News
Thursday, Jun 6, 2019
Be Not Afraid…Hope!
Hope…it seems simple enough. It’s a common word we learn early in life. And yet when the heaviness of life shatters dreams, imprisons our spirits, strips us of our value and belovedness, hope can seem elusive. In this space, fear begins to creep in, and its power, strengthened by despair and a sense of aloneness, can extinguish the power of hope, throwing us into the valley of dry bones. How, in this valley, can the power of fear be overcome... (read more)
Thursday, Jun 6, 2019
The Celebration of Ministry worship service opened with the traditional singing of the triumphant hymn, “Lift High the Cross,” as Cross, Christ Candle and Holy Bible were carried forth in Hoover Auditorium. Those being commissioned as provisional Deacons and Elders followed as the congregation sang with great expectation for this sacred hour in the lives of all gathered. Banners displaying colorful designs and meaningful scripture paraded down the aisle followe... (read more)
Thursday, Jun 6, 2019
On Wednesday afternoon, the Conference’s Connectional Ministries Awards were presented to individuals and churches throughout The West Ohio Conference.
This year, West Ohio honored four recipients of the Harry Denman Evangelism Award, two clergy and two lay. This award is given to United Methodists in each annual conference whose exceptional ministry of evangelism brings people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. The clergy award winners ar... (read more)
Thursday, Jun 6, 2019
On the Wednesday morning of Annual Conference, Mitchell Harper, Conference Lay Leader, gave the laity address. Speaking on the Conference theme, “Be Not Afraid – Hope,” Mitchell expounded on the kind of hope we should have as Christians.
“We Christians have a different kind of hope,” Mitchell remarked. “Instead of a ‘fingers crossed’ type of hope, we have a ‘confident expectation’ type of hope. … Amidst all the uncertainty, there are still plenty of things we c... (read more)
Thursday, Jun 6, 2019
On Wednesday afternoon, Associate Director Stan Ling gave the Council on Development Report to the Annual Conference. The original purpose of the Council on Development was to create awareness of the programs and agencies of The United Methodist Church, and to encourage investment in the Conference.
The Council’s priorities include…
Donor relationships, cultivation, and the stewardship of gifts
Local churches and providing stewardship training
Conference miss... (read more)
Thursday, Jun 6, 2019
Long before the creation of The United Methodist Church in 1968, and even before the establishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784, John Wesley – founder of the Methodist movement – was already working for the equal treatment of all God’s children, particularly when it came to education. Wesley regarded education as essential to faith formation, as we continually seek a greater understanding of God’s truth in our lives. He also saw education as provid... (read more)
Wednesday, Jun 5, 2019
On Wednesday morning, Bishop Mande Muyombo from the North Katanga Episcopal Area gave a brief report on the mission and ministries of The United Methodist Church in North Katanga.
Wings of the Morning, an aviation ministry that transports critically ill and injured people to healthcare facilities in larger cities, is currently building a new hangar for its aircraft. This will provide greater security for the planes and provide rental space for other organizatio... (read more)
Wednesday, Jun 5, 2019
Tuesday morning worship opened as George Howard centered the house with words of faith and hope. The West Ohio praise band, led by Annual Conference music director, Chuck Bell, began with a rousing rendition of the song, "Ain't No Grave," followed by more praise music. Bishop Palmer introduced the morning preacher, Bishop Mande Muyombo, Bishop of the North Katanga Episcopal Area, a mission partner of West Ohio.
Rev. Julie Alsip shared the morning's text, Hebrew... (read more)
Wednesday, Jun 5, 2019
For the past two years, the West Ohio Annual Conference mission offering has helped fund the Light the Way campaign, an initiative to start new worshipping congregations and revitalize others within West Ohio. More than $2.5 million has been raised for Light the Way so far, with about the same amount left to raise in the next two years to meet the Conference’s $5 million goal.
Because of the Light the Way initiative:
8 new faith communities have been launched... (read more)
Wednesday, Jun 5, 2019
On Tuesday, June 4, the West Ohio Annual Conference session spent the day electing delegates to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional conferences. More than 1,000 lay persons and 600 clergy from across the Conference participated in the electronic voting process.
2020 General Conference Delegates
Clergy:
Roger Grace
Karen Cook
April Casperson
Deanna Stickley-Miner
Anna Guillozet
Thomas Rand
Rachel Miller
Laity:
Bill Brownson
George Howard
Kara Russell
Ch... (read more)