General Conference has now passed much of the legislation that aims to give The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions equal standing in decision-making.
In what outgoing Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton called “a historic day for our church,” delegates voted 586 to 164 for an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that will now go before annual conference voters for potential ratification.
A constitutional amendment requires at least a two-thirds vote at General Conference; the regionalization amendment received 78% of the vote. To be ratified, the amendment also will need at least a two-thirds total vote of annual conference lay and clergy voters. Annual conferences are church regions consisting of multiple congregations and other ministries.
Regionalization has become United Methodist shorthand for a package of legislation that would restructure the denomination. Under the legislation, the U.S. and each central conference — church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines — would become regional conferences with the same authority to adapt the Book of Discipline, the denomination’s policy book, for more missional effectiveness.
At present, only central conferences have that authority under the denomination’s constitution to adapt the Discipline as missional needs and different legal contexts require.
The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters — a permanent General Conference committee with a majority of its membership from central conferences — submitted the eight petitions of the Worldwide Regionalization proposal. The standing committee, which met April 21-22, gave its final approval to the legislation before the start of General Conference on April 23.
That teed up the proposals for action by the full General Conference plenary in its first week — a big change from previous sessions when General Conference typically does not take up major proposals until its second week.
Earlier in the morning plenary, delegates approved four of the eight Worldwide Regionalization proposals on the consent calendar. The consent calendar includes legislation passed overwhelmingly in General Conference committees that only requires a majority and does not have financial implications.
“I stand before you this morning full of hope and also excited,” said Christine Schneider in introducing the constitutional amendment.
She is a reserve delegate from the Switzerland-France-North Africa Conference and member of the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters that submitted the Worldwide Regionalization proposal.
She acknowledged that the legislation before the General Conference delegates was the work of multiple United Methodists around the globe. That includes the standing committee, the Connectional Table (which coordinates denomination-wide ministries) and members of the Christmas Covenant, a grassroots group of United Methodists in the central conferences who saw regionalization as the best way to promote unity.
“This is a result of excellent collaboration of people from all walks of life, of all parts of our connection,” Schneider said.
Under the amendment that passed General Conference, each regional conference would have the authority to:
- Establish and publish a regional Discipline with legislation and provision pertaining to church structures within its boundaries, including qualifications and educational requirements of clergy and specialized lay ministries.
- Set standards of character and other qualifications for the admission of lay members.
- Establish and publish a regional hymnal and ritual of church, including for marriage and burial. The rites approved would need to be in line with core doctrines of The United Methodist Church and in accordance with local laws.
- Allow the annual conferences to adopt structures adequate to their mission while upholding General Conference-mandated structures.
The amendment also requires regional conferences to recognize annual conferences as the basic bodies of the church, especially on all matters relating to the character and conference relations of its clergy members.
The amendment requires regional conferences to be in line with national laws and not to stray from the Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith that contain the denomination’s core belief in Christ’s resurrection, the Trinity and the sacraments of baptism and communion.
Used from United Methodist News Service
Do you have a vision for a new ministry or church? Are you looking to revitalize your church? We’d love to hear more! Sign up for a 60-minute online conversation to share your ideas and dreams. We have several dates/times for you to choose from for your convenience: Tuesday, June 18, Thursday, June 20 and Thursday, July 25.
Each day we have five 60-minute time slots available for you at 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm and 3:30pm. You’ll have 60 minutes to share your vision, aspirations, and challenges with the Office of Fresh Starts and New Beginnings. Together, we'll tend to the seeds of your thoughts, and see how they can be nurtured into vibrant possibilities.
Scan the QR code or click here to register for your time to share.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland…” Isaiah 43:18-19
Congratulations to The Point Church in chartering as our newest United Methodist Church in the Great Miami River District!
It was a joy as my first official act as Superintendent of the Great Miami River District to lead the chartering service for The Point. This is a new season in the UMC and I can’t wait to charter the next new church and many more after that!
Congratulations to Pastor Sam Holmes and the leadership of The Point. This church in Centerville has trusted God wholeheartedly in their journey to chartering. They began as a campus of Christ Kettering UMC, celebrated growth, faced disappointments, embraced challenges, and focused clearly on the mission of reaching and serving their community for Jesus.
In Sam’s message he shared a part of their story about the time after they relaunched as The Point:
“And in those first six months to 18 months, we really began to see only the ground being tilled up. I felt like a lot of uprooting, it felt like a lot of pruning, it felt like a lot of tilling and mess and not much growth.
And I could not tell you the exact moment, but it just seemed like one day we woke up and out in the field that we have been working so hard on was just a little bit of green coming up from the dirt. It was the first fruits of our labor.
I can still remember when people would show up as visitors and then come back the next week. I can still remember watching kids begin to get excited about coming to church and my own son feeling jealous that he now had to “share the room”.
And what began so small, so hidden, so much faith in what could be, and we were not yet seeing, we began to experience. And it began to grow, so slow but so beautifully. We watched what felt like so much death before, now there is so much life. Where there was so much fear and anxiety for the future before, there is now so much joy and excitement for what’s to come.”
Whether we are in a new church start, a small congregation, or a large congregation, we often find ourselves in places that feel like uprooting and pruning and tilling. They are not where we would choose to be but over and over again we find that when we trust God, when we stay focused on the mission and vision that God has placed in our hearts, when we are able to understand the challenges as growing pains and persevere in faith, God is faithful and the community is blessed.
Bishop Jung is encouraging us to think and pray about how we can continue to grow our congregations and to also plant new faith communities. I encourage you to think and pray about how God is leading you in your context to till the soil, prune, and trust that new growth.
Blessings!
Suzanne
Since 2008 the WOC has passed resolutions encouraging local church establishment of Green Teams, advocacy for environmental justice, support for Fossil Free UMC, and net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.
As the Creation Care Task Force promotes these activities within the Conference, it seeks to determine what is already being done in local churches and where additional efforts are needed. To that end, we are asking local churches to share what they are already doing (Green Team, church garden, renewable energy, environmental advocacy, energy audits, Wild Church, etc.) and what they plan to do in the near future. Send short descriptions of your efforts to the Task Force lead, bobdowns@sbcglobal.net, for compilation and sharing at here. Also, if you are interested in joining the Task Force, notify Bob Downs at the email above.
"Rather than treating creation as if it were placed here solely for humanity’s use and consumption, we are called to practice responsible stewardship and to live in right relationship with the Creator and with the whole of God’s creation."
- The Community of All Creation, 2024 Social Principles
Climate change can seem like a problem too big to do anything about. Yet we are called to care for God's creation and to love our neighbors, next door and around the world. Since 2008, an annual average of 21.8 million people have been forcibly displaced by climate-related weather events, such as floods, wildfires, and extreme temperatures. These climate refugees often go on to experience humanitarian crises such as hunger, malnutrition, and conflict. While natural disasters may seem like random acts of God, the fact is that humans have played a huge role in the increasing number and severity of extreme weather events. The vast majority - 97 percent - of climate scientists agree that humans are responsible for global warming and the current condition of our planet.
Get Involved!
Take Action to Care for God's Creation!
- Join the Ohio Episcopal Area Green Church Movement! Learn how your congregation can steward God's good creation while working toward Green Church Certification.
- Learn more about what The United Methodist Church says about climate justice.
- Learn more about climate change and global warming.
- Use an online carbon footprint calculator to measure your household's emissions. Find one here.
- The United States is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, producing about 15% of the planet's Co2. China leads the way, emitting 30% of the world's carbon dioxide. Read more here.
- Sources of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions include transportation (28%), electricity (25%), industry (23%), commercial & residential (13%), and agriculture (10%). More details can be found here.
- Share your story! Has your congregation been working to care for God's creation? Email mgrace@wocumc.org with photos or videos!
Advocate
As United Methodists, we are people of prayer and action! Join in the movement towards more just and sustainable policies regarding the environment. Let your voice be heard!
- Join United Women in Faith's Just Energy 4 All Campaign
- Advocate through Creation Justice Ministries
- Tell U.S. Congress to make climate justice a priority
- Find your National legislators here
- Find your Ohio legislators here
- Consider these letter-writing tips
Connect
Connect with others who are already working to promote climate justice:
- United Methodist Creation Justice Movement
- Global Ministries Earthkeepers
- Creation Care Network
- Contact the West Ohio Creation Care Task Force
Pray
As United Methodists, we are a people of prayer, and prayer can be a powerful witness.
Prayer for Our Earth
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.
(From "Prayer for Our Earth" by Pope Francis Encyclical)
Resources
- West Ohio Resolution for Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Creation Care Worship Resources
- Global Ministries & EPA Energy Star Workbook for Congregations
- EPA Webinar for Houses of Worship
- Interfaith Power & Light Cool Congregations
- United Methodist Creation Justice Monthly Tips
- Loving People and Planet in God's Name Study
- Bible studies on Climate Resilience
- A Non-Expert's Guide to Living More Sustainably
- 5 Simple Ways to Green Your Church postcard
- 52 Ways to Care for Creation bulletin insert
- Earth Day Resources
- East Ohio Creation Care Resources
Reverend Dr. Raymond L. Wiblin, son of the late Cecil Raymond and Marie Muriel Wiblin was born December 18, 1940, in Parkersburg, WV. He graduated from Belpre High School in 1958 as President of his senior class, and went on to obtain a Masters and Doctorate Degrees from United Theological Seminary.
Raymond lived a life filled with love, dedication, and commitment. A devoted Christian, he served for 41 years as an ordained minister until retirement, dedicating his kindness and unwavering support to leading people to Christ. He was also a member of the West Ohio Conference of United Methodist Church and attended Belpre Heights United Methodist Church.
During his ministry career he served thise churches: Second Creek 1964; Harrisonburg, Virginia 1966; Camden, West Ohio 1967; Fairborn (DS) 1972; Phillipsburg and Director, Dayton Electimedia Workshop (DN) 1977; Brookshire (CS) 1983; Marietta Gilman Avenue (FTH) 2007
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his two brothers, William G. and Richard E. Wiblin.
Left to cherish his memory, Raymond is survived by his devoted wife, Judith A. Wiblin, of Belpre, OH; son, Raymond T. Wiblin (Karen); and daughter, Maria D. Wiblin (Julius).
Funeral Service will take place at 1:00 PM, Saturday, October 25, 2025 at Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home on Green St. with Rev. Mark Chow and Rev. Paul A. McGuire officiating. Visitation will be Saturday, beginning at 10:30 AM until time of service. Burial will follow at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Belpre, OH at a later date.
Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home Green is honored to serve the Wiblin family.
Rev. Dr. Raymond Wiblin Obituary October 20, 2025 - Lambert-Tatman Funeral Homes & Crematory
The majority of legislation supported by climate justice activists within The United Methodist Church was passed by General Conference on the consent calendar in the early part of its second week.
But they were unable to get General Conference to require that United Methodist institutions, including Wespath — the denomination’s pension and benefits agency — divest from fossil fuel company stocks.
The consent calendar allows delegates at the lawmaking assembly to pass multiple petitions in bulk if they have overwhelming support in legislative committee and have no budgetary or constitutional impact.
“We are in excellent shape to take the creation justice movement to every annual conference and local church in the denomination,” said the Rev. Nancy Blade, co-chair of the Northern Illinois Conference Eco-Sustainability Task Force.
Blade said that nearly every one of the petitions passed on the first two consent calendars, April 29 and 30. Two more, which had amendments, passed on the May 1 consent calendar.
“These legislative tweaks and informational resolutions will bring structure to the ministry of creation care. Now everyone needs to do their part and get behind local green teams and community projects,” she said.
A green team is an organized group of people who implement sustainability initiatives, educate and engage others, share innovative ideas and work to pilot them.
“We celebrate this General Conference for embracing so many petitions calling us to be better stewards of God’s creation,” said the Rev. Pat Watkins, a leader of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement. “As we celebrate a wonderful sense of unity as United Methodists, we hope that we will continue to wrap our arms around creation as we wrap our arms around each other.”
Watkins cited one of John Wesley’s three simple rules: “Do no harm.”
“As United Methodists, we have a biblical mandate to not only be in relationship with each other, but [also] to be in a caretaking and healing relationship with creation itself,” he added. “Caring for creation is foundational to what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Harming creation violates our biblical and Wesleyan heritage and makes it more difficult to alleviate human suffering since a suffering earth causes unbelievable suffering for millions of God’s people.”
The caucus Fossil Free UMC and allies sought to amend Paragraph 717 of the Book of Discipline, which deals with Sustainable and Socially Responsible Investments. The policy lists alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pornography, weapons production and for-profit prisons as off-limits for United Methodist entities’ investments.
To those investment screens, Fossil Free UMC wanted to add fossil fuel companies. Many universities and some denominations, including the Methodist Church in England, have embraced divestment of fossil fuel company stocks out of concern for global warming.
Wespath has various sustainability initiatives but has opposed divestment of fossil fuel company stocks. The church agency argues that it can better influence such companies’ conduct by “staying at the table” with them.
Wespath is among the world’s largest faith-based pension agencies, serving more than 100,000 retired and active clergy and other church staff, and more than 150 United Methodist-related institutional investors. At the end of 2023, Wespath managed about $26 billion in assets.
Fossil fuel company stocks represent a small percentage of its portfolio, but that still has meant multimillion dollar holdings in such companies as Exxon, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum.
Late on the final day of General Conference, delegates voted to refer a number of petitions. One effect was to leave Paragraph 717 intact and end Fossil Free UMC’s near-term hopes for a fossil fuel screen.
Petitions approved on the April 29 consent calendar include legislation that adds language to the resolution “Church Land Use” that directs church trustees to assess ways to bring property “back in harmony” with God’s creation and updates the Energy Policy Statement urging conferences, churches and agencies to develop plans for using more renewable energy sources.
Petitions approved on consent calendar April 30 include establishing a Conference Caretakers of God's Creation Coordinator in each annual conference; urging every church to establish or strengthen its green team, and calling on churches to support legislative and policy efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “up to and beyond net-zero.”
Petitions approved on the May 1 consent calendar encourage annual conference sessions to have sustainable practices for energy waste and consumption, and likewise encourage local churches to conduct annual audits of the carbon footprint of their buildings, grounds or facilities.
Neil Caldwell is a freelance journalist in the Western North Carolina Conference. UM News writer Sam Hodges contributed.
Regional Camp 2 Go!The West Ohio Camps staff are so excited about the coming season that we’re starting the fun early. We’ll be traveling around West Ohio in the coming months bringing a little bit of camp fun with us to share with friends and neighbors.
On February 25, Camps to Go kicks off as we travel to all four regions within West Ohio for an Open House style event with of games, crafts, snacks, and a whole lot of fun. We’ll be at each location from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm and hope you’ll stop by to say hello! Check out the Camps to Go schedule below.
February 25, First United Methodist Bowling Green (1526 E. Wooster St, Bowling Green, OH 43402)
March 11, Forest Chapel United Methodist (680 W Sharon Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45240)
March 18, Coburn United Methodist (3618 Maple Ave, Zanesville, OH 43701)
March 25, Urbana United Methodist (238 N Main St, Urbana, OH 43078)
2024 Summer Camp Registration is Open
Registration for Summer Camp is now open. To register, click hereand follow the instructions. To view the summer program guide, click here.
For about registration, contact our Guest and Camper Engagement Coordinator, Lisa Nevels (lnevels@wocumc.org or 380-223-2267, option 1).
For questions about our regional events or camp programming, contact our Director of Camps, Retreats, and Next Gen Engagement, Rev. Ann Marie Carley (amcarley@wocumc.org or 380-223-9369). If you call and we are not available, know we will get back to you as soon as we can.
We look forward to partnering with families and churches this year as we work together to provide safe, inclusive, and fun experiences that transform our relationship with God, others, and our world.