East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church

ALL IN COMMUNITY

"Do not forget those who are in prison. Remember them as if you were in prison with them.
Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them." - Hebrews 13:3

Clery and laity are invited to make a difference in our mission fields in the East Ohio Conference through participation in the ministry of All In Community, a modern-day, Biblical response to the impact and aftermath of mass incarceration. All In Community is for all who are involved in one way or another with the criminal justice system.

With 1 in 3 Americans living with a criminal record and 50% of American families touching the justice system through an immediate family members, there is much repair and restorative work to be done.

Our Vision
A world of justice, love, and peace filled with people healed from crime and incarcerations and growing in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Our Mission
To train, resource, and connect churches to embrace our members and neighbors impacted by crime and incarceration.

Our Purpose
To engage individuals, churches, criminal justice professionals, and community leaders at the local level to restore hope and support healing in lives involved in the criminal justice system.

If you would like to be added to the All In Community email news list, contact Jami Nathan by e-mail.

All In Community Christmas Miracle Meeting | October 27
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) and The Four Seven Ministries have created a beautiful opportunity for families to experience the Christmas holiday with their incarcerated loved ones. All In Community (Mission Advance Partner Fund 9984) is working alongside them to help this year. Join us to hear details about this year’s plans for each of the state correctional facilities and how you can help make Christmas magical for those who are often forgotten and left out of the holiday celebrations. There will be an online informational meeting on October 27 at 7:00 p.m., please register using the link below.

Registration and Details
Flyer

HOPE Letters Monthly Meeting | Second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Online
HOPE Letters is a signature initiative of AIC that is endorsed by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to provide a mentorship through correspondence opportunity for it’s residents as they prepare to return home. More details and registration on the flyer below.

Flyer

Frankly Speaking with Four Friends | First Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Online
This will be an opportunity to engage with restored neighbors in conversations that will enlighten people about their lived experiences to reduce the stigma around incarceration. More details on the flyer below.

Flyer

Wellness Wednesdays | Last Wednesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. Online
Wellness Wednesdays are our newest gift to our community and community partners. We cannot do this thing called life without God and without one another. And so, we want to continue undergirding you personally, those that you are walking with in ministry, and even your family. Wellness Wednesdays provide a safe online space, a brave space, to receive good tips on how to maintain health and well-being. Focused on living out the Scriptures and being present for those who are impacted by criminal justice systems, this time together provides real-time conversation and real-time education around creative ways to care for ourselves as we do ministry work. Join this online community that addresses and uplifts the critical need for nurturing. Virtual room opens at 11:30 a.m., session starts at 12:30 p.m., and we will finish by 1:30 p.m. There is no cost, and you only need to register once to get the link and meeting reminders.

Registration and Details
Introduction Video
Flyer
View the latest Wellness Wednesday video, Exploring Your Wellness Economy.

30 Days of Prayer with All In Community
The Four Friends Speakers Bureau has been continually active and engaging this year. Many different opportunities for them to share about their lived experience have been made available in many ways. They have shared stories during worship services, and they have led worship services. They have given testimony at the Ohio State Legislature on behalf of proposed bills. They have presented information sessions online to criminal justice professionals. They have engaged with grassroots efforts to eliminate collateral consequences for those formerly incarcerated with felony convictions. And, they have gathered to share stories amongst themselves. What a privilege it has been to learn so much from these amazing individuals! The depth of their love of God keeps growing and growing every day, transforming others in the process as well.

Earlier this year, one of the Four Friends speakers spoke during a worship service and then greeted people as they left. Some of the parishioners stopped by the All In Community display table that was set up to learn more. One parishioner was dismayed because she was not able to participate or support the ministries that were highlighted. The Four Friends speaker said that one thing she could do for us was to pray. Pray for All In Community. Pray for the returning neighbors that were supported through our ongoing efforts. Pray for those who were currently incarcerated. The parishioner replied happily that she could do that, and she certainly would!

From one simple encounter, a new ministry through All In Community has begun. Thanks to the Rev. Rae Lynn Schleif and Barbara Coleman, volunteer coordinator and ally for the Four Friends Speakers Bureau, the 30 Days of Prayer is a beautiful perpetual calendar that prays for those impacted by crime, incarceration, reentry, and restoration. Each day of the month holds a different prayer focus, with several additional ideas when there are 31 days.

You can start on whatever day you receive the calendar. Then on the following month, you can start over with Day 1 and continue praying each day. As new prayer requests come to All In Community, they will be shared through email for you to include in your prayer time.

We want to invite everyone to participate in this valuable ministry!

Jesus said that if we have the faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. [Matthew 17:20] Together, through prayer, we can start to move the mountains of stigma and shame away and build healthy relationships. We can listen for the small voices amongst us to make a difference in our communities ... one prayer at a time. Use the link below to get started.

Join 30 Days of Prayer.

All In Community in the East Ohio Conference

The East Ohio Conference is engaged in meeting the reentry needs in three counties, Huron, Belmont, and Harrison, through the ODRC Reentry Coalition Expansion Grant initiative. See the map of Ohio counties without a reentry coalition.
HOPE Letters ministry is coming to Northeast Reintegration Center. HOPE Letters is an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC)-approved faith-based reentry mentoring-by-correspondence program. HOPE Letters writers offer encouragement, guidance, and restorative relationships with men and women incarcerated in Ohio’s prisons. At the same time, HOPE Letters groups become welcoming communities for the men and women they are corresponding with upon their return to the community.
Four Friends Speakers are sharing the Good News of restoration and redemption. Four Friends Speakers Bureau is a group of restored neighbors (people who were incarcerated) who come and talk about their restoration journey. We are meeting the goal of four East Ohio Conference churches hosting speakers this year.
All In Community is a new mission advance of the East Ohio Conference.

You Can Make a Difference by Getting Involved

When a person becomes justice-involved, we believe their loved ones are called to ministry by circumstance. When a person answers God’s nudge to do justice, we believe that person is called by conviction. We welcome and create space for people who are called to this ministry by conviction and/or by circumstances. Through All In Community, you can become a witness for God’s ability to transform lived experiences into life-giving ministry.

Contact an All In Community Coordinator for compassionate support and practical guidance navigating your criminal justice experience, or that of a loved one.
Get a group of four or more co-laborers, friends, or family to participate in HOPE Letters.
Host a Four Friends Speaker for worship, a group, or a mission initiative.
Host a reentry simulation in your community to learn more about the real lived experience of families and individuals who are justice-involved and to meet other community partners serving this population.
Connect with your local reentry coalition to discover ways in which you can serve justice-involved persons.
Partner with New London UMC and Urban Mission Ministries in their reentry coalition-building efforts.
Attend Ministry Mondays opportunities to learn about specific All In Community ministry pathways both connectionally and within local congregations that radiate out into the community-at-large. Topics include HOPE Letters, Restorative Practices and Listening Circles, The First 72, and Good Samaritan Ministry. Meetings are not held in May, November, and December.
Give to All In Community as EOC Advance Special #9984.