Lakeside Chautauqua
April 2020
Dear Lakesiders,

Today, both the West Ohio and East Ohio Conferences of The United Methodist Church announced the postponement of their Annual Conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know the many hours of preparation, logistics and details that go into planning these magnificent events and the hard decision it is when those opportunities must be altered. We’re grateful to the leadership of both conferences who have worked closely with the Lakeside Chautauqua staff for their sensitivity to everyone’s health and safety during this incredibly uncertain and challenging time in our world.

The West Ohio Annual Conference (WOC), originally scheduled to be held in Lakeside from June 7-11, will now be an abbreviated conference in September with location to be announced. 

The East Ohio Annual Conference (EOC), originally scheduled to be held in Lakeside from June 14-18, will now be an abbreviated conference in September. We’re pleased to announce that this abbreviated conference will be held at Lakeside from September 25-27. For more details, please see the East Ohio Conference announcement below.

The Youth Annual Conference (YAC) of East Ohio, originally scheduled June 12-14, will not meet at Lakeside Chautauqua this summer. The decision on the date and details regarding YAC 2020 and other East summer camps will be provided after Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM) meets April 25.

Thank you to all the staff from each conference and our own Lakeside Chautauqua team who have worked tirelessly on the many effects COVID-19 has brought to our organizations. Please review important information and announcements below.

Sincerely,
Daniel Dudley
Lakeside Chautauqua Acting President & CFO/COO
United Methodists are people of faith, people who are willing to adapt and change when faced with difficult times. Resilience .

As I preached in an empty sanctuary on Easter Sunday, I thought of pastors across our conference who provided incredible opportunities for people to celebrate Holy Week when gathering in our church buildings was not possible. Resilience.

Over the past several weeks, we have all made changes for the safety of others as well as ourselves. And now, out of an abundance of caution, I am writing to inform you that the 51st session of our Annual Conference has been postponed. This decision was made in cooperation with the leadership at Lakeside, the Annual Conference Program Committee and the cabinet. Resilience.

Please reserve September 11 and 12 for the business of the annual conference. Information regarding the agenda, location (Columbus area) and other important details will be forthcoming.

We apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause. Thank you for your understanding – and your resilience – during these ever-changing times.

Yours through the Risen Christ,
Bishop Gregory V. Palmer
The health and safety of East Ohio Conference clergy and laity are paramount. Bishop Tracy S. Malone, after prayerful discernment and in consultation with the Extended Cabinet, leadership of the Board of Ministry and the Annual Conference secretary, has made the decision to postpone Clergy Executive Session and Annual Conference 2020 until the fall.
 
Both Clergy Executive Session and Annual Conference will meet at Lakeside Chautauqua the last weekend in September.

Clergy Executive Session will meet from 11 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25. The 51st Session of Annual Conference will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 and will conclude by 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27.
 
In choosing new dates for the rescheduled Annual Conference session, the deliberate decision was made to include Saturday as one of the meeting dates so that the conference will be more accessible to lay members. Lakeside is able to accommodate a weekend session because the rescheduled Annual Conference meets after the summer Chautauqua program season concludes.

Annual Conference will gather September 26-27 guided by the theme Bearing Fruit that Lasts: Called, Committed, Connected . Worship, business and fellowship will underscore the importance of being connected to God, to our neighbors and to our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and bearing fruit that lasts.

“There is great joy and anticipation felt by many of us as we prepare to connect for a time of holy conferencing after this extensive time of physical separation from one another,” Malone said. “God’s Spirit continues to move among us as we join together across the East Ohio Conference to share the Good News of the Gospel in creative and tangible ways.”

Youth Annual Conference will not meet at Lakeside Chautauqua this summer. The decision on the date and details regarding YAC 2020 will be provided after Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM) meets April 25. Leadership is mindful of the other important events in the lives of teens that are also being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and will explore alternative options for youth across the Conference to connect virtually.

East Ohio Camps & Retreat Ministries leadership is moving closer to decisions about 2020 Summer Camp. It continues to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to gather information and direction from the Centers for Disease Control, the Ohio Department of Health, and Camps peers and advisors.

New information about decisions made regarding Annual Conference, Youth Annual Conference, Clergy Executive Session and Summer Camp will be published in the Conference bi-weekly electronic newsletter E-News, and on the Conference website pages for Annual Conference 2020, Youth Annual Conference 2020 and Summer Camp.
Hotel, Cottage Rental & Group Housing Updates for Conferences

WOC
  • Hotels/Cottage Rentals: Starting Monday, April 20, Lakeside staff will contact you directly by phone to process hotel and Lakeside Chautauqua Realty cottage rental cancellations and refunds. If renting through Street Sotheby’s International Realty or from individual homeowners, please contact them directly about cancellations and refunds.
  • Group Housing: Starting Monday, April 20, Lakeside staff will contact you directly by phone to process group housing rental cancellations and refunds. Wo-Ho-Mis check reimbursements will be a delayed process.

YAC
  • Hotels/Cottage Rentals: Starting Friday, April 24, Lakeside staff will contact you directly by phone to process hotel and Lakeside Chautauqua Realty cottage rental cancellations and refunds. If renting through Street Sotheby’s International Realty or from individual homeowners, please contact them directly about cancellations and refunds.
  • Group Housing: Starting Friday, April 24, Lakeside staff will contact you directly by phone to process group housing rental cancellations and refunds. Wo-Ho-Mis check reimbursements will be a delayed process.

EOC
  • Hotels: Starting Monday, April 27, Lakeside staff will contact you directly by phone to transfer hotel reservations to September or will process cancellations and refunds as needed. Hotel room rates will remain the same.
  • Cottage Rentals: Starting Monday, April 27, Lakeside staff will first be checking with homeowners to see which cottages will be available to rent in September, which will slightly delay the process. Lakeside staff will then contact you directly by phone to move cottage rentals to September or process Lakeside Chautauqua Realty cottage rental cancellations and refunds. If renting through Street Sotheby’s International Realty or from individual homeowners, please contact them directly about cancellations and refunds.
  • Group Housing: Starting Monday, April 27, Lakeside staff will contact you directly by phone to process group housing rental cancellations and refunds. Wo-Ho-Mis check reimbursements will be a delayed process. 
Lakeside Chautauqua
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