AROUND THE CORNER
Information for and about our District
December 17, 2020
The beginning of the church calendar year has begun! We have entered the season of Advent 2020. A season where we once again begin a time of waiting, preparing, anticipating and watching. A season that ends with the celebration of the birth of Jesus. A time for some to recommit to being faithful followers of Jesus. A time for some to say yes for the very first time to become faithful followers of Jesus.

Each Advent season, for my personal devotional time, as the Holy Spirit leads, I select a scripture and a hymn that corresponds to the four weeks of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. I offer this to you as you journey through this season of Advent.

Week One: Hope
Scripture: Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
Hymn: My Hope Is Built (UMH #368 verses 1 and 3)
1.   My hope is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other
ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.
3. His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my
    Soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other
    ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.

Week Two: Peace
Scripture: John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
Hymn: It Is Well with My Soul (UMH #377 verses 1 and 4)
1.   When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrow like seas billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul.
4. And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back like a scroll;
    the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul. It is well,  
    with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul.

Week Three: Joy
Scripture: John 15:10-12 Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”
Hymn: I Come with Joy (UMH #617 verses 1 and 4)
1.   I come with joy to meet my Lord, forgiven, loved and free, in awe and wonder to recall his life laid down for me, his life laid down for me.
4. And thus with joy we meet our Lord, His presence, always near, is in such friendship better
known; we see and praise him here, we see and praise him here.

Week Four: Love
Scripture: Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hymn: Love Came Down at Christmas (UMH #242 all verses)
1.   Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine; Love was born at Christmas; star and angels gave the sign.
2.   Worship we the Godhead, Love incarnate, Love divine; worship we our Jesus, but where-with for sacred sign.
3.   Love shall be our token; love be yours and love be mine; love to God and all neighbors, love for plea and gift and sign.

May this season of Advent bring to you, your family, your neighbors, your churches and your communities, a time of waiting, preparing, anticipating and watching. Even though this Advent and Christmas season will be different due to the pandemic, celebrating the birth of Jesus once again will not change. As faithful followers of Jesus, we have the hope, peace, joy and love that only comes from Jesus Christ!

Rejoicing in the birth of Jesus,
Suzanne

Christmas Message from Bishop Mark Webb
As you prepare for another celebration of Christmas during the difficult realities of 2020, Upper New York Area Resident Bishop, Mark J. Webb, reminds us to look for the light that leads us to the light of the world. He asks us to trust that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He tells us to open our hearts in a new way and invite Jesus as Savior and Lord to make us new. Click here to watch Bishop Webb’s inspiring Christmas message. 
TOGETHER IN PRAYER
Please keep these pastors, their families and the Church families in your prayers throughout the coming weeks.

December 20
Forestville UMC. Pastor Jim Hankey, his wife Andra and their family.

December 27
Rev. Timothy Phelps, as he retires from Extension Ministry as Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care chaplain, his wife Liz and their family.

January 3
Cherry Creek, Conewango Valley & Ellington UMCs
Pastor John Dedloff, his wife Liz and their family.

Please keep in prayer all those who are affected by COVID-19, either directly or through a family member, neighbor or friend. May we continue to show respect for others by practicing good hygiene, wearing masks & social distancing.

To download the 2020-2021 District Prayer Calendar, click here.
Last Thursday, December 10, Jason Moore hosted a webinar for the UNY Conference clergy that offered tips, strategies, and equipping to help the local church create a worship ministry where both in-person and online worshiping communities feel equally included and cared for.

This webinar will be available for your church leadership to view and review for 90 days.

The goal of this webinar is not only to help churches better prepare through Advent and especially for Christmas, but also to help churches prepare into the New Year.

Click here to watch the webinar.
LOOKING AHEAD
January 1, 2021 - February 15, 2021
Enter your church's 2020 statistics in Ezra (www.ezra.gcfa.org)

February 15, 2021
Please send a completed & signed copy of each to the District office. (Click on the boldface titles to download the forms.):
2020 Year-end Financial Report
2021 Church Budget

March 15, 2021
Please send a completed & signed copy to the District office:
Is my home or church in a COVID-19 Cluster?
Click on this link and type in your address.
Updated COVID-19 Guidelines & Best Practices
With the health and safety of all members and communities of the Upper New York Conference in mind, the Conference Reopening Task Force have revised the COVID-19 guidelines.

The guidelines cover facility, worship, small group, food, and program hosting minimum standards and best-practices. Click here for a chart that outlines the minimum standards that churches should follow (the NYS guidelines) and the additional UNY recommend best practices. This chart also provides helpful resources.

Future updates and revisions will be noted in red in subsequent versions. If you have any questions involving these guidelines, feel free to contact the COVID-19 response team of the UNY Conference via phone at 315-898-2012 and email at covid-19response@unyumc.org

Click here to print full announcement.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Upper New York Assistant Director of Vital Congregations for Spiritual Life, the Rev. Nancy Dibelius, has been providing videos of helpful spiritual practices to help deepen people’s relationship to God during this difficult time.

From now until Christmas, Rev. Dibelius’s spiritual practices will be connected to Advent.

This week, she revisits the spiritual practice of Stations of the Cross.
 
Click here to watch her video, which will guide you through this practice.
 
Click here for a document that explains the stations of the cross.
Free Pastoral Care Course
How can pastors help members of their congregations who are survivors of trauma? A Trauma-Informed Approach to Pastoral Care is a pastoral care course that will provide strategies to help people who have experienced trauma, avoid retraumatization, and effectively care for yourself as well.

This Zoom course will be taught in three 90-minute sessions by Samantha Koury of the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care (ITTIC) at the University at Buffalo. Attending all three sessions will earn pastors 1 CEU (Continuing Education Unit).

Classes are scheduled:The dates for t
Monday January 18, 7-8:30 p.m.
Monday January 25, 7-8:30 p.m.
Monday February 1, 7-8:30 p.m.

Click here to register for this free course offering and a Zoom link will be sent to you. Questions can be addressed to Jessica Glaser at 716-425-2938 or Jessica.f.glaser@gmail.com.




IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Ministry Share Deadline Date for 2020 will be Monday, January 11, 2021. After that date, any payments received for 2020 will be reflected in 2021 listed as Prior Year Ministry Share Payments on your monthly statement.

Statistics for 2020- The Ezra site will be opened Friday, January 1, 2021 to enter the church statistical data. The 2020 Statistical data will be due by Monday, February 15, 2021.

Local Church Audit – The 2020 annual audit of your church financial records are due to the District Superintendents on Monday, March 15, 2021, no later. 

Please also share this flyer with updated information about Paid Family Leave.
Report from Red Bird Mission Team
This year’s trip to the Red Bird Mission was very successful. We took 2,025 shoeboxes filled with personal hygiene items, 25 boxes of diapers, over 75 new sheet sets, over 100 backpacks filled with school supplies, handmade scarves, and other miscellaneous items. We drove one 26-foot truck to Kentucky and intend to take another 26-foot truck with clothing and food sometime in March of 2021. 

This year we kept a record of the hours and miles put into this mission. Our drivers drove approximately 4,662 miles picking up donations throughout the Upper New York Conference and driving to Kentucky. The team spent over 400 hours on this mission.

As we look forward to next year’s mission, we would like churches to consider donating shoeboxes, backpacks, new blankets and sheet sets, and diapers. The need for clothing is not as critical this time of year as the warehouse at the mission is usually full of gently used clothes. New clothes will still be taken to the Community Outreach Center for distribution. 

Once again, I would like to personally thank all of you for your support of this vital mission. It is such a good feeling to know how God works to provide for those in need.

Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Blessings,
Dave Alexander
Endicott UMC
Creative Ideas for
Christmas Eve Worship 2020
Although we won't be able to enjoy packed-full sanctuaries on Christmas Eve, there are a variety of ways to gather safely and to celebrate the coming of Jesus:
  • have a brief and simple Christmas Eve worship service outdoors (perhaps with a bonfire)
  • host a drive-in Christmas movie in your parking lot using an FM transmitter
  • have a virtual (live or pre-recorded) Christmas pageant using Zoom and/or Facebook Live
  • host a drive-through or walk-through Christmas Eve experience outside your church building (perhaps using a life-size nativity scene as part of it)
  • plan a socially distanced Christmas carol sing in your church parking lot 
(Originally published by the Minnesota Annual Conference October 2020. Republished with permission by ResourceUMC.org.)
The December Issue II Bridge is now available for download. It is available in both color and black & white formats. Click here to select the version you prefer and make copies as necessary. The stories that are featured in the Bridge can also be accessed from the news section of the Upper New York (UNY) Conference website for easy copying and pasting for those who wish to electronically distribute news featured in the Bridge. Click here to access the UNY Conference news items.
 
This issue shares inspiring stories of how churches across the UNY Conference are keeping Christmas traditions alive.
 
The Bridge is a communications tool designed for local churches to stay connected to each other and to the ministries taking place around the Upper New York Conference and The United Methodist Church. The newest volume will be listed at the top of the webpage, with older volumes below. The Bridge is designed to be handed out in worship, via email, on the church website, as a church bulletin insert, or as a standalone item. If you have questions or are unable to make copies, please contact news@unyumc.org. 
UMC Student Day December 27
"But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!" — 1 Chronicles 29:14, NLT

Gift of Hope scholarship recipient Emma Kate Kiely grew up on a small farm in Missouri. She and her two younger sisters were involved in many extracurricular activities – 4-H Club, sports and youth group at Clinton (Missouri) United Methodist Church. To read more about Emma and the United Methodist Student Day offering, click here.
After months of planning and anticipation, Christmas appears to be over all too quickly. On December 26, retailers tell us we are in the after-Christmas season of returns, exchanges, and more sales. The church calendar however, tells us it is still Christmas.

The 12 days we sing about in that crazy song, are a real season, sometimes called Christmastide or the days after Christmas leading to Epiphany on January 6. During this season, we continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh who made his home among us (John 1:14 CEB).

To help celebrate the season, click here for 12 creative, simple ideas that have nothing to do with partridges or lords-a-leaping.
Message from the UNY Safe Sanctuaries Team
In this time of COVID-19 and social distancing, the Upper New York Conference Safe Sanctuaries Team recommends that no in-person Safe Sanctuaries training takes place. This is to keep safe those who would be together for a long period of time. We ask that people be patient. Recertification letters have gone out to the trainers. 

Co-Chairs Arlene Schmidt, CLM and Pastor Christine Mitchell, Honeoye Falls United Methodist Church.
In this Kairos moment of protest and awakening, Discipleship Ministries and other agencies and bodies of the United Methodist Church are providing resources and guidance on how to become anti-racist individuals and churches.
 
The Worship Team of Discipleship Ministries believes, however, that such a change will not happen unless the whole process is bathed in prayer every step along the way. To that end, you can subscribe to daily prayers to help keep us all centered on the journey ahead. From Monday through Friday, a new prayer will arrive in your inbox for your use as personal devotion, to share in your small group, or for use in corporate worship.
 
Click here to subscribe to daily anti-racism devotions. 
‌
This is the final issue
of Around the Corner for 2020.

As we look ahead to 2021, we welcome any suggestions or ideas
you have for this weekly District communication.

Prayers for health and blessing as we prepare
to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.
December 31 deadline!
Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy & Training
Required of all NYS employers/employees. There are various free or low-cost online sexual harassment prevention trainings available to your employees. Click here to learn more. If you have questions on this topic, please contact Tracy Rickett, Human Resources Generalist, at tracyrickett@unyumc.org or (315) 898-2017.

Boundary Training required every 5 years of every clergy person in any active status or relationship with the Conference whose appointment is approved or set by the Bishop; every person serving as a supply pastor assigned by the District Superintendent; and retired clergy performing ministerial functions. Click here for registration instruction.
Give to UNYCRM
December 1 was Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity that takes place annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. Though the day has passed, it’s not too late to accept Upper New York Camp & Retreat Ministries (UNYCRM) invitation to get involved!

If you can do so, UNYCRM would be grateful for your financial gifts to one or all UNY camp and retreat centers. These funds will be put to immediate good use in sustaining the centers in a particularly challenging year and ensuring that they remain ready to fully reopen once it is safe to do so.

Give online by clicking here to give to the Upper New York Camp & Retreat Ministries.
Opportunities for Lay Servant training are being held in other Districts (in person and Zoom) Contact information is included with each class or contact the host District.


LAY SERVANT CLASSES 2021

United Methodist Heritage (ADV)
Thursday January 7, 14, 28: 6-9pm
Saturday January 23: 9am-1pm
ZOOM:  Course Fee: $15  

Basic Lay Servant (daytime course) 
Tuesday, January 19 and Thursday, January 21: 9 am-noon; Monday, January 25 and Wednesday, January 27: 9 am-noon
 
Preaching: From Your Hearts to Theirs (ADV)
Mondays February 22, March 1, 8: 6-9
Saturday March 13: 9-1
OR
Thursdays February 25, March 4,11: 6-9pm
Saturday March 20: 9-1pm
ZOOM: Course Fee $15    
Deadline for registration form and fee is February 8
 
Leading Prayer (ADV)
Wednesdays April 14, 21, May 5: 6-9pm
Saturday May 1: 9-1 pm
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15 

Basic Lay Servant 
Thursdays, May 13 and 27: 6-9 p.m. 
Saturday, May 29: 9 am-1 p.m.
Monday, June 7:  6-9 p.m.
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15
 
Spiritual Gifts (ADV)
Mondays June 14 and 21:  6-9 pm
Saturday, June 26: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thursday, July 1: 6-9 pm
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15  
 
Leading Worship (ADV)
Wednesdays: July 14, 21, 28: 6-9 p.m.
Saturday: August 7: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15  
 
Polity (ADV)
Tuesdays August 17, 24, 31: 6-9 pm
Saturday, August 28:  9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15  

A brochure is available - click here. To register or for more information please contact Arlene at adschmidt@nycap.rr.com
CORNERSTONE DISTRICT [cornerstonedistrict.com]