volume 13 october 2021 issue 10 - northwestplainsdistrict.org
TRANSCRIPT
Volume 13 October 2021 Issue 10
DISTRICT STAFF
District Superintendent Amy Haines [email protected] 567-221-7177 Ass’t to the Dist. Supt. Lynda Lockwood [email protected] Office Administrator Lesley Moore [email protected]
This Sunday is one of my favorite communion services- World Communion Sunday! Wherever I find myself that day, partaking in the bread and the cup, I remember that I am not alone, but am part of the church universal. I remember those who have shared at the table in gen-erations before me. I remember family and friends who are shar-ing that day in multiple denominations in multiple countries around the world. I give thanks for those sharing at the same table with me, present in the same space.
World Communion Sunday humbles me. I am but one person in the long line of faithful wit-nesses. And yet, for even me, Christ died and rose and offers forgiveness, grace, and new life. That is what I remember and give thanks for on the first weekend of October. Who do you remember this day? What do you give thanks for this day? And how can gathering at the table of our Lord, together, empower us to be the body of Christ in this world from this day forward? Yes, there is much that divides us, one from another. And yet, at the table of Holy Communion, we are reminded who draws us together, who welcomes us all, who loves us and redeems us and sends us forth to live in new ways. At the table of Holy Communion, we are reminded that, like it or not, we are all God’s beloved, and all called to be a part of God’s church. Through our faith we are connected to one another like branches connected to the same vine. This is true regardless of our backgrounds, our church affiliations or even our political leanings. We are members together in the body of Christ because Christ died for each and every one of us. This weekend, wherever and however you gather at the table of our Lord, remember, and give thanks. Then get up and go, following the words of the hymnist Fred Kaan who wrote:; “Now let us from this table rise renewed in body, mind and soul; With Christ we die and live again, his selfless love has made us whole. To fill each human house with love, it is the sacrament of care; The work that Christ began to do we humble pledge ourselves to share.” (UMH #634) We have a world who needs to see our love for Jesus, and our love for each other, and our love for all around us. May this World Communion Sunday widen the tables of our hearts and our communities of faith to show and share God’s ways in this world. Together in Christ,
Amy
Rev. Amy Haines Northwest Plains
District Superintendent
Northwest Plains District United Methodist Church
910 E. Third Street Ottawa, OH 45875
Telephone: 419.523.9901
FAX 419.523.3479
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
www.northwestplainsdistrict.org
Page 2 Northwest Plains Compass October 2021
Last week was the first round of the District Committee on Ministry interviews, it was a full day of training and interviews. I remember those days when I was the one who had to come and be interviewed rather than doing the interviewing. I remember one particular interview because I was either the second to last or last person that day that the team had to talk with. One man on the team was done, something or someone had pushed his buttons the wrong way and I was the lucky one who took the brunt of his frustration. When it came to his turn to ask a question, he practically yelled it out asking what did grace mean and I better not say “God’s Riches at Christ Expense” or he would explode. Quite frankly I thought he was exploding. Al-ready nervous and now stunned by the force of the question, I froze, knowing I had to answer him I simply said “Love”. I left wondering if I had answered correctly or sufficiently. Fast forward twenty years, the other day I was asked if Christ existed before he was born on the earth. My answer was (and is) yes, Christ ex-isted before the earth was created. Another question came at me from a different person a few days later as we were talking about God’s covenants and creation – “If God knew before he created us that we would sin and fall away, why would he create us in the first place?” The simple answer coming back full circle is
Love. Jesus Christ is not plan B, because we could not love God fully and stay away from sin. Before the earth existed, before the universe existed, God was and is and will be forever, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christ knew before we were created that he would come to earth and lay down his life to atone for our sin. We were created to be in relationship with God out of Love, the same self-sacrificing love showed on the cross, the same love given to us through grace, a love undeserved yet given un-conditionally. How deep and wide is God’s love for us! These twenty years later as I reflect back on that day, I have no doubts that the answer of “Love” was both correct and sufficient for I am blessed every day of my life by God’s overwhelming, power-ful, deep, other oriented, self-sacrificing Love and so are YOU! God give us eyes to see your love surrounding us, help us to understand at least in part how deep your love for us is that we might..., no that we will share your love with all people. Amen!
In Christ,
Lynda
Lynda
Rev. Lynda Lockwood Assistant to the District
Superintendent
Bishop Palmer's Leadership Clinics
Beth Comstock will join Bishop Palmer on Thursday, October 14 from 10am to 12pm. She will be speaking about “Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change.”
Beth has built a career as storyteller, marketer and innovation
champion, as GE's first female Vice Chair, as well as Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer. She was Presi-dent of Integrated Media at NBC Universal as part of her journey through media, which included roles at NBC, CBS and Turner Broadcasting. Beth is currently a director at Nike and EVgo, a Trustee at National Geo-graphic Society, and a partner in Climate Real Impact Solutions. Beth is considered one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes magazine, a top ten most influential leader in the US, and a top 20 most influential communicator in the US. Beth’s book Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change has become a great resource for organizations looking to innovate and change. Registration for each Clinic is $20 for West Ohio leaders; $40 for non-West Ohio leaders.
Go to westohioumc.org/Clinics to learn more and to register.
October 2021 Northwest Plains Compass Page 3
Charge Conference Preparations
Charge Conference season begins October 3rd! This year we are gathering as county clusters for worship and to complete our ad-ministry.
Now is the time to prepare!
S/PPRC: prepare pastoral compensation for 2022 Minimum salaries increased 2% 2022-minimum-salaries.pdf (westohioumc.org)
CLMs, Certified Lay Speakers, Certified Lay Servants: complete your annual report online Lay Leadership: prepare your leadership nominations
Trustees: complete the Trustees Legal and Property Report and with S/PPRC complete the Parsonage Inspec-tion Report
Councils/Lead Teams: review your Safe Sanctuaries policies, Breakthrough Goals, and Membership rosters
Everyone: celebrate how God continues to move in and through and among us!
Van Wert
Host: Van Wert Trinity - 11 (8)
Date: Sunday, October 3 @ 2:30
Allen
Host: Elida (Immanuel) - 9 (6)
Date: Sunday, October 3 @ 6:00
Defiance
Host: Defiance St. Paul's - 10 (6)
Date: Sunday, October 10 @ 2:30
Putnam
Host: Leipsic - 13 8)
Date: Sunday, October 10 @ 6:00
Williams
Host: Bryan Wesley - 14 (9)
Date: Sunday, October 17 @ 2:30
Paulding
Host: Antwerp - 10 (6)
Date: Sunday, October 17 @ 6:00
Allen
Host: Shawnee - 8 (7)
Date: Sunday, October 24 @ 2:30
Mercer
Host: Grand Lake - 11 (7)
Date: Sunday, October 24 @ 6:00
Hancock
Host: Findlay St. Paul's - 14 (10)
Date: Sunday, October 31 @ 2:30
NONE
Halloween Night
Hardin
Host: Ada 7 (6)
Date: Sunday, November 7 @ 2:30
Hancock
Host: Findlay St. Andrew's - 11 (10)
Date: Sunday, November 7 @ 6:00
Wyandot
Host: John Stewart - 13 (7)
Date: Sunday, November 14 @ 2:30
Hardin (Kenton)
Host: Kenton First - 9 (8)
Date: Sunday, November 14 @ 6:00
Page 4 Northwest Plains Compass October 2021
The district staff will be praying each week for 3 different appointments (church and pastor):
NWP Directors of Pulpit Supply
Pastors, if you are in need of Sunday morning pulpit supply and would like to arrange for a Lay Speaker to fill in for you, please contact our District Directors of Pulpit Supply. • Linda Hoover is responsible for the southern part of NWP District including Allen, Auglaize, Hardin,
Mercer, Van Wert and Wyandot counties. She can be reached at 567.204.0329 or by email at [email protected].
• Larry Zuvers is responsible for the northern part of NWP District including Defiance, Hancock, Henry,
Paulding, Putnam, and Williams counties. He can be reached at 419.636.2329 or by email at [email protected]
West Ohio to Host ‘Ministry with the Forgotten’ Webinar
October 23
On Saturday, October 23, the West Ohio Conference will host an all-day webinar on ministering to people with memory issues. The workshop will be led by Bishop Kenneth L. Carder, author of the book Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia Through a Spiritual Lens. The webinar will be held online from 8:30am-5:00pm (EDT), beginning with a time of worship and prayer and ending with a panel dis-cussion. As part of the $30 event fee, you will receive a copy of Bishop Carder's book. Advanced credit will be awarded to Certified Lay Speakers, Certified Lay
Servants, Certified Lay Ministers, and candidates in the CLM Academy. West Ohio Clergy may re-ceive 0.3 CEUs. Laity who have a particular interest in this topic may also attend. Deadline to register is October 9. For more information or to register, click here.
Light the Way Campaign
Pastors and churches, the West Ohio Conference Light the Way Campaign has raised over $5 million for new places and spaces for ministry across our conference. A fresh expression in Bluffton and new ministry opportunities in Celina have been funded in our district through Light the Way. If your church is looking for new ways to invest in missions, please keep an
eye out for this material! Digital resources will be available soon and campaign ambassadors are resources to assist you. Any questions can be sent to DS Amy Haines at
[email protected] or Foundation Executive Director Susan Black at [email protected].
Thank you for your consideration and for your support for church revitalization efforts across our District and Conference.
October 2021 Northwest Plains Compass Page 5
NWP DS Installation Service Thank you to everyone who participated in, attended, or prayed for the Installation Service on September 12th for our new District Superintendent, Rev. Amy Haines! Our district was widely represented, from large to small churches, from Williams to Wyandot counties, from clergy and laity. Special thanks to Trinity UMC, Lima, and Rev. Megan Croy for their gracious hospitality as well as Rev. Susan Kronbach, Pastor at Edger-ton UMC and Grace UMC, Hicksville, for adapting the liturgy for the service. Other participants included Rev. Lynda Lockwood, Rev. Matt Overman, Rev. Monica Kleman, Dr. Barbara Lee, Rev. Jim Stauffer, Rev. Ruth Carter-Crist, Rev. Doug Flinn, Mr. Nathan Haines and the Chancel Choir of First UMC, Van Wert. Video and pictures from the service are now posted on our district Facebook page at NWPUMC. Please check out the video for another rousing sermon from Bishop Palmer about being clear on following Jesus!
Hello, West Ohio ERT's!
Following last week's flooding in southern Ohio, volunteers are needed for muck-outs and other recovery projects. If you and/or your ERT team is ready to serve, you can be in touch with:
• Mike Boster, Lawrence County EMA, at 740-533-4375
• Gary Stabler, Shawnee Valley District, at 740-384-3328
• Rev. Anthony Thomas, New Hope UMC, for housing needs at 419-708-1607 If you have questions, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Page 6 Northwest Plains Compass October 2021
The Walk to Emmaus is a global ministry of the Upper Room dedicated to supporting the spiritual formation of Christians and the development of Christian servant leaders for the local church. If you would like to experience this spiritual retreat or learn more about it contact Brad Martin.
I am also looking for clergy who are interested in serving in the Northwest Ohio Emmaus Community. The clergy listing needs updating. If you took your walk in another community, if you took another three-day retreat, or if your contact information has changed, please send the information to Brad Martin, Emmaus Community Spiritual
Director , [email protected]
The district staff will be praying each week for 3 different appointments (church and pastor):
Week of October 3 Findlay St. Paul’s Rev. Richard Purvis Findlay Zion Rev. Gay Blau Grand Lake Rev. William “Mick” Whistler Rev. Matthew Overman Rev. Diana Mendelson
Week of October 17 Harrod/Maysville Rev. Charles Fuerstenau Hepburn Rev. Steve Walter Hicksville Grace Rev. Susan Kronbach
Week of October 24 Hicksville Trinity/Mark Center Rev. James Spears Houcktown Charge Rev. Alphonse Schnipke Hume Richard Lamb
Week of October 10 Grant Rev. Cynthia Morrison Grover Hill: Zion Rev. Michael Waldron Harpster Rev. Soo-Hea Park
October 2021 Northwest Plains Compass Page 7
2021 CONNECTIONAL GIVING
MOVING FULL STEAM AHEAD
Alger First UMC Antwerp UMC Arcadia UMC Benton Ridge Good Shepherd UMC Bethel-Forder Bridge UMC Bluffton Trinity UMC Bryan Faith UMC Cairo UMC Carey Memorial UMC Celina Mt Zion UMC Chattanooga UMC Continental Christ UMC Country Chapel UMC Countryside Chapel UMC Crawford UMC Dunkirk Grace UMC Edgerton UMC Elida St Paul UMC Emanuel UMC Erastus UMC Evansport UMC Family of Faith UMC Farmer UMC Findlay Zion UMC Fort Recovery UMC Friends UMC Gilboa UMC Grover Hill Zion UMC Hamilton Bethel UMC Harpster UMC Harrod UMC Hepburn UMC Hicksville Grace UMC Houcktown UMC John Stewart UMC Kossuth Zion UMC Lafayette UMC Landfair UMC Leipsic UMC Liberty Chapel UMC Maysville UMC McComb UMC
Thank you to the faithful stewards of the NWP District for your connectional giving. Please contact the West Ohio Conference if you have any questions. Info above is YTD through August 30, 2021.
Blessings,
Lesley Moore
Ada First UMC Allentown UMC Arlington UMC Ayersville UMC Bluffton First UMC Bryan Wesley UMC Carey Grace UMC Coldwater UMC Columbus Grove St John UMC Continental United UMC Cridersville UMC Defiance St Pauls UMC Defiance Trinity UMC Delphos Trinity UMC East Mt Zion UMC Edon UMC Findlay Howard UMC Forest UMC Grand Lake UMC Grant UMC Hicksville Trinity UMC Journey at Christ UMC Kenton Epworth UMC Kenton First UMC Kingsley UMC Lima St Marks UMC Lima Trinity UMC Mark Center UMC Montpelier First UMC Montpelier St Paul UMC Mt Blanchard UMC Mt Cory UMC
On target to meet their District
Apportionment
Paid 100% of their
2021 District Apportionments
District Giving
Melbern UMC Melrose UMC Mercer UMC Middle Creek UMC Middle Point UMC Mt Zion UMC Mt Zion UMC New Hope Bethel New Knoxville UMC North Creek UMC North Union UMC Otterbein UMC Pandora UMC Patterson UMC Payne St Paul UMC Pleasant Chapel UMC Pleasant View (Mt Cory) UMC Rhinehart UMC Ridgeway UMC Riley Creek UMC Rockford UMC Rockport UMC Roundhead UMC Salem UMC Spencerville Trinity St Johns UMC St Marys Wayne Street UMC Twin Oaks UMC Uniopolis UMC Upper Sandusky Trinity Evangelical UMC Van Buren UMC Vanlue Christ UMC Walnut Grove UMC (Auglaize Co) Walnut Grove UMC (Hardin Co) Wapakoneta First UMC Wapakoneta Salem UMC Waynesfield UMC Wesley Chapel UMC West Unity UMC Westminster UMC Wharton UMC Williams Center Asbury UMC Williams Center Calvary UMC Willshire Union UMC Zion UMC
Ney UMC Oakdale UMC Ottawa Trinity UMC Paulding UMC Perry UMC Powell Memorial UMC Pulaski UMC Salem Cass UMC Sherwood UMC St Andrews UMC St Marks UMC St Marys Grace UMC St Pauls UMC Van Wert First UMC Van Wert Trinity UMC Van Wert Wesley UMC Vaughnsville Community UMC West Independence UMC Westside UMC
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