187th Convocation of the Ohio Methodist Historical Society
Join Us for Year to Remember Conference with the Ohio Methodist Historical Society (OMHS)!
The Center for the EUB Heritage invites members, friends, and guests to the 187th Convocation of the Ohio Methodist Historical Society (OMHS) at United Theological Seminary. The event begins at noon on Friday, May 8, with a fellowship lunch for EUB Council and OMHS attendees, followed by an afternoon tour to two historic sites in Dayton, Ohio. The OMHS Convocation will continue on Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., with an EUB History theme.
Learn more about the Year to Remember and EUB Anniversaries.
Friday, May 8
10:00-noon | EUB Center’s annual spring business meeting for the EUB Board
11:00-noon | OMHS Convocation Check-In
12:00 | Fellowship lunch with EUB Council and OMHS attendees
1:30 p.m. | Historic Tours to Woodland Historic Cemetery and Arboretum and Breyfogel Memorial Chapel on the former campus of United Theological Seminary
6:00 p.m. | Optional dinner (“Dutch treat” / separate checks) at Ray’s Wine Spirits Grill, 8268 North Main Street, Dayton, OH 45415
Saturday, May 9
8:00 a.m. | OMHS Check-In and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. | Welcome and Devotional
9:15 a.m. | Orientation to EUB Heritage & Tour of United’s Campus and EUB Center
10:25 a.m. | Panel on Historic Sites and Archives
11:00 a.m. | Hymn Sing in O’Brien Library
11:20 a.m. | “Legacy of Boehm & Otterbein at 300 Years,” Dr. Wendy Deichmann, Philip William and Susan Otterbein Chair for Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist Studies, United Theological Seminary
11:45 a.m. | Group Photo
Noon | Luncheon in honor of Boehm and Otterbein’s 300th birthdays
1:10 p.m. | Methodist Traditions in Ohio: Evangelicals, United Brethren, and Methodist Protestants, Andy Wood, Archivist and Research Historian, EUB Center at United & Dave Boling, West Ohio Commission, Archives & History (UMC)
2:15 p.m. | Panel on Local and Congregational History
2:45 p.m. | Show & Tell and OMHS Annual Business Meeting
3:30 p.m. | Prayer and Adjournment
Our Tour Guides:
Jack Hott, Vice-President of the Ohio Methodist Historical Society and descendant of United Brethren Bishop, James W. Hott buried at Woodland. Springboro UMC
Andy Wood, PhD, Archivist and Research Historian, EUB Center at United Theological Seminary
Misti Spillman, Manager of Preservation and Community Outreach, Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum
Dayton belongs on a short list of headquarters cities that should be cherished as a cluster of shrines acknowledged in United Brethren and EUB historical memory. 21 of the 40 United Brethren bishops are buried in Ohio.
Our tour has two stops:
Woodland Historic Cemetery and Arboretum
Founded in 1841, Woodland Historic Cemetery and Arboretum is one of the nation’s oldest rural garden cemeteries. Its oldest sections are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With over 110,000 souls and 3,000 trees on more than 200 acres, Ohio’s official statewide history organization named Woodland an “outdoor museum of Dayton history.”
Woodland is more than Dayton history. It is one of the most important cemeteries for the United Brethren tradition. Seven United Brethren bishops (serving 1849-1941) are buried at Woodland. We will also visit the grave of Mary Gomer, African American missionary to Sierra Leone. Our tour will include names such as Wright, Shuey, Fout, Funkhouser, Drury, and the Lorenz family. Don’t miss it!
Breyfogel Memorial Chapel
After visiting Woodland, we will stop by the old campus of United Theological Seminary on Harvard Blvd to see Breyfogel Memorial Chapel. Built in 1960 to honor one of the greats on the Evangelical side of EUB history, it is the last building remaining from the seminary. The campus today is part of the community ministries of Omega Baptist Church, longtime partners with United.