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NORTH COAST DISTRICT NEWS
February 19, 2021
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“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can.
In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can.
As long as ever you can.”
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EAST OHIO CONFERENCE NEWS |
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A Lenten Devotional from Bishop Tracy S. Malone
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”
- Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)
I have created a Lenten scripture and reflection calendar for the East Ohio Conference. The theme is Journeying Toward Wholeness.
I invite the clergy and laity of the East Ohio Conference to join me on a 40-day journey as we, together, grow deeper in our love for God through Jesus Christ and in love and action toward our neighbor. During this Lenten season, beginning with Ash Wednesday, we will take time to focus on the word for the day and read and reflect on scripture. Together we will observe and practice the disciplines of surrender, love, prayer, giving, serving and healing. I invite everyone to keep a journal of this faith experience as we listen and respond to the grace of God.
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EOC Black Clergy Share Their Experiences of Race and Ministry
The East Ohio Conference Black Pastors' Fellowship and the office of Multicultural Vitality have produced a new video series aimed at creating discussion and moving all of us towards racial justice. Each video is accompanied by questions to be answered either for personal reflection or as part of small group discussions.
"For too long we have swept our racial matters under the rug or hidden them in our closets. We need to heal on purpose. We need to intentionally work on things that have kept us away from each other and have led to a lack of understanding between the races,” said Rev. Angela Lewis, pastor of Doylestown UMC and vice-president of the EOC Black Pastors' Fellowship.
Rev. James Roberson, Rev. Darlene Robinson, and Pastor Elgan Reynolds
“If you experience race and the kinds of issues of race outside the church and you expect to come into the church and not experience them, you’re living in a world of fantasy.”
– Rev. James Roberson, Retired
“I hope the stories and experiences that some of us are sharing will help to bring about understanding, healing, recognition, resolution, and togetherness regarding the issue of racism in the church and the world.”
– Rev. Darlene Robinson, Willard First UMC
“Our similarities are so much more numerous than our differences if people would just stop and try to realize that from a biblical standpoint, we all come from the same mother and father.”
– Pastor Elgan Reynolds, Willowick Shoregate UMC
To connect to the Monday highlight articles about EOC Black Clergy in Ministry throughout February, click HERE
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For more information, please click HERE for a full flyer of the event.
You may also find more information and connect to register on the Rocky River UMC website HERE.
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FROM THE OFFICE OF CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY
Two upcoming webinars designed to work in conjunction to help churches navigate worship in the midst of this pandemic. Please click on each image for a link to more information and registration.
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Almost overnight, we found ourselves in a new, unfamiliar world. The COVID‐19 virus changed everything about our lives, including how we worship. What is the church to do in such a time as this? With the social distancing practices preventing our physical gatherings, how do we connect and make our message resonate with a world in chaos? We can’t continue with a “business‐as‐usual” approach where Sunday morning worship is concerned.
Join author, creative worship, and guest readiness coach Jason Moore for a 2‐hour webinar for how to face these unique challenges to worship. Jason will lead your church into a deep dive through the questions and answers that must be asked and addressed as we worship today.
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Before the global pandemic, the few congregations that streamed worship were simply broadcasting the in-person experience for those already gathered in their buildings. In March 2020, most congregations transitioned to on-line worship, many for the first time. The methodology for streaming worship completely shifted paradigms. As we move back into our buildings, we mustn't return to making people at home observers after talking directly to them for so long. We also can't take an approach where we treat the in‐person crowd as the studio audience, providing the laugh or clap track, for the people watching at home. Neither of these audiences should feel secondary.
If we fail to think about how to create a BOTH/AND scenario as we go back to in‐person worship, we will lose so much of what we've gained in these last year. This 2.5‐hour workshop will delve into strategies for how to create powerful transformative worship where no one feels like they’re an afterthought.
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CALENDAR AT A GLANCE:
Spring
Spring District Conference TBA
April
4/4: Easter Sunday
4/5: District Office Closed
June
6/16-19: Annual Conference at the John S. Knight Center in Akron
August
8/29-9/7: General Conference in Minneapolis MN
November
11/10-12: Jurisdictional Conference in Fort Wayne IN
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*Please remember that the District Office is always closed on Fridays*
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AROUND THE DISTRICT & BEYOND |
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STAY HOME
Nehemiah Annual Fundraiser: Chama Box
The 2021 Nehemiah Mission Annual Celebration Dinner is being held in your dining room! You don’t have to clean it up and prepare though, Because as much as we would love to see you in person, we’re going to hold a virtual celebration this year.
Celebrate our 17th year with “Chama Box” ( Swahili for party ). It was a different kind of year, so it calls for a different kind of celebration.
Beginning February 1st, 2021 we’re taking orders for “Chama Box”. In it, you will find ingredients and a recipe for an authentic African dish, some awesome hand crafted gifts from ButterPear, our “year in review”, a message from Bishop Tracy S Malone, and you’ll find out who has been named 2020 Volunteer of the Year. All this for a donation of just $100.00. You will receive your box after the week of April 6, tracking number provided at shipment, along with instructions on how to share your experience. For our PREMIUM BOX you will also received a handcrafted wood carving from one of ButterPear's artists in West Africa with a donation of $150.
But wait there’s more... You will also receive the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to the ongoing support of all this...
1500 Community Meals served through Bread on Bridge
100 + African refugee Children mentored, tutored, traveled, fed, entertained and loved through #Corner65
Homeless fed and sheltered and 6000 pounds of food distributed through Luke 3:11 Trailer and Sheltering Ministry
Homes restored, heated, painted and cleaned through Seeds of Hope.
It was a strange year for us, just like everywhere else. But your faithfulness helped us to adjust and adapt and keep right on looking out for God’s children. So, order your “Chama Box” and help us keep it all going in 2021 and beyond! Visit the link below to order your box today!
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Interested in what is going on throughout the East Ohio Conference? Check out all the news, events, and more at: eocumcnews.com
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Submit your request for publication of an event, job ad, or need to Stephanie at [email protected] by Wednesday at 12 noon to run in the Friday NCD News. Please be aware that the less words the better! Grab attention with basic W facts (who, what, when, where, why), and if possible, provide a link to more information online. Flyers are not always easily readable in this format.
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The North Coast District of The United Methodist Church
4700 Rockside Rd., Suite 300
Independence OH 44131
http://www.eocumc.com/northcoast/
NCD Office Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.*
(*Please note that District staff is working remotely during these office hours)
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