SHAWNEE VALLEY DISTRICT CONNECTIONAL GIVING 2019

The District Connectional Giving monies you send in to the District office as a local church will be used in our region/district in the following ways:

       1) Leadership Development - $40,427 -to enhance the leadership and ministry of local churches of all sizes. We invest in all our pastors and lay leaders through conferences, workshops and training.

       2) Discipleship Initiatives - $28,000 -to support our local prison ministries, university ministries, ministries with the poor, fresh expressions of church, etc.

       3) Lay Servant Ministry - $500

                    Local Church Lay Servant- to encourage laity to lead within their local church

                   Certified Lay Servant- to assist folks who sense a call into some form of ministry

                   Lay Speaker- to identify and train those who sense a call to future pastoral ministry

                   Lay Pastor- to equip laity to serve a church

                  Certified Lay Minister- to support those who want to further their training as lay ministers

                  Basic/Basic Refresher/Advanced Classes twice a year- to equip those who want to learn and grow

      4) Pastoral Care and Emergency Needs - $1,500 - to assist with emergency needs in the lives of our pastors

      5) Next Generations / Youth Initiatives - $3,000 - to support this program through training and mission opportunities

      6) Committee on Ordained Ministry - $300 - to come alongside our Lay Pastors, Licensed Local Pastors, Associate Members, and Elders/Deacons

      7) Pastoral Clusters - $1,500 - to help with the purchase of study materials and other needed expenses so that pastors are being challenged to grow in their spiritual     leadership

      8) Non-budgeted Investment monies are available for Strategic Ministry grants and mission outreach -$20,000

     9) District Missional Staff - $20,000 - to help coordinate, support and lead effective ministry in our region 

                     Next Generations Coordinator- to plan events for the next generation and network leaders 

                    Pastoral Cluster Coordinator- to create clusters for every pastor to participate in 

                   District Committee on Ordained Ministry Coordinator- to oversee pastors in process 

                  Grants Coordinator- to assist in determining the best use of monies for strategic ministry 

                  Lay Servant Ministries Coordinator - to recruit and train new lay servants 

                 Smaller Church Co-Coordinators - to provide resources and initiatives for our smaller churches 

                 Prison Ministries Coordinator - to coordinate the district’s prison ministry

    10) District Administrative Staff- $74,773

                 Administrative Assistant/Vietnam Mission Coordinator/Communications Coordinator/Disaster Relief Coordinator

                 Finance Manager/District Treasurer

The Shawnee Valley District churches have stayed consistent in their District Apportionment Giving ranging from 92% to 100% in the last six years!

In addition, for the 2013 through 2019 fiscal years, your Shawnee Valley District has helped make possible the following ministries in our district, state, country and around the globe with other monies. You are helping to make a difference in the lives of others!

           o Strategic Ministries Grants – The District Grants team has reviewed and awarded $309,152 to churches in the district through an application process to enhance ministries in the      following areas: Leadership Development, Evangelism with a Discipleship Plan, Ministry to the Poor with a Discipleship Plan, Structural improvements or expansion of facilities as a result of outgrowing space currently - used to reach & assimilate the community into the life of the congregation

         o Emerging Ministry Grants – The Grants Team has reviewed and awarded $131,008 in grants to local churches and mission projects to assist in developing new ministries and discipleship initiatives

        o Capital Grants/Church Loans/Key Strategic Revitalization Projects - we have given $314,100 in grants at the discretion of the District Superintendent to assist with emergencies and revitalization projects and $42,050 in low interest 5 year loans

        o Jackson Area Ministries - $15,000 has been given to support JAM’s building ministries in Appalachian areas

        o Over $8,000 and many man-hours were spent in Coalton, Ohio (Jackson County) in the summer of 2015 assisting homes damaged by flash floods.

        o Next Generations / Youth Initiatives - $16,862 for special youth events, training and mission teams

        o Prison Ministry - $14,339 has been collected and will be used to purchase Bibles, etc. for those incarcerated in prisons in our area

        o Angel Tree Ministry - $6,648 was collected in 2015 to support children of those incarcerated in our district by purchasing Christmas gifts on behalf of the prisoners.

A TOTAL OF $703,024 HAS BEEN GIVEN TO LOCAL MINISTRIES

       • West Ohio United Methodist Rural Advocates- $1,500 – to encourage and support our town and rural congregations so that they can be vibrant churches

       • West Ohio Conference Consultation Process - $220,561- Our District has participated in supporting several churches throughout the State including Shawnee Valley Churches: Hillsboro First, Washington Court House Grace, Cornerstone, Jackson Christ, Chillicothe Trinity and most recently, Greenfield First, Bainbridge, and South Webster. (Part of the funds for this process comes from the income received from churches that have closed in our District.)

      • West Ohio Conference All in the Family Consultation-$25,679 - we have numerous churches in our district involved in this focus on families and discipleship

      • West Ohio New Church Starts - $156,521 - Ironton Resurrection Hope UMC and the Ironton First UMC were assisted in this venture. In 2019 through West Ohio Conference’s Light the Way Campaign, we contributed $4,766 to this endeavor

      • Hispanic Ministry – $35,514- we have several churches and ministries reaching out to the growing Hispanic ministry in our state

      • $8,000 has been given to other Districts in the West Ohio Conference to assist in budget deficits and emergency needs.

      • Shawnee Valley District deferred their portion of district equalization funds from West Ohio Conference to Foothills District the last three years, adding up to $115,000

      • In 2016, we collected $2,576 to support Joni & Friends, who offers a family retreat at Shawnee State Park for those with disabilities.

A TOTAL OF $570,117 HAS BEEN GIVEN TO MINISTRIES AROUND THE STATE OF OHIO 

* The SVD 3-C ERT Disaster Response Ministry has responded to many natural disasters both in Ohio and out of state 

*Through Mission Call donations, we have collected $33,554 to assist in covering training expenses and supporting teams, stocking the supply trailer and providing materials on site           *Teams and individuals have deployed to the flood & wind event in Racine, Ohio (2014), Jackson, Ohio (2015), New Jersey (Super Storm Sandy 2013), Texas (2018), West Virginia, South Carolina, the UMCOR Distribution Centers in Pennsylvania, Illinois & Louisiana. A team made up of District Staff and local church pastors and members traveled to North Carolina for Hurricane relief efforts. Over 736 man hours were spent rebuilding damaged homes. 

*Cash collected for Health Kits, Flood Buckets and Hurricane relief adds up to over $27,685 

*Flood Buckets, Health Kits, and School Kits have been assembled and delivered to the Midwest Distribution Center in Illinois and Mission Central in Pennsylvania. At least 1,473 kits have been assembled by Shawnee Valley Churches – Approximate cash value of the kits $79,877 

*The District Leadership Team voted to support three National Ministries in 2018 by donating $5,000 to each of these projects. Total $15,000 

              1)Heart and Hand House – A program in Barbour County West Virginia to minister to the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs of in-crisis, low-income people of the county.         

             2)Tree of Live Ministries – Rosebud Reservation. Dakotas Conference. Relationship building and ministry to Native Americans. 

             3) United Methodist Nomads – USA. Rebuilding lives, homes, and facilities with God’s Love and our hands.

A TOTAL OF $156,116 HAS BEEN GIVEN TO MINISTRIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

Vietnam- Since 2013, the Shawnee Valley District has collected $281,776 to help the Vietnam Church reach its people. You have invested in: 

                  * Health Kits for families in the remote areas 

                  *School Kits for families in the remote areas 

                  *Evangelism efforts so the good news of Christ can be shared 

                 *Support of pastoral leaders and the mentoring of future leaders 

                 *Given monies to churches for basic needs 

                *Made possible a vision to create new churches and to reach the various people groups

      Imagine No Malaria- The churches and congregations of the SVD have provided over $57,683 to help curb and eventually eliminate malaria. Another $42,000 was given by the Shawnee Valley district in matching funds in 2014.

      Operation Christmas Child – In 2016, our churches donated $3,373 in cash to support the follow-up ministry provided to children who receive a shoebox. Numerous churches are collecting and sending shoeboxes overseas through Operation Christmas Child. Each year, more churches are supporting this outreach ministry.

A TOTAL OF $384,832 HAS BEEN GIVEN TO INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES

The Shawnee Valley District Churches have also given missional & ministry monies through our Conference apportionments since 2013. You have made a difference in the lives of many people for the sake of Christ. In 2019, our giving to the West Ohio Conference was $789,924, which is 74% of the total requested from our 114 churches. THANK YOU!