Footnotes from the
Foothills March 2016
Inside this issue:
Leadership Training
Day-March 12
2
Stewardship & En-
dowment Work-
shops Available
Bridges Out of
Poverty Event
3
Clergy Retreat
Information
4
Sprint District
Conference
VBS Items Avail-
able
Tri for Camp Ot-
terbein
5
UMW Spring Day
Apart and Mission
U 2016
6
Bremen UMC
Baked Steak Sup-
per
SOWER Project
7
Advance Special
Applications Avail-
able
Camp Registration
Open!
8
100% Congrega-
tions
9
Prayer Concerns
Job Posting—Camp
Otterbein
10
Foothills District UMC
From the Desk of the DS Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Last Sunday, I preached at Stockport United Methodist at the dedication of their new Community Youth Center. I opened with this story: An elementary school teacher was teaching about various religions and she invited her students to bring in symbols of their religious heritage for Show & Tell. Little Benjamin shared first. He said, “I’m Jew-ish, and this is a Menorah. We light candles on it to celebrate Hanukkah.” Next little Mary said, “I’m Roman Catholic, and this is a rosary. We hold these prayer beads in our hands and use them to help us pray.” Following Mary was little Johnny. He said, “I’m Southern Baptist, and this is a Bible, I read it and memorize scripture verses.” Finally, it was little Charlie’s turn. With great enthusiasm he spoke up and said, “I’m United Methodist, and this is a casserole…” Ha!
Following my sermon and service of dedication, the fine folks of Stockport served an incredible feast! We United Methodists love our food, friends, and fellowship!
No doubt we United Methodists have our shortcomings. However, there are also ar-eas in which we continue to lead the way among religious groups. One of those areas is eating! Another of those areas is a love for learning and education! Did you know that the United Methodist Church has more formal educational institutions than any other Protestant denomination? Today there are 123 educational institutions related to the United Methodist Church – 100 colleges and universities, 13 theological semi-naries and 10 pre-collegiate schools. The reason for this is that John Wesley believed education was the key to a fuller, richer life. One writer has said of Wesley, ‘knowledge for him was not so much a purely intellectual attribute but rather a chan-nel of self-understanding which is crucial for salvation.’”
Here in the Foothills District, we desire to offer opportunities to learn and grow. On Saturday, March 12th, I encourage you to attend our Leadership Training Day at Roll-ing Plains Church in South Zanesville. We will have a chance to receive impactful in-sights and valuable resources to rekindle our vision for ministry. Our featured speaker for the event will be Rev. Dr. Joseph Bishman, the former Superintendent of the Shawnee Valley District. His topic will be: “Moving Mountains: One Shovel, One Bas-ket, One Cart at a Time”. In addition, several relevant workshops will be offered. The morning promises to be well worth your time investment. Please see information in this newsletter or register online at: www.foothillsdistrict.org
So let us throw a casserole in the oven and make our way to the Leadership Training Day where we can learn how to, in the words of Jesus, “give them something to eat!” Dennis
Page 2 Footnotes from the Foothills
Our Featured Speaker
Rev. Dr. Joseph Bishman
Former Superintendent of the
Shawnee Valley District
“Moving Mountains: One Shovel,
One Basket, One Cart at a Time”
Schedule for the Day
9:00 am Gathering - Coffee & Fellowship
9:15 am Opening Worship
9:45 am Plenary Teaching Session
10:45 am Break
11:00 am Breakout Sessions & Workshops
12:30 pm Home to our Mission Fields
Foothills District Leadership Training Day Saturday, March 12, 2016 - 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Rolling Plains UMC—3350 Moxahala Park Rd.—Zanesville, Ohio
Registration
The cost is $5.00 per person
Register Online at: http://www.foothillsdistrict.org/district/foothills/event/foothills-district-leadership-training-day
Or send registration to:
Foothills District Office of UMC—PO BOX 67- The Plains, OH 45780
1. Door to Core: Discipleship Pathway Learn practical, realistic methods to increase involve-ment by developing a discipleship pathway in your church. “Door to Core” describes the entire process of connection, assimilation, discipleship, and deployment into service and leadership – from the time a new per-son walks through the door of your church, until that person is deeply mature and committed disciple of Christ. This workshop will cover Guest Readiness, Simple Systems and Catalytic Outreach Events. Led by Mr. Brad Aycock, Director of New Church Development, West Ohio Conference. 2. Effective Small Church Ministry If every Christian is truly a missionary and if every church is truly a mission station, then every community becomes our mission field no matter how large or small it might be. It is not the size of our church that deter-mines how fruitful our ministry can be but rather our willingness to believe God can do wonderful things
through us. You may find yourself doubting the power of a smaller church to be a transforming influence in your community but what if we truly played a strategic role in fulfilling the mission and ministry of Jesus. Smaller churches have a tremen-dous opportunity to connect people to God. Come and discover together how God wants to use the smaller church. Led by Rev. Brent Watson, Shawnee Valley District Superintendent. 3. Ministry Opportunities for Children, Youth & Adults At Our West Ohio Christian Camps & Re-treat Centers When it comes to eating s'mores under starry skies and singing songs around a campfire, little has changed over the years. There's still no place like summer camp! Yet, our West Ohio United Method-ist camps offer so much more! In this is workshop, participants will learn what’s new at our camps for 2016. We will examine ministry and retreat oppor-
Breakout Sessions & Workshops—Choose One of the Following:
Page 3 Footnotes from the Foothills Page 3 Footnotes from the Foothills
The Shawnee Valley District is scheduling two events in the spring that will be held in Jackson and Wellston so that the Foothills District churches may also take advantage of these opportunities.
Stewardship 101 with George Cooper on March 5th will be held at Wesley UMC in Jackson from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Leaving a Legacy- Endowments, Trusts, Estate Planning- with George Cooper and others to be held at Wellston Hope UMC on April 30th from 9:30-1:30 p.m.
It is requested that you RSVP to the Shawnee Valley District for each of these session so that they may have an accurate count for lunch. Please call: 740-851-5243.
Stewardship and Endowment Workshops Coming in Spring
tunities for children, teens, and adults, in addition to information on camp scholarships and summer employ-ment opportunities. Led by Mr. Scott Seese, Director of Camp Otterbein in Logan. 4. Praying the Scriptures Leaders help people find perspective and focus so they can give proper energy to the critical issues of life. We know that the Apostle Paul prayed, but we may not think of his praying in connection to his role as a leader of Christ’s Church. By using Paul’s prayers in Ephesians, this workshop will address how our reading of the Scriptures should give specific shape and guidance to our prayers, both individually and in the body of Christ. As time allows, other Scriptures and their resulting prayers will be reviewed. Led by Rev. Dr. Steve
5. Using Social Media to Further the Mission In this workshop, we will spend the first half of the class talking through a variety of best practices and practical tips for how to get a social media ministry started in your congregation. During the second half, we will have hands-on opportunities to play around, create, and even set up special media accounts that you can begin using today. So if you are able, bring your laptop, iPad, or smart phone! Joe, along with a small team experienced in social media, will be able to answer questions, give advice, and show you how to utilize this powerful tool to further the mission. Led by Rev. Joseph Graves, Associate Pastor of Central Avenue UMC in Athens.
The Beverly UM Church women are sponsoring a workshop entitled "Bridges Out of Poverty". The event will be held on Saturday, March 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the church, located at 700 Park Street, Beverly, Ohio 45715. Lunch will be provided.
The Rev. Dawn Livingston, Deacon and Sherri Buehl, Deaconess Epworth Center will present a comprehensive approach to understanding the dynamics that maintain poverty from the individual and systemic level. Bridges Out of Poverty uses the lens of the economic class to provide employ-ers, community organizations, social agencies and individuals the concrete tools and specific strate-gies to prevent, reduce and alleviate poverty. Bridges Out of Poverty makes a real difference to our local communities. It's not simply some "program", but a way to...
Improve relationships at the individual level Improve outcomes at the organizational level Change systems at the community level
Bridges helps... Prevent poverty Alleviate suffering Support people in transition Eliminate poverty
The cost is $15 for a workbook and the deadline for registration is March 10, 2016. You may e-mail your registration to: [email protected] or mail it to: Beverly UM Church as noted above.
Page 4 Footnotes from the Foothills
Clergy Retreat
We are excited to announce that Dr. Matthew Sleeth, MD will be our speaker for our Foothills District Clergy Retreat at the Burr Oak State Park Confer-ence Center, April 22-23 2016. A former emergency room physician and chief-of-medical staff at a New England hospital, Dr. Sleeth, is now the founder of “Blessed Earth”, a non-profit organization that fo-cuses on creation care. The district has reserved the entire Burr Oak State Park lodge and our retreat theme will be "Sabbath Living", specifically focused on clergy health. Each participate will receive a free copy of Dr. Sleeth’s book, 24/6: A Prescrip-tion for a Healthier, Happier Life. It is our prayer that this retreat will help our Foothills clergy live a more healthy, balanced life. Retreat Schedule
Friday
3:00 pm Check-in—Registration
3:45 pm Opening Worship
4:00 pm Teaching Session 1
5:00 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Group Activity
7:45 pm Teaching Session 2
9:00 pm Break for Evening
Saturday
7:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Teaching Session 3
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Teaching Session 4
12:00 pm Departure
Retreat Costs: Cost includes Friday night lodging, meals (dinner & breakfast), a copy of Dr. Sleeth’s book 24/6, and other ministry expenses. Clergyperson King Room—$125 / with spouse $175 Clergyperson King Suite—$140 / with spouse $190 Commuter option $50 per person (includes dinner & breakfast & ministry expenses.)
Register online at the Foothills District website: www.foothillsdistrict.org or get your registration form from the site, complete and send your check to the Foothills District Office. Make Checks payable to “Foothills Dis-trict UMC” and mail to PO Box 67, The Plains OH 45780-0067
Page 5 Footnotes from the Foothills
Tri For Camp Otterbein
Tri for Camp Otterbein, an inaugural event to raise money for camper scholarships, will be held on Saturday, April 16 at 9:00 a.m. Participants will canoe or kayak 3 miles down the Hocking River from below the Falls Mills site to Route 328, run a 5k to and on the property of Camp Otterbein, and then mountain bike 4 miles on camp property. Registration prices are $60 for individual entry (kayak-run-bike), $110 for a two person team (canoe-run-bike), and $135 for a three person relay team (kayak-run-bike). Online registration can be found at the following link: https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=123715. Register before March 30 at noon to guarantee a t-shirt. For updates, visit the event Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/444935462367935/. Cabin spots will be available for $15 per person and tent camping spaces will be available for $5 per person. Mountain bikes, canoes, and kayaks will also be rented out for $10 each. To reserve accom-modations, a mountain bike, canoe, or kayak, contact Scott Seese at 740-385-5712 or [email protected]. If you have any general questions, contact Jamie Schumacher at [email protected]. We hope to
see you there!
Sunday, May 1—6:00 p.m.
Zanesville Grace UMC—516 Shinnick St.
Mark Your Calendar!
Planning for VBS? New Hope UMC has eleven carpet tubes available if anyone can use them for decorating for VBS. They are 4 inches in diameter by 10-13 feet in length. They make great palm trees! If interested, con-tact Pastor Emory Clark at 740-394-2580.
Page 6 Footnotes from the Foothills
"The Eyes Have It: The Power of Recognition"
Speaker - The Rev. Alethea Botts New Beginnings UM Church in Pomeroy, Ohio
April 9, 2016—10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (registration begins at 9:00 a.m. ) Cost is $10 per person Registration deadline is April 1, 2016 The event will take place at the Hocking Hills UM Church, 66 E. Hunter Street, Logan, Ohio 43138. A mission offering will be taken and program resources and SERRV items will be available. Cash or checks only. For a registration form check with your local UMW unit or contact the Foothills District Office.
United Methodist Women - District Spring Day Apart
From
ONE ancestor,
He made
All the nations
To inhabit The WHOLE
earth.
Page 7 Footnotes from the Foothills
Bremen United Methodist Church Annual Baked Steak Supper
Come share a community tradition, warm, friendly fellowship, and a wonderful baked steak, with mashed potatoes, gravy, succotash and home-made pie (your choice) all for only $9.00!
This annual supper takes place at the Bremen United Methodist Church (205 Walnut Street Bremen Ohio, 43107), on Saturday, March 12th, 2016. The cost is $9.00 for adults, $6.00 for children, and is served home-style or carry-outs are available, from 4:30-7:00 p.m.
To reserve tickets call the church at 740-569-4220, or email Pastor Joe at [email protected] and leave your name, with number of tickets desired. We’ll have your tickets waiting on you at the door, with your name on them.
All proceeds are used directly in the outreach and mission work of the church.
S.O.W.E.R. Sharing Our Witness – Enriching Relationships
Sowing the Seeds of Christian Love in Southeast Kentucky
The SOWER Volunteers In Mission Team is in the planning stages for constructing its 15th home for a family in 2016. The cost of materials to build one of the 28’ x 28’ or 28’ x 32’ houses from the ground up is approximately $43,000 to $47,000. The SOWER VIM Project is in need of both funding to cover material costs and volunteers for the build. The SOWER VIM Leadership Team is request-ing that the churches of West Ohio prayerfully consider supporting this worthwhile project in South-eastern Kentucky financially with a pledge of support as well as providing volunteers to do the actual construction.
Work weeks for the construction have been scheduled for May 8-14, May 15-21, July 10-16, July 17-23, August 14-20, and August 21-27 of 2016.
The registration fee is $250/person and covers food, and lodging at Henderson Settlement. While there is no requirement for volunteers to contribute to the cost of materials, it is suggested that each volunteer or their church contribute $400 to $500 toward the cost of materials. Volunteers without materials to work with are not very effective!
SOWER is a West Ohio Conference VIM project that constructs new housing as part of the Hender-son Settlement work camp program. Henderson Settlement, Frakes, Kentucky, is a component of the Red Bird Missionary Conference providing a multitude of services to southern Bell and Whitley counties in Kentucky and northern Campbell and Claiborne counties in Tennessee. The Work Camp Program, which has approximately 3,000 volunteers each year, is one of the services provided. Work Camp volunteers repair 130 to 150 existing homes each year and have built new houses (32 to date) to raise the quality of life for the owner families in the local area.
If you have questions, please contact the Brandon's as listed below. Please send all pledges and registrations to (checks should be made out to the West Ohio Conference UMC):
Ralph & Carolyn Brandon SOWER VIM Team Leaders 231 McMillen Dr. Newark, Oh 43055 740-344-5581 [email protected]
Page 8 Footnotes from the Foothills
Open to United Methodist ministries that partner with other United Methodist churches and others in their community the WOC-CAS program opens doors to fund raising opportunities to local and re-gional ministries that would otherwise require approval of the Annual Conference session.
Limited to 10 ministries located within the Conference boundaries selected organizations enter into a covenantal relationship with the Annual Conference. As part of that Covenant the door is open to ap-peal to all churches within the Conference.
Giving through the WOC-CAS program the local church has a unique and impactful way to be in min-istry in Ohio with organizations that are making an effective difference for Jesus Christ. Giving churches receive second mile Advance credit for their support of West Ohio Advance Special minis-tries. Like all such Advance credits it does not raise or reduce connectional giving. The Conference provides a specially designed logo and the ministry agrees to promote itself as an approved West Ohio Advance Special rather than as an initiative, affiliate or ministry of the West Ohio Conference.
In addition the Annual Conference publishes ministry provided news stories and provides training and limited consulting services during the year. Current WOC-CAS ministries include: Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, Greater Hilltop Shalom Zone, Horizon Prison Initiative, Kindway, Church and Community Development for All People, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and Wesley Chapel Mission Center. Interested?
More information, including the 2016 Ministry Application is available at: 2016 Conference Advance Special Application. Contact George Cooper at the Council on Development if you have additional questions. Applications must be submitted no later than April 15, 2016.
Application period now open for the West Ohio Conference Advance Special (WOC-CAS) designation
SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
VISIT www.westohiocamps.com FOR MORE INFORMATION and TAKE A LOOK at OUR CAMPING OPPORTUNITIES
SIGN UP YOUR CHILD(REN) TODAY Camp Otterbein ~ Camp Wesley ~ Camp Widewater
Page 9 Footnotes from the Foothills
CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE
FOOTHILLS DISTRICT CONGREGATIONS!
The Foothills District wishes to extend thanks to our 96 congregations that fully paid their 2015 Conference
& District Missional Apportionments! Your generosity is making a difference!
Adelphi UMC
Albany UMC
Alfred UMC
Amesville UMC
Athens Central UMC
Athens First UMC
Barlow UMC
Bartlett UMC
Bates Chapel UMC
Belpre Heights UMC
Belpre Rockland UMC
Belpre St Marks UMC
Bethany UMC (Meigs Co)
Bethel UMC (Hocking Co)
Bethesda UMC Bremen Calvary UMC
Bremen UMC
Buchtel UMC
Canaanville UMC
Carbon Hill UMC
Carmel-Sutton UMC
Centenary UMC (Gallia Co)
Central Trinity UMC
Chester UMC
Chesterhill UMC
Connett UMC
Deavertown UMC
Decatur UMC
East Fultonham UMC
Ebenezer UMC (Hocking Co)
Ebenezer UMC (Muskingum Co)
Fairview UMC (Hocking Co)
Fairview-Dale UMC
Finley UMC
Forest Run UMC
Fultonham UMC
Gallipolis Christ UMC
Gibisonville Mt Olive UMC
Gilman Avenue UMC
Glouster UMC
Haydenville UMC
Hocking Hills UMC
Hopewell UMC (Perry Co)
Iliff UMC
Jacksonville UMC
Joppa UMC
Kline Memorial UMC
Laurel Hills UMC
Layman UMC
Marietta Christ UMC
Marietta Norwood UMC
McArthur UMC
Morning Star UMC
Moxahala UMC
Mt Perry UMC
Mt Pisgah UMC New Beginnings UMC
New Hope UMC
New Plymouth UMC
New Zion UMC
Oakland UMC
Palmer UMC
Patriot UMC
Pine Grove UMC (Hocking Co
Pisgah UMC
Pleasant Hill (Berne) UMC
Pleasant Hill (White) UMC
Pleasant Hill UMC
Pleasantville UMC
Poston UMC
Reedsville UMC
Rockbridge UMC
Rolling Plains UMC
Salem Center UMC
Shade UMC
Smith Chapel UMC
South Perry UMC
Starr UMC
Stockport UMC
Sugar Grove UMC
The Plains UMC
Trinity UMC (Gallia Co)
Tunnel UMC
Tuppers Plains St Paul UMC
Union Furnace UMC
Union UMC (Hocking Co)
Warren Chapel UMC
Waterford UMC
Webbs Chapel UMC
Wesley Chapel UMC
Wilkesville UMC
Zaleski UMC
Zanesville Central Trinity UMC
Zanesville First UMC
Zanesville Grace UMC
Zion (Fairfield) UMC
PO Box 67 47 Johnson Rd.
The Plains, OH 45780-0067
Phone: 888-868-1225 Fax: 740-797-4582
E-mail: [email protected] Rev. Dr. Dennis Miller, D.S.
Rev. Dr. Steve McGuire, Asst. to the D.S. Sherri L. Rogers, Office Administrator
Merv Davis, Treasurer/Bookkeeper
FOOTHILLS DISTRICT
UMC
Check us out on the Web:
www.foothillsdistrict.org
Page 10
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Office Hours: M-F 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. Lunch 12:00-1:00 p.m.
E-Mails: Office - [email protected]
Dennis Miller, DS - [email protected]
Steve McGuire, ADS - [email protected]
Merv Davis, Treasurer/Bookkeeper - [email protected]
Sherri Rogers, Office Admin. - [email protected]
Roger Thatcher, Dist. Disaster Response Coordinator-
Prayer Concerns
Prayers for:
Dick Covert—Supply Pastor at Poston UMC
Condolences to:
Rev. Joy French on the death of her mother, Edna Wigal.
CAMP OTTERBEIN PROGRAM LEADER
Located in the Hocking Hills region, Camp Otterbein of the West Ohio Confer-ence of the United Methodist Church is seeking a Program Leader to help run its year round retreat and summer camp season. The position starts immedi-ately and runs through August as full-time, salaried including room and board. Desired applicants should model standards and expectations of Christian leadership, have a bachelor’s degree in related field preferred or in-progress, experience with and enthusiasm for Christian camp ministry, willingness and ability to obtain relevant professional certifications including First Aid/CPR, Lifeguard, Archery, Paddling, Rock Climbing, Challenge Course etc., with a minimum age of 21 desired. Assists the Camp Director in all areas of leadership and responsibility includ-ing planning, developing and coordinating the spring/summer, camp and re-treat seasons with attention to programming, marketing, worship, relationship building, staff recruitment, training and evaluation, with some maintenance and kitchen work. For full job description, contact Director Scott Seese at [email protected] and visit www.westohiocamps.com to fill out an appli-cation. Position open until filled. (ACA Accredited)