This year’s West Ohio Annual Conference Special Offering will be split between two vital ministries: West Ohio Disaster Response and our Mexico Mission Partnership.

West Ohio Disaster Response

When a disaster strikes, whether in Ohio or across the nation, West Ohio Disaster Response is ready to assist – with volunteers, financial support, case management, and most importantly, the compassion of Jesus Christ. In the aftermath of the 2019 Dayton tornados, many United Methodist churches provided food, water, prayers, and volunteers. In the months that followed, United Methodist Early Response Teams and other volunteers worked to help homeowners in the hardest hit areas. Although major disasters are rare in Ohio, each year brings multiple smaller disasters that do not qualify for federal disaster funding. West Ohio Disaster Response comes alongside churches and communities to provide basic supplies and necessities, as well as repairs, to homes damaged by flooding, wind, and ice storms.

Mexico Mission Partnership

For more than 20 years, the West Ohio Conference has sent Volunteers in Mission teams to a medical clinic in Rio Bravo, Mexico. During that same time, a Methodist Church in the neighboring colonia was growing to the point that it could support a mobile medical clinic within its own complex. In January 2011, it was decided that West Ohio and Manos Juntas would join in full partnership, working together hand-in-hand, to provide medical care for the local community. Out of this partnership, another ministry was born – the Esperanza Viva (‘House of Hope’) children’s home, which opened in Spring of 2018. The House of Hope can host up to 20 children in a loving, safe environment, where they can learn, play, and be cared for in Jesus’ name.