East Ohio Conference of United Methodist Church has new bishop

Staff report

north canton

Bishop Tracy S. Malone is the new resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church, 8800 Cleveland Ave. NW.

She succeeds Bishop John L. Hopkins, who retired as a bishop after serving eight years in the Minnesota Conference and the past 12 in the East Ohio Conference. There are 732 churches and 150,000 members in the East Ohio Conference, which stretches from Lake Erie in the north to the Ohio River in the south, and from Tiffin and Delaware in the west to the Pennsylvania and West Virginia borders in the east.

A welcoming service is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 2 at Salem First United Methodist Church, 244 S. Broadway, Salem. This service is a joint event with Tuscarawas District.

Bishop Malone was serving as the district superintendent of Chicago Southern Region in the Northern Illinois Conference when she was elected to the Episcopacy in July. Before that appointment, she served several churches in the conference, the last of which was Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton, Ill., as senior pastor.

During her ministry, she also has taught courses as an adjunct professor at Aurora University and at Northern Baptist Seminary in Lombard, Ill., published articles, blogs and book reviews, written chapters for several books and provided leadership on several boards and agencies.

Born in Ann Arbor, Mich., and raised in Chicago, Bishop Malone received her call to ministry at age 13. She has a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies and sociology, with a minor in computer science, from North Central College in Naperville, Ill.; a master of divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.; and a doctorate of ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton.

She and her husband, Derrick Malone, have two daughters.

For information, visit www.eocumc.com.