Download descriptions of each workshop

#TeachingTuesdays
(workshops will be held at the district office, 4400 Reading Rd, Cincinnati 45229 unless otherwise indicated)
SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS: MARCH 7, 12-2 PM
INSTRUCTORS: Meghan Howard and Nick Federinko
Our culture has shifted in how we communicate with one another. When Jesus commanded the disciples
to “Go into all the world,” did that include the digital world? Yes! Dig deep and learn how to leverage your
communication and evangelistic efforts using digital and social media.
BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED: MARCH 21, 4-6:30 PM
INSTRUCTOR: David Meredith
Bloom Where You Are Planted is really just another way of describing the link of congregation to
community. Like an ecosystem, every plant and species within it is related to the others that also reside
there. This is the heart of Asset-Based Community Development. What are the assets, relationships,
partners, and ministry foci for you and your congregation in your specific community context? It's both a
workshop on how to see differently, work deliberately in partnership, collaborate with others in sharedministry, and multiply resources by sharing. For a congregation, Asset-Based Community Development
begins with a God perspective: "And God saw that it was good!" It moves to a Christ perspective: "You are
salt! You are light!" And it goes out into community with a Spirit perspective: "All are part of the body!"
DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAYS: APRIL 25, 12-2 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Joe Royer
If you are tired of the church spending time on conversations that don't matter and want better focus
and more efficient and effective use of resources, this workshop is for you. Learn how you can make
church as simple and fun as the Gospel message while minimizing politics, power plays, and personality
conflicts. You'll leave with a plan for your own Pathway and how to live into it.
PROVIDING SANCTUARY: MAY 16, 1-3 PM OR 6:30-8:30 PM
INSTRUCTORS: Scott Hicks and Troy Jackson
LOCATION: Hartzell United Methodist Church, 8999 Applewood Dr, Cincinnati 45236
The word sanctuary is derived from the Latin word ‘sanctus’ which means holy. Sanctuary means a
consecrated or sacred area of a church around its altar. In medieval law, a sanctuary was a place of
religious right of asylum. The contemporary use of sanctuary is usually meant to mean a place of safety.
In the United States, the most vivid image of sanctuary was the Underground Railroad operating in the
1800’s and especially active in the Ohio River Valley. The United Methodist Church was involved then and
has historically supported congregations that offer sanctuary.
Customarily, an immigrant who is in sanctuary in a congregation is considered to be in a safe place. After
an immigrant’s claim has been unsuccessful and all existing legal recourses have been exhausted, the
individual then faces deportation. An immigrant who has been offered sanctuary in a house of worship
circumvents deportation by virtue of the fact that he/she is on a congregation’s grounds. Any attempt to
remove an undocumented immigrant from the house of worship would be considered a violation of one
of the cardinal principles of respecting the immunity of the church/synagogue.
Another moment presents itself now. Immigrants who have overstayed their visas, immigrants who have
been brought here by their parents, as well as some refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants who
are in the citizenship process face removal orders that would deport one or more of the family.
United Methodists are involved in it. United Methodists have questions about it. And United Methodists
are critical of it.
This orientation to providing sanctuary will offer a thorough review of immigration law and the citizenship
process presented by UM pastor and Immigration Attorney Scott Hicks. It will also offer an explanation of
the Sanctuary and Solidarity Congregation movement in Cincinnati presented by Rev. Troy Jackson,
Director of the AMOS Project, along with members of local congregations involved in the Cincinnati
Sanctuary Congregation Coalition.
LEAVING WELL FOR TRANSITIONING CLERGY & S/PRCS: MAY 16, 5-7 PM
INSTRUCTORS: Todd Anderson, Marilyn & Roger Evans
LOCATION: Hartzell United Methodist Church, 8999 Applewood Dr, Cincinnati 45236
Everything in life has a beginning, a middle and an ending season. How we do transitions matters not only
for our clergy families but also for our congregations. This workshop is for local church pastors and
Staff/Parish Relations committees whose goal is to say goodbye and let go well, thereby insuring the
congregation a healthy transition to the new pastor.
UNSPOKEN PRAYER REQUESTS: JUNE 20, 12-2 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Mary Shumard
This workshop will focus on understanding how to minister to those in the congregation with emotional
and mental health issues. Participants will be invited to engage in functional and practical exercises that
will lead to greater warmth, empathy, and respect toward this population. In addition, you’ll look closer
into the world of:
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Addictive behavior and addictive personalities
Generational dysfunction and how it affects ministry
Hidden personality disorders
How to set appropriate boundaries within the church
When to refer and where to refer for the greater good
Practical steps to start an effective church ministry and outreach program
MINISTRY WITH THE MARGINALIZED BASIC TRAINING AND NEXT STEPS: JULY 11, 4-6:30 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Carrie Jena
This workshop is part refresher for those who attended the ORV training day on January 28th and also an
opportunity to learn “next steps” for ministry with the marginalized.* Attendees will leave with new skills
and insights that will equip them to effectively engage in deeper relationships with the poor/
marginalized in ways that enriches the life and faith of both the church and the community.
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5 Principles of Ministry with the Marginalized:
1. Engaging with the marginalized is not optional for the church of Jesus Christ
2. Each church must develop a clear strategy and a focused vision for achieving success.
3. Engaging with the marginalized brings predictable challenges that can be met and overcome.
4. Effective engagement with the marginalized requires strategic partnerships.
5. Learning to implement best practices can result in measurable life change in both the church and
the marginalized in your community.
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*marginalized—People who are seen as insignificant or peripheral—those in powerless or seemingly
unimportant positions within a society or group.
ROADMAP FOR NAVIGATING THE EXPERIENCE OF INCARCERATION & REENTRY: JULY 18, 4-6:30 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Reba Collins
What if you could respond to an incarceration crisis calmly and confidently?
What if you knew what to do to help someone return home successfully?
Are you facing an incarceration crisis because someone has been arrested? Someone is coming home
from prison? Or you don’t know what type of congregational support to provide families left behind? In
this session, participants will learn how to offer faith-filled hope, practical help, and a healing culture that
reduces the unique fear, shame, and stigma associated with incarceration. The impact of incarceration
can be overwhelming. Your response doesn’t have to be.
Join Reba Collins, the All In Community Consultant for the West Ohio Conference, for practical guidance
on sustaining relationships and tangible support throughout the incarceration/reentry experience. Learn
what our imprisoned, formerly imprisoned, and families of both need and want from our churches.
Discover local, state, and West Ohio Conference resources that support our friends, neighbors, and loved
ones as they strive to lead full lives of purpose and faith inside and out.
This workshop is a continuation of the ORV Leadership Training Day All in Community workshop and is for
pastors, mission teams, congregation members, individuals and families impacted by incarceration, and
individuals walking with those experiencing incarceration and the ripple effects of reentry.
S/PPRC TRAINING: AUGUST 8, 5-7 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Todd Anderson
The Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee serves a key role in establishing and sustaining the ministry
focus of the pastors and staff in relationship with the congregation. Advocates for the pastor and staff,
the S/PPRC helps to interpret staff roles and ministries and supports and nurtures the whole
congregation. This workshop will help you better understand your role and guide your work in this critical
area of ministry.
REENTRY COPE SIMULATION: AUGUST 22, 4-6:30 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Reba Collins
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are
mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. (Hebrews 13:3)
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Do more than just remember. Spend a few hours of your time immersed in the challenges and suffering
that is present in the lives of families as their loved one returns from prison. Join us for the Reentry COPE
Simulation, a powerful learning experience you won’t forget.
Are you looking for a way to mobilize more of your members into authentic relationship with people
impacted by incarceration? Reentry COPE is an easy and engaging first step. The Reentry COPE Simulation
acts as a catalyst to increase urgency and engagement around prevention, prison, and post-release
ministries.
The Reentry COPE Simulation helped me ‘see beyond the person’ who comes to the front door of my
church looking for resources. People returning from prison are real people -- just like me -- who, when
faced with overwhelming challenges, deserve our prayers and compassion at the least, and at the best,
our willingness and desire as the Body of Christ to work together for solutions for long-term life change.
This is what the church can and should be doing better than any other agency on earth.
~ Pastor Carrie Jena, The UMC Gathering
Reentry COPE is a “must do” experience for lay leaders, mission teams, prison/jail ministers, and social
justice advocates who want to make a greater impact in the lives they touch through their church’s
ministries.
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