Saturate with Prayer

Acts 4:23-31

Vs. 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness

June has been an interesting month. I was honored to speak at EOC Annual Conference and about a week later, my best friend transitioned. One of the things I am going to miss about her is our prayer time. Let me tell you, we had a good ole time praying together.

She and I, on more than one occasion, would talk about how prayer oftentimes lead to great movements or revivals in the Church. Our thoughts went something like, most if not every revival or awakening was birth from the place of prayer. Of course, there was preaching and other things that happened, but prayer was key. We contended that every MAJOR move of God came from a group of God’s people seeking His face.  Every transformative moment in the church and community came from people crying out, waiting, obeying, and calling on the name of the Lord—prayer. Prayer was key to bringing the people together on one accord!

Look what the early church did in the Book of Acts. They were praying up a movement. They started saturating their lives and area with prayer. From the very first chapter these folks come together and waited for God to move. We see the results from the second chapter going forth. After they prayed, they were able to preach, heal, teach, and witness with boldness and power. They were well connected and saturated with the power of the Holy Spirit that came from prayer.   

I remember Bishop Julius Trimble always saying, little prayer—little power; much prayer—much power. 

Canal, if we want to see something different, prayer will be one of the foundations to the change and going forth. We want to change our churches and communities, we have to hear from God on what to do, how to do, when to do, and where to do. That will come from us praying and hearing from God and doing what He asks. 

So, this upcoming year I want to encourage and challenge each church to increase your prayer time together. (Obviously, keep praying individually.) Specifically, pastors, leaders, and members, I want to challenge you to get your church or a cluster of churches—Methodist or others—together from your neighborhood or surrounding area and have an hour of prayer once a week or once every other week or once a month. If you do a cluster of churches, you can rotate churches. Choose a topic to pray about. Pray God’s word. Pray for your community and about issues in your community. Pray for the families, schools, business etc.  Ask God how He is calling your church to minister. Ask God for direction for your church. Seek God on how to be more affective in the community. Give God praise for the church, its leaders, and the call God has on the church. As you come to your church or drive around the community the church is in and where you live, saturate the community with prayer. Pray for it. Pray over it. Ask God to let you hear or see what He wants you—the Church—to do.     

Maybe some of you are already doing this. Please, keep it up. If you are not, I want to challenge you all to try it for at least a year. After that, I would love to hear how God moved in your church, community, and homes. I want to hear how God transformed lives. I want hear how God used you to turn the world upside down because you saturated your community and ministry with prayer. 

DS Angela Lewis

Lighthouse Churches

A pilgrimage is a holy journey that leads one to a deeper understanding of self and a closer relationship with God. The concept of pilgrimage deeply aligns with us as United Methodists as we move towards God in our process of transformation. 

We know that some local church members here in the East Ohio Conference are on a pilgrimage searching for new church homes, a place to heal and reconnect with God, or both. In this time of pilgrimage, we do not want any member to feel abandoned, lost, or disconnected. For those on a pilgrimage, the Lighthouse church and Oasis group resources found here are designed to help you connect to a United Methodist church in or around your area and across our Conference. Lighthouse churches are dedicated to The United Methodist Church and are welcoming for those seeking a new church home. Oasis groups are intentional spaces for connecting, healing, and growing spiritually. 

Bookmark this page because you will want to visit it often to receive the latest information about district gatherings, events, connecting points, and other ministries in your area.

https://www.eocumc.com/lighthousechurches/index.html

Christmas in July Craft Fair

July 22, 2023

9:00 to 3:00

Akron: First UMC (263 E. Mill Street Akron, OH 44308)

Join us for our Christmas in July craft fair that will showcase a variety of vendors. We will also have a snack bar with an array of goodies for purchase.

Please call Terri Emmendorfer in the church office at 330-376-8143 for more information. We are still looking for vendors too!

Wedgewood Community Food Pantry

Date: 2nd Monday of the month

Times: 11 am - 3:30 pm

2350 Wedgewood Dr., Akron

Feed My Sheep - Redeemer

North Hill UMC

The "Feed My Sheep" program at Redeemer North Hill UMC is still going strong every Friday after 25+ years. We have a FREE LUNCH, FREE Clothing Room, as well as household items, such as dishes and comforters. The Free Clothing Room is open every Friday beginning at 10:30 a.m. and the Free Lunch is served every Friday beginning at 11:30 a.m.

We work hard as a congregation to allow our faith, hope, and love to spread to our local community and beyond.

If you are interested in experiencing worship from other cultures, please join us at 1:00 p.m. every Sunday for our Burmese worship service in our Sanctuary, and our Congolese "The Way Gospel Church" in the Educational building.

If you are interested or know someone who would benefit from more information on a 12-step program, we have a different group meeting every weeknight at the Church. Please call the church at 330-923-1191 & leave a message or call Pastor Fast at

330-414-5519. Donations are always welcome and accepted!

As leaders in our local congregations I know we are always looking for ways to lead our faith communities into connectional missions both locally and globally. We may also be discouraged because lack of resources (money, people, or time) can make us feel like we can’t make the impact we would like to for the kingdom of God. Friends this simply is not true, we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 12:12 that we are one body in many parts. Leaning into our connectional heritage we can do great things when we come together under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

We have several great local ministry opportunities right here in the Canal district, one specific one that the Holy Spirit has been putting on the hearts of those here in the Canal District is the work that is being done at South Street Ministries and their reentry ministry. They focus on reentry, redirection and restoration with those coming out of incarceration. Every Tuesday they host support meetings where the goal is to, “provide a community where short-term needs can be addressed quickly, while long-term aspirations are developed.” One of the biggest needs is for the dinner that is provided at these meetings. This is a great way to have a big impact on this

ministry and those they serve. If your church or community group would like to help meet this need by providing for or sponsoring a Tuesday night meal, please contact Rose Nall from South Street Ministries by email and she will coordinate with your group.

To learn more about South Street Ministries and how your church can partner with them please visit their website at https://southstreetministries.org/.

Global Ministries

How does your congregation care for God’s creation? Do you regularly conduct an energy audit to minimize wasted electricity and water in your church building, reuse resources that would otherwise be tossed in a landfill, encourage biking to church by installing a bike rack in the parking lot or teach sustainable gardening practices through community gardening? Have you found a creative new way to be good stewards of our natural resources? We want to hear your story and celebrate the impact your ministry has on God’s world. Contact Kate Colbow, Conference Secretary to Global Ministries via email to share how your congregation cares for creation. 

Safe Sanctuaries

Join in on this online course that covers the basics of Safe Sanctuaries. Rev Gary Jones walks participants through the what is it, the why we do it, and common elements. This is a great course for churches reviewing or creating their policies, for ministry team leads, and for anyone working with vulnerable persons in your faith community.    

Enroll anytime at https://eocumc.myabsorb.com/#/online-courses/409157e8-86de-49c2-b36a-306010758353

Johnson UMC in Norton is looking for a Part-Time Youth Leader. The position would be 15 hours per week, $17.00/hr. They are looking for a savvy and energetic person to lead our youth in the ministry and belief of the Christian faith with a Wesleyan emphasis. If you are looking for a great part time job and enjoy working with youth, please send your resume to Sandy Guy via email.

KENT UMC is looking for a Worship Leader to provide spiritual and musical leadership for the 9:30 a.m. Sunday contemporary worship service.  There are weekly rehearsals with the Worship Band.  The church is also seeking an Assistant Custodian, which is a Sunday morning position.  Full job descriptions and application information can be found at this link: https://www.kentmethodist.org/links/job-opportunities/   

Lockwood UMC is seeking a musician to lead singing on Sunday mornings beginning July 2. We worship at 9:00 and, generally, we sing hymns from the hymnal. We are glad to pay $400/month but the amount is negotiable. Our address is 3680 Manchester Rd. in Coventry Twp. If interested, please call 330-591-7627 or email at [email protected].

Macedonia UMC is looking for a Maintenance Manager. Click this link to access the job description. If interested, please email the church.

Medina UMC is looking for a part-time Nursery Coordinator. Click this link to access the job description. If interested, please email the church.

Medina UMC is looking for a Full-Time or Part-Time Youth Ministry Coordinator.   Compensation & possible housing in Medina City are negotiable. An application and Ministry Description are available by emailing Pastor Tal Lewis at [email protected]  

Lockwood UMC is glad to donate a Baldwin Pipe Organ to a church or other organization who can put it to good use - no charge, just come and pick it up. Please call or email: 330-591-7627 or [email protected].

Cheryl Taylor from Macedonia UMC has an upright Hampton piano available to a church or individual. It must be picked up from her home. If interested, please email her.

Uniontown UMC has choir robes available to whomever needs some. If interested, please email the church.