Here is the curricula we will be using that will be available on our e-store by January 2022: 

Spring Gathering is April 24 - Speakers will talk about UMW growth and reaching younger women. Margaret Harvey and Sandy Hodge; both serve on the Conference UMW team. Margaret is the current Conference UMW Membership Nurture and Outreach chairperson. Sandy is past treasurer and now part of the UMW National Board of Directors as a Conference member to serve on the Program Advisory Group. This topic is what we all talk about. Please have several from your Unit attend. We may be virtual, maybe not! Stay tuned.

Mission U is in July - specific dates not yet determined. We had a good response with online classes last year, and the committee is contemplating that again but adding an overnight in-person retreat following the classes. There is a new format this year - in that all ages will study the Gospel of Luke Chapter 13, with the theme "Who Can We Be Together." I attached a flier.

Annual Celebration is probably October 23. - The conference team mtg is later in January.

Happy New Year! I rejoice in this New Year and celebrate that we worship a God who has plans for our good and not for our harm, to give us a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). I rejoice that God has carried us through another difficult year.

I know that navigating life and ministry during this time of pandemic has not been easy for any of us. I understand the frustration, anxiety, and exhaustion you’re experiencing and know that all of us are ready for this pandemic to end. Thank you for all the efforts you have made and continue to make in caring for the safety and well-being of yourself, your family, and your neighbor. I thank you for the attention and care you have given as you adhere to the East Ohio Conference COVID guidelines and the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and your local health department.

I remind us that we are still in a pandemic. The pandemic is not over! I encourage you to not relax the health and safety precautions in your church and in your personal life, instead I encourage you to double down on your efforts to preserve your health and the health of others. Everyone’s health matters.

I encourage everyone to get vaccinated. If you have not been fully vaccinated and are eligible to receive the vaccine, do it. And if you are eligible for a booster, get it. It is the single most important thing you can do to care for yourself and others.

The purpose of the East Ohio Conference Spiritual Formation and Christian Education Committee is to support the discipleship ministries of East Ohio congregations in the areas of Christian Education and Spiritual formation for all age groups. We currently have the following topics available for training in your local congregation:

1. Safe Sanctuaries for the Local Church

2. Getting Messy Church Started in Your Setting

3. Offering Worship Engagement Manipulatives in Your Congregation

4. How Can Your Congregation Offer Sensory Sensitive Inclusiveness?

5. Creating a Race and Religion Forum in Your Congregation

6. Offering Outdoor Discipleship as a Way to Reach More People in Your Community

7. Hitting the Milestones with Children and Youth in Your Congregation

8. What Every Child and What Every Youth Should Experience

9. Training Effective Teachers

10. Developing a Discipleship Pathway for Your Congregation

A few other topics are in the works and will be available in the future:

1. Spiritual Formation and Christian Education in the Small Membership Church

2. Digital Discipleship

If you are interested in any of the above topics/training opportunities, please reach out to Rev. Gary Jones, Director of Spiritual Formation in the Connectional Ministries Office - [email protected] or 330-499-3972 ext. 120.