News and Notes November 29 2023

News and Notes: November 29, 2023

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Save the Date: Sunday January 21

Leadership Training Day

Our Leadership Training Day is scheduled for January 21 at Mason UMC from 2p-5:30p.

Family Advent Calendar

Free from Connectional Ministries

Download PDF Here

As we begin the season of Advent, the Connectional Ministries team would like to gift you an Advent calendar created for our West Ohio faith communities. We designed the calendar with intergenerational relationships in mind. You are welcome to print it, email it, put it on your social media, however you would like to use this resource you are welcome. Please know that if you have any questions or would like help in using the resource we are just a phone call away (380)223-9255.

Our prayer for you this Advent is that you be filled with joy, hope, peace, and love as we await the birth of Christ!

Blessings,

The Connectional Ministries Team

Watch this newsletter, GMD's Facebook,

Conference social media ,and WestOhioUMC.org

for the latest news and events right here in the Great Miami River District!

Resources for Students and Youth

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This February: Exploration

An opportunity for young adults to explore a call to ministry!

Exploration creates sacred space for young adults, ages 18-26, to be in meaningful fellowship, passionate worship, theological reflection, and practical workshops as they discern whether God’s call on their life is to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church and what faithful steps they can take in response.

Please share this with any young person within their congregations who might be interested. Reach out to Jenn Lucas if you have questions

Learn more at https://www.explorecalling.org/exploration/

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Save the Date! Confirmation Event

With Bishop Palmer March 3, 2024

Attention all confirmation teachers, students, and church leaders! On March 3, 2024, Bishop Gregory V. Palmer will be hosting a very special confirmation event for all confirmands of West Ohio.

To register for updates about this event or ask questions, contact Director of Camps, Retreats, and Next Gen Engagement Rev. Ann Marie Carley amcarley@wocumc.org. More details around this special event will be coming soon!

Educational Opportunities

Adam Hamilton is Coming to the District!

January 16 at 6:30 PM- Register Here

Rev. Adam Hamilton is touring Ohio with the release of his upcoming book, "Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith.” This is an incredible opportunity to learn from a successful author of church resources and pastor of one of the most influential churches in America, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City. Each stop will be 90 minutes with a short presentation followed by a Q & A about the book. The event is free, but registration is required. Books will be available to purchase on site. Register here.

NYT Bestseller Kate Bowler

to Join Bishop Palmer for Clinic

Thurs Jan 25 Online

3 Time New York Times bestselling author and award-winning podcast host Kate Bowler will be a guest on Bishop Palmer’s Leadership Clinic on January 25, during launch week for her new book. Kate is the author of “Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved.”

Everyone will receive a copy of Kate’s newest book which releases that week “Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day! Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs, and In-Betweens."

To learn more about Kate or to register for this online clinic, click here.

Bryan Stevenson of "Just Mercy"

Leadership Clinic March 11 Online

Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a human rights organization will be the featured guest for Bishop Palmer's Leadership Clinic on March 11, 2024.

Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. Mr. Stevenson has received over 50 honorary doctoral degrees and numerous awards.

He is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Just Mercy, which was named by Time Magazine as one of the ten Best Books of the year. Just Mercy was adapted as a major motion picture. Mr. Stevenson is also the subject of the Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary True Justice. He is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and the Harvard School of Government.

The first 200 to register will receive a copy of Just Mercy.

Learn more and register at WestOhioUMC.org

Basic & Recert ERT Classes:

Saturday January 13 in Columbus

UMCOR’s Early Response Team (ERT) Basic class will be offered on Saturday, January 13, 8:00 am-4:00 pm at North Broadway UMC in Columbus. A four-hour recertification class will also be offered. West Ohio ERT trainers will teach participants how to assist survivors of natural disasters in their time of need. Trainees will learn how to provide a caring, Christian presence while taking steps to prevent further damage to the family's personal property. Skills that are taught include tarping, debris removal, mucking out flooded homes, etc. FEMA recognizes this training to enter a disaster scene. A background check is required, and a link to complete this will be provided upon registration. Cost is $40 for the Basic class or $35 for recertification. ERT members are not required to be United Methodist but must deploy with a United Methodist-led team. For more information or to register, click here: https://www.westohioumc.org/event/early-response-team-training-recert-nbumc

Resources

Update Your "Find a Church" Profile

Developed by United Methodist Communications, Find-A-Church is the official online directory of United Methodist churches in the United States. It is one of the most visited sections of UMC.org, averaging more than 1,000 page views a day and helps you to connect with busy people in your community on their terms, on their time, and in their comfort zone. It also serves as a companion to your church’s existing website — giving you twice the local visibility online.

Learn more from ResourceUMC.org here

And check your profile on UMC.org's Find a Church here

Books and Studies for Advent

The United Methodist Publishing House and the Upper Room have produced books and resources to help churches and individuals prepare for Advent in a spirit of hope during this unprecedented time of uncertainty and anxiety. As we face ongoing uncertainty about the future, we look for hope in the promise of Jesus' coming. The resources cover a variety of topics and themes for individual or small group study or in classrooms.

Read more from ResourceUMC.org here

Free Virtual Event January-March

Floods. Hurricanes. Wildfires. Droughts. As the planet warms around us, causing disasters such as these to become more extreme and more common, how can people of faith take better care of God’s creation? “Unnatural Disasters” is a series of three documentaries that will take you to places around the country where people are finding creative ways to care for the planet in the midst of devastating disasters. Sponsored by the East Ohio and West Ohio Conference, this virtual event is free and open to the public.

· January 21, 6-7:30PM: Flooding in Detroit

· February 18, 6-7:30PM: Hurricanes in Puerto Rico

· March 17, 6-7:30PM: Wildfires in Northern California

Connect A-Round Table:

This Wednesday Via Zoom

Gathering around a table is the most important place of human connection; fellowship while sharing a meal. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, to find that throughout the Bible God has a way of showing up at tables. In fact, it’s worth noting that at the center of the spiritual lives of God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments, we find a table: the table of Passover and the table of Communion.

Connect A-Round Table is a time to gather on zoom, share a meal together, and connect over subjects that peak interest. Each Connect session includes a 45-minute round table discussion with a panel discussion followed by a Q&A. The session will conclude with creating actionable steps to the topic being discussed. Everyone is encouraged to bring a meal with them to each session.

Our first Connect A-Round Table is scheduled for Wednesday, November 29 at 6:00 pm. The topic for that evening is call. Each of us has a calling but do we know what it is? Come to learn more able what a call is, learn how to identify your call and the call in others.

If there is a topic you are interested in, please submit those ideas to jcarter@wocumc.org.