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910 E. Third St., Ottawa, OH 45875
Telephone: 419.523.9901 / 800.589.7828
Fax: 419.523.3479
Email nwplains@wocumc.org
Website: www.nwpumc.org
IN THIS ISSUE
Spotlight in Ministry
Weekly Prayer
Prayer Concerns
Annual Conference Info
Safe Sanctuaries Training
NWP Mission Trip
Lakeside for Youth
Emmaus
Local Church & Community Events
News from Around the Connection
Resources
Classifieds
Weekly Bulletin
April 1, 2015
Evansport
United Methodist
Church
QUICK LINKS
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Bread for the World
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Stop Hunger Now
1,000 Gallons of God’s Love
Article submitted by Tanya S. Brunner, Evansport United Methodist Church
Evansport, Ohio
As part of our community outreach missions, our country church has
been supplying 4 gallons of milk every two weeks to the Defiance
regional homeless shelter and soup kitchen. It is managed by Northwest Ohio Community Action Commission (NOCAC) and is called The
Path Center. We started supplying the milk in February, 2005 and
continue to do so today. In December, 2015 the church celebrated
it’s donation of the 1,000th gallon of milk at an estimated outlay of
over $3,000. All of the money for the project comes from donations
from the congregation and community members. To demonstrate
the volume of 1,000 gallons to our church, the outreach committee
asked for the donation of empty milk jugs beginning in July 2014. In
March, 2015, the entire sanctuary was
filled with plastic jugs. They were stacked
everywhere; including hanging from the
ceiling! Pastor Becky Ploughe offered two
kinds of Communion that day, the traditional elements of bread and juice were
blessed as well as a second offering of milk
and cookies. It brought home the idea that by offering milk to those
who are thirsty, we are in communion with God.
God of Grace: We praise you for all that your gracious Son said and did during His last
week on earth; for His humility, which preferred service to rule; for His boldness in the
face of mortal enemies; for His touching sorrow over Jerusalem; for his gifts of bread
and wine to be shared in remembrance of the gift of His life; for His words of faith and
forgiveness even while dying in agony on the cross.
During this Holy Week, oh God, let not this reliving of our Lord’s passion and death
leave us uninvolved or unchanged. As we follow your Son from the table to the garden
to the cross may this week be for us an occasion for re-examining our priorities, achieving greater integrity, and moving into costlier discipleship.
In the name of our Savior and Lord, Jesus. Amen
Let us remember in prayer those grieving the loss of their loved one, and remember in thanksgiving the life and ministry of:
Mary Lee who died on March 29 and is survived by her husband, Rev. Henry Lee, a retired elder in the West
Ohio Conference. Mrs. Lee served alongside her husband in West Ohio at Seaman (1965), First (Brookville,
1969), Oregon (1978), Georgetown (1982), Oakdale (1983), Monclova-Wilkins Charge (1989), First (Rockford,
1995), and Ayersville (2003) United Methodist Churches. There will be no visitation or service. Expressions of
condolence will reach the family at Rev. Henry Lee, 11324 Bobwhite Lane, St. Marys, Ohio 45885.
Caucuses and Interest Groups creating slates for voting at this year's Annual Conference need to submit a Covenant Form with the Election Team
by April 15.
Multiple Ways to Give: In addition to our Imagine No Malaria offering,
Health Kits will be collected at annual conference as well as our annual
Potato Drive.
All clergy and lay members should register online for the 2015 Annual Conference Session before the deadline of May 30.
Safe Sanctuaries Policy training scheduled for April 21
During the 2014 West Ohio Annual Conference, members passed a rule requiring each local congregation to establish a Safe Sanctuaries policy and to update these annually. We are expecting that at the
2015 District Charge Conferences, each church will be required to submit a
Safe Sanctuary Policy. Now would be a good time to attend a Safe Sanctuaries training event if your church does not have a policy in place or if
you haven’t recently updated the policy. Click here for safe sanctuary
policy minimum standards. Other safe sanctuary forms and resources can
be found here.
Karen Brantley, Connection Ministries staff member at the West Ohio Conference Center will lead a Safe Sanctuaries training event at Walnut Grove UMC on Tuesday, April 21,
6:30-9:00 pm. Walnut Grove UMC is located at 13502 Township Rd 80, Kenton, OH.
Training is free; registrations are needed. Please register by contacting Deb Lee at deblee@wocumc.org or 1.800.589.7828 or register at http://www.westohioumc.org/events/all/register
Northwest Plains Mission Trip to Henderson Settlement
Sunday, May 3 – Saturday, May 9, 2015
BE A PART OF A MISSION PROJECT! DON’T MISS OUT! GET ON BOARD!
What is the schedule? Participants need to be at Henderson Settlement before the 7:00 PM orientation on Sunday, May 3. (Eat your evening meal before
arrival.) Everyone will depart for home after breakfast on Saturday, May 9.
What is the cost? $340/person with accommodations in the mission dorm.
$410 per person for more private housing (Baldinger Dorm, Zuki house). (3 meals Monday – Friday and
breakfast Saturday.). Travel and food to and from Henderson Settlement is the responsibility of the
participant. No additional insurance is available – your own insurance is the only insurance in effect.
What will we be doing? There will be construction/maintenance crews (ladies welcome). There is also
work to be done in the greenhouse, library, food pantry, daycare, senior center and community store.
A planning meeting for all registered participants will be held to determine who is driving/riding and to
answer all other questions. This meeting will be on Sunday, April 26, 2:00 PM at Trinity UMC, 220 S.
Walnut St., Van Wert, OH 45891.
Download brochure and registration information http://nwpumc.org/index.php?page=Missions-Home
Dates for Lakeside for Youth 2015
Senior High Lakeside Week 1 - June 21 through June 27, 2015
Senior High Lakeside Week 2 - June 28 through July 4
Junior High Lakeside - July 6 through July 10, 2015
If you are planning on registering your teen or preteen for Lakeside 2015, registrations are open now.
Current 8th graders have the option of choosing middle school or high school camp.
http://www.ldym.org/lakeside_2015
Emmaus Events
Findlay Emmaus Gathering
Sidney Emmaus Gathering
Tuesday, April 21, 7 pm
St Marks UMC
800 S. Main St., Findlay
419.422.4131
http://www.findlayemmaus.org/
Tuesday, April 14, 7 pm
First UMC
230 E. Poplar St., Sidney
937.492.9136
http://www.sidneyemmaus.org/
(always the third Tuesday)
(always the second Tuesday)
Emmaus Walks ~ A Journey with Christ
While they were talking and discussing. Jesus himself came near and walked with them. - Luke 24:15
A program of the Upper Room division of the General Board Discipleship which calls forth and
renews Christian discipleship. The Walk to Emmaus is a three-day experience, a highly structured
weekend, which takes a New Testament look at Christianity as a life-style. The program is designed to strengthen and renew the faith of Christian people and through them their families,
congregations, and the world.
Findlay Emmaus Walks @ St. Marks UMC, Findlay
Women's Walk #95
Women's Walk #96
Men's Walk #73
June 18-21, 2015
October 8-11, 2015
November 5-8, 2015
Findlay Chrysalis Flights @ St. Andrew’s UMC, Findlay
Girl’s Flight #45
Boy’s Flight #44
July 10-12, 2015
July 24-26, 2015
Sidney Emmaus Walks @ First UMC, Sidney
Women’s Walk #66
Women’s Walk #67
Men’s Walk #62
July 9-12, 2015
October 15-18, 2015
August 6-9, 2015
West Ohio Piqua Chrysalis Flights @ First UMC, Sidney
Girl’s Flight #60
July 10-12, 2015
Boy’s Flight #60
July 31-August 2, 2015
LOCAL CHURCH
AND
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Westside United Methodist Church
Thursday, April 2, 7:30 pm
Pastor Bill Cronk’s sermon title:
If you were there, would you…?
Music by Westside Choir
Westside Church is located at 604 Gloria Ave., Lima
Harpster UMC
Wednesday, April 29, 4:30 - 6:30 PM
Soup, Sandwiches, Salads, Desserts
Come and Enjoy!
17508 Cherokee St., Harpster, OH 43323
Handicap accessible.
ALL YOU CAN EAT!
Pancake & Sausage Breakfast
Featuring Bob Evans Sausage and Pancakes
St. Mark’s UMC, 1110 N. Metcalf St., Lima
Saturday, April 18, 8AM - Noon
Adults $7 ~ Children under 6 $3
Includes pancakes, sausage and beverage.
Tickets will be available at the door!
Call 419.222.3601 for more information.
Annual Youth BBQ Fundraiser
Saturday, April 18, 4:00—6:30 PM
Liberty Chapel UMC, 7590 Sandusky Rd., Lima
Registrations are now being accepted for the
Weekday Pre-School of Westside United Methodist
Church at 604 Gloria Ave., Lima, Ohio.
Westside offers a Kindergarten Readiness Program
and is State Licensed. The Fall Program offers
classes for 3 & 4 year olds and will begin September
8, 2015. Children must be 3 or 4 before August 1,
2015.
Classes meet each Tues., Wed., & Thurs. The morning session is 9:15-11:15 am. The afternoon session
is 12:45-2:45 pm. For more information please call
419.224.2597 or 419.224.2668.
Only $7.50 for the following:
1/2 Chicken OR GIANT BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich,
Baked Potato, Green Beans and a Beverage.
Fabulous Desserts $1
Down on the Farm Family
Camp
Dine in or carry Out
Camp Widewater, Liberty Center, OH
All proceeds will send area youth to church camp.
July 8-12, 2015
http://familycamp.herokuapp.com
LOCAL CHURCH
AND
COMMUNITY EVENTS
“Talent on Loan from God”
A Night of Family Fun at Forest Park
Westside UMC
604 Gloria Ave
Open to Public
Friday, April 10,12:30 pm
Theme: The Courage to Say No
April 10, 2015, 7 PM
Forest Park United Methodist Church, 315 S. Collins Ave.,
Lima. Free-will donation for instrument maintenance,
repair, and replacement.
Cheryl Parsons, Director of Better
Business Bureau will be speaking on
mail fraud and theft.
Bring a covered dist and table service. Drinks will be provided.
Refuel Leadership Conference with Rick Lawrence
Jesus-Centered Ministry Training for Children, Youth, and Family Ministry Leaders
Volunteer and Paid Staff
April 17-18, 2015
St. Marks United Methodist Church, 800 S. Main Street, Findlay, OH
Is your pursuit of Jesus far less interesting than the pursuit of new ministry strategies,
worship ideas, Christian disciplines, or creative ways to study the Bible? If you created a
children’s ministry that’s radically, creatively, passionately, and even ridiculously centered in Jesus, how would it change the way you see your calling and what you do in ministry? Let yourself
be personally transformed in these sessions and leave with new ideas to bring back to your ministry.


April 17, Friday evening 7:00pm-9:00pm (registration at 6:30 pm)
April 18, Saturday, 9:00am - 4:00pm (doors open at 8:30 am)
Cost: $45 per person—last day to register is April 10 (includes lunch and a copy of Skin in the Game by Rick
Lawrence)
Register at http://ow.ly/ITnqN
Operation Locate a Hero
Honor Flight Columbus is seeking Veteran applications for 2015 Honor Flights.
The 2015 dates are April 18, May 9, May 30, August 29, September 19 and
October 10.
To date, Honor Flight has flown 3,697 veterans to Washington D.C. Honor
Flight Columbus provides a one day trip at no cost to the veteran to Washington D.C. to see the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.
For more information contact Jim and Kay Downing at 614.284.4987, www.honorflightcolumbus.org.
LOCAL CHURCH
AND
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Registration forms available at Forest Park UMC - 419.227.8445.
Walk to the Cross Walk/Run 1 Mile – 5K
Sponsored by the Lima Family YMCA
April 18, 2015 at 9:00am
The Lima Family YMCA and Activate Allen County, in conjunction with local
church leaders, invite you to celebrate the rebirth and renewal the Lenten
season brings into our lives.
Walkers and runners, of all ages, are invited to participate as we lay a non-competitive course for 1
mile, 2 miles, or 3.1 miles (5K)
For more information please contact Rev. John Foster, Trinity UMC, 419.303.47776,
jfoster@limatrinityumc.org
Donate Your Soles to Benefit
→ First United Methodist Church Youth Group
→ Support microenterprise in developing nations
→ Help the environment
Now through the month of May shoes of any size, condition, style and gender will be accepted at First
UMC, 113 W. Central Ave., Van Wert, OH. Questions? Please phone First UMC, 419.238.0631, Ext. 302.
Senior Olympics 2015
All active seniors (50 and over) are invited to participate in the Lima Area Senior
Olympics to be held May 28-30. Competition will be held in a variety of sports including golf, swimming, shuffleboard, horseshoes, pickleball and water volleyball.
For more information, please phone Mary Lou Paisley at 419.991.8811.
NEWS
FROM AROUND THE
CONNECTION
May 16 Hope UMC 219 E 1st St, Wellston, OH - 2 sessions Morning
and Afternoon
May 23 North Broadway UMC 48 North Broadway St, Columbus, OH 9am—1pm
August 8 Hope UMC 5980 Wilmington Pike, Dayton OH - 2 sessions
Morning and Afternoon
Cost: $20
Here is the link to all ERT Training on the West Ohio Conference Website.
http://www.westohioumc.org/events/conference/list?field_subsite_tid=385
Contact: Mary Blackstone
Email: mblackstone@wocumc.org
Churches Recognized for Breakthrough Achievements
Last Wednesday the Cabinet held a special luncheon to recognize eight West Ohio churches who had achieved a
2015 Breakthrough Goal. "One of the best ninety minutes I spent last week was at the first Breakthrough Goal
Luncheon," noted Bishop Palmer. "It was all joy as we celebrated the fruitfulness and effectiveness of eight West
Ohio congregations that aspire to touch more people with the transforming love and power of the gospel. Their stories of prayer, focus and kingdom labor are an inspiration. The cabinet and I can't wait to recognize and celebrate
the next eight churches." Exciting ministry is happening in our West Ohio churches and the Breakthrough Goal
Dashboard is a tool many are finding useful in decision making. Full story
Who gets Aunt Mamie’s bracelet?
Who Gets Aunt Mamie's Bracelet, Enjoying Retirement While Impacting the World,
and The Magic of Endowments: The Gift That Keeps on Giving are some of the breakout
sessions at the May Creating a Legacy for your Church's Future seminar. The day
is dedicated to helping you understand why a proactive planned-giving program is essential to your future. Larry Miles from St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Findlay will
share how their church applied best practices for success.
More information and registration
RESOURCES
Effective Outreach Begins At Home
By Kevin Harney
Some kids who grow up in Christian homes end up bitter and cynical toward Jesus and
the Church. As a young believer I met pastor’s kids who were running from God. So,
before I was married or even engaged, I began thinking and praying about how a Christian family could become a place of health where children grew to love Jesus and long
to share their faith with others.
Today my wife Sherry and I have been married for almost three decades and we are on the other side of raising
our boys. Our sons are 27, 25, and 23. The past thirty years have taught us some healthy and practical guidelines about raising kids who love God and know how to share their faith. There are no simple formulas or ironclad guarantees, but we have learned that there are some things that will really help in reaching your won kids
with the gospel.
READ MORE http://tiny.cc/ffq5vx
#BRINGCHANGE
Do you want to be a part of something amazing? A truly world-changing moment in history? What if you could help raise $75 MILLION to end needless death and suffering
from malaria – a treatable and preventable disease?
You can, and you are.
#BringChange this World Malaria Day.
More than 30,000 red donation boxes are in United Methodist churches and homes
around the U.S. today, and soon there will be even more! When these little donation boxes started flying off our
shelves, we knew something special was happening. We decided to build our new theme around “Bring
Change.”
Across the United States, congregations are preparing to host World Malaria Day fundraisers. Through creative
events such as pancake breakfasts, “lemonAID” stands, 5K walks and much more, United Methodists will make
difference.
Join us to #BringChange and beat malaria for good!
Building Bridges of Excellence
By Brad Lomenick
Winning the right to be heard starts with excellence. I’m not an expert, but I know this:
building bridges takes a tremendous amount of time, requires precision and is costly
and demanding.
Whether it’s the literal bridges we drive on or those we build in business, ministry,
friendships and with coworkers, bridge-building is truly an art. And regardless of what
we do, we are each called as followers of Jesus to build bridges. Sharing the gospel.
Winning the right to be heard. Allowing those around us to discover the life-transforming power of Jesus in us.
READ MORE
http://tiny.cc/y1zewx
Help Wanted: Children’s Ministry Coordinator (full-time)
Coordinator of Children’s Ministry, full-time, St. Andrew’s UMC, 120 W. Sandusky St., Findlay, Ohio.
Please send resume to office@saumcfindlay.org.
Help Wanted: Administrative Assistant (full-time)
First United Methodist Church of Wapakoneta Ohio is hiring a full-time secretary. The desired applicant should be
proficient in layout and design, have strong communication skills, be organized and have a strong Christian faith.
Please send resumes with a cover letter to: First United Methodist Church of Wapakoneta, 504 Glynwood Ave.,
Wapakoneta, OH 45895
Do you have news or something interesting to share? Know of anyone who would like to be
added to our Weekly Bulletin e-mail list? Contact Deb via e-mail deblee@wocumc.org or call
1.800.589.7828.
When e-mailing the district staff, please use the e-mail addresses listed below:
Rev. Barry Burns, District Superintendent: bburns@wocumc.org
Rev. Amy Haines, Assistant to the DS: ahaines@wocumc.org
Debra Lee, Office Administrator: deblee@wocumc.org
Sandy Pergram, Administrative Assistant: spergram@wocumc.org