Ohio East Episcopal Area, U.M. Church

The Ohio East Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church was created in 1964 as a division of the Ohio Episcopal Area. The Ohio East Area extends from Port Clinton through Delaware to just north of Marietta, Ohio, and all points in Ohio north-east of that line.

An Episcopal Area in the U.M.Church is the area overseen by a Bishop. Within each Area is one or more Annual (i.e., regional) Conferences of the Church. The East Ohio Annual Conference is the only one in the Ohio East Area. The East Ohio Annual Conference includes the same boundaries as the Ohio East Area. Before the 1968 merger creating the United Methodist Church, however, there were other conferences in the area today contained by the Ohio East Area. These were of the Methodist as well as the Evangelical United Brethren churches.

The Ohio East Area is part of the North Central Jurisdiction of the U.M. Church, which includes all episcopal areas in the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Iowa. The 2008 General Conference of the U.M. Church decided to reduce the number of episcopal areas in the North Central Jurisdiction by one in 2012. Whereas all States within this jurisdiction have one episcopal area except Illinois and Ohio (each with two), there is a possibility that Ohio East will cease to exist in 2012.

Bishops

The Bishops who have served this Area are:

• Francis Enmer Kearns (1964-76)
• James Samuel Thomas (1972-88)
• Edwin Charles Boulton (1988-96)
• Jonathan D. Keaton (1996-2004)
• John L. Hopkins (2004-12)

References

• The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church[1]
• InfoServ, the official information service of The United Methodist Church. [2]
• The Episcopal Office of the East Ohio Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. [3]

External links

• Ohio East Area, United Methodist Church