The Foothills District
Clergy Connection
Volume 1, Issue 3 Home Newsletter Archive October 2006
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Pastoral Leadership |
1 |
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Ministry Partnerships |
1-2 |
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District News |
2 |
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Conference Opportunities |
2-3 |
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Social Justice |
3-4 |
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Regional Needs |
4-5 |
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Important Dates |
5-6 |
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Links |
6-7 |
“George Barna expresses well the idea of vision as it applies to an individual or church today: “ A vision for ministry is a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God to his chosen servants and is based upon an accurate understanding of God, self and circumstances.” Every word of the foregoing statement is significant, but notice the basis for vision: “an accurate understanding of God, self and circumstances.”
If your church has described and assessed the reality of your own community, you may lack only an understanding of yourself, that is, how God has put you and your community together and what you or your church can do best as agents of change in your community.
If a vision is a mental image of what will exist in the future, mission explains how the vision will be realized. Vision comes from the heart and is aimed at the heart. The mission finds its source in the mind and is aimed at the minds of those to whom it is communicated. The vision is a picture and the mission is the path to that picture.”- Cultural Change & Your Church Michael Pocock & Joseph Henriques
How are you being intentional to join forces with your brothers and sisters and other congregations to impact your community and area for Christ? What is bigger than your local church that can only be achieved by sharing it with other churches?
Care Outreach Ministry is faithfully serving the people of Vinton County. It is located in McArthur and is actively involved in many ways. It has a Food Ministry, Clothing Program, Furniture Program, Christmas Giveaway, gives School Supplies to Students and offers a Garden Seed Program as well. The Red Door Thrift Store provides a unique shopping experience during store hours (Tues-Thursday from 9:00 a.m.-Noon) and the proceeds support the Food Ministry.
Did you know that CARE conducts a food distribution on the fourth Tuesday of each month and that a donation of $15 will give a grocery cart of food for a needy family? There are lots of volunteers who give of their time and energy and even have a good time doing it!
They are truly making a difference in their county as a result of many UM churches working together. They have caught a common vision! Lives are being changed as a result! For more information please call the Manager-Gary Blair at 740-596-2394
Are you having surgery or are in the hospital? Or maybe it is one of your immediate
family members? Are you facing a difficult time and need someone to be your
pastor? Please do not hesitate to call Tom or Brent at the District Office. You are
important to us!!
We are in need of the email address of every pastoral spouse in our district. Please
send them to Cathy Hanover, Susie Watson or to the District office.
District Golf Outing will be held at the Brass Ring Golf Club on October 10. Shotgun start at 9:00 a.m. Cost is $30 per person. Get your team together or we will pair you with a group. There will be 6 different skill shots for men and women. We are trying to add a hole-in-one prize and more information on that will be forthcoming. Advanced reservations and payment are needed.
Prayer Concerns: ( Prayer Concerns will only be published by permission)
Please pray for: Martha Gross (Pastor of Gratiot UMC)- Broken ankle
Walt Goble (Pastor of the Grace Hills Charge)- Surgery Oct 10
Please remember that any extension ministries from your local church (Upward Basketball, Day Care Center, Scouting, etc) should come under the umbrella of your Safe Sanctuaries Policy. Do you know the adults that are working with the children and youth? Have you screened them properly? Are they abiding by the policies you have set up?
Imagine having Jim Tressel and several of his players speak to your congregation. This fall is your chance. OSU Football AIA along with churches all over central Ohio is planning a huge outreach in St. John Arena on Oct. 30th. It will be a Christ centered evening packed with Ohio State Football excitement including former QB Craig Krenzel, several current players, and members of the marching band. The key note address will be delivered by Head Coach Jim Tressel.
A partnership of churches is playing a major role in the execution and follow-up for this event, so if we haven’t been in contact already, please contact us by e-mail. We would love to dialogue about how we can work together.
We have the opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the largest platform in central Ohio. Please consider joining us in this effort.
Learn more about “The Main Event” and everything else OSU Football AIA is doing including the new evangelistic DVD, “The Big Win II” at www.osufootballaia.com
Learn about how to join the partnership and even commit to do so at http://www.osufootballaia.com/partnership.html
God Bless,
Joel Penton and Carl Schweisthal
OSU Football Player #98 OSU Athletes in Action
(419) 233-0542 (614) 571 3320
Vote No To Gambling in Ohio
Gambling Hurts Families
Created by the East and West Ohio Conferences of The United Methodist Church
& the Ohio Council of Churches
VOTE NO ON ISSUE 3
STOP THE EXPANSION OF GAMBLING IN OHIO
Issue 3 on the November ballot (often referred to as the “Learn and Earn” amendment to the Ohio Constitution) will bring casino gambling to Ohio that will be “a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic and spiritual life, and destructive of good government.” (The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church).
Casino style gambling preys on the poor. If a neighborhood is economically disadvantaged, the risk of becoming addicted increases 69%.
Ohio has 2 of the top 10 poorest cities in the country. Cleveland has been rated the poorest city in the country 2 of the last 3 years. The location of the 2 proposed casinos whose specific location is listed in this constitutional amendment is Cleveland.
A recent national study showed that counties with casinos had a 100% higher bankruptcy rate than counties with no casinos (Ohio already has one of the highest bankruptcy rated in the country).
Gambling feeds on human greed and invites people to place their trust in possessions rather than in God.
The “Learn and Earn” campaign states, “Every community will benefit directly from Learn and Earn by the annual distribution of additional economic development funding through the state.” The facts are that 201 cities and 30 townships located in the “casino slots” counties will not get a penny from Issue 3.
Gambling’s social costs are enormous. For every dollar a state takes in from gambling, they pay three dollars in costs to social agencies and the criminal justice system. This will only add to taxes of the poor and those on fixed incomes.
By most conservative estimates, a compulsive gambler costs society $13,000 to $40,000 a year in lost work, incarceration, divorce, abuse, neglected children and other social costs (John Kindt, Professor of Commerce at the University of Illinois and Earl Grinols, Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois).
We must resist the practices and systems that exploit other human beings leaving them impoverished and demeaned. VOTE NO ON ISSUE 3 that will bring casinos and casino slot machines to Ohio.
As we lead up to the November 7 election
Commit to pray for the defeat of Issue 3,
Write letters to the editors of local newspapers in opposition to Issue 3,
Inform friends and family about the truth of the Learn and Earn campaign,
Prepare to post a “VOTE NO ISSUE 3 – Stop Casinos” sign on your church property (these will be available soon through Vantage Ohio and both the East and West Ohio Conference offices of The United Methodist Church),
Volunteer for Vantage Ohio by contacting vantageohio@aol.com,
Make a donation to help defray costs of this campaign. Donations should be made out to Vantage Ohio and sent to Vantage Ohio, 32 Wesley Blvd., Worthington, Ohio, 43085.
1) Good Works (Athens)- 12 Passenger Van, spray cleaners, umbrellas, bleach, zip lock freezer
bags, food and volunteers to cut hair, lay carpet and tile
2) The Life Well (Zanesville)- Volunteers for the Free Store, COAT HANGERS! and folks who
are willing to transport/ work with kids
3) Meigs County Cooperative Parish and God’s Net are selling engraved pavement bricks as a
fundraiser. Please call them at 740-992-7400
4) Jackson Area Ministries- Work Trip Volunteers (November 4-11) to New Orleans. Call
1-888-237-3141
5) Morgan County United Ministries- Blankets, Winter Coats and other winter items
6) Care Outreach Ministry (Vinton County)- Volunteers for the Food Distribution Day (4th
Tuesday of each month from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.) and volunteers for the Thrift
Store (T,W,R from 9:00 a.m.-Noon) as well as monetary donations.
7) Belpre Area Ministries – Paper products, Soaps, Toothpaste and Toothbrushes
October1-3 Mission and Evangelism Institute- “Friendship and the Gospel”
MTSO in Delaware, Cost- $125
October 3 Intentional Interim Ministries Training (Conference Center)
October 7 Festival of Sharing- Information is on the Foothills District website
(9-3 p.m.,Roberts Centre in Wilmington)
October 8 Christian Views of War at Rockland UMC in Belpre (6:30-
8:30 p.m.)
October 8 Lifewell Free Store at the First UMC (Zanesville) will be hosting a
Community Parking Lot Picnic and Open House (Noon-3:00 p.m.)
October 10 District Golf Outing – reservations required
October 13-14 Lay Speaking Advanced Class, “A Ministry of Caring” at The Plains UMC – advanced registration required
October 15-17 “Preaching in an Age of Religious Violence and Spiritual Hunger”
MTSO in Delaware, Cost-Free
October 16 Sexual Ethics Seminar at the West Ohio Conference Center
(6-9:00 p.m.) (Cost-$5) Rsvp by October 11th by calling 1-800-
437-0028 or email sthomas@wocumc.org. This seminar is for
new local pastors (unless they attended W.O. license school),
DSA, SY, students, others newly assigned to a church as well as
Other conference or denominational folks serving in West Ohio.
October 16 Jackson Area Ministries Board of Director’s Meeting (Jackson
Calvary UMC (9:00 a.m.-Noon)
October 16-17 Church Planting 101 (West Ohio Conference Center)
October 19 District Superintendency Committee 7:00 p.m. – Dist. Office
October 29 5th Sunday Offering for the UM Children’s Home
November 7 Cast Your Vote! If you want to know more about the election
process go to Ohio Votes- www.ohvotes.org
November 10-11 Conflict Transformation in the Local Church at the Methodist
Theological School in Ohio (Part II- March 2-3 and Part III- May
4-5, 2007) For info call 740-362-3340
May 23 Clergy Session. This will be an all day session!! It will have a
mandatory sexual ethics training/renewal piece in the afternoon.
July 22-28 Local Pastors School at Widewater Retreat Center
Upper Room Ministries- www.upperroom.org
Interpreter- www.interpretermagazine.org
Volunteers in Mission- www.gbgm-umc.org
United Methodist Committee on Relief- www.gbgm-umc/umcor
West Ohio Conference- www.westohioumc.org
United Methodist Church- www.umc.org
Lewis Center for Church Leadership- www.churchleadership.com
Monday Morning Insight- www.mondaymorninginsight.com
The Alban Institute- www.alban.org
Rev magazine- www.onlinerev.com
Ministry in Motion- www.ministryinmotion.net
Incubator- www.l3incubator.com
Percept- www.link2lead.com
Pastoral Seasons as Life and Ministry- www.psalmats.org
Pohly Center for Supervision and Leadership Formation- www.united.edu/pohlycenter/
Christian Coaches Network- www.christiancoaches.com
International Association of Coaches- www.certifiedcoach.org
Congregational Resources Guide- www.congregationalresources.org
Pastors Retreat Network- www.pastorsretreatnetwork.org
Please send us any links on the web that will encourage leadership amongst our pastors
Foothills District: Physical address- 47 Johnson Rd., The Plains, Ohio, 43780
Mailing address- P.O. Box 67, The Plains, Ohio, 43780-0067
Website: www.foothillsdistrict.org
Email: Tom Hanover- hanover@foothillsdistrict.org
Brent Watson- watson@foothillsdistrict.org
Office- office@foothillsdistrict.org