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 Future
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 Reba Collins by e-mail.

Building Bridges of Opportunity 2024 Community Experience | October 16-17 Online and at Multiple Locations
Join the Ohio reentry community at this year's Community Experience. Our focus will be on serving reentry families, supporting youth returning home, and soliciting victims' voices in reentry. Our first day together will be all virtual via Zoom and our second day will be gatherings at regional host sites across Ohio. We look forward to being in community with you in October!

Our theme this year is Bridging Pathways to Hope. We will offer workshops that focus on cultivating goals, agency, opportunity, and resilience within one of three key reentry areas:

Serving Families Through the Reentry Journey
Support Returning Youth
Soliciting Victims’ Voice in Reentry Efforts

The purpose of the Community Experience is to convene Ohio’s reentry community to provide high quality reentry education, emerging Ohio reintegration efforts, reintegration best practices, network opportunities, environments for sharing ideas, and advocacy opportunities for systemic reform.

Each year, the Community Experience brings together community leaders, government officials, non-profits, policy makers, faith & community-based organizations, correctional professionals, law enforcement personnel, legal services, academics, justice involved citizens, and others interested in learning about and developing better community reentry responses. This event is free and day one will be online, day two will be at one of eight locations around Ohio. See registration link or flyer for full details.

Registration and Details
Brochure

All In Community Nurturing Community Events for Fall 2024

Clergy Resilience Retreat | October 3 at Wedgewood UMC in Akron or October 22 at Bexley UMC in Columbus
Trauma-Resilience Worship Arts Workshops | October 15 at Bexley UMC in Columbus or November 6 at Wedgewood UMC in Akron

Registration and Details

Check the Events page and social media for upcoming training and events for laity and clergy or Contact Rev. Kathy Dickriede to learn more about any of these ministries.

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.
East Ohio congregations are already connected to this restorative justice work through the mission advance South Street Ministries.
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.
Visit South Street Ministries to listen, learn, and develop understanding about justice-involvement. Help to provide a meal on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. after their reentry meeting at 4:00 p.m.
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.
Give to All In Community as EOC Advance Special #9984.