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November 6, 2025
issue # 45
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"Spring Ahead - Fall Back"
Ephesians 2:20-22 (NRSVUpdated): "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone; in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God."
Dictionaries tell us "cornerstones" serve as a point of reference for a complete structure's stability and framework. As we begin November, we turn our clocks back an hour to "Fall Back". With all of the daily news and changes, we can be thankful that the Lord Jesus is our cornerstone! The hymn proclaims that our hope is "built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness". Singing the great Anglican hymn, "Christ is Made the Sure Foundation" has words translated into English from Latin. Another song is "Jesus Is Our Cornerstone". God's Word guides and encourages our serving and such great music touches our lives as we move forward in Christ.
How thankful we can be as a UCC Association for the faithful dedicated twenty-year service of Dan Busch as our Association Minister! Let's remember Dan in our prayers with his move and his new active retirement.
As your new bridge NWOA minister I seek to serve with you and for you. Please pray for our NWOA as we all seek to share the love of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, guided by the Scriptures, in our needy world. Thank you for your prayers and recommendations. We have some 70 churches and over 14,000 members in the Association. While we move our clocks back, we are moving forward as Advent and Christmas come in our service together in Christ.
Warmly,
Don
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Prayer Concerns / Request
Continuing prayer for:
Dee Schroer, Rev. Daniel Johnson, Rev. Jim Garner, Rev. Don Corbin, Rev. Randall Forester,
Rev. Gale Gebhart, Rev. Don Giesmann, Rev. David Culp, Rev. Diane Christopherson, Rev. Patrick McKinney, Regena Mummert, Rev. Mike Ebersole, Susan Bishop, Rev. Diane Thomas, David Weininger, Rev. Adrian Sunday, Peggy George, & Rev. Frank Isaacs, Rev. Steve Trimble, & Rev. Wayne Chasney.
*Please keep them in your prayers.
*PLEASE LET US KNOW IF THERE IS ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE ADDED TO OUR PRAYER LIST. CONTACT KIM NYE AT NORTHWEST OHIO ASSOCIATION VIA EMAIL: KIM@NWOA.ORG OR CALL (419) 447-8323.
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BRIDGE ASSOCIATION MINISTER CALLED
NWOA Cabinet voted to call Rev. Don Giesmann
Retired minister Rev. Don Giesmann has been called by the NWOA Cabinet to be our Bridge Association Minister starting November 2, 2025. Rev. Giesmann will take over the position part time upon the retirement of Rev. Dan Busch. Rev. Busch will begin a two-month sabbatical on November 2 and then be officially out of the position on December 31.
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A special thank you to all who attended Boundary Training at Trinity UCC, Tiffin on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. We would like to give special thanks to Pastor Amy Kinney (Executive Director of First Step Domestic Violence Center/Pastor at St. John's UCC, Fostoria), Marrisa Orzechowski (Community Outreach Coordinator First Step Violence Center), Rev. Karsten Snitker & Trinity UCC Church, Rev. Darla Metz, Beth McKibben-Nee, Don Giesmann, Kim Nye, & greeter.
*Please give them your feedback on the presentation. Click link below:
First Step Presentation Feedback
*For Safety Church Policies & Procedures. Please Click link below:
SafeConduct™ - Prevent Abuse with Training, Policies & More
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2025 OCWM Giving Goal - $250,000
(Goal approved at the 63rd Annual Meeting)
OCWM giving Through September 2025 -$135,407.58
Supporting OCWM...
Creating A Just World for All!
Thank You!
CHURCH TREASURER
Church Remittance Form - please use this form when sending donations to/through the Association Office.
IRS Standard Mileage Rates for 2025
- 70 cents per mile for business use
- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS
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VISIT THOSE CHURCHES OFFERING SUNDAY SERVICE ONLINE | | | | |
If you want to jump start your thinking about Stewardship and Generosity, our 5 videos collection of topics covered with noted consultant Don Hill is available. As you click on the resources page, a short synopsis of each video is available. Can be used effectively in small group settings or you can take a segment for use in worship.
Permission is granted for the churches of Northwest Ohio Association, UCC to use the series as they wish with proper credit given.
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Dear Friend:
On October 28th, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, one of the most powerful and destructive Category 5 storms on record in the Caribbean. Its devastation also impacted Haiti and Cuba.
Presently, 13,000 people in Jamaica remain in shelters and 34 fatalities have been reported – a number that is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue. Authorities in Haiti report 25 fatalities, with that number also expected to rise in the coming days.
At this time, we are issuing an appeal to help immediate and long-term recovery efforts in these Caribbean countries. The primary needs at this recovery stage are shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, healthcare and food. Please consider making a donation to support our recovery efforts. Your generous support will be used by our partners in the areas of greatest need.
- Through ACT Alliance and Church World Service, the UCC is working to get resources for those who need them.
- Through Global Ministries, we are also in contact with our partners in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti and are working quickly to accompany and support their response efforts.
The UCC has posted a prayer and a short statement in response to the hurricane.
Please consider making a gift today. Thank you for your past support of disaster relief efforts that have rebuilt communities around the world. We do this work through your generosity.
Sincerely,
Michelle Carver
Philanthropy Director
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PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc. offers a full range of theological courses which embrace your doubts and questions while giving you a firm foundation. For more information visit us at: www.PATHWAYSTheological.org
PATHWAYS Theological Education continues expanding its offerings. Look for information coming soon on the Environmental Justice Certificate, the Advanced Faith Formation Practitioner's Certificate, and new preaching and Bible courses in conjunction with the Southern New England UCC Conference Project Proclaim (funded by the Lilly Foundation). Go to the website to see a schedule of upcoming courses.
| | Registration Deadline is December 10, 2025! | | Your generous gift makes our ministry possible. | |
Stay Connected
Rev. Daniel Busch, Association Minister
cell: 419-934-5386 email: dlbusch@nwoa.org
Kim Nye, Office Administrator/Search Coordinator
email: kim@nwoa.org
Deb Long, Bookkeeper
email: deb@nwoa.org
OFFICE PHONE: 419-447-8323
OFFICE EMAIL: office@nwoa.org
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