TEAMMATES
Greater Ohio District Ministry Bulletin

May 2008

NEW CITY
Greater Ohio’s newest church launched Saturday, April 19th. New City Wesleyan Church is located at the corners of Willard and W. 91st Street in the heart of Cleveland. David and Jamie Bever are leading the team that is initiating what is hoped to be a network of new churches throughout Cleveland. 138 persons were in attendance for the opening service that included musical styles ranging from contemporary to rap to hip hop. There were nearly 90 persons present for the second service which exceeds the typical pattern of 50% of the initial service. Please pray for Dave and Jamie and the team at New City and their efforts to make disciples in Cleveland.

FAMILY GATHERING
Prepare yourself for an exciting Family Gathering ‘08. A tremendous line-up of workers have been recruited to make this year’s Gathering a memorable event. The dates are July 24 -27 and the location is once again Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. John & Patty Bray, senior pastor and wife at Heritage Wesleyan Church in Illinois, will serve as our evangelists. They will share speaking duties during the weekend. Mo Diggs, worship leader at Parkway Wesleyan Church in Virginia, is returning to direct our praise and worship time. This year his choir is coming with him. They have volunteered to accompany him for Thursday and
Friday’s services. Youth and children’s ministries will round out a balanced program that speaks to the entire family. Reservations for lodging are now being accepted. Please contact John Hughes, Gathering Registrar, at 937-416-7700 or Jjmwt4@aol.com

CONGRATULATIONS CYPRESS WBB!
Cypress’ Wesleyan Bible Bowl team competed April 19th for the North Central Area Wesleyan Bible Bowl championship. The team took first place winning over Mt. Zion, Indiana in the final game. Congratulations to the team on their excellent performance. Theresa Lochtefeld is their coach.

SUPER SATURDAY
The second annual Super Saturday is now in the books. The tale of the tape reveals that there were 146 persons in attendance, with more than 25 district churches participating. These persons were treated to 7 different seminar offerings featuring presenters from the Greater Ohio District and representatives from General Headquarters. Danny Gordon, District Dir. Of Church Development, and the organizer of the event has declared the event “very successful”. Thanks to all of the pastors who promoted Super Saturday among their leaders and gave their Saturday to bring them to the event. I pray that your church will realize a positive difference because of your involvement. If you have comments about the event please pass them along to Danny. My guess is that this event will appear again on next Spring’s calendar.

CONFERENCE AND PASTORAL VOTE
Local Church Conference season is now in full swing. Please follow these requirements: 1) Conferences are to be conducted by May 31st; 2) Forward a copy of all reports presented at the Conference to the District Ministry Center; and 3) Observe all deadlines for the filing of district/ denominational forms. If you have any questions regarding your conference please call or write the district office.

PASTORAL NOTES
Steve Chapman (Sidney) has had his hip surgery. The surgeon had to do extensive reconstruction of the pelvis which broke during the operation. However, all went well and Steve is at home recuperating. He hopes to be back in the pulpit by June 1st.

Karen Bates will be graduating from Asbury Seminary on Saturday, May 24th with her M.Div. degree. Karen had pastored our Marietta church prior to going on educational leave. Congratulations, Karen!

Chaplain Captain Martin Booth has returned home to Oklahoma City, Ok after his four month deployment to South West Asia. Martin served with distinction as he ministered to the men and women serving our country in this region of the world. Martin is scheduled to have surgery in May, then he is off to San Antonio, Tx where he will be undergoing CPE training.

Paul and Linda Roemer (Norwood) have accepted a call to pastor a church in the East Michigan District.

DISTRICT PRAYER REQUESTS
Robert & Mary Kennedy’s (Parkersburg 14th St.) son Robert is near death. He has been suffering from an inoperable brain tumor since the first of the year.

If you have prayer needs for yourself or your congregation you are encouraged to forward them our Prayer Director, Rev. Verl Light. They can be sent to prayer@gowesleyan.org or phoned to him at 937-667-1745.

PASTORAL VACANCIES
At this writing the district has five pastoral vacancies:
Crown City, Empire, Norwood, S. Webster, and West
Carrollton. Please pray with these congregations as they seek new pastoral leadership.

CAMPING IN OHIO
Following are the dates for the various camping programs scheduled for this summer. We are anticipating another great season. Registration information will soon be available.
1. WY Camp- June 9 - 13th
2. Family Gathering- July 24 - 27th
3. Children’s Camp- July 28 - August 2nd
Additionally, keep these dates in mind for other district functions:
• District Conference- July 27 - 28th
• WW Convention- July 25th

WESLEYAN MEN’S RETREAT
The program for the Wesleyan Men’s Retreat is now public. Columbus’ ABC and Fox news anchor, Kent Justice, will be the speaker for Friday night and Saturday morning’s rallies. Bob Boyd, pastor at Greenville Trinity, will provide bonfire devotions on Friday night. A large number of activities will be available for pleasure and competition. The date is July 18 and 19. It will be held again at the 4H Campground near
Jackson, Ohio. This is a great time for pastors to bond with their laymen. For more information or to register contact Wesleyan Men’s president, Jake Bailey, at bailejBox@aol.com

"THANK YOU, CHURCHES"
Missions on the GO district is on the go! This year pastors and churches have supported Global Ministry missions with an open door and hearts. Missionaries like Bob & Christine Steinbrecher and Bob and Susie Gray have found open opportunities in our District. Your constant support of these and your local missionaries is to be commended.

The work in Mexico is also going forward. We had another good team of pastors go to preach and teach in two different Mexican Districts. Special projects like roofs for their churches and sponsorship of ministerial student are going forward. Thank you for your support of Missions in general and Wesleyan missions in particular.
David J. Paul
District Director of World Missions

DENOMINATIONAL DATA BASE
Our staff has been busily entering data on each of our district’s ministers, adding to the content of the new web-based statistical and informational site of The Wesleyan Church. Once your information is entered an email alerting you to that fact will be generated to your email account. It is a legitimate message. Click on the link or type it into your web browser. You must complete this step in order to activate your account.

Once in the site you will be able to enter your user name and password. All user names are the persons first name, then a period, followed by their last name (ex. Jeff.Mansell). Everyone has been assigned the same password, (buckeye). Once you have logged in you will be able to change your username and password. Also, take a moment to verify the information we have entered and complete any empty fields. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call our office.

HEPHZIBAH SEEKS ASSISTANCE
Larry Freels, Dir. of Hephzibah has written concerning an immediate financial need facing the children’s home brought about by policy changes enacted by the state of Georgia. Steps are being taken to address the new realities but a budget shortfall is currently being faced. Donations are appreciated to assist them through this period. Thank you for your consideration of assistance for this worthy ministry.

SEMINARS
The Leadership Forum is being hosted by Ohio Christian University on June 6th in Columbus, Ohio. Featured speakers include John Maxwell, Jim Tressel, Harvey Cook and Mark Smith. Cost is $99 per person. A district scholarship of $50 is available. For information contact 614-336-3905.

Catalyst is happening once again in Atlanta, GA. This dynamic training event will occur on October 8-10. Speakers include Andy Stanley, Jim Collins, Franklin Graham, and more. If you have an interest attending with a district group, please contact the district office. Financial assistance will be available.