.

The first is to support children at Brookside Elementary School in Worthington in a project called "Penny Harvest." A little girl Carmen and Malcolm know is part of a committee there to collect pennies, make decisions about how to donate them, and then give to these organizations. The project is part of a program called "See Kids Dream" and is nationwide. At each elementary school, children are chosen to be part of the committee and actually meet once a week throughout the school year to talk about what they can do to help people. Right now at Brookside they are considering helping children of soldiers' families, but that is not the final decision yet. More to come.

The second new ministry at Glenwood is a small committee trying to re-connect with members who have not been coming to church for a long time. The second $10 was spent on stamps (plus more) to send letters here at the beginning of the Christmas season.

The third new ministry is in the dreaming stage, but we have made some progress. Working with Walgreen Pharmacy at the corner of Broad & Hague, close to our church, we plan to set up a table one day a week, serve drinks and refreshments, and just be available to get to know the people who pass by that corner. We're thinking of calling it something like "Wednesdays at Walgreen's". We won't be allowed to proselytize, but we'll probably be wearing Glenwood UMC shirts. We have talked with the manager at Walgreens and have a couple people interested in helping already.

We ask for God's blessings on these new ministries."

Pickerington Peace UMC- Linda Hottle

In September Peace United Methodist Church in Pickerington started 25 LIFEgroups and 3 youth LIFEgroups! Our Hubbies in Heaven LIFEgroup had an idea ... and we had seed money, a special gift of $10 given to Linda Hottle at the Community Ministries Gathering in September to work on a "story not yet told." After lots of suggestions, our group decided to begin a "SHEET" ministry! Our goal ... to send a set of sheets with every hospital bed that we loan from our Helping Hands Medical Equipment Ministry if it is needed by the recipient. (8 to 10 beds a month) Many that we work with are low income and not unable to purchase sheets. We started with the $10 from Community Ministries ... each lady in our group gave $1 and our $10 more than doubled that day. Another idea cropped up right away! "Let's invite the other LIFEgroups to join us!" Information was given to the groups and we have begun hearing from them. Our fund is up to $75 with the potential of growing to $300 just from the LIFEgroups! Our group purchased $100 in sheets and began sending a set with hospital beds on November 17th. What a neat thing to celebrate this Thanksgiving!

Good Shepherd UMC- Pickaway Co- Sue Roan

I attended the Community Ministry Festival in September and was a recipient of $10.00 to be used for starting a new ministry. I listened to all of the wonderful stories of the outreach ministries being provided throughout the district and how they had touched so many lives and I thought there is no way I can come up to those standards. I had recently lost my husband and felt that this was just too much for me at this time but the more I prayed and thought about it I knew that I needed to try. I read the suggestions included in the packet but was not inspired. Our Mission Committee already does a water ministry during Pumpkin Show and find it very rewarding. At our next UMW Women of Grace meeting I talked it over with the members and asked if they had suggestions. Our group at this same time were beginning a fundraiser selling cookie dough and pies from Der Dutchman. One of the members suggested I do a Cookie Ministry with Brown Memorial Nursing Home. Everyone there thought that was a good idea. I ordered cookie dough and the project began.

This ministry will be threefold. Purchasing the cookies helped our circle and Brown Memorial is made up of board members from four local churches ours being one of them and my husband had been a long time board member and I would be honoring him. I knew that is what he would want me to do. The Women of Grace plan to distribute cookies and visit with the residents of Brown Memorial in January. We thought January would be a good time because there is a lot of activity during the holidays and things slow down during the winter months. We know we are doing this for the residents but we are the ones that will receive the blessing. I am looking forward to January and am hoping to make this a yearly ministry. Come January I will have the rest of the story.

Thanks be to God for abundant blessings and grace, especially his Son!

Beth

If you are from a small or medium sized church and/or an outreach chairperson or leader interested in mission/outreach, the Mission Roundtable: Getting More Done for Jesus is for you! It will be offered on Feb 16. Click on the locations to download flyers for this event: Granville Centenary (9:30 am) or Village Chapel 1:00 pm). The purpose is to focus on effective ways of doing mission in the local community, with a panel of mission team leaders sharing what has been effective in their churches. This is a part of our Community Ministries theme for 2013: Widening the Welcome! Register at www.umcommunityministries.org or call 877-228-0521 for more info.

Last Quarter UM Community Ministries Prayer Calendar

Click HERE to download the prayer calendar.

SOWER Volunteer in Mission Update

Mission Opportunity for Building a House in the Henderson Settlement Area during the Spring and Summer of 2013

What: West Ohio Conference VIM construction project - S.O.W.E.R. (Sharing Our Witness - Enriching Relationships)

Objective: To construct a house from the foundation up for a family in need

Where: Henderson Settlement, Frakes KY (Part of the Red Bird Missionary Conference)

When: July 7-13 (8 spaces available) & 14-20 (12 spaces available); August 11-17 (7 spaces available) & 18-24 (8 spaces available) of 2012

Cost: $250/volunteer (covers room and board at Henderson Settlement)

Materials: Funds/pledges are needed to cover the ~$42,000 materials cost

Contact: Ralph and Carolyn Brandon - 740-344-5581 or sowervimproject@gmail.com

Click HERE to read more about this project and how you and your congregation can be involved in this ministry in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.

MTSO Schooler Institute on Preaching

Welcomes Palmer and Suchocki

Bishop Gregory V. Palmer & Dr. Marjorie Suchocki

United Methodist Bishop Gregory V. Palmer and United Methodist scholar Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki will lead the Schooler Institute on Preaching February 10-12 on the MTSO campus.

The institute will begin on a Sunday evening and continue through Tuesday. In conjunction with Schooler, the Mount Alumni Awards Luncheon will be held February 11. Click HERE for more information and to register for the Schooler Institute.

Regular Volunteer Door Greeters Needed at the Charitable Pharmacy

Regular volunteer door greeters are needed for three time slots at the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio: Weds, 9am-12noon, Weds, 12noon to 3pm, and Fri, 12-3pm.

Door greeters open the front door and welcome patients to the Charitable Pharmacy and, at times, fill in for the waiting room receptionist. The position is well-suited to those who enjoy meeting new people and who may have physical limitations (most of the volunteer's time is spent sitting). The Charitable Pharmacy provides free medications to people who cannot afford to purchase them. It is a ministry of the West Ohio Conference, located in Livingston United Methodist Church near downtown Columbus.

For more information, please contact Mariellyn Dunlap Grace at charitablepharmacy@gmail.com or 614-227-0301.

Good Works in Need of Donated Cars

Recently Good Works, a ministry with the homeless and the poor in the southeast Ohio reported that they have 1 car left and 160 people on the waiting list to volunteer their time to obtain a car. Some people wait patiently over a period of 2 years. Do you know someone who might consider donating a car to Good Works? Would you be willing to ask a few friends you know if they know anyone? Each donor receives the full IRS fair-market value as a tax deduction because we do not resell the vehicles.

The Transformation Station (TS) provides people struggling with poverty an opportunity to serve others by volunteering their time and skills to help people struggling with poverty here in Athens County. Volunteers join other volunteers who come to serve with Good Works (short-term mission teams) as they provide assistance at the homes of widows and our friends struggling with disabilities at the homes. TS volunteers also assist with projects on the Good Works properties such as grounds keeping and mailings. One morning equals 1 point. As volunteers accumulate points, they can obtain a car. It usually takes several weeks of consistent volunteering to obtain enough points to get a car. But participants can also volunteer for appliances (especially washers/dryers), furniture and food!

If you know anyone willing to donate their car to us, they can contact Paul Richard by e-mail paul@good-works.net or by telephone at 740.594.3336

Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking is a growing reality in the United States, and especially here in Ohio, where trafficking of children is especially prevalent. Often survivors of sex trafficking are not viewed as exploited individuals who deserve love, grace and compassion, but are instead seen as criminals and treated as such.

This 20-minute video ( http://ecpatusa.org/what-we-do/helping-children-in-america/witness-video-project) produced by ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution & Trafficking) and the WITNESS Video Project tells the story of Katrina and those involved in trafficking her. As you watch this video think about these questions:

Did hearing about Katrina's life and perspective allow you to see her more fully as a human and child of God?
Has your response to persons who are trafficked for sex changed?

For more information on human trafficking, visit West Ohio's Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence webpage at www.westohioumc.org/htdv. Mary Ellen Dunlap Grace, Church and Community Worker, mgrace@wocumc.org.

Apportionment Update

Click HERE to see the congregations that have paid at least 92% of their West Ohio conference apportionments as of 12/1/12.

Click HERE to see the congregations that have paid at least 92% of their combined CAS district apportionments (the CAS District Apportionment and the UM Community Ministries Apportionment) as of 12/1/12.

Thanks to all for faithfulness in the payment of apportionments.