Ohio Association Spring Meeting Minutes
May 7, 2025
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
First Congregational Church, Lodi, Ohio
Attendance: Jonathan Arnold, Kyle Boone, Jonathan Cheatham, David Dake, Josiah Dake,
Tim Dubeau, Donna Edsall, Brian Egleston, Ken Flanagan, John Hood, Dayle Kiefer,
David Kimberly, Emmanuel Mandala, Matt Reed, Alex Robbins, R.J. Zupanich
From 9 a.m. to 9:30 we had conversation and refreshments.
The meeting opened with a short talk by Emmanuel Mandala, a Baptist missionary from India.
He asked us to pray for India. The persecution of Christians began escalating in India in 2014
and is now at its highest level ever. This is state-sponsored persecution with the aim of
eliminating Christianity in that country. Mandala himself has escaped three assassination
attempts. There are 25,000 orphans in India because of persecution of Christians. Churches are
being burned.
After we received that information and prayed, John Hood led us in a meditation on Ecclesiastes
12:9-14. John said he could find references to the Trinity in this passage. After prayer, the
meeting began.
Kyle Boone led the group in a presentation about youth ministry. We wrote the answers to four
questions about our church: how many members, how many young people from age 12 to 18,
how many children under 12, and what is the greatest obstacle to having a youth ministry in our
church.
The mission of the church is to make disciples. The results of not discipling children and teens
can be their complete departure from the faith. We examined the Great Commission. We looked
at the primary reasons for not discipling youth. According to the Bible, each generation has a
responsibility to pass the faith on to the next generation. A church is not able to use the excuse
of “we don’t have the resources,” because the Bible declares that God will provide all we need.
We divided into groups to brainstorm methods of ministry to the young, and then reconvened to
discuss the ideas we came up with.
We had a business meeting at lunch. The minutes from the winter banquet were approved. The
treasurer said we have $1680 in our Ohio Association account.
Before officer elections, there was a discussion about a possible conflict of interest between the
position of Area Regional Pastor (David Dake) and Moderator of the Ohio Association.
Officer elections were held. David Dake was elected Moderator. Donna Edsall retained her
position as secretary. Jonathan Cheatham retained his position as treasurer. Mattt Reed was
asked to serve as Vice-Moderator. He asked for time to pray and ask his congregation’s opinion.
David Kimberly gave a report on the Barnabas Ministry. He asked if we want the Barnabas
Ministry to go outside of Ohio. This was not discussed or resolved.
The Barnabas Ministry’s MOU with Bryan Long was renewed. An MOU with Peter Wood is in
process. A recommendation is being drafted by Paul McPheeters about training methods. David
published an article in the Christian Coaching Magazine on “Expanded Levels of Awareness in
Coaching.” He is working on a program to address and prevent minister burnout. If you know
someone who has left the ministry, let David Kimberly know, and he will contact them.
The Barnabas Ministry needs to make an appeal for funds. They are praying for $10,000 this
year.
David Dake gave his report on area ministry. The gathering will be on June 4 at 10 a.m. in Lodi,
Ohio. We will skip the July and August gatherings.
Sara Koons is in a non-Four C’s church right now and may be moving back to New England.
Josiah Dake is about to release a song (June 10). He is planning a church tour this fall with
another artist.
Tim Dubeau gave a report. The big event coming up is the Annual Gathering in Orlando,
Florida, where we will be voting on the name change. It requires a 2/3 majority vote.
The Four C’s is encouraging people to attend a program on the Alignment Discipleship Process.
It will consist of five 6-hour sessions on Saturdays over a period of eight months.
There is a class being offered on First Peter at Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA (in person
or on Zoom). It will take place June 2-5 with 22 hours of instruction (3-6 hours a day).
The Jones Road Church in Cleveland has an opening.
We discussed having another picnic this summer and decided to have it in Finley on Tuesday,
July 22 We will meet at 11 a.m. at a picnic shelter at the park in Wellington, Ohio.
The meeting ended with prayer.