06/13/2026
Beloved Congregations and Clergy of the Ohio Episcopal Area,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who saves us and sends us.
One hundred forty years ago, Methodist Episcopal churches in Ohio sent Mary F. Scranton and Dr. William B. Scranton to Korea to share the grace and love of God in Jesus Christ. Their faithful witness planted a seed of mission that has grown into a great harvest of churches, schools, hospitals, Christian leaders, and global mission. Today, the Korean Methodist Church continues to bear the fruit of that sacred gospel partnership.
A central part of this history is East Gate Methodist Church, founded through the ministry of Dr. William B. Scranton. For Korean Methodists, this church has long been cherished as one of the sacred birthplaces of Korean Methodism and as a living testimony to the Ohio–Korea mission connection.
In recent years, the original site of East Gate Methodist Church was returned to the City of Seoul as part of a public project to preserve and restore the historic Seoul City Wall near the East Gate. While this project honors an important part of Korea’s cultural heritage, it also resulted in the loss of a sacred Methodist site connected to the Scranton legacy and the earliest history of Korean Methodism.
Rather than allowing this legacy to disappear, the Seoul Annual Conference of the Korean Methodist Church has taken up the holy work of rebuilding nearby. Land has been purchased, and the Scranton Memorial Mission Center and Church are now being developed. The cost of the project is valued at approximately $16 million. This center will honor the memory, sacrifice, and missionary vision of William and Mary Scranton while inspiring future generations for mission in Korea and around the world.
Therefore, we invite all clergy, laity, congregations, and ministry settings across the Ohio Episcopal Area to participate in the Bishop's Missional Appeal for the Scranton Memorial Mission Center and Church. This offering will begin in 2026 and continue through the 2027 Annual Conferences. It is not a single offering received only at Annual Conference, but a shared season of prayer, learning, remembrance, and mission giving across the whole Ohio Episcopal Area.
The Seoul Annual Conference is engaged in a major capital campaign for this sacred work. We in Ohio are not launching a capital campaign. Rather, we are receiving a holy mission offering as an act of partnership, thanksgiving, and living covenant with Korean Methodists. Congregations are encouraged to teach, pray, remember, and receive mission offerings in ways appropriate to their own settings. These gifts will be gathered as one shared expression of love, gratitude, covenant, and mission by the time of the 2027 Annual Conferences.
Our prayerful goal is to offer $1 million toward this mission. This is a significant and hopeful goal, but it is possible when our churches join together in love. More than a financial gift, the Bishop's Missional Appeal offering will be a witness that the mission seed planted 140 years ago continues to bear fruit and become seed again for future generations.
A seed of mission became a harvest of grace. Now, by God’s mercy, this harvest becomes seed again.
With gratitude and hope in Christ,
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung
Laura White, Fundraising Team Leader, East Ohio
Casey Wilson, Fundraising Team Leader, West Ohio
Bruce Hitchcock, Chairperson, Fundraising Team
How to give:
Churches and individuals are encouraged to contribute by sending their donations to:
West Ohio Conference Center
32 Wesley Boulevard
Worthington, Ohio 43085
Or donate here: https://www.westohioumc.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=147
