Weekly Updates         January 8, 2016
You will find the District Calender, Classified Ads, and How to Contact Us
The last day to submit
2015 apportionments will be Monday,
January 11, 2016. 

Year end reports have been mailed to churches. Data will again be entered online and should be completed by January 29, 2016.  
Leadership Training Day 1
February 6, 2016
8:30 am-12:30 pm Worthington UMC
600 High Street
Worthington  43085

Workshops being offered are: 
Board of Trustees: Property, Building Projects & Loans, Breakthrough Prayer Initiative, Discipleship Pathways: Building a Spiritual Growth Plan in Your Church, Emergency Response Teams: Serving Communities during Times of Disaster, Social Media in Ministry, Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee, United Methodist Community Ministries: Starting New Ministries in Your Community, Christian Education & Godly Play, Church Secretary 101, Finance Committee: Auditors are Our Friends ... So are Financial Internal Controls, Multimedia in Worship, Preparing for the Unexpected: Responding to Crisis Situations in the Church, All In Community:  Prison Re-entry Ministry, and Youth Ministry Partnerships: Working Together to Reach a New Generation.   Learn more about Workshop Leaders, times and a map to Worthington.


Rev. Steven Rodgers   (First UMC London) lost his father, JC Rodgers on December 31, 2015.
Rev. Mark Chow (Zanesville Grace UMC and former Assistant to DS Kathy Brown) lost his father, Jing Chow on December 26, 2015.
Rev. Robert Sholis (North Broadway UMC and  formerly of Madison Mills in CAS) and Rev. Barbara Sholis (Assistant to the Bishop) lost Bob's brother, David over the holidays.  

New Baby!
Rev. Gregory Kendrick (Clair UMC) and his wife Rebecca gave birth to a baby girl on December 27, 2015.  Her name is Charis Irene, everyone is doing well.
human trafficking
7th Annual Ohio Human Trafficking 
Awareness Day
Thursday, January 14, 2016 a t the Ohio State House, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm.  Featuring the Honorable Connie Zemmelman, Lucas County Juvenille Court.   Resource Fair, Professionals Panel, and a Survivors' Panel Freedom a la carte lunch $10/each.   Please register  by January 8th. 

February 27, 2016
8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Peace United Methodist Church
235 Diley Road
Pickerington, OH 43147

All part-time and full-time licensed local pastors are required to attend the Local Pastors Retreat.  Workshops will be offered on worship planning, preaching, and self/spiritual care.  This will also be your yearly interview with the District Committee on Ordained Ministry for candidacy re-certification and renewal of your local pastors license.  The expectation is for each local pastor to be in attendance for the entire day.

There is no cost, lunch will be provided.  Please update your autobiography and email it to [email protected] by January 25th for the committee to review prior to your interview.
We're excited to have Madeleine Woodworth on the Livingston UMC organ bench  Friday, January 8, 7:30 p.m. at Livingston UMC, 200 E. Livingston Ave., Columbus.  

Ms. Woodworth will be featured at the American Guild of Organists National Convention in Houston as a "Rising Star". She's studying organ with Nathan J. Laube at the Eastman School of Music. She will be performing works of J. S. Bach, Tchaikovsky, Eben, Demessieux, Woodworth, Widor, and Franck. She'll be playing the recently refurbished Bunn=Minnick pipe organ, 3/33. Free and open to the public. Light refreshments to follow and to greet the concert artist.

Application period now open for the West Ohio Conference Advance Special (WOC-CAS) designation

Open to United Methodist ministries that partner with other United Methodist churches and others in their community the WOC-CAS program opens doors to fund raising opportunities to local and regional ministries that would otherwise require approval of the Annual Conference session. 
Limited to 10 ministries located within the Conference boundaries selected organizations enter into a covenantal relationship with the Annual Conference.  As part of that Covenant the door is open to appeal to all churches within the Conference. 

Giving through the WOC-CAS program the local church has a unique and impactful way to be in ministry in Ohio with organizations that are making an effective difference for Jesus Christ.  Giving churches receive second mile Advance credit for their support of West Ohio Advance Special ministries. Like all such Advance credits it does not raise or reduce connectional giving.

The Conference provides a specially designed logo and the ministry agrees to promote itself as an approved West Ohio Advance Special rather than as an initiative, affiliate or ministry of the West Ohio Conference.  

In addition the Annual Conference publishes ministry provided news stories and provides training and limited consulting services during the year. 

Current WOC-CAS ministries include: Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, Greater Hilltop Shalom Zone, Horizon Prison Initiative, Kindway, Church and Community Development for All People, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and Wesley Chapel Mission Center.

Interested?   More information, including the 2016 Ministry Application is available at: 2016 Conference Advance Special Application .   Contact your District Office or George Cooper at the Council on Development if you have additional questions. Applications must be submitted no later than April 15, 2016.

Please share these updates with others in your congregation!

Articles welcome by noon on Thursday.
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