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Capitol Area South District
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Weekly Updates, April 7
, 2017
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A Bias Opinion
PLEASE PRAY WITH ME
Today I celebrate another birthday. As I often do, I am taking an assessment of my life and ministry. Although I am generally pleased with my life, I have decided to become more focused. I only have a few years of active ministry left in and through the United Methodist Church. I believe I must be more clearly focused if I am to make the difference I believe God has created me to make.
As I have journeyed through Lent, I have read again the stories of Simon and Peter denying that he knew Jesus. I have reflected on Judas betraying Jesus and then working to undo what he had done. I have read again about Pilate washing his hands of any responsibility of Jesus and of the soldiers and the crowd taunting Jesus and crying out for his death.
Today, I am asking myself how I have been responding to God's work in my life. Have I denied it? Have I tried to work against it? Have I washed my hands of any responsibility of God's work in my life?
Through my reading and reflection, I have read again the words of Jesus from Matthew's gospel:
"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."
The key agent for preserving and protecting food from decay and spoilage is salt. I believe Jesus used that idea of salt to define how his followers should interact with the world.
Gabe Lyons in his book, The Next Christians, writes,
"Salt is only useful when it's good, active, and engaged; doing what it's supposed to do where it's supposed to be. Salt does not preserve anything by itself; it must attach to something in order to provide its life-sustaining and preservative value. Left on its own, even in proximity to meat, salt will do nothing to keep the meat from going bad. And meat left alone, without salt, will rot and be rendered useless. But when the two intermingle, when the salt is rubbed deep into filet mignon, it not only preserves the steak but expresses it greatest attributes in taste, quality, and favor."
For the remainder of my ministry, I want to be salt. I want to be an agent of God's love and grace actively working into the middle of a changing culture to restore and to make new. I want to be related to people and involved in structures that are in danger of wasting away while keeping myself open to God's redeeming presence and power. By God's grace, I want God to work through me to restore and renew our culture, our world, and our church.
As I offer myself I know that I will have to struggle against the cultural tide. I know that I may not see the full result of my work, but I understand that I honor God by offering myself in living this way. I don't want to deny it or work against it. I don't want to turn away from the work God has for me to do. So, I am committing myself to the following:
- to hold back evil in all the forms it presents itself
- to redesign systems and structures, especially the church that has helped make me who I am
- to be a healing agent for people who are broken and suffering
- to the work of peacemaking
- to putting things back together. To re-member the body of Christ.
Please pray with me and for me as I enter this stage of my life and ministry. Pray that I can and will make the difference that God has created me to make. Pray that I can and will be obedient in the work of restoring and renewing the world in which we live. Pray that I will be who God intends for me to be. Then, together, you and I will work for the kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in heaven.
So let it be
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Easter will be here before you know it.
Sometimes the preparation and experience of Easter Sunday can leave us wondering, "What's next?"
The logical answer is this: let's be evidence of the resurrection.
To be evidence of the resurrection, we're inviting you (and your congregation) into an experiment. This 50-day experiment is an opportunity to practice being agents of Christ's love. As we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we need to be evidence of the resurrection.
Read more
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Employment Opportunities In Our District
Director of Children's Ministry
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...
more
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
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
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:
Friday, April 21, 2017 - 6:30pm
to
Saturday, April 22, 2017 - 5:00pm
Saturday, April 22 and 29, 2017 - 8:30am to 5:00pm at Hebron UMC
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NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP MINISTRY INTERN
It is with great pleasure that we announce the opening of the
Next Generations Leadership Ministry Intern Application process. Since its inception, the Next Generations Leadership Ministry Interns have been able to discern calls to Ministry and Service in a variety of ways.
The pay for the Internship is $4600.00 during the summer, starting May 21 and ending August 7. Internship placements are with engaging local churches throughout the West Ohio Conference and include trips to local Ohio Seminaries as well as those on the East Coast and in the Southern part of the United States. Applicants must be college students who are available for the duration of the Internship.
Please encourage students who have expressed a desire to explore a call to ministry and/or service to apply at
www.westohioumc.org. The Application Deadline is March 29, 2017. For questions, please email Rev. Donnetta Peaks (
dpeaks@wocumc.org) or call 614-505-7334, 314.
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THE LAST SUPPER
A dramatization of Jesus' Final Meal
Free Performance and Communion
April 13, 2017 - 7:00 PM
Holy (Maundy) Thursday
PARKVIEW UMC
344 South Olgonquin, Columbus, Ohio
There will be a free will offering for the Parkview Food Pantry and Westside Free Store
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Eastview United Methodist Church
Eastview UMC's Community Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday,
April 15 at 10:00 AM
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SELF DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE
Need a grant for your grassroots group?
Free community workshop
Light Lunch provided
Wednesday, April 26
at 12:00 PM (Noon)
United Way of Central Ohio
360 S. Third St., Columbus, OH 43215
T
o register or for more information click here
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PLEASE COME!
The West Ohio Conference United Methodist Women are presenting:
Racial Justice Spiritual Retreat
Key Note Speaker: Reverend Karen Cook
Also featuring L. Cean Wilson and Ethel Johnson
Special guest Vickie Shurelds
Date: April 29, 2017
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM check in 9:30
Where: Warehouse 839 @ Hilliard UMC
3691 Main St, 5445 Scioto Darby Rd,
Hilliard, Ohio
Registration deadline is April 19, 2017. Box lunch provided, contributions accepted to cover cost of lunch. Please send your name, district, email, phone and dietary restrictions to Sylvia Kempton at kemptonss@yahoo.com
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"When Kids Come Out" - A Four-Session Class for Parents of LGBT Children
When a child comes out to his/her/their family, it often raises many questions for
both the child and for the family. For example:
* What does it mean for the family when a child comes out to his/her/their
parents?
* What does it mean for the parents' relationship to their church?
* What does it mean for the parents' own faith?
* How do parents navigate their own "coming out" after their children have
come out to them?
These questions are among those that will be addressed in the four-session
class that will be held on Wednesday evenings from May 3 through May 24 at
the Worthington United Methodist Church. The meetings will begin at 7:00 pm
and conclude by 8:30 pm. The church is located at 600 High Street,
Worthington.
Parking is available at the church. Look for signs directing you to
"Kids Coming Out" class.
The Rev. Jim Waugh, retired pastor in the West Ohio Conference...see more
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Dates: June 12-17, 2017
The purpose of the EXPLORE Institute at Ohio Wesleyan University is to provide rising high school juniors and seniors with six days of an academically-solid, spiritually-grounded foundation for discernment of God's calling for their life journey.
Learn More.
...
LIVE YOUR FAITH
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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
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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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