The Foothills District
Laity Link
Volume 1, Issue 3 Home Newsletter Archive October 2006
|
Lay Leadership |
1 |
|
Ministry Highlights
|
2 |
|
District News |
2-3 |
|
Conference Opportunities |
3 |
|
Social Justice |
3-4 |
|
Regional Needs |
4-5 |
|
Important Dates |
5-6 |
|
Links |
6-7 |
In the great classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Bantam, 1981) Lewis Carroll provides an insightful view into the importance of knowing your destination - having a vision of your direction when undertaking a journey. Alice finds herself in what might quite fairly be described as a highly turbulent environment. She has just escaped from the Duchess who had ordered that Alice’s head be chopped off, when she comes upon a cat in the tree:
The cat only grinned when she saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought; still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it had to be treated with respect.
“Cheshire-puss,” she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name; however, it only grinned a little wider. “Come it’s pleased so far,” thought Alice, and she went on. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.
“I don’t much care where-“ said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
Our destination may be clear; but if we do not know where we are, how can we decide which way to go? - Partners in Ministry- Roy & Jackie Trueblood
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
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. Registration forms have been sent to your pastor.
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?
Would you like to volunteer some hours to help Sherri Rogers (our District Office Administrator) with some filing? Please call the District office if interested.
Asbury Camp and Retreat Center is available for rent by emailing pprosch@verizon.net or calling 1-740-574-2900 (Wheelersburg UMC)
**REMINDER- Those of you who have given your email address to the District office (mostly via the charge conferences) please be sure to check with your internet service provider so that you will receive it. Often times, it is identified as spam so you have to “white list” the foothills email so it can be allowed through. We want to communicate with you!!
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.
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
Month of October Pastor Appreciation Month. This is a great opportunity to support
your pastor and let them know how much they are loved!
October 1-3 Mission and Evangelism Institute- “Friendship and the Gospel”
MTSO in Delaware, Ohio (Cost- $125)
October 7 Festival of Sharing- Information is on the Foothills District website
(9-3 p.m.,Roberts Centre in Wilmington)
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 8 Christian Views of War at the Rockland UMC in Belpre (6:30-
8:30 p.m.)
October 10 District Golf Outing – Brass Ring Country Club, Logan – reservations needed
October 13-14 Lay Speaking Advanced Class, “A Ministry of Caring” at The Plains UMC – advanced registration required
October 13-15 Women’s Time at Otterbein. This is a women’s retreat to be held
at Camp Otterbein in Logan (Cost-$60) For info call Susan
Susan Penix at 740-698-6236
October 15 Hopewell UMC in Somerset will have a Service of Rededication
for their church building at 3:00 p.m. (RSVP at 740-743-2747)
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 5 Somerset UMC’s 100 year celebration (in their current building)
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
December 3 Organ Concert by Huw Lewis at Marietta Christ UMC (3:00 p.m.)
July 22-28 Local Pastors School at Widewater Retreat Center
Upper Room Ministries- www.upperroom.org
Interpreter- www.interpretermagazine.org
West Ohio Conference- www.westohioumc.org
United Methodist Church- www.umc.org
Volunteers in Mission- www.gbgm-umc.org
United Methodist Committee on Relief- www.gbgm-umc/umcor
Young People’s Ministries- www.gbod.org/youngpeople/youth/youth.htm
Young Adult Network- www.gbod.org/youngpeople/yanet
InfoServ- 1-800-251-8140 ( Up to the minute information about United Methodists)
Congregational Health Ministries- Maria Poeth mpoeth@wocumc.org
Ministry in Motion- www.ministryinmotion.net
Congregational Resources Guide- www.congregationalresources.org
Crosswalk – a website of Women’s Devotional, UpWords by Max Lucado, News & Commentary and Make Me Laugh - www.crosswalk.com
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