July 2025

A Message from Pastor Laurie

As the United Methodist Church takes the next bold steps into the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the world, the Council of Bishops, who prayerfully lead us into the next chapter, do so with a clear vision for the church. Aley UMC is part of this, and your pastors hope to also prayerfully and boldly lead you into this new day of the church. You will see this vision and the mission of the United Methodist Church a lot in the future, alongside Aley’s mission. The mission and vision of Aley UMC already align us with the mission of the full connection of the United Methodist Church, and this new vision from the Council of Bishops will only enhance the mission and ministry that Aley UMC is already doing and will engage in, in the future. You can check out the link below to see the letter and the support behind this vision.

https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/newsdetail/umc-unveils-new-vision-statement-19057587

Also happening around the West Ohio Conference and taking effect July 1, 2025. Aley UMC, along with all the UMC’s in Greene County, will be in a new district. The conference did some restructuring to help balance the number of churches in each district, and Greene County, along with Fairfield County and part of Clermont County, has moved into the Scioto River District. Other shifts were made to other districts as well, and you can see the new district alignments on the westohioumc.org website effective July 1, 2025. Our new District Superintendent will be Rev. Wes Souders and the district office will be located in the Chillicothe area. DS Souders will be doing meet and greets in early July and hopes to also start visiting the new counties. Pastor Abby and I will make sure you know when he is planning to visit us here at Aley UMC.

JULY SERMONS

July 6 - "Rejoice in the Lord Always and in All Things" - Rev. Laurie

July 13 - "Identity in Christ, Not Swayed by the World" - Rev. Abby

July 20 - "Just Keep Growing" - Rev. Laurie

July 27 "Countercultural Living" - Rev. Abby

HAPPENING

The West Ohio Annual Conference

Pastor Laurie, Pastor Abby, and myself (Gail Simpson) attended the West Ohio Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church May 28-31. It was a great time of worship, of learning, and of taking care of business. The theme was "Rise Up" based on Mark 5:35-43. Throughout the three days, we were encouraged, exhorted, and empowered to rise up and continue with God's work. Rise up despite discouragement, defeats, or doubts, and walk in God's protection to continue on! So, I pass onto each of you: Rise Up and go! Rise Up and serve! Rise Up and stay faithful despite any negative circumstances you may encounter! Let's all Rise Up together, walk together, work together, and serve together!

We met our new Bishop, Hee-Soo Jung as he emphasized unity in diversity and called for mutual support and spirit-led collaboration. The Bishop introduced the Ohio Episcopal Area Task Team, who will explore a vision for a shared future. Both East and West Ohio Annual Conferences are working to recommend a unified Ohio Annual Conference in 2027.

We voted on 7 recommendations, which were all adopted. These recommendations covered clarifying language, making changes to structure and procedure more concise; the 2026 budget was passed, reducing apportionments used to supplement the conference budget by 2.9% based on 600 churches; a change in clergy retirement programs; guidelines for minimum salaries for 2026 reflected a 3% increase over 2025; addressed the requirement for new churches to develop at least one strategy to plan maximum energy efficiency; the development of a LGBTQ+ ministries task force to support laity, clergy, and candidates for licensed/ordained ministry; and the conference will support the creation of an Immigration Law and Justice site in Ohio.

We also voted on 4 Constitutional Amendments. For amendments to take effect, an affirmative 2/3 vote from all Annual Conferences worldwide must be received; the Council of Bishops will announce results in November. The amendments voted on were: legislation that grants equal decision making authority to the church's geographic regions; adding "gender" and "ability" to the list of characteristics that cannot disqualify someone from membership in a UM church; strengthening the denomination's commitment to racial justice by updating language; and clarification of clergy educational requirements.

Please see myself, Pastor Laurie, or Pastor Abby if you would like a more in-depth discussion.

I cannot stress the importance of our participation in the Annual Conference. We have 2 delegates, as we have 2 pastors; please see me for more discussion on your involvement. It is amazing to be a part of the business of the church; the fellowship experienced is encouraging, and the worship brings God into the center of all we do!

Mission Opportunities

Red Bird Item Collection

The team going to Red Bird in August will be collecting items to take to Red Bird as a donation on behalf of Aley UMC. We’re collecting the following items to gift Red Bird and their community; please drop off items in the narthex or the church office.

Hand tools—new or lightly used (yard sales or estate sales might be a good place to look!)
Disinfecting wipes
Large Bandaids
Diapers (Size 5 & 6)
Baby Wipes
Nitrile Gloves
Donations for new car seats (please clearly label your financial donation as “Car Seats for Red Bird”)

Pray for Red Bird Participants

A vital part of the experience for those going to Red Bird in August is being covered in prayer! Those going to Red Bird include Tom Donaldson, Jennifer Klontz, Susan Lehneis, Pastor Abby, Pam Rader, Trent Rader, Marilyn Rodney, Pastor Laurie, Cheri Warner, and Joanna Warner. Chuck Manker is organizing several opportunities for the congregation to participate in the mission through prayer—keep an eye out in the announcements for more details or reach out to Chuck directly if you’d like to be included in this most important part of the mission!

If you were unable to attend our financial clinic but would like some of the free resources, email Dena at caringministries@aleyumc.org or stop by the church office Monday-Thursday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Did you know Caring Ministries has opportunities for you to connect with your fellow Aleyans and the greater community? There are many ways to volunteer your time in service of others, or if you are finding that you are in need of some extra support and someone to come alongside you to check in and pray with you, we are here.

Would you like to know more? Contact Dena at caringministries@aleyumc.org.

Foundations of Faith

Missing your regular Sunday School this summer? Ready to try Sunday School for the first time? A new class has started in room 202 called Foundations.

This class uses the Animate series "Bible" and is facilitated by Pam and Trent Rader and Gail Simpson.

It offers a look at the foundations of the Bible, such as:

History: Parchment to Pixel;

Testaments: One Story, Two Parts;

Gospels: Unexpected Good News;

Genre: Rhythm of the Text;

Interpretation: Scripture Reads Us; and

Grace: Love is the Bottom Line.

Feel free to drop in on this new class any Sunday at 9:40 am.

Finance

If you need envelopes or would like to know what your contributions are for the first half of this calendar year, please contact the Aley Financial Secretary

(Mary Wesch)

for a summary at happyteam264@gmail.com.

On-Line Giving

Aley’s Finance Committee has completed the migration from Clover Give to Vanco. Donors may access the

online giving option via Aley’s website. Just click on the CONNECT tab, then click on the GIVING tab, and you

will go directly to Vanco.

Questions concerning online giving may be directed to Aley’s Financial Secretary, Mary Wesch. Her email is happyteam264@gmail.com.

Family Ministries at Aley

YAA Summer Schedule

Students who have completed grades 6-12 are invited to join us each Sunday from 9:40 am to 10:20 am in the youth space for a deeper look into Scripture and what it means for us today.

Then, come hang out every other Wednesday for a more laid-back, fun evening to include games, snacks, devotions, and discussion.

Here’s our July schedule for Wednesday’s 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm:

• July 2 - Campfire Night (meet at the campfire circle on the hill behind Aley’s parking lot)

• July 16 - Bach Bash

• July 30 - Dog Days of Summer

Summer Activities

Our Sunday activities for kids are continuing this summer. Kids can attend Kids Church during each service and Sunday School 9:40 am - 10:20 am.

Last Sunday was promotion Sunday - kids moving to 3rd grade got to change classrooms and receive a Bible. Everyone is growing up so fast!

There is still lots of good summer mini-camp fun to be had at Aley. If you haven't had a chance recently, look at the Summer Opportunities

page on the Aley website to be a part of all of the action. There are opportunities for kids, and families to do together.

Looking ahead, we will have a Parent and Student Fall kick-off on August 24, noon - 1:30 pm. Lunch will be provided and we will celebrate the start of a new school year together.

VBS Was Great!!

The week of June 2 - June 6 was an exciting one! Aley Church hosted 51 kids at VBS, where we took a Road Trip with God and learned that "the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." There were songs, games, crafts, snacks, and lots of new friends.

We learned stories of Bible characters that took road tips, like Abraham and Sarah, the Israelites, Mary, Zacchaeus, and Paul. And we learned that God is always with us, no matter where we go or what we do. A heartfelt thank you to the 20 adult volunteers and 18 youth who contributed to making this week a fabulous experience for everybody.

The Kids helped collect 700+ items for Aley’s Feed the Creek pantry (see picture).

Support Tar Hollow Summer Camp

We have two campers and one adult who will be attending Tar Hollow Summer Camp July 14-19. One of the highlights of camp is getting encouraging mail from home! Unfortunately, there is a lot of major construction happening at the park this year, so timely mail might be more of an issue. Rather than mailing, please get cards to Pastor Abby by noon on July 13, and she’ll be sure they get delivered throughout the week. Another option to send notes during the week of camp is to use the QR code below, go to the link on the “Youth” page of Aley’s website, or use this link (your note will be printed out and delivered while at camp). If you’ve got a few moments, please take some time to send some love to camp!