If you've not read the devotional for the second week of Lent, please click here.
Holy One, challenge me today to see the world as you see it. Challenge me to seek your way and to not settle for what might be the norm. (Upper Room Daily Reflections)
Please keep these pastors, their families and the Church families in your prayers throughout the coming weeks.
March 7
Jamestown:Kidder Memorial UMC
Rev. Tom LeBeau, his wife Georgia Whitney and their family.
March 14
North Harmony UMC
Pastor Joe Osborne, his wife Kelly and their family.
March 21
Dewittville-Hartfield & Mayville UMCs
Rev. Mark Parsons, his wife Jan and their family.
Please keep the friends and family of the Rev. Junius B. Dotson, the top executive of Discipleship Ministries, in your prayers. Rev. Dotson died February 24, less than a month after announcing his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 55.
You can celebrate the life of Rev. Dotson on Saturday, March 6, at 12 pm EST. The Celebration of Life will be livestreamed from Houston, TX. Details will be released on this link when they are ready.
Continue to pray for 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.
Did you know that some counties are now including clergy as eligible for vaccination? Contact your local Department of Health to see if or when you will be eligible for vaccination. Click here for all New York State counties’ Department of Health links.
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Upper New York (UNY) Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb, and members of the UNY Cabinet have put together and released a worship service that may be used on a Sunday of your choice. It is hoped that by using this service, your pastor can have some much-needed rest and renewal.
Each week of Lent and every day of Holy Week, a United Methodist bishop will offer a short devotion. Together, we will confess and fast from the sins of racism, discrimination, oppression and exclusion, and feast on the beauty and blessing of the diversity of God’s Church.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, is leading today’s Dismantling Racism devotional. This series offers an opportunity to confess and fast from the sins of racism, discrimination, oppression and exclusion, and feast on the beauty and blessing of the diversity of God’s Church.
This month, the People of God campaign is focusing on our dedication to caring for our neighbors during the pandemic and beyond. Share this inspiring message with your congregation by downloading resources for social media, worship, websites and more, available in English and Spanish.
Media Resource Center Partially Open
The Media Resource Center began lending and accepting back overdue resources on August 1, 2020. Please check to see if you have any items taken out prior to March 2020. These items should be returned to us as soon as possible. With Pastors moving to other churches and Bible studies put on hold, we need to try to locate all resources and have them returned before they are forgotten.
If you need to readjust return dates, please contact Karen Campolieto, Media Resource Coordinator and Archives Assistant. The Media Center will not be available for personal pick-up, but you can mail materials until further notice as our offices are closed to the public.
Click here for the latest Media Resource Center newsletter.
JOB OPENING
Kenmore United Methodist Church has an opening for a full-time Director of Spiritual Development and Christian Education. Click here for the job description overview and instructions for application.
Questions may be directed to Rev. Beckie Sweet, Kenmore UMC, 32 Landers Rd., Kenmore, NY, 14217, revbeckiesweet@gmail.com.
UPDATED WEDDING GUIDELINES
Guidelines for worship in Upper New York haven’t changed (50% capacity, masks, social distancing), but there are new guidelines for receptions.
The updated guidance for wedding receptions will go into place March 15 and will require the following:
·Testing for all that attend the event.
·50% capacity - up to 150 attendees.
·Must be approved by local health department.
Click here to see all FAQs related to the coronavirus and your church.
General Conference Postponed
Until 2022
Meeting on February 20, the Commission on the General Conference decided to further postpone the 2020 General Conference until August 29 – September 6, 2022 in Minneapolis, MN as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the safety of mass gatherings and travel. Click here to read the full announcement from the Commission.
Today, the Council of Bishops announced that there will be a Special Session of General Conference on May 8, 2021. This Special Session will involve disciplinary matters to be moved, seconded, and then without debate be voted upon using a mailed ballot—this will enable the Church to continue its administrative functions appropriately. Click here to read the full announcement from the Council of Bishops.
Bishop Webb Announces Clergy Appointments
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb and the Upper New York Conference announce two ad interim appointments, three appointments, and six retirements pending approval of clergy session. View the full list of changes here.
The March Issue I of the Bridgeis 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.
This issue spotlights The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and shares recent examples of how UMCOR has helped communities in need, such as Texas storm survivors and many underserved populations facing the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue articulates the importance of UMCOR Sunday and also explains the different ways you can help UMCOR by providing kits, supplies, and donations to the UNY Mission Central HUB.
The stories that are featured in the Bridgecan 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.
The Upper New York Annual Conference Team will be hosting our standard Basic Safe Sanctuaries training via Zoom from 9 am to 12:30 pm Saturday, March 27.
This training is brought to you and paid for by your Upper New York Ministry Shares. This basic training will follow the reformatted Zoom curriculum developed by the UNY Safe Sanctuaries team and is required for anyone working with children, youth and vulnerable adults as stated by the Minimum Standards. This training is a must no matter if you are meeting in-person or online.
If you have already taken this training you DO NOT need to take it again.
Advance registration is required; a link to the handout that should be printed and available for the training will be provided. The training will be facilitated by Safe Sanctuaries Conference Committee Co-Chairs Arlene Schmidt and Pastor Christine Mitchell.
If there are any questions please contact one of the co-chairs of the committee at safesanctuaries@unyumc.org
For more information on Safe Sanctuaries, and on background checks, click here.
Ministry Shares Credit Opportunity
The Conference Council on Finance and Administration has created an opportunity for local churches to receive a Ministry Shares credit of 50% on your May 2021 statement.
In order to qualify for this credit, churches must pay 100% of their current month April charges (both Ministry Shares and Direct Bills). A church will qualify for this credit even if it has not paid toward ministry shares in prior months. A church also will receive the credit if they have already paid their Ministry Shares in full prior to the April statement. The credit will be equal to 50% of May Ministry Shares charges. Credit will be reflected on the May statement as an increase to the YTD paid column)
Payment for April charges must be received in the Conference office (not postmarked) no later than April 30, 2021 to be eligible for the credit.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this information, please contact Bob Flask, UNY Conference Treasurer, at 315-898-2008 or bobflask@unyumc.org.
Your generous giving to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) on UMCOR Sunday (March 14, 2021) is what allows UMCOR to respond when there is a need, in instances such as:
·Tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma;
·Children in Zimbabwe who lost parents to AIDS;
·A massive tsunami that devastated Japan.
UMCOR will be able to offer aid in Jesus’ name to those who suffer because United Methodists give through UMCOR Sunday.
Click herefor resources to promote UMCOR Sunday in your church.
How can churches engage in spiritual growth in a digital age? The coronavirus was the catalyst that caused churches to go all virtual. Churches that didn't have a website now are streaming worship services online, collecting donations online, and reaching audiences near and far.
In turn, not only are homebound church members able to engage in their church's worship services, but also, there are visitors from counties, states, and even countries away from churches' physical locations, engaging in Upper New York Conference worship opportunities. To build on this momentum, the Upper New York Conference is launching the Digital Discipleship Ministry to provide churches, large and small, with the proper resources to keep people connected.
Click here to read, "How Digital Discipleship Works" by Lori Jagow, Pendleton Center UMC Online Minister.
Mission Central HUB Seeking Support
The Upper New York (UNY) Mission Central HUB is preparing for the coming spring to support survivors affected by the different disasters (floods and high winds) that may impact our area. In partnering with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), UNY’s status of kits on hand is low at best. The most requested items are cleaning and hygiene kits. Those who can support our communities by assembling kits in your homes or churches, please share projects so we can support your efforts and possibly share your methods with others. Any number of kits will help.
Please review the list for contents of each kit. If you cannot provide complete kits, we can use individual items to help complete other kits that arrive incomplete.
The HUB at the UNY Conference Center will remain closed until further notice. However, there is a tent outside the Conference Center where kits can be dropped off. You can also make arrangements to drop off kits at the HUB by calling MaryBeth Ingalls at 315-372-0285 or emailing her at marybethingalls@unyumc.org or calling Mike Block at 315-491-0497 or emailing him at mikeblock@unyumc.org.
The Commission on Equitable Compensation has issued guidelines and application forms for salary grants to local churches for the period
July 1 to December 31, 2021. Salary grants are available only to churches with a pastor under full-time appointment.
Click herefor more information, application guidelines, as well as first-time and renewal applications.
2021 Petitions/Resolutions/Reports
The Committee on Petitions and Resolutions is charged with overseeing the submission, review, and presentation of petitions and resolutions to the Annual Conference.
All resolutions and petitions for the 2021 session (which will be held online June 17-19, 2021) that will be printed in Journal Vol. I must be submitted to the Committee no later than March 15, 2021. Anything received after this date will be posted on the Conference website.
Submissions should emailed to the Petitions and Resolutions Committee at petitions@unyumc.org.
Click here for more information, including guidelines and a petition and resolutions template.
Applications for Lottie Brown,
Ercil Cady Grants Due March 15
Applications for the Lottie Brown Grant are now available throughMarch 15. Because of the coronavirus pandemic and limited staff working at the Conference office each day, it is highly recommended that all completed materials be sent electronically to scholarships@unyumc.org.
Preference is given to those entering some form of Christian service. A statement of your faith journey and philosophy of life is given high consideration. All application materials for this scholarship must be postmarked by March 15.
Applications for the Ercil Cady Grant are available now. Grant(s) of up to $5,000 may be awarded to individual United Methodists, local UM churches, or UNY District and Conference ministry teams. As directed by the originator of the Ercil Cady Grant, “priority shall be given to educational proposals that benefit minority groups or individuals, preferably black and American Indians.”
Please consider creative ways to use this grant. Click here for the procedures and application. The deadline to apply for this grant is March 15,
The UMC is leading a sustained and coordinated effort through General Conference, August 29 to September 7, 2021, to actively engage in the ministry of dismantling racism and promoting racial justice. The UNY Conference Communications team will regularly share worship, advocacy, and educational resources to help with this important campaign.
This week, we recommend a TED Talk by novelist Chimamanda Adichie.
She tells the story of how she found her authentic Nigerian cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
Click here to watch and listen to Chimamanda discuss this important step to dismantling racism.
