Program Calendar 2026
Education and Engagement Opportunities
Sign up for one of the Foundation’s many programs designed to support stewardship, legacy giving and investments in the local church.
January
Church Stewardship Academy Session 1: What’s Your Number? The UMFWO Stewardship Standards January 14 at noon.
Registration required. Register for this academy here. One registration provides a registrant with access to all four sessions.
Every church can improve its stewardship efforts! In this session we will review the UMFWO Stewardship Standards Assessment that covers the five key areas for stewardship success: leadership, education, mission giving, budgeting and accounting. Join UMFWO Executive Director Susan Black as she uncovers the numerous ways your church can incrementally improve its giving by implementing simple changes over time.
Great Miami and Scioto River District Leadership Day Training #1: Sharing Your Impact: Telling the Story of Mission Giving, Connectional Giving and Apportionments with Rev. Karen Cook and Susan Black, CFRE, CAP® January 24 at 11:30 a.m.
What does it mean to be a Connectional church? Why should we pay apportionments? And where did we go so wrong? Join Susan Black [and Rev. Karen Cook] from West Ohio as they reveal the critical relationship between mission giving, connectional giving and apportionments and why it matters to every UM church today.
Great Miami and Scioto River Districts Leadership Day Training #2: What’s Your Number? The UMFWO Stewardship Standards with Susan Black, CFRE, CAP® January 24 at 1:15 p.m.
Every church can improve its stewardship efforts! In this session we will review the UMFWO Stewardship Standards Assessment that covers the five key areas for stewardship success: leadership, education, mission giving, budgeting and accounting. Join UMFWO Executive Director Susan Black as she uncovers the numerous ways your church can incrementally improve its giving by implementing simple changes over time.
Olentangy River and Hocking River Districts Leadership Day Training: Sharing Your Impact: Telling the Story of Mission Giving, Connectional Giving and Apportionments with Rev. Karen Cook and Susan Black, CFRE, CAP® January 29 at TBD
What does it mean to be a Connectional church? Why should we pay apportionments? And where did we go so wrong? Join Susan Black [and Rev. Karen Cook] from West Ohio as they reveal the critical relationship between mission giving, connectional giving and apportionments and why it matters to every UM church today.
February
Children, Youth and Young Adults LOI Application Seminar with Susan Black and Maddy DeWitt February 5 at 2:00 p.m.
Learn more about what a successful grant application looks like for the new Children, Youth and Young Adults Grant process.
VBS Application Seminar with Susan Black and Maddy DeWitt February 24 at 2:00 p.m.
Learn more about what a successful grant application looks like for the VBS mini-grants.
Church Investment & Legacy Academy Session 1: Best Practices for Church Investing February 25 at Noon
Registration Required. Register for this academy here. One registration provides a registrant with access to all four sessions.
Join Foundation Executive Director and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) Susan Black as she helps unravel the mystery of church investing for your congregation. All church leaders are welcome to join.
Wespath Institutional Investments Town Hall – video will be available in March 2026
April
Church Stewardship Academy Session 2: Sharing Your Impact: Telling the Story of Mission Giving, Connectional Giving and Apportionments April 8 at Noon
Registration required
What does it mean to be a Connectional church? Why should we pay apportionments? And where did we go so wrong? Join Susan Black and Rev. Karen Cook from West Ohio as they reveal the critical relationship between mission giving, connectional giving and apportionments and why it matters to every UM church today.
May
Church Investment & Legacy Academy Session 2: Developing Your Church Investment Strategy with Wespath’s Karen Manczko May 20 at Noon
Registration Required
Build a thoughtful and sustainable investment strategy aligned with your mission and values. Participants will explore key principles of responsible investing, risk management, and long-term financial planning tailored to the unique needs of faith-based organizations. Leave with actionable steps to steward church resources wisely and support ministry growth for generations to come.
July
Church Stewardship Academy Session 3: Pastoral Leadership in Generosity with Rev. Lynn Kilbourne July 8 at Noon
Registration required
Talking to your congregation about giving can be one of the most intimidating responsibilities of a pastor. It’s so intimidating, many of us only preach on it once a year – when we’re putting together the church’s annual budget! We don’t like to talk about giving because we don’t feel comfortable asking for money from people. This reflects that too often we think of generosity in terms of what God wants from us. But really, generosity is what God wants for us, not from us. Generosity is a gift God wants for us to receive and enjoy. Join Rev. Lynn Kilbourne, as she shares how talking to your congregation about giving can feel more like an invitation into a deeper relationship with God, in short, more like pastoring.
August
Lakeside Generosity Conference Lakeside Chautauqua August 10-12
More information coming soon!
Church Investment & Legacy Academy Session 3: Legacy Giving in the Local Church August 19 at Noon
Registration Required
If you’ve ever wanted to start a legacy giving program in your church, but don’t know where to start, this session is for you. Learn the building blocks of success for church legacy giving programs with UMFWO Executive Director Susan Black.
Wespath Institutional Investments Town Hall – video will be available in August 2026
October
Church Stewardship Academy Session 4: Stewardship as a Spiritual Discipline Oct. 14 at Noon Registration required
Join Rev. David Abbott of the UMF of New England for a workshop that explores how stewardship is a way to engage and experience one’s relationship with Christ. Knowing one’s “why” (Simon Senek and Micheal Jr) and building out from there not only works to create a passion and Spirit driven approach to stewardship but also is a model used for successful church ministry.
November
Church Investment & Legacy Academy Session 4: Life on the Receiving End – What Pastors and Local Church Leaders Need to Know About Accepting Gifts November 18 at Noon
Registration Required
Churches are good at receiving checks in the offering plate, but this is just the tip of the giving iceberg. A church that can effectively, carefully and professionally receive gifts such as stocks, vehicles and even real estate opens up incredible opportunities for their supporters to be generous. The session will develop an understanding of the principles of gift reception and provide important step by step instructions for working with donations you may be likely to receive, and even some that are less likely. Expect a lively session from Methodist Foundation of Ohio Executive Director, Rev. Brian Sheetz.
Dates and times subject to change. Watch our Facebook page and newsletter for more information. Not receiving our newsletter? Contact Andrea at agrooms@wocumc.org to sign up.