Episode 73 highlights how The Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland is reaching new people for Christ.

“In Cleveland there doesn’t really exist dedicated newcomer housing spaces for refugees and asylum seekers and so Nehemiah is unique in occupying this space,” said Graham Ball, the new executive director of the Mission, an EOC Advance Special ministry partner.

Board Member the Rev. Kathy Dickriede said the Mission’s ministries would not be possible without the support of churches and individuals across the Church.

“It’s not just about us, what we have to offer, but what do we have to gain as members of suburban United Methodist churches to come and build some community and to welcomeinternational newcomers into our spaces and to northeast Ohio,” she said.

Learn more about the Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland at https://www.nehemiahmission.org/

Learn more about The Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland as an Advance Special of the EOCUMC and donate at https://www.eocumc.com/finance/advance-special.html

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

In Episode 72 Cabinet members Rev. Laura White, Rev. Kelly Brown, and Rev. Beth Ortiz share how cooperative parishes – churches grouped together as a missional unit – model the connectional DNA of The United Methodist Church.

White said, “You can still be you while being in ministry with other churches – and we were never meant to do ministry alone. Scripture is very clear on that. We are meant to berelational. We are meant to be supporting each other.”

Cooperative parishes have a history of impacting communities across the East Ohio Conference.

“I see it as our future. I see that it’s always been a part of who we are, we just got away from it and now its reemerging as a powerful way to do ministry,” Brown shared.

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

In Episode 71 Rev. James Lance of Apple Creek, Moreland, Smithville and Wooster Church of the Cross UMCs shares that each of our calls is different.

“We use call in a lot of ways. I heard the call to Jesus throughout my life. And whenever I’m preaching on it, I try to break this apart. You have the call to Jesus, you have the callto ministry, and then you have the call to your ministry,” Lance said.

He also speaks to the changing landscape of ministry.

“To me, partially due to COVID, partially due to the technology boom, partially due to the arguments andpolarization and a lot of factors, we are in that tectonic shift today. It’s navigating and adapting to realize that ministry is no longer what it was, it’s becoming something new,” Lance shared.

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Resources mentioned by Rev. Lance

• Everything Isn't Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities,Interrupt Your Anxiety, and Finally Calm Down By Kathleen Smith
• How Your 21st-Century Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as EmotionalSystems by Peter Steinke

• A Failure of Nerve, Revised Edition: Leadership in theAge of the Quick Fix By Edwin Friedmen
• The Leaders Journey Podcast

In episode 70 Executive Director of Discipleship Ministries Rev. Beth Ortiz and Executive Director of Connectional Ministries Rev. Ed Fashbaugh sit down for a frank discussion on the topic of failure within ministry.

“We so often as a church think we fail because we aren’t what we used to be, or as a clergyperson we fail because people aren’t all excited or passionate about what we’re bringingas the new program. But we are unaware of systemic issues that add to the high probability of failure,” shared Fashbaugh.

The discussion is wide-ranging and should help listeners understand that failure is not always a bad thing.

“Failure is highly underrated. I have had some amazing results out of failing so I have tried to make some more space for it in my life,” said Ortiz.

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

In Episode 69 Pastor Megan Buehler of Vienna and Coalburg UMCs shares that wrestling with God’s call began years ago when she attended The United Methodist Church of Berea.

“The only time I really felt at peace was when I walked in those red doors on Seminary Street in Berea and just was like ‘there’s got to be something with this, but I’m not going to get into it too much because it feels like it might be really big if I wrestle with this feeling more,’” Buehler said.

Eventually giving into God’s voice that was calling her into a deeper role serving the church, Buehler enrolled at Methodist Theological School of Ohio.

“I have never felt more myself than I have in the last 10 years when I finally said ‘yes, this is who I am,’” Buehler shared.

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 68 is a special recording from the All-Ohio School of Ministry featuring Bishop Hee-Soo Jung reflecting on his first year serving as bishop in Ohio.

Bishop Jung offers that these three gifts from God are guiding him in visioning and shepherding the laity and clergy of the Ohio Episcopal Area comprised of the East and West Ohio Conferences: unity in practice, shared leadership, and one missional movement of abundance.

“God is the center act – not Hee-Soo Jung, not me – but God is the center act,” he said. “It’s not your own church, it’s about God.”

In his message he thanks leadership for supporting him in being a field bishop, visiting every local church.

“In every handshake, every prayer circle, every shared meal I saw Christ breaking bread with us, restoring trust, and showing that He is alive in Ohio.”

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

In Episode 67 Pastor Marc Tibbs of Akron Centenary United Methodist Church shares that since he was young, he’s struggled with hearing God call him into a life of ministry.

Tibbs shares, “Whenever I found myself close enough to a pastor I would always ask, ‘how do you know youhave been called?’ When you ask people you get a myriad number of answers, and none of those answers I could identify with, but I just kept asking.”

As an adult he was still wrestling as he supported his daughter while she attended a Ministerial Recruitment Institute event. That night, one of the speakers asked, “who isstruggling with a call to ministry?”

“That particular night when I thought about it, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, ‘you know you’ve been called because you keep asking the question,’” Tibbs shared. Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 66 features a conversation with members of a United Methodist Church and a Baptist Church who for more than a decade have worked together, acknowledgingand celebrating their differences to jointly assist those in need on mission trips.

In the episode we hear from Paul Pendleton of The UMC of Macedonia and Catherine Tarver of Providence Baptist Church in Cleveland both before and after this summer’s mission journey building wheelchair ramps in Jackson, Ohio.

“This has been a fantastic relationship. Not only getting to know each other but understanding cultures a little bit differently than we normally do,” Pendleton said. 

“It’s really been a very good experience because we got to know each other,” shared Tarver.

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

In Episode 65 we feature a roundtable discussion with Rev. Dr. Tim Morrison, Mount Union chaplain and UMC BereaPastor Dr. Stephen Knisely and Campus Minister Judy Hammer to discuss how churches and universities are connecting college students to Jesus.

Morrison offered, “On a weekly basis we have somewhere between 350 and 400 individual students that areinteracting with spiritual life in some way or another. It’s almost a quarter of the student body.”

Hammer shared that “college students are waiting and wanting authentic conversation with their peers aroundfaith. They want to have engaged conversations, and hopefully along that journey there’s the right moment of invitation to come to the church. But a lot of it’s happening outside the church walls.”Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

In Episode 64 Alex shares about his long battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis, how it has shaped his walk with Christ, his service in the church and his call to help others who have chronic pain.

“When you deal with a physical condition or an ailment you tend to do things different from most people. You have to greet each part of the day with, ‘how can I make this work?’” he shared.

As part of his call to serve others Milne has written a book about his own journey with RA which encourages a need to connect with God as part of the journey.

“He’s going to lift us up, carry us through, put someone or multiple people in our path at different times when we need them the most to help us. But I also believe that God meets us part of the way. We need to do our best, do what we can.”

Learn more about the East Ohio Conference at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.eocumc.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠