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Volume 14July 2022Year TwoDISTRICT STAFFDistrict SuperintendentAmy Hainesahaines@wocumc.org567-221-7177Office AdministratorLesley Moorelmoore@wocumc.orgIssue 7It seems like just yesterday when my family transplantedourselves to Findlay, I moved my books into the districtoffice and then thought to myself, “God wants me to dowhat now?” I am guessing some of you have similarRev. Amy Hainesmemoriesof starting at a new congregation or a new job.Northwest PlainsDistrict SuperintendentRecall those mixed emotions from your freshmen year inschool. Foothills DS Mark Chow and I joke with each otherthat we still feel like rookies, and now there are two new DS asking us questions!July 1 begins year two already of our journey together, and first I want to say, thankyou for year one! Thank you for warmly welcoming me back to Northwest Plains.Thank you for being gracious as I re-learned the district as it is now, not as it was.Thank you for sharing your stories of mission and ministry, even as you shared yourstories of struggle and stuck-ness. Thank you for your persistence as I cannot alwaysreturn calls or emails quickly. Thank you for your patience for the mistakes I make as Ilearn.As I enter year two as your DS, this year will have its own unique challenges and opportunities. I get the privilege of not only serving Northwest Plains, but also MaumeeWatershed District. I will become very familiar with churches in 18 counties inNorthwest Ohio! Thankfully, I can drive to most of these churches in under two hours.My goal is to be in the NWP office on Mondays and MWD office on Thursdays.Remember, however, you can always call Lesley or leave me a message or send me anemail. I still want to hear from you.This year, I will also be assisting churches and clergy who discern that disaffiliation istheir next faithful step. Whether your church is disaffiliating or remaining UMC, I wantto encourage all of us to remain focused first and foremost on loving God and lovingneighbor. That is our call as Christians, as members together in the body of Christ. Ourmission and ministries, our service and worship, our fellowship and connection are ourpriorities. I look forward to hearing your stories of loving on the community aroundyou or partnering with them to reach others with the hope of Christ. I look forward tothe stories of God’s presence with you when you stepped out in faith and faithfulness.Keep reaching out in love, keep praying, keep studying together God’s Word, keepactive in mission.Northwest Plains DistrictUnited Methodist Church910 E. Third StreetOttawa, OH orgWebsite:www.northwestplainsdistrict.orgWe are all called to be disciples who make disciples. And the ways we live out our discipleship will be diverse as our communities and congregations are diverse. Don’t focus onwhat you can’t do. Look around at who you are and what you have and what you can do!A new conference year is upon us. God is still with us, faithful United Methodist Christiansof Northwest Ohio! May we be open to God guiding us, challenging us, pruning us, andblessing us. May we be open to who we are becoming, more like Christ through sanctifyinggrace step by faithful step.Many blessings,

Page 2Northwest Plains CompassJuly 2022Sacraments-let’s make it simpleLed by: Rev. Barry BurnsSaturday, July 23, 2022Saturday, August 6, 20228:30-Noon1:00pm-4:00pm(lunch Noon-1:00 pm)Via ZoomOur denomination has a rich history of sacramental worship where we experienceChrist through these particular acts that were given to us by Christ himself. This coursewill refresh our understanding of Baptism and Communion, which are the twosacraments of the United Methodist Church, help us think theologically about what thesacraments mean, and how we can experience the presence of Christ through thesesacramental moments. Register online or see enclosed brochure. Deadline July 13.EMAIL SCAMS/HACKINGALERT: EMAIL SCAMS ARE ON THE RISE— Please discard any and allemails that seem to come from Amy Haines asking for money, donations,gifts cards, etc. Recently (this week and last week) her email account hadbeen hacked and several people have received such emails. Please DONOT respond and delete from your inbox. Any questions, please be sure tocontact the District Office. THANK YOU!

July 2022Northwest Plains CompassPage 3Date of FOS:Saturday, September 17, 2022Drop off sites: Churches/Locations/Addresses/Times:Defiance St. Paul’s UMC, 400 Wayne Ave., Defiance, 419.782.3751, Mon.-Fri., 8:30 amto 4:30 pm (Please call ahead)Findlay Journey at Christ, 225 W. Bigelow Ave, Findlay, 419.422.6662, Mon.-Fri., 9:00 amto noon, (Please call ahead.)Spencerville Trinity, 119 N. Main St., Spencerville, 419.647.4451, Mon-Fri., 9:00 am – noon(Please call ahead)NWP District Office, 910 E. Third St., Ottawa, 800.589.7828, Mon.-Wednesday.,8 am-11:45 & 1 pm to 3:30 pm (Please call ahead to make drop off arrangements)(9/5 Office closed for Holiday)Van Wert First UMC, 113 W. Central Ave., Van Wert, 419.238.0631, Mon-Thurs.,8:30 am - 1:30 pm & Friday 8:30-Noon (Please call ahead)Wapakoneta First UMC, 504 Glynwood Rd., Wapakoneta, 419.738.8168,(Specific drop off dates are September 6, 7, 8 from 9-4)Dates for the kits to be dropped off to the locations above will be: August 29 throughSeptember 7, 2022 or what works best for your location, but these dates will be communicated inthe newsletters – always best to call ahead first to be sure.We are excited to announce that this year's All People Conference - "Building Relationships, Creating Change" - will beheld October 22-24, 2022, and registration is now open!Register before July 1 and save 25! For more information or toregister, click here.

Page 4Northwest Plains CompassJuly 2022NWP Directors of Pulpit SupplyPastors, if you are in need of Sunday morning pulpit supply and would like toarrange for a Lay Speaker to fill in for you, please contact our District Directorsof Pulpit Supply. Linda Hoover is responsible for the southern part of NWP District including Allen,Auglaize, Hardin, Mercer, Van Wert and Wyandot counties. She can be reached at567.204.0329 or by email at bhoover1@woh.rr.com. Larry Zuvers is responsible for the northern part of NWP District including Defiance,Hancock, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, and Williams counties. He can be reached at419.636.2329 or by email at lzuvers@gmail.comSign-up NOW!Northwest Plains DistrictAnnual One-on-OnesPlease check your emails to Sign-up today.Thank you!2022 Laity Discernment RetreatsOffer Time and Space“I gained a much better understanding of the many ways God ‘speaks’ in and through peopleand learned that rarely is it through words. I learned that discernment is a process and rarely adefinitive answer.” – Shelley Eden, participantThe 2022 West Ohio Laity Discernment Retreats, held in February and March, broughttogether 14 lay persons for virtual fellowship, prayer, and discernment. Led by Kim LaRue and Deaconess KrisShoaf, Laity Discernment Retreats talk about call, discernment, and what it means to be "called by your baptism."Also discussed are the variety of ways laity can serve both in our churches and in our communities.This year, Rev. Larry Brown, a retired elder, spoke about the importance of laity making time and space to do thework of discernment – which is what these retreats are all about. “It isn’t so much that I needed to discern mydirection, but it gave me time to orient my thoughts and actions to the path God was opening,” said participant JoyceOiler.The next Laity Discernment Retreats will be held in-person in the Central Ohio area on Saturday, October 8, 2022,and Saturday, November 19, 2022. Virtual retreats will be held again in 2023 on January 31, February 7, andMarch 21. Registration is not yet open, but you are welcome to email Kim LaRue for more information at kimlarue@powellumc.org, or click here to visit the webpage.

July 2022Northwest Plains CompassPage 5Handling Sensitive InformationSensitive information, including confidential information or information that is for internal use only, should behandled with care. A lot of times, your organization’s sensitive information may include information such asintellectual property, trade secrets, or security configurations.It’s important to take caution when handling this information so that you can protect yourself and yourorganization from cybercriminals. Follow the tips below to help protect sensitive information:Properly Dispose of DocumentsWhen you no longer need to use a document, make sure that you properly dispose of it. Instead of placing adocument in a trash bin, use a shredder to shred the document. If you place a document in a trash bin,cybercriminals can easily search through the bin and find the document. Then, the cybercriminals can easilyread and steal any sensitive information on the document.Clean Your DeskLook around your desk. How many documents are laying on your desk, available for someone to grab orview? Be sure to clean your desk to protect sensitive information. If you’re not using documents, put themaway in locked drawers. Cybercriminals could impersonate maintenance staff and cleaning crews to stealdocuments off of your desk after work hours.Encrypt Your Digital DocumentsDoes your organization give you a laptop or other electronic device to use for work? What would happen ifthat laptop or other device was missing or stolen? All the documents on the device could easily be read, copied, or sold. To prevent cybercriminals from accessing and stealing your documents, consider encryptingsensitive documents. If your documents are encrypted, cybercriminals will be less likely to read them. If yoususpect that sensitive documents have been lost or stolen, immediately tell your manager.If your organization's sensitive information was stolen or lost, your organization could be at risk of payingfines and losing trust. Protect your organization's sensitive information like you would protect your own socialsecurity number, credit card information, or healthcare information.

Page 6Northwest Plains CompassJuly 2022New IRS mileage reimbursement rate effective 7/1/2022: 0.625/mileEffective July 1, business mileage will be reimbursed at 0.625/mile. When you submit your first mileage reimbursement expenses for July, please make sure to update the rate to 0.625. Here’s a link tothe IRS eases-mileage-rate-for-remainder-of-2022 .The Walk to Emmaus is a global ministry of the Upper Room dedicated to supporting thespiritual formation of Christians and the development of Christian servant leaders for thelocal church. If you would like to experience this spiritual retreat or learn more about itcontact Brad Martin.I am also looking for clergy who are interested in serving in the Northwest Ohio EmmausCommunity. The clergy listing needs updating. If you tookyour walk in another community, if you took another three-dayretreat, or if your contact information has changed, pleasesend the information to Brad Martin, Emmaus Community SpiritualDirector , bmartin4477@gmail.comThe district staff will be praying each week for 3 different appointments(church and pastor):Week of July 3Week of July 10Celina Mt. Zion/Mercer Charge George RowellChattanooga Rev. Tom BrunstrupColdwater/Ft. Recovery/Eratus Rev. David Porath Rev. Jim StilwellContinental Charge United Rev. Chuck SchmunkConvoy UMC Rev. William ThomasCountry Chapel Rev. Monica KlemanWeek of July 17Countryside Chapel Rev. Laura ClarkCrawford Rev. Cynthia MorrisonCridersville Rev. Thomas MillerWeek of July 24Week of July 31Defiance St. Paul’s Rev. John SchlicherDelphos Trinity Rev. Kevin HallDunkirk Grace TBDEdgerton Rev. Susan KronbachEdon Rev. Douglas WiddowsonElida: Immanuel Rev. Randall Coleman