This month instead of an article by me I am reprinting the Summary for this year’s Annual Conference. This was written by Kay Panovec, our conference’s Director of Communications.

Members of the East Ohio Annual Conference came together in a time of confession, prayer, hope and healing. The 41st session was held at Lakeside, Ohio, June 14-17 with Bishop John Hopkins presiding. Featured speakers included Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the Mississippi Annual Conference; Rev. Dan Bogre of GPS, a new worship service at Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights; Rev. Orlando Chaffee, North Coast District Superintendent and Dr. Scott Morris, the founder and executive director of the Church Health Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Morris is also the associate minister at St. John’s United Methodist Church. Bishop John Hopkins challenged the members of the East Ohio Annual Conference to turn the church inside out as he reminded the members of the children’s rhyme, this is the church, and this is the steeple.” When I was a child, I learned that my fingers were to be folded inside, meaning that the people of church were inside,” he said. Claiming that the church can no longer afford to wait for people to come to the building, the people inside must take the faith to the people. Preschoolers Sarah Jones and Atticus Stultz-Costello, joined Hopkins on stage to teach the conference members the rhyme with new motions showing all the people outside the building. “Have a heart for people who need hope and healing in your local community and around the world by building relationships. Believe in people because we know God believes in them,” Hopkins said. The conference members adopted the following resolutions:

In the last few weeks a lot of us have been overwhelmed by events in our lives: surgeries, illnesses, problems with loved ones, major life changes and for some of us we are just plain pooped from life in general. A while back I read this essay and it fit so well what was going on in my life that I kept it and I pull it out and read it every time things start getting crazy again. I decided that I should share it with all of you in the hopes that it might bring a smile to your face and some peace to your hearts, as it has done for me, so read, enjoy and take the message to heart!

IS GOD DANCING ON YOUR POTATO CHIPS?