Joining Hands Magazine

joining handsEast Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church

DECEMBER 2013 | Volume 13 | Issue 3

e a s t o h i o

Jesus is Calling ...

- informed, inspired and in touch.

The Vision of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church is to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ.

East Ohio Joining HandsDECEMBER 2013 Vol. 13 No. 3

East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist ChurchOffice of Communications

Editor/Director of CommunicationsRick [email protected]

Graphic DesignerSue [email protected]

Subscriptions/AdministrativeLois [email protected]

Under the direction of: The Conference Board of Communications

Mail: EditorEast Ohio Joining Hands8800 Cleveland Ave. N.W.North Canton, Ohio 44720

Phone: 800.831.3972 ext. 118 Editor ext. 105 Graphic Designer ext. 119 Subscriptions

Web site: www.eocumc.com

East Ohio Joining Hands USPS (005-882) is published quarterly by the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church, Office of Communications, 8800 Cleveland Ave. N.W., North Canton, Ohio 44720. Periodical Postage paid at Canton, Ohio.

Postmaster: Send address corrections to:East Ohio Joining Hands8800 Cleveland Ave. N.W.North Canton, Ohio 44720

2 east ohio joining hands D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

“… what we shall be has not yet been revealed.”

With those words from I John 3:2 on the cover, Joining Hands Volume 1, Issue 1 was published in October 2003.

It’sfittingthatweshouldusethosesamewordstosaygoodbye.ThisisthelastissueofJoining Hands. Technology nowmakes it possible for ustohighlight life-changingministriestoawideraudience in a timely, more cost-effectivemanner,thanwecouldadecadeago. Considerhowtheworldhaschangedsincethen. Joining HandsdebutedafewweeksbeforetheFacemashprogramwaswrittenbyHarvardsophomore Mark Zuckerberg. The programwas the predecessor of Facebook, whichwouldlaunchinFebruary2004.Whatbeganas a website for Harvard University studentshas grown to “727million daily active usersonaverageinSeptember2013,”accordingtoFacebook’swebsite. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. The world is full of examples of products and services that began as one thing butmorphedtobecomesomethingtotallydifferent. Take thestoryof thePost-it®Note. Thereusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive thatsticks the colorful notes to almost anythingis the result of a failed experiment. In 1968 Dr. Spencer Silver, a 3M scientist, attemptedto create a super-strong adhesive. What he“invented”wasexactlytheopposite.

The Search Continues

* Rick Wolcott is the Director of Communications for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Jesus is

Calling...

For the next five years he showed hisinvention during seminars at 3M, convincedtherewasausefor it. In1974colleagueArtFry experimented using the adhesive to tryandholdabookmark inplace inhis churchhymnal.Itworkedandtherestishistory. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. GrowingupIlovedreadingthenewspaperwhile I ate breakfast before school. I wouldthen spend part of the day in the library re-searchingtermpaperswithanencyclopedia. I can’t recall the last time I opened an encyclopedia or held a newspaper. Times change. Now the world is at the tips of ourfingersthankstocellphonetechnology. The camera phone is another product that debuted in 2003. Now the pictures we takewith our phones can be sent to friends and family worldwide thanks to mobile internetaccess. In fact, Facebook recently reportedthat 350 million photos are uploaded to the site daily! What we shall be has not yet been revealed. Ourcompetitivespiritkeepsussearchingforthenextbestthing.Thatistrueathome,atwork,inthemarketplace,andinchurch. This issue of Joining Hands celebrates the innovation, creativity, forward movement, and outside-the-box thinking of East Ohio Confer-ence United Methodists.

By Rick Wolcott*

VITAL CONGREGATIONS

CLERGY LAITY

FINANCIAL HUMAN CAPITAL

Our United Methodist Mission is “to make and mature diciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”


east ohio joining hands D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 3

*Excerpted from Bishop John L. Hopkins’ State of the Conference address at Annual Conference 2013. A PowerPoint presentation of this East Ohio Conference Strategic Vision can be found at www.eocumc.com/plan/index.html

Align,

Develop,Inspire,

Transform

To do that, visualize building a pyramid. •First,welayastrongfoundationby

aligningourfinancial,humanandcapital resources.

•Nextwefocusondevelopingtrans-formationalclergyandlayleaders.

•Finally,weinspiregrowthbyincreasingthenumberofvitalcongregations.

Whenwealignresourcestodeveloplead-ers we inspire growth in vital congrega-tions, make disciples and transform theworld.

Align ResourcesTheEastOhioConferenceisaligningfinancialresourcestosupportchurchesthat:

•havedemonstratedspirit-filled,formative ministries.

•arewillingtostartnewwork. •arehelpingotherchurchesbecome

more vital.

TheEastOhioConferenceisaligninghuman resources by:

•appointingmorepastorstobeateam over a cluster of churches, thusprovidingmoreleadershipthan any one church could afford.

•growingpeeraccountabilityofpastorsandchurchesthroughtheuseofcompassgroups.

•encouraginglongerappointmentswhen churches are vital.

TheEastOhioConferenceisaligningcapital resources by:

•creatingmergerstostrengthenour United Methodist presence in communities where other denominationsareclosingchurches.

•lookingforopportunitiesforexistingstrongchurchestoprovideoff-siteworshipandministriesatexistingcongregationsinstrategicareas.

Develop LeadersOurmostimportantassets—ourGod-givenresources—areourspirit-filled,dedicated pastors and church members. To help us form and equip lay leaders for their ministry in the world, the East Ohio Conference is:

•workingonwhatitmeanstobeonechurchwithmorethan750outposts.

•focusingonrecruitingandformingyoungclergyandlayleaderswhoarediscipleswhomakedisciples.

•focusingonpeopleratherthanevents.

Inspire GrowthWedon’tmakedisciples,Godmakesdisciples.ButGodworksthroughus to reach people with the love of Jesus Christ. We need to inspire more congregationstobeonfireforGodinmeetingtheneedsofpeopleintheircommunities. Thisstrategicpyramidappliestotheconference, every district, and each local church in East Ohio.

•Areyourlaymembersclaimingthe ministry of their baptism and makingdisciples?

•Isyourpastorequippinglaityforministry?

•Isyourchurchaligningitsmoney,people,andbuildingforthemissionofdevelopingpeople?

•Isyourchurchmakingdiscipleswhomakedisciples?

eocumc.www.


The new East Ohio Conference website went live in October. Ministry is interactive and so is the new site. The online resource is a teaching and sharing tool with a fresh new look and many distinct and useful features redesigned with the user in mind.

Responsive DesignThe pages adapt to the screen size of the desktop, laptop, tablet orsmartphone used to access the site.

NavigationInformation found scattered across various places before is now avail-ableattheclickofabutton.Thesubjecttabsacrossthetopofthehomepagewerereimagined,eliminatingtheneedforthesubdirecto-ries that populated the previous site.

Newtabsinclude:

Missions •LinksuserstoEastOhio’scommunityandsocialservice

ministries. •ContainstheconferenceDisasterResponsePlan. Advocacy •LinksuserstoEastOhio’shealthandwelfareagencies. Pathways to Ministry •Makesiteasytofindinformationaboutclergyorlayministry. Finance/Benefits •Consolidatesinformationaboutthetreasurer’soffice,health

benefitsandpensions. •Offersthemostup-to-dateinformationontheAffordableCare

Act. • Contains online forms.

Scholarships and Financial AssistanceClicking this button on the lower left side of the home page will revealscholarship,grant,loanandinternshipinformationfromacrossalllevelsoftheChurch.Alsolocatedherearedescriptionsofwhatisavailabletowhom,applicationdeadlines,onlineregistrationformsandagencylinks.

Media Center It’seasierthanevertofindallthattheMediaCenterhastooffer.Justclickon “What’sNewat theMediaCenter”on thebottomof thehomepage.Descriptions of the newest available resources can be found here, as well asthelinktotheonlinecatalogofworship,Sundayschoolandsmallgroupcurriculum.

Quadrennial Theme“Jesus is Calling”isfeaturedonthebannerofeverypage.As the 2012-2016 East Ohio Conference quadrennialtheme, it played a key role in the planning, design andlayout of the new site.

The theme is based on the mission of The United Methodist ChurchtomakeandmaturedisciplesofJesusChristforthe transformation of the world.

“Jesus is Calling Us In” AnnualConference2014willaddresshowwecanidentifypotential new disciples.

“Jesus is Calling Us Up”Annual Conference 2015 will focus on ways we canmotivateandmaturealldisciplesintheirfaithwalks.

“Jesus is Calling Us Out”Annual Conference 2016 will challenge us to transformthe world as the hands and feet of Christ.

5east ohio joining hands D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

com

North Coast

Canal

Tuscarawas

Western Reserve

Firelands

Mid-Ohio

Southern Hills

Three Rivers

Mahoning Valley

Ohio Valley

www.eocumc.comDistricts/ChurchesThenewsitecontainsaninteractivemapofthedistricts.Clickingon the map or on the sidebar will display contact information and thewebsitelinkforthedistrictselected,aswellasalistoflinksfor each church in that district. The information in this database is updated daily. The interactive map can be found on the footer ofeachpageorby clickingon theAboutUs tab justbelow thebanner.

Stay ConnectedUsers canutilizeRSS feeds, e-mail alerts and social networks to stayinformed.AllEastOhionewsstoriesarenowtogetherinoneblog.YoucansignuponthesidebarofanypageonthenewssitetoreceiveanRSSfeedorane-mailalerteachtimeanewstoryisposted.UpdatestotheblogautomaticallyposttoFacebookandTwitter,sharingEastOhiowiththe world. Join the conversation!

We’d like tostayconnected to you too.Youmay leavecomments toanewspostorcontactusonthe“Let’sHearfromYou”page.

CalendarOur lives revolve around our schedules. We could think of nobetter placement for the conference calendar than right in themiddleofthehomepage.TheUpcomingEventssectionprovidesa glimpse ofwhat is taking place across the conference in thenextfewdays.Eachitemonthelisthasalinkthatprovidesallthedetails needed if you plan to attend that event.

Click the linkat thebottomof thesection tobedirected to theconferencecalendar.Thereyouwillfindallmeetingsandactivitiestakingplaceoverthenext12months.

The events listed there have been submitted for inclusion on the calendar.AnyoneinterestedinpostingaUnitedMethodisteventcanclickthelinkintherightcolumnofthepagetobedirectedtothe event submission form.

Eventsonthecalendararecolor-codedbasedupontheevent’shost. The calendar contains a drop down menu that allows users to choose which events are displayed. The directory options are:

• All • AreaCenter • East Ohio Conference • District • Local Church • Jurisdictional/General Church


Considerthis:StatisticsfromtheU.S.CommerceDepartmentshowthatAmericansspentmorethan$250billionlastyearinonlinepurchases. Those shoppers say using the internet saves time,allowing them to compare items side-by-sideon their computer

screenwithouthavingtodrivefromstoretostore. Morethanthree-quartersofAmericansusetheinternet.Shoppingisn’ttheonlyactivitythathasbeentransformedbytheWorldWideWeb.Theclickofamousehasreplacedlearningaboutapotentialnewchurchthroughface-to-faceinteractionswiththecongregationanditspastor. Fora local church tobediscoveredbyseekers, itmustbewhere thepeople are – online. The church website is now the first impression acongregation will make on potential visitors. That’s important becauseifpeopledon’tvisit theyarenotgoing tobecomeactive in the lifeof thatchurch.

For websites to be effective they must be:

• Current–TheChurchisinthemidstofAdvent.Nowisnotthetimetobepromotingthenewfallschedule.

• Visual – If a picture is worth a thousand words, don’t use the church website to write about your great worship service, show the service!Don’t write about mission outreach, post video clips of the church activelyservingthecommunity.

Achurchwebsiteshouldbeapriorityandnotanafterthought. Ifyourchurchinveststimeinschedulinggreeterstowelcomepeopletoworship,itshouldalsoinvestinhavingawebsitethatwelcomesonlinevisitors. Ifyourchurchislookingtostartawebsiteorifitcurrentlyhasonethatis outdatedanddue for a redesign, theEastOhioCommunicationsofficeis here to help. Conference web designer Sue Zakovec conducts hands-onworkshops that illustrate theeaseandcost-effectivenessofcreatingawebsiteusingWordPress.Theworkshops,heldattheAreaCenter,arefreeofcost.ThedatesandtimesofeachsessionareannouncedinE-News.

UNITED METHODIST COMMUNICATIONS now offerswebhostingforUnitedMethodistChurchesandministriesatwww.umcchurches.org. Users can choose from three different levels of service:

Level 1 • Providesawebaddressforyour

church’sFind-A-Churchprofile,suchas www.yourumc.umcchurches.org orwww.yourumc.org.

• Offers instant setup. • Non-customizeddomainnamesarefree

ofcharge.

Level 2 • Upgradestoastand-alonewebsitebuilt

ontheWordPressengine. • umcchurches.orgsub-domainaddresses

are available or a domain can be purchased or transferred for use.

• Churches are able to choose from templatedesigns,bothUMC-branded andothersthatcanbeconfiguredwith the church’s brand.

• FeaturesseveraleasywaystopullUMC-sponsored content from sources such as theUMNewsService.

• Includesuptofivee-mailaccountsandprovides2GBofstorage.

• Costs$5permonth,notincludingadiscount that is available with annual or semi-annualbilling.

Level 3 • BuiltontheWordPressengineandalso

allows access to all its features. • umcchurches.orgsub-domainaddresses

are available or a domain can be purchased or transferred for use.

• OffersthesametemplatedesignsasLevel2butchurchescanalsobringinanyotherWordPressThemesorhaveacustomdesignbuiltforuseontheirsite.

• In addition to the UMC content available inLevel2churchescanbringinanyWordPressplug-inforaddedfunctionalityon their site.

• Includesupto30e-mailaccountsandprovides5GBofstorage.

• Costs$19permonth,notincludingadiscount that is available with annual or semi-annualbilling.

A Window for the World

By Rick Wolcott*

People see us before we see them. That is why it is more important than ever that

local churches have a website. Why? Web Hosting



Delegates to Annual Conference 2013 approvedchangestothestructureoftheboardofcommuni-cations. The changes had been recommended byConferenceDirector of CommunicationsRickWol-cott and endorsed by the Leadership Committee priortotheAnnualConferencevote. Under the new configuration, boardmemberswillbefacilitators,insteadofdoers–therolegiventhemin2008,whentheboardwaslastreorganized.Thatyear,AnnualConferenceincreasedthesizeofthe board of communications from 17 membersto24.Thosemembersweredividedintofourtaskgroups:Technology,AnnualConferenceFacilitation,Writers/Photographers,andTrainers. The vote at Annual Conference in Junereduced the size of the board to 18 members.The chairperson will coordinate the efforts of the members, ten of whom will function as district communicators. These individuals will inform the conference communications office of events andhuman-interest stories within their respectivedistricts. The district communicators will work withWolcott to recruit volunteers to cover the events he can’t attend. Individuals across the conference will beable to lend their talents towritearticles, takephotos, shoot and edit video stories, and post to social media. East Ohio is blessed to have many talented individuals in its midst, many of whom aren’t available to serve on committees but still want to beinvolvedinbuildingtheKingdom.Re-imaginingtheboardofcommunicationsmakesitpossibletoinvolve more people and share more stories, across moreformats,ofthelife-changingpowersofJesusChrist.

In an effort to keep East Ohio Conference United MethodistChurches compliant with copyright law, the conference hasagreements with Christian Copyright Licensing International(CCLI) and with Church Video Licensing International (CVLI).The discounted cost for these two licenses is calculated into apportionment bills.

CCLI •EachEOCchurchhasitsown,uniqueChurchCopyrightLicense

number. •Thelicensegivesthechurchlegalauthorizationtocopyfrom

morethan300,000approvedsongsforcongregationaluse. • Churches may distribute photocopies of lyrics and/or display

thelyricsonprojectionscreens. •WhendoingsotheCCLInumbershouldbe listedalongwith

thetitleof thesong, thewriter, the lyricist,andtheyear thesongwascopyrighted.

• Covers only services held within the four walls of the church building.

CVLI • Every EOC church has the same Church Video License number. •This license provides legal coverage to publicly show pre-

approved motion pictures and other audiovisual programsintended for personal, private use.

• Movies must be shown within the four walls of the church building.

Many churches now post video of their services online. Because live streaming and podcasting over the internet are recognizedas “broadcast performances,” neither is covered by the religiousservicesperformanceexemptionwritten into theCopyrightLawofTheUnitedStates. Tolivestreamorpodcastlegally,churchesmusteitherpurchasewebcasting licenses from each of the three major performancerightssocieties (ASCAP,BMIandSESAC)orbuyaCCLIStreamingandPodcastingLicense.

CCLI STREAMING AND PODCASTING •Allowschurchestolegallyincludecopyrightedsongsfroman

approvedlistofmorethan300,000songsinawebcastoravideo posted to the church website.

•Doesnotcoveruseofprerecordedaccompanimenttracks. •Thecostofthelicenseisbaseduponthesizeofthe

purchasingchurch’smembershipandisthesoleresponsibilityofthepurchasingchurch.

Copyright Compliance

REstRuctuRing tHE BOaRd


fast and lunch tomore than 400 kids dur-ing the holiday break. We collaborated onleadership trainings, coordinated coopera-tive Bible studies, and donated money from our respective Christmas offerings to helprebuildtwoplaygrounds. Continuing the partnershipwould haveledtoamergerofthechurchesandtheclos-ing of the South Euclid building. South Eu-clid-HillcrestUMChadbecomeanimportantpresenceinthecommunitythroughitslocalfarmersmarketandparticipationincommu-nity events and services. The congregationfeltthatclosingwouldnotfulfilthevisionthatGodhadgivenforthischurch. We turned our focus in a different direc-tion and began conversations to develop apartnership with GarfieldMemorial UnitedMethodist Church (North Coast District) inPepperPike.LikeMayfieldUMC,itisachurchwith many resources that is focused on draw-ingfromadiversepopulationtoreachyoung-er and unchurched families. AsGodwouldhaveit,GarfieldMemorial

UMCwas feelingcalled tocreateasatellitecampusintheHillcrestarea.Duringconver-sations we discovered a common vision. The congregations began by sharingmealstogether,whichthenledtoSouthEu-clidUMCjoininginworshipatGarfieldUMC.Changeisnevereasybutitwasnecessary. I feel like God has donemighty thingsin this churchby opening hearts to receiveGod’slove.Thecongregationturneditsfocusoutward into the community, offering JesusChrist in word, action and mission. The church is now positioned and ready to embrace the opportunity to expand the call to make disciples for Jesus Christ innew ways. The process, which had begunin the fall of 2012, became official inMay2013 when the congregation voted to be-come“OneChurchinTwoLocations.”

taneously video recorded and uploaded to Boxcast, a special computer created by a Cleveland company that sends video from a camera to the cloud. There it is formatted to be broadcast to any online device. The tech team at the SouthEuclid location thenuses a tablet toplayback thesermonona largevideowallduringthe11:15a.m.Mosaicservice. “Thesystemhasworkedfairlywell,”saidBerkey,whoisalwaysreadytopreachifanyhiccupsoccurinthestill-developingsystem.“We’vehadacoupleofchallengesbutevery-thingnewdoes.” “It’s exciting to try new ministry,” saidCheri Shumaker a member of the GarfieldMemorial UMC Radical Hospitality team.“Nateisagreatpreachersoweareingoodhandsifthesimulcastdoesn’twork.” The technology allows Freed to preachexactly the same 30-minute message in

two different locations in little more than an hour’s time. It’s the content that matters. Freed told his congregation during a recent sermon,“everything you need is in you. The life ofGodisinyou.ThisisthemessageClevelandneedstohear.” “There has been some kickbackfrom people about not having the sermonpreached live in the building but it’s beenmostly well-received,” Berkey said. “It’s an-otherwaytoreachintothecommunity.” Boxcast offers the ability to view record-ingsondemand.Thechurchwouldeventu-allyliketosende-mailinvitationstopeople.Clickingontheinvitationwouldallowthemtoview the sermons on demand from the com-fort of their homes. “I’vealwayssaidweneedtobeBiblicallysoundandculturallyrelevant,”saidFreed.

*Rev. Liz Nau served South Euclid-Hillcrest United Methodist Church from 2009-2013. She is currently in her 1st year as pastor at North Royalton United Methodist Church.

Jesus is

Calling...

Embracing the Future

One Church … Two LocationsBy Rick Wolcott

In September Garfield Memorial UnitedMethodist Church (North Coast District) inPepper Pike launched a satellite service inSouthEuclid. Two services are held each Sunday inthehomeoftheformerSouthEuclid-HillcrestUnitedMethodistChurch.Thecongregationof thatchurchvoted tomergewithGarfieldMemorial UMC (see above). Location pastor Nate Berkey preaches,and the chancel choir sings at the 9 a.m.Heritageservice.At11:15a.m.,MosaicisamulticulturalpraiseservicefeaturingabandandanEastOhioConferencefirst–asimul-castsermon(seeoppositepage). Here’s how it works: Rev. Chip Freedpreaches the sermon live and in person dur-ing the 10:30 a.m. Mosaic service that isheldat thePepperPike locationofGarfieldMemorial UMC. Freed’s sermon is simul-

By Rev. Liz Nau*

FromthebeginningofmytimeaspastorofSouth Euclid-Hillcrest United Methodist Church (NorthCoastDistrict),weworkedtocultivate a sense of connection and coopera-tion with other United Methodist churches in theHillcrestareaeastofCleveland. Weworkedtomeettheneedsofthecommunity,whileprovidingdiscipleshipopportunitiestoour church family and others. Asmembershipdecreased,dueprimar-ilytodeathandtojobrelocation,weworkedfor the past year and a half to create a part-nership with another church to allow a contin-ued UMC presence in the community. It was achoicetobeproactive,recognizingthatthetimewouldcomewhenSouthEuclid-HillcrestUMCwouldno longerbeabletoserveasastand-alonechurch. WefirstpartneredwithMayfieldUnitedMethodist Church (Western Reserve Dis-trict), thechurchtotheeastoftheHillcrestarea. Together we adopted an elementaryschool in SouthEuclid andprovidedbreak-

east ohio joining hands D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 9

Jacquelyn and her son, William, came to the launch and

carnival and had a blast. A few weeks later she shared about how hard

it had been to find a church with great kids’ stuff happening. She said

William loved his time in KidsSpace and she loved the Mosaic worship

experience. They have made the South Euclid location their home

church and Jacquelyn is looking to be baptized at our first baptism

service.

Rosie came a few weeks ago between services. A neighbor

that doesn’t even go to church told her that there was a new

church here so she wanted to see for herself. She used to work in

the preschool in the building and she would sometimes go to the

sanctuary on her breaks to spend time with God but didn’t quite

feel a connection. When she walked into the Worship Center that

first Sunday she immediately said, “This church is alive! It feels like

a living church.”

Meg and her kids had been coming to farmers market all

summer and she was intrigued by what she saw and heard. She

said her husband John identified himself as a “recovering Catholic”

and that he wouldn’t go to church. After many invitations they

decided to come to the launch and the carnival that followed. After

the service, John shared that he “had never seen that many people

excited to be in church.” He couldn’t wait to come back. He and

Meg have been attending ever since.


Summer in Northeast Ohio is al-ways unpredictable. Blue skiesand bright sunshine quickly canturn to rain. What can be an irri-

tanttous–cancelingouroutdoorplans–isalife-givingresourcefortheearth. We experienced that firsthand whena powerful storm hit East Ohio on July 11. Allcampersweresafeandcaredforbythestaffs at each site, who worked the planthey have been trained to execute. Camp Aldersgate and Camp Asburylost power for periods of time and sustained downed limbs and localized flooding. AtCamp Wanake, cabins, not in use at thetime,weredamagedbyfallingtrees. Volunteers from across the conference descended on Camp Wanake the nextday, a Saturday, to clean up the debris.Accompanying his family to assist in anyway he could was 10-year-old Nolan. HisweekofcampwassettobeginonSundayand he wanted tomake sure the sessionwould be held. Nolanhadattendedcampforthefirsttime the summer before and had waited almosta year for theopportunity tomakenewmemories.Thankstohisefforts,andthose of the other volunteers, the next camp sessionproceededasplannedonSunday. Summer camp is verymuch like pre-dicting the weather. Despite countlesshours of preparation by dedicated profes-sionals,forecastingisstillnotanexactsci-ence.Ofcourse,alltheworkputintoplan-ningthesummercampscheduleisworthit. That’s because camp changes thelives of those who attend Camp Aldersgate, Camp Asbury, Camp Wanake, CYF, Reach

Summer Camp 2013Out and Lakeside Institute. Every camper leaves with a story to tell about new or renewed friendships, fun, and most importantly, a celebration of their walkwithGod.Forsome,theirfaithjourneybegan this summer. For others, campofferedachancetofindtheirwaybackonthe path. Summer Camp2013 offered reasonsto celebrate. Thanks to your generousap-portionment-giving,toendowmentincome,andtofinancialgifts,wewereabletograntmorethan$30,000incamperships.Thankyou for your support! Summer Camp2013 offered reasonsto question. What can we each do to help promote all that camp has to offer? Thissummer saw 2,014 youth attend one of the EastOhioCamps.Itisthefourthtimeinfiveyears that there was a decline in campers from the previous year. Numbers are not the end-all-be-allbut they are a way to measure ourselves. What’s truly important, however, are the lessons learned from the stories behind the numbers. The best way to increase camp enrollment is also the best way to increase churchinvolvement–talkingaboutwhyitisimportant to us. Statisticsnevertellthewholestorybutmore youth attending camp means morepeople telling the life-changing story ofJesus Christ.

By Rev. Gary Jones*

*Rev. Gary Jones is Director of Camps and Retreat Ministries for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.

“How can I promote camps in my local church?”

HOLD A CAMP SUNDAy: Decorate the sanctuary with canoes, sleepingbags,andcampingsuppliesandusetheservicetopromoteSummerCamp to children and youth.

INVITE A GUEST SPEAkER: AskapastcampertosharetheirstoryorcallGaryintheEOCCampsoffice(1-800-831-3972ext.120)foraspeakertoshareaboutourcampingministryandretreatfacilities.Speakersaregreatforworship,Sundayschool,youthgroups,churchdinners,orafter-schoolprograms.

DISPLAy THE SUMMER CAMP 2014 BROCHURE: CallMargaretintheEOCCampsoffice(1-800-831-3972ext.108)torequestasmany brochures as you need. They will bemailedfreeofchargetoyourchurch.

CELEBRATE CAMPERS FROM yOUR CHURCH: List their names in the bulletin or news-letterandencouragethecongregationtoprayforthesecampers.Seeingthenames of their friends may prompt oth-erstowanttogotocamptoo.

WRITE TO CAMPERS FROM yOUR CHURCH: Campersliketoreceivemail.Organizealetter-writingcampaignsocampersfeel connected while they are away from church.

PRAy FOR OUR SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM: Afewminuteseachdaygoesalongway.

Visit the EOC Camps and Retreat Minis-trieswebsite(www.EOCSummercamps.org/resources.html)foradditional resources.

denverJesus is Calling ...

Exploring Their Call


East Ohio was well-represented in Denver, Colo. lastmonth when more than 400 young adults ages 18to 26 gathered for Exploration 2013. The weekendconference gave participants the opportunity to hear,

discern and respond to God’s call to ordained ministry. It allowedthemtoexploretheirgiftsforserviceasadeaconoranelder in The United Methodist Church. Exploration was designed as a way to increase thenumberofyoungadultclergyinthedenomination.Meaningfulfellowship, passionate worship and theological reflection arekeyelementsofthebiannualeventsponsoredbytheGeneralBoardofHigherEducationandMinistry. Nine young adults from East Ohio gathered with theirmentorsatHopkins InternationalAirportonNov.15 tobegintheirjourney. “Idon’tknowwhattoexpectbutIamexcitedtomeetnewpeopleandlearnnewthings,”saidAdrianneNolan,afreshmanat Malone University and a member of the United Methodist Church of Berea(NorthCoastDistrict). This year’s theme, “Gatheron the Journey,” emphasizedthat the call to ministry is not an individual activity but rather onethatrequirescultivatingateamofcompanions. Rev. Tim Morrison, associate pastor at Elyria First United Methodist Church (North Coast District), recognizes theimportanceofworkinginministryteams.Heplannedtomodelthatfortheyoungparticipantsduringtheirweekendtogether. “Formeit’saboutspendingtimewiththeseguys,getting

toknowthemandlearningtheirfaithstories,andtalkingaboutthewaysGodiscallingthem,”Morrisonsaid.Hewasco-leaderfor the trip with his wife Lisa, the associate pastor at Lorain Lighthouse United Methodist Church (Firelands District). Someonthetripwerejustbeginningtosortouttheircall. “God has been doing some crazy things on my heartlately,” saidRyanCockril,amemberofChurch of the Lakes United Methodist Church(TuscarawasDistrict).“Iheardaboutthis opportunity, prayed about it and decided I needed to follow myheartandseewhatitisabout.” Others,likeJakeHeskett,havealreadybeguntheirministrybut understand there is a long road yet to travel. He is alicensedlocalpastorservingbothWinterset United Methodist Church and Antrim United Methodist Church(SouthernHillsDistrict),nearCambridge. “I’m looking forward to the leadership session,” Heskettsaid. “Thecongregations I servearegreatbut I amonly20yearsoldsoIdon’thaveallthelifeexperienceofolderpastors.” Church leaders from across the denomination led the worship and workshops at Exploration 2013. They includedtheRev.JorgeAcevedo,Dr.BethLaRocca-Pitts,BishopsCynthiaFierroHarveyandElaineStanovsky,andyoungchurchplanterandpastortheRev.EricHuffman. It’s never too late to answer your call. Planning is nowunderway for Exploration 2015.

By Rick Wolcott

12 east ohio joining hands W I N T E R 2 0 1 3


There is power in connection. Working together. Sharingthe load. Reaching farther.Changinglives.

I was taught to lead by example.Don’ttellpeoplewhattodo.Showthemby the way in which you live your life. ThatconceptofmodelingforotherswasonfulldisplayNov.5inWorthington. BishopsGregory V. Palmer, of OhioAreaWest,andJohnL.Hopkins,ofOhioArea East, convened a jointmeeting oftheir extended cabinets. It was a day of fellowship, friendship, and unity. “As the saying goes, ‘we are bettertogether,’” Palmer said. “We share somany issues and opportunities, why not studyandlearnfromeachother?” The day began with worship andcommunion in the West Ohio Conference Center.Theremainderofthemorningwasspent with members of each extended cabinet highlighting the ministriesand initiatives that are shaping theirrespective conferences. “The quality of leadership of bothcabinets feed off each other as we study

The Connection at WorkBy Rick Wolcott

best practices and work together as ateam,”Hopkinssaid. Theenergyintheroomwaspalpableas examples of successes, and the lessons learned from well-intentionedmissteps,weresharedamongcolleaguesin Christ. “Iseehopebecauseweareworkingtogether to understand the Spirit,” saidthe Rev. Steve Court, dean of the EastOhio cabinet. The morning business sessionadjourned from theconference room tointimatetablesforlunch.Nohighschoolcliqueshere.Noboundariesdrawn.Theairwasfilledwithstoriesandlaughterasfollowers of Christ fellowshipped with one another. While the morning focused on thehere and now, the afternoon was devoted to the future. ThelatestPewResearchCenterpollshows that “one-fifth of the U.S. public– and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today.” That isthehighestpercentageever. Inorder toeffectively reach those individuals it’s important for leaders at all levels of the

Churchtohaveaplanandbewell-trainedinexecutingit. The topic on this day focused on clergy leadership. The two cabinetscollaborated on the best methods for recruitment, deployment and supervision ofclergy. “There’sapowerofcollegiality thatcomesfromdayslikethisthatshepherdsusandtakesustoahigherreality,”saidtheRev.MarcusAtha,deanoftheWestOhiocabinet.“Itgivesusanopportunityto relate, connect and discuss best practices,whiledeepeningrelationshipsformore effectively reaching people forJesusChrist.” Fear of the unknown has stoppedeach of us from trying something newat some point in our lives. On this day, leadership from two conferences came together to model the benefit ofcollaboration. We all have the same mission, to make and mature disciples of JesusChrist for the transformation of the world. We can each choose to do it alone, but there is power in connection.


The 2016 General Conference inPortland,Ore.,willhaveabout15per-centfewerdelegatesthanrecentgather-ings of The United Methodist Church’stoplawmakingbodyhavehad. The Commission on the 2016 Gen-eral Conference on Oct. 18, voted 14 to 2 tosetthetargetnumberofdelegatesat850. General Conference, which meets for nearly two weeks every four years,has lawmaking authority “over all mat-tersdistinctly connectional.”Halfof thedelegatesare lay,andhalfareclergy. Itistheonlybodythatcanofficiallyspeakfortheglobaldenominationofabout12millionprofessingmembers. Since the merger that created TheUnited Methodist Church in 1968, the number of delegates at each GeneralConference has remained closer to 1,000. The reduction will save the church around$600,000,SaraHotchkiss,Gen-eralConferencebusinessmanager, toldthe commission. Before the vote, the pro-jectedcostsforthe2016GeneralConfer-enceweremorethan$10million. More significantly, the reduction indelegatesbegins to smooth theway forThe United Methodist Church to hold its firstGeneral Conference outside theUnitedStates,saidtheRev.L.FitzgeraldReist II, the General Conference secre-tary. That move could happen as early as 2024. “Atthepresenttime,thereisnoonewillingtohostusbecauseofwhat is in-volved in moving General Conferenceoutside the United States,” he told thecommission. “One of the changes thatwill probably need to be made is in the sizeofthedelegation.Ithinkitwouldbea mistake to move outside the United

Statesandreducethesizeofthedelega-tionatthesametime.” The commission’s vote came after hours of discussion that touched on stew-ardship of the denomination’s resources, the need for adequate representation and the balance of power in the denomi-nation. The denomination’s constitution setsarangeof600to1,000delegatesand a ratio for representation based on an annual conference’s membership. Each annual and missionary conference is allowed to send at least one lay and oneclergydelegate.Annualconferenceselecttheirdelegates. The 2012 General Conference had 988delegatesfromaroundtheglobe.Itcostabout$8.4million. Hotchkiss pointed out that somefixedcostsforGeneralConferencewouldremain or increase no matter how steep-ly the number of delegates decreased.Such costs include interpreters in mul-tiple languages. For example, the2012General Conference voted to require that starting in 2016, General Conferencematerials must now be translated into Kiswahili. Based on the membership numbers used for the 2012 General Conference, no U.S. jurisdiction would lose or gainmore than about 1 percent of its repre-sentation at the 2016 General Confer-ence, said commission member Steph-anie Deckard Henry, a member of theUpperNewYorkConference.Alsobasedonthefiguresforthe2012GeneralCon-ference, U.S. delegates still would com-prise nearly 60 percent. Reist did note that a reduction in del-egation sizewould increase the propor-tionate representation of smaller annual conferences as well as the central con- Photo Courtesy of the Oregon Convention Center.

ferences — church areas in Africa, Asiaand Europe. Initially, the commission considered a motion to reduce the number of del-egates to750.Butultimately theboardapproved an amendment to increase that number to 850. “This was a compromise,” said theRev. Diane Wasson Eberhart, the com-mission member who proposed the amendment.“IwasonthefenceabouttheissuebecauseIfeelstronglythatwehave a lot of voices that need to be heard, butIalsofeelstronglythatweneedacul-tureofchange. Ifwedothesamethingoverandoveragain,we’llget thesameresults.” AnumberofUnitedMethodistshavedenounced the 2012 gathering as the“do-nothing” General Conference. TheJudicial Council — the denomination’s top court — overturned an effort to re-structure the church’s general agen-cies and overturned other legislationto eliminate guaranteed security of ap-pointments for ordained elders in goodstanding.ThewiderGeneralConferenceran out of time before it could consider a numberofpetitionsapprovedbylegisla-tive committees. Somecommissionersexpressedthehope that a smaller General Conference alsomightincreasetheefficiencyinhan-dlingpetitions. The East Ohio Conference will be representedby12delegates(6clergy,6lay) at General Conference 2016, down from 14 delegates at General Confer-ence2012. Abreakdownofdelegationsizes can be viewed at www.umc.org/gc2016delegatecount.*Heather Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service.

Fewer Delegates to 2016 General Conference

By Heather Hahn*


The congregation of Somerton United Methodist Church(SouthernHillsDistrict)losttheroofofitsbuildingduringastormin

thesummerof2012.Thebuilding,constructedin1873,hadtobetorndown. Sincethen,membershavebeenworshippingat their sister church, Jerusalem United Methodist.OnNov.3SomertonUMCreturnedtotown for a special service. Ninety people attended worship in theSomerton Volunteer Fire Department firehouse.Followingtheserviceaground-breakingceremonywasheldforthenewSomertonUMC. “It is a pleasure to see the church comingtogethertoworshipandbreakgroundbackhomeinSomerton,”saidpastorJeanCooper.“Thehugeoutpouringofsupportthroughthepastyearandahalfof fund-raisinganddreaming isevidencethatthesurroundingcommunitywantsSomertonUMCtoagainbeavisiblepresenceinthistown.” “Itisasigntomethatwearegoingforthwithreturning to a community inwhichmany of ourmembers have established deep roots and raised ourfamilies,”saidlayspeakerChristyGoodhart.“Itgivesmeasenseofhomecoming.” Thecongregationwillcontinuetomeetinthefirehouse until construction is complete on thenewchurchbuilding.Additionalfundsstillneedtoberaisedsoitisunknownwhenchurchmemberswill be able to move into their new permanent home. “We have always been known as the ‘redbrick church’ and the folks of Somerton areexcited and eagerly awaiting its return,” saidGoodhart.

On Sunday, Oct.27, the congregation of Middlefield UnitedMethodist Church (Western Reserve District) dedicated 15 acres of land, which will be the new site for the church. In 2009, the congregation began to feel a nudge that

Godwascallingittodosomething.Membersrecognizedthatthepresentfacilitywaslimitingtheabilitytoexpandcurrent,andinitiatenew,ministries.Buildinganadditiontothecurrentfacilitywasnotpossible,sothesearchforanewlocationbegan. Thesitewherethenewchurchwillbebuiltiswithinwalkingdistanceforallstudentsinthelocalschoolsystem.ItisalsoadjacenttooneofthemostidentifiablelandmarksinGeaugaCounty–MaryYoder’sRestaurant. On the day of dedication, the cross led theway as the congregationprocessedfromthecurrentbuildingthroughthecenterofMiddlefieldtothenewsite.ThecrosswasplacedinthesoilandthegroundwasconsecratedtothegloryofGod. Constructiononthebuildingisyettobescheduled.Inthemeantime,the land will serve as the site for new ministries. Current possibilities beingconsideredareanoff-siteworshipservice,acommunitygarden,andrecreationfields.

Land of OpportunityBy Rev. Ed Peterson*

*Rev. Ed Peterson is in his 9th year as pastor of Middlefield United Methodist Church.

Coming Home



*Rick Wolcott is the Director of Communications for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Thefirstversesaysitall:

The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.

SomertonUMClost itsbuildingbut itsministries continue, as do those at Middle-field UMC while the congregation makesplans to build on a new site. Our church buildings across the con-ference are visual reminders to community members of the ministries we carry out. But the church is not thosebuildings, it is thepeople. We live in a visual world. I remember a television commercial from my early childhood. It featured the 1974CarlySimonsong“Anticipation.” The image of the thickHeinz ketchupmoving ever-so-closer to exiting the glassbottle is etched in my memory. Fast forward to 1983 – emphasis on theword“fast.” Thatyear,Heinzintroducedthesqueezebottle.Nomoreanticipation.Thecompanywasadaptingthedeliverysystemofitsprod-uct to meet the demands of a society that didn’t want to wait. That was 40 years ago! Before cell-phones and the World Wide Web. The pace oflifehasonlyintensifiedsincethen. What’s important to point out is that Heinzdidn’tchangetheproduct.Theketch-up stayed the same. But now consumers had a choice. They could buy it in the same clear glass bottle that was introduced in1890orinthenewplasticsqueezebottle. Today, there are more choices still – for ketchupandforchurch. Our mission as United Methodists, to makeandmaturedisciplesofJesusChristfor the transformation of the world, hasn’t changed. WhatischangingacrossEastOhioandthe rest of the denomination is the deliv-

Stepping Into the Future

By Rick Wolcott

TheWinter2011issueofJoiningHandswasmyfirstasconferencedirector of communications. On page 2 of that issue we printed the lyrics of the 1972 Richard k. Avery and Donald S. March hymn, “We Are the Church.”

erysystemforspreadingthemessagethatChristdiedsothatwemightlive.Wearemovingfromtellingthestoryin-sidethesanctuaryonSundaymorningtoliv-ingitdailyinthecommunity.Indoingsoweareofferingmorewaysinwhichpeoplecanconnect with the church. Websites,Facebookpages,textmessag-es, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and YouTubearejustafewexamplesofwaysinwhichwearetellingthestoriesofJesus. Inmy first article in thatWinter 2011issueIchallengedeachofus“toleaveourpersonal comfort zones” when spreadingthe love of God. Joining Hands has become comfort-able. The stories are relevant but the deliv-erysystemneedsupdating. Conversations with conference lead-ersconfirmedtheyprefer thequicker turn-around time and larger audience offeredbytheInternet.Publishingstoriesonlineasthey happen increases their impact across theconference,asopposedtowaitingthreeor more months to print them in the next is-sueofthemagazine. Themoneyspentprintingfourissuesayearcanbebetterutilizedproducingvideostories that can be posted to the confer-enceYouTubepage.It’sunlikelythatJoining Handsarticlesarereadaloudduringawor-ship service or small group gathering. Butimagine the impactof showinga3-minutevideo story. A lotof timeanddiscussionwent intomakingthedecisionthatthisisthelastreg-ular issue of Joining Hands. Aswepreparetomoveforward,Iwanttoacknowledgeeveryonewhobroughtustothis point. Joining Hands has been blessed by talented writers these past 10 years, and even more importantly, by passionate individualswhosharedtheirstories.Thankyou for your ministries! May you continue to beablessing toothersbybeing the livinghands and feet of Jesus Christ.



“By this all people will

know that you are my

disciples, if you have

love for one another.”

-John 13:35 (ESV)

YouthfromacrossEastOhiogatheredinColumbus Nov.16-17forProject 13:35. Smallgroupdiscussions,

speakerCurtisZachery,NewZealandmusicgroupRaptureRuckus,andworshipreinforcedthemessagefoundintheBookofJohn.

DiscipleshipwillbethefocusofYouthAnnualConference2014.ThethemefortheJune13-15eventheldatLakesideis “Navigate.”

Joining Hands Magazine

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