News and information from around the Ohio Conference
High School Students Get "ReCharged"
What is ReCharge, and why did 85 high school students, along with their chaperones, commute to the Kettering Adventist Church to attend in January?

“ReCharge is a day, set in middle of school year, just for high school aged students,” shared Edward Marton, DMin, Ohio Conference youth director. “Sometimes it’s in the middle that we need the presence of Christ, and sometimes it’s in the middle that we get discouraged.” Hosted in the middle of the school year, ReCharge is “a nice opportunity to be reenergized,” he said.

Marton utilized the assistance of several local church youth pastors to organize the event: Jeremy Wong (Worthington), Joel Grave (Centerville), Jason Calvert (Kettering) and Kojo Twumasi (Clifton). Wong addressed the struggles on identity and acceptance in today’s church during the morning worship service, while the afternoon had two breakout sessions. The first dealt with spiritual questions about God and suffering such as, “I’m going through these anxieties, pain, I have friends that are hurting…where is God?” The second dealt with relationship and dating issues such as, “How far is too far? Am I datable? When should I start dating, or what if I’m already dating?” 

The program concluded with a live 45-minute Q & A session where teens could anonymously ask profound and sometimes raw questions via Poll Everywhere , which were answered by the pastors. “This is a pretty safe place,” said Marton. “You can post a question, and it’s ok. We’re here to talk to you and we won’t judge you.” Pastors were open and honest in their responses. Youth dealing with addictions or struggles requiring professional help were encouraged to seek professional help, not struggle through it themselves.

An evening trip to Topgolf capped off the one-day, with 56 students and chaperones taking advantage of the games in Columbus. The event, originally scheduled for the Columbus area, was relocated last week to Kettering as the majority of students attending were from the Cincinnati and greater Dayton areas.

Marton’s next event, Immersion , will be April 17-19 and is designed for young adults.
Making Resolutions
By Pastor Michael Stough II
With 2020 already underway, many people are already into their New Year’s resolutions as well. Often, many of us, as Christians, make the resolution that this is the year we are going to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. For some, this challenge is one which has been met many times over, for others, the struggle usually ends somewhere between Exodus and Numbers. I remember listening to H.M.S. Richards, Sr. recount how he actually read through the Bible several times in a year, going through it completely in January by scanning through it “newspaper” style.

Now I don’t want to discourage those who are endeavoring to read the Bible from front to back. I believe it is very important for those who are Christ’s disciples to “search the Scriptures” because a careful study and application of God’s word leads to eternal and as Jesus said, “these are they which testify of Me.” [1]  If we are to know Christ, understand the Great Controversy theme, and even teach new disciple to observe everything commanded of us, then it is very helpful to understand Scripture from the broader perspectives which arise from that cover to cover reading.

At the same time, if our only goal is to read the Bible from cover to cover, once accomplishing this goal, I fear too many people become content with the thought they have arrived at a complete knowledge of the Word, when that is anything but the case. Instead, would it not be better to start a new year, or anytime throughout the year for that matter, with the thought of spending time in God’s instruction book? If David could say, “Better one day in Your courts than a thousand [anywhere else],” [2]  then why shouldn’t we approach a commitment to study the Bible in a similar manner? What would happen to our discipleship if instead of struggling to make it past the Pentateuch, we could see Jesus clearly in that one book or passage of Scripture studied diligently? Some of those nagging questions we have maybe answered, more will certainly be brought to our attention, but eternal life will be gained.

There are tools out there which can help. Companies like Logos and Accordance offer free versions of their powerful Bible study software. There are many online resources available through websites or apps, one of my favorites is  www.blueletterbible.org . The point being, we live in a time like no other. Besides the time commitment itself, there is no reason we can’t delve into a deeper study of the Bible. Go ahead and try it, you just may find yourself better acquainted with Jesus by the end of 2020.

If you need help finding Bible study resources feel free to contact me at  michael.stough@ohioadventist.org .   

[1]   The New King James Version . (1982). (Jn 5:39). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2]  Jewish Publication Society. (1985).  Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures  (Ps 84:11). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.
Radical Teaching of Jesus - Theme for Upcoming Young Adult Retreat
The upcoming Immersion young adult retreat will be held the weekend of April 17-19 in Oregonia. The theme for the weekend will be on "The Radical Teachings of Jesus From the Sermon on the Mount." Early Bird registration ends February 1, so register soon for your free book.

Northwood Church Donating Organ to Good Home
According to Northwood church pastor Patrick Mazani, the church would like to give away (for free) this organ to any of our Adventist families in Ohio.

The organ, pictured above, is a Baldwin Cinema II. Model #214DR. Serial Number #F2731-B. Mazani says it works fine.

Interested parties should call 937.573.8775.
There are exciting things happening in our Ohio Conference Education Department in 2020! Look for details coming soon to Faithpoints on these upcoming events:

February 20 - Geography Challenge, live-streamed from Worthington
March 15 - Robotics Challenge, live-streamed from Kettering College
April 3-4 - Music Festival, live-streamed from SVA and Kettering Church
May 4-6 - Outdoor School at Camp Mohaven

Ohio Churches to Host Final Empire
Several churches across the state are participating in the Voice of Prophecy's series, "Final Empire: Religious Liberty's Last Stand."

Final Empire begins on January 23, and is shown in four episodes. The format is similar to earlier VOP programs, such as "Shadow Empire" and "Pale Horse Rides." Shawn Boonstra is the presenter, along with local church leadership.

Participating churches include:
  • Centerville - January 23 at 7:00 pm
  • Lima - January 23 at 7:00 pm
  • Beavercreek - January 23 at 6:30 pm
  • Piqua - January 23 at 7:00 pm
  • Chillicothe - January 23 at 7:00 pm
  • Athens - January 23 at 6:00 pm
  • Lancaster - January 23 at 7:00 pm
  • Newark - January 23 at 7:00 pm
  • Zanesville - January 23 at 7:00 pm
  • Sandusky - January 23 at 6:00 pm

Looking for a church near you to watch the series? Visit http://finalempire.com and enter your zip code for locations and times.
Photo of the Week
The last service of 2019 found the Hamilton Adventist Church filled with the sounds of Grant Wareham playing their historic organ.

A native of Dayton, Wareham was a participant in the inaugural Longwood Organ Academy at the famous Longwood Organ in Pennsylvania last year. He also was a featured performer at the 62nd annual convention of the Organ Historical Society in St Paul, Minnesota.

" He plays our organ with enviable artistry," shared Hamilton pastor, Vince Waln.
This week's inspirational quote from
Kettering Young Adult Pastor Paddy McCoy:
Verse of the Week
New Year, New Platform!
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Follow the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists on the platform and pin your favorite images (inspirational, scripture, food for thought, etc.)

New Pastoral Assignments
As part of the proverbial great "Adventist Movement," we share with you a few new pastoral assignments around the Ohio Conference:

Robert Bjelica is pastor of the Medina church, which is now part of the Lakewood-Walk of Faith district.

Laszlo Hangyas is pastor of the Barberton church, which is now part of the Brooklyn-Norwalk-Sandusky district.

Jairo Melgar is pastor of the New Philadelphia church. Melgar is also pastor of the Youngstown Spanish and Akron Hispanic churches.
Upcoming Events Around the Ohio Conference
January 11
First Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chesterland
January 12
Kettering Church
January 18
East Liverpool Church
Have an event you would like to share with the Ohio Conference? Let us know!
Read the Current Issue of Mission Ohio in the Columbia Union Visitor
Highlights of this issue include Ron and Buffy Halvorsen accepting call to Pacific Northwest and the launch of a new church plant in the Lorain area.

Read these articles and more in the current issue of Mission Ohio in Visitor magazine.
Heidi A. Shoemaker, Communication Director
Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
1251 E Dorothy Ln, Dayton, OH 45419