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Capitol Area South District
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Weekly Updates, February 17, 2017
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A Bias Opinion
A LIFE IN PROCESS
Henri Nouwen, in his book
The Genesee Diary
, wrote, "He who thinks that he is finished is finished. How true. Those who think that they have arrived, have lost their way. Those who think they have reached their goal, have missed it. Those who think they are saints; are demons."
As I have reflected upon Nouwen's words, I have come to the conclusion that God is not finished with any of us. For you and me to be the people God intends for us to be, we must come to the place in our lives where we admit we are unfinished.
Unfinished means incomplete, imperfect, in process, in under construction. Spiritual healthiness means that we are imperfectly living our lives for God. The construction site of our souls exposes our flaws and our not-finished faith clearly visible in our hearts and in our living. God begins a good work in us. God begins shaping us, but the finishing process is a life-long process. The work of God in our lives will never be finished until we meet Jesus face to face.
The author of Hebrews wrote, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter (or finisher) of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Spirituality isn't about being finished and perfect; spirituality is about trusting God in our unfinishedness.
Michael Yaconelli, in his book
Messy Spirituality
, tells the story about a recovering alcoholic named Eric. His battle with alcohol had been mostly unsuccessful. He had been in and out of jail, and his drinking was taking its toll on his marriage. Eric stood up in worship one Sunday and announced, "I need prayer. My wife has given me an ultimatum-drinking or her. She's asked me to decide today, and I just wanted to tell you all that I have decided..." Yaconelli writes,
A long awkward pause ensued, and every person in the church was on the edge of their seat with their faces turned toward him, encouraging him, pleading with him to make the right decision. You could have heard a pin drop. Finally, he stumbled on, tears in his eyes, 'I've decided to choose my wife!' Applause and cheering broke out.
No one said it, but you could hear it anyway: 'Good answer! Good answer!' Eric was not afraid to tell the truth; he was not afraid to reveal to all of us how difficult it was to give up alcohol, even for his wife. Eric is a spiritual man. Troubled? Yes. Weak? Yes. Unfinished? Absolutely! But Eric told the truth and admitted that his desire for drinking was conflicting with his desire to stay married. Eric refused to pretend life is clean and neat, and he knew he had to tell us the way things were, not the way we wished they were."
Jesus understood unfinishedness very well, which is why he was comfortable leaving eleven unfinished disciples. When he died, the disciples were confused, depressed, afraid, and doubtful. They faced a lifetime of finishing, just like you and me.
Yaconelli says, "Messy spirituality not only reminds us we will always be a work in progress; it also reminds us that the unfinished life is a lot more spiritual than we imagined."
Each of us is a work in progress. Thanks be to God! God has not given up on us!
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Lay Members At-Large to Annual Conference
Every year each District has a number of openings for the election of additional lay members to the Annual Conference. These additional lay members come from the heart of our United Methodist congregations. We invite you, the laity in our churches to consider offering your name to represent our District at Annual Conference. Our goal is to have a diverse group of individuals to represent our district. This means that we will do our best to be diverse in respect to ethnicity, age, demographic context (rural, urban, suburban, small membership church, large membership church) and more. If you are interested in serving in this capacity please contact the district office at
capitolareasouth.org f
or more information or to be placed on the list for consideration.
If you have previously served in this capacity, please contact us to register your continued interest in serving.
For those of you who have already responded, THANK YOU!!
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Employment Opportunities In Our District
Intern for Youth Group and Music/Worship Leadership
Chatham Charge UMC is searching for a dynamic musically inclined individual to assist with their weekly Wednesday afternoon youth group as well as...
more
WFSM Store Manager
Setting:
The Westside Free Store Ministries is seeking qualified applicants to serve as its Store Manager. The part time position averages 15 hours per week...more
Church Accompanist
Maple Street United Methodist Church in Lancaster, Ohio is in search of an accompanist for piano (mostly) and organ (occasionally). This paid position could start...
more
Director of Children's Ministries
Hilliard UMC has an immediate opening for a Director of Children's Ministry. We are looking for a strong leader that has a passion for children and their families..
.
more
Assistant for Children and Student Ministries
The Assistant for the Children and Student Ministries Pastor is responsible for assisting the Children and Student Ministry Pastor and volunteers in the administrative...
more
Director of Music
Alexandria UMC in Alexandria OH is seeking a Director of Music. This part-time paid position inc
ludes directing the Chancel Choir and Bell Choir (currently inactive),
more
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Spring 2017 Lay Servant Ministries Courses:
Are you ready to answer God's calling for you as a lay servant leader? Look in the West Ohio Conference's recent
EQUIP resource catalog for upcoming courses! You can take courses offered in any District. You may also take courses online
here
March 31 and April 1, 2017 at Marysville First UMC
April 1, 2017 at Marysville First UMC
Advanced Lay Servant Training - Pastoral Care
Friday, April 21, 2017 - 6:30pm
to
Saturday, April 22, 2017 - 5:00pm
Advanced Lay Servant Training - From Your Heart to Theirs
Saturday, April 22 and 29, 2017 - 8:30am to 5:00pm at Hebron UMC
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FAITH.HOPE.LIFE
THE ROLE OF FAITH COMMUNITIES IN SUICIDE PREVENTION
Date: February 23, 2017 @ 3:00-4:30 p.m.
Faith communities of all traditions have an important part to play in fostering mental health and helping prevent suicide. Faith leaders are on the "front lines"-the first people many turn to in times of emotional or spiritual crises. Moreover, our congregations offer the faith and hope needed to get through the most difficult of times. This webinar offers practical information about suicide prevention for faith leaders and it highlights the many ways congregations foster mental health-through "communities of connection," narratives of hope, worship and educational resources, and advocacy in the wider community. To learn more and register click here
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Project Dawn
FREE NALOXONE KIT
St. Mark's UMC - February 28th @ 8:30 pm - 5200 Sullivant Avenue, Columbus, 43228
It's no secret that there has been an overwhelming surge in opiate overdoses and fatalities within our communities. It's a saddening and devastating problem, and Mount Carmel wants to be part of the solution. That's why Mount Carmel Outreach and the Mount Carmel Mobile Medical Coach have joined forces with Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone), a community-based overdose education and Narcan (naloxone) distribution program.
Through generous donations to the
Mount Carmel Foundation our Project DAWN program provides Narcan kits free-of-charge to those without health insurance and limited financial means. Narcan is a safe medication that can reverse an overdose caused by prescription pain medication or heroin and save lives.
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Stewardship 101 for the Smaller Church
West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church
Saturday, March 4, 2017
(Check-in begins at 9:30am) Event: 10:00am-2:30pm
Hope United Methodist Church
83 E. Columbus Street, Canal Winchester, OH 43110
$5.00 per person (includes lunch, refreshments and resources)
Who Should Attend????
Pastors, Finance Committee Members, Stewardship Team Leaders, Church Leaders
Growing Generosity
The smaller church has unique cultural issues to address to grow generosity. The following topics will be addressed, customized to their unique historical practices.
* Biblical foundation for giving to God
* Understanding generosity as a lifestyle
* Holistic approach to stewardship
* Modified local church year-round strategy to grow generous givers
* What is the role of the pastor?
* What is the role of the finance committee?
* Best financial practices
* Address: "But we've always had the money when we need it!"
* Why or why not use CD's (Certificates of Deposit) as stewards?
For more information contact Council on Development at 614-844-6200
Sponsored by the Council on Development
Contact: Joy Perry
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Benefit Concert to Raise Funds for Schools in African Refugee Camps - March 12th.
Watoto Read invites you to join us on Sunday, March 12, 3:00-4:30 p.m., at Scioto Ridge UMC, 4343 Dublin Rd., Hilliard. Six artists will perform, including Keith Larson, TJ George, Eric Gnezda, Donna Mogavero, Teri Gray, and Jasey Schnaars.
Donations will be accepted.
All proceeds will fund the construction and furnishing of classrooms in refugee camps in Chad, "home" to over 300,000 refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan. For more information visit
here. For the concert publicity flyer visit
here.
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Coming
April 4th & 5th 2017
The Capitol Area South District and Christ United Methodist Church
Featuring: Telley Lynnette Gadson
National Preacher of Preachers
Stand Still & Take Your Position in Christ
"
A T
ime
o
f
S
piritual
R
estoration
a
nd
R
evival"
1480 Zettler Road, Columbus
Tuesday, April 4th @ 7:00 pm -
R
estoration and
R
evival
Wednesday, April 5th @ 6:30 pm - Fellowship Meal
(reservation required for the meal)
7:15pm -
R
estoration and
R
evival
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NEW in 2017!
West Ohio Conference "Traction Tracks"
T
o help your congregation gain traction and begin to move forward towards new vitality!
West Ohio's Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI), a focused training/coaching/resourcing initiative of the Episcopal office and cabinet that has included several dozen congregations and pastors over the last six years, has identified a number of key components that we've seen can provide a congregation of any size and setting
with a dose of traction to begin to move ahead in vitality.
Read more
To find events in Equip and register your team
C
lick here
:
Praying together with you, in Christ's name, for the unleashing of God possibilities beyond imagination in and through all of our congregations--
Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey
Director, Office of Missional Church Development
West Ohio Conference
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Visit our website to find:
Classifieds, Calendar, Resources and more!
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Please share these updates with others in your congregation!
If you have anything you would like to have shared or posted in our Newsletter, feel free to email your request to me by Wednesday at Noon.
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