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JOYS & CONCERNS
Please include these prayer requests in your weekly church bulletin, in your prayers during your Sunday worship if you have a time of "pastoral prayer" and keep these pastors, their families and the Church families in your prayers throughout the week.
March 31
The Wheeler Hill Church.
April 7
The Great Valley Church. Pastor John Green, his wife Janet and their family.
Please keep the family of
Louise Howe in your prayers. Louise, 90, died on March 21. She was predeceased by her husband, the Rev. Phillip Howe, who served several Upper New York churches, including West Seneca: Seneca and Clarence UMCs in addition to serving as Superintendent of the former Olean District. Calling hours will be held from 4-7 p.m. on March 29 at Larson-Timko Funeral Home, 20 Central Ave., Fredonia. Funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on March 30 at Fredonia First United Methodist Church, 25 Church St. Condolences may be sent to Louise's daughter, Rebecca Krzyzanowicz, at 40 Chestnut St., Fredonia, NY, 14063.
Click here to read a full obituary.
Cathy Hall, administrative assistant for the Cornerstone District, and her family thank you for all your prayers and expressions of sympathy shared at the time of her father's death. Your thoughtfulness has brought us great comfort.
Prayers for
Pastor Carol and
Jim Dill are appreciated as Jim continues to address health concerns.
Also be in prayer for
all who are
in need of physical healing, burdened by stress, living with grief, and more.
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NEW - UNY Satellite School for Course of Study
Wesley Theological Seminary is proud to announce the opening of the
Upper New York Satellite School for the Course of Study Program in the 2019 fall term. This school will be held at the Upper New York Conference Center, 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., Liverpool, NY.
The UNY Satellite School will begin with three sessions, three courses each session:
- Fall - October 18 & 19, November 15 & 16, 2019
- Winter - January 17 & 18, February 28 & 29, 2020
- Spring - March 27 & 28, April 24 & 25, 2020
A course schedule for the first two years and registration information is available here.
Click the drop down menu for the "Upper New York Satellite School."
A fillable registration form is available here. Email the online form to the District office ([email protected]) or print and complete the form, then mail it to:
Cornerstone District Office
663 Lakeview Ave.
Jamestown, NY 14701
Once the District Superintendent has signed the form, the District office will mail the registration form to the COS registrar:
COS Registrar Betsy O'Flynn
1050 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
Betsy will forward the completed form on to Wesley Seminary. Wesley must receive the form, signed by the DS and the COS Registrar, by the deadline; t
he deadline for registration for the Fall term is September 30, 2019.
Additional details related to this new program will be shared as they become available - please stay tuned for more information in the weeks ahead. If you have questions, contact COS Registrar Betsy O'Flynn at
[email protected] or 585-340-9558.
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PLEASE NOTE - Youth Event CANCELLED
Because of conflicts throughout the connection and a lack of interest and response, the
Cornerstone District youth event scheduled Saturday, March 30, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Olean has been
cancelled.
Pastors
Craig Buelow and
Sue Hadley are asking District pastors and youh leaders to share their ideas about how the District can provide space for teens to nurture and explore their faith. All thoughts and suggestions are needed and welcome.
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Special Session Recap
On March 17, 2019,
we gathered as a District for a livestreamed Recap and Reflection after the Special Session of General Conference. Upper New York Area Resident Bishop, Mark J. Webb, introduced the gathering by expressing how he wished that everyone could be together under one roof, but also felt grateful that we have the technology to be able to be connect in the livestream format (click here to continue reading).
To watch or download a video of the gathering, click here.
Since the Traditional Plan passed at the Special Session of General Conference last month in St. Louis, many members of the Upper New York Conference have questions related to these results. Bishop Webb and other leaders have begun answering questions that members of the UNY Conference have on their minds.
Click here to view the questions that have been answered thus far. Bishop Webb and other leaders will continue to answer as many questions as possible in the coming weeks. If you have questions related to the Special Session of General Conference, please send them to [email protected].
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Need for Cleaning Buckets!
With the warming temperatures throughout our Conference this week, flood season is on its way! In a fun yet educational video, Director of Missional Engagement Mike Block explains the need for flood buckets, supplies, and help assembling buckets at the Upper New York Mission Central HUB. Click here to watch the video.
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Celebrate UMCOR Sunday (formerly One Great Hour of Sharing) on a date that is convenient for your congregation.
Official date: March 31, 2019
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Register Now for LSM Spring Training
Cornerstone's
Lay Servant Ministries Spring Training will be held
May 10 & 11 at
East Randolph United Methodist Church, 122 Church St.
Click
here to download the brochure or register online at
www.cornerstonedistrict.com (click on "Resources," then choose Lay Servant Ministries to find the online registration form).
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UPCOMING EVENT FOR YOUTH
The
Upper New York Conference Council on Youth Ministry
(CCYM) want to share a
letter
with church youth throughout the conference about upcoming youth events and the exciting
Spring Conference Youth Event, OUTWARD!
, scheduled Friday - Sunday, April 5-7, 2019, at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool. For more details, click
here
. To register, click
here
.
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District-Wide Communion Brunch
The
Falconer United Methodist Church's unit of United Methodist Women will host Cornerstone's
Spring event on
Saturday, April 13 at the church, 201 N. Work St.
Pastor Heather Allport-Cohoon will preside at a Communion service beginning at
9:30 a.m. followed by brunch. Cost is $8 per person and reservations are
due by April 8. Make checks payable to Falconer UMW and send your name, contact information, the UMW unit you are a member of and any dietary restrictions to Pam Vanstrom, 2133 Buffalo St. Ext., Jamestown, NY, 14701.
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AC Registration Now Open
Registration for
Annual Conference is open! If you are clergy or your church's Lay Member to Annual Conference, it's not too early to register.
Please review these
guidelines before you register.
Click
here
to register online or request a paper registration form and mail it along with full payment to:
UNYAC
Attn: Annual Conference Registration
7481 Henry Clay Blvd.
Liverpool, NY 13088
Registration for the Annual Conference will stay
open until 11:59 PM on May 3, 2019. After that, the next opportunity to register will be
on site at the OnCenter with an
additional $50 fee.
Additional information ("What You Need to Know About Annual Conference") can be found by clicking
here.
Requests or Questions? Call Erica Wentworth at (315) 898-2004.
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Dinner is Served!
Cherry Creek-Leon United Methodist Church, 6813 Main St. in Cherry Creek, invites the community to join them for a
Swiss Steak Dinner on
Saturday, April 13, at the church.
The meal will be served from
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to the entree the menu includes choice of salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables, dinner roll, dessert and beverage. Cost is $10 adult, $5 children and $25 family. Local guitarist/soloist Ken Phillips will entertain.
Make plans now to attend!
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NEW - Denman Evangelism Award
Nominations are open for the 2019
Harry Denman Evangelism Awards
. The awards honor United Methodists in each Conference whose exceptional evangelism brings people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. Each year, Annual Conferences join the Foundation for Evangelism in recognizing one youth, one clergy member, and one lay person in their Conference.
The deadline for nominations is April 19. Contact Judy Campany at
[email protected]
.
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Opportunities to Serve at the Conference Level
The Upper New York Conference Committee on Nominations is accepting nominations to fill vacancies on various conference leadership teams.
Click
here
to read a letter from Chair of the Committee on Nominations, the Rev. Tony Hipes, and/or to fill out the nominations form. March 19 is the deadline to submit nominations.
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NEW - Details on Court Ruling for Clergy Housing Allowance
Wondering if your Clergy Housing Allowance will still be tax free in the future? United Methodist News Service has the story.
"In
a unanimous decision
released March 15, three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit reversed a 2017 federal court ruling. The lower court had found that the tax exemption amounted to an unconstitutional establishment of religion.
The appeals court concluded the 1954 law is constitutional, saying the law 'has a secular legislative purpose, its principal effect is neither to endorse nor to inhibit religion, and it does not cause excessive government entanglement.' The ruling also noted that Congress has provided federal tax exemptions for religious organizations as far back as 1802.
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Make Copies of the
Bridge!
The March 2019 Issue II copy of the 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.
This issue summarizes the March 17 Post-Special Session of General Conference Recap and Reflections Gathering that took place via livestream through the entire Upper New York Conference. Included in this issue are links to related resources, such as:
- Video reflections shared at the event
- A summary of the decisions made at the Special Session of General Conference (including PowerPoint format)
- Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb's remarks/script from the gathering
- Bishop Webb's answers to questions UNY members asked'
- The entire livestreamed video
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EQ Members STILL NEEDED!
If you or someone you know is interested in serving as an Equalization Member - lay people who can vote to help balance (equalize) the clergy who are voting - to Annual Conference (June 5-8 at the Oncenter in Syracuse), please complete the application
and return to the District office
ASAP
.
If you have questions, please contact Cathy in the District Office:
716-665-2423 or [email protected]
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Important Dates for Your Calendar!
March 1 through May 3
Registration for the 10th Session of the Upper New York Annual Conference is open. Go to the UNY Conference website (
www.unyumc.org) to register.
March 29
All Resolutions & Petitions for the 2019 Annual Conference session (June 5-8 at the OnCenter in Syracuse) must be submitted by email to [email protected] no later than this date (March 29).
Deadline for Equitable Compensation Application for July - December 2019
Salary grants are available only to churches with a pastor under full-time appointment. Click here for more details and to apply for or renew a grant.
May 5-11
Local Pastors' Licensing School at Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center,
May 10-11
Lay Servant Ministries Spring Training, East Randolph United Methodist Church, 122 Church St.
May 23
Right Start Workshop for Pastors changing appointments and Retirees
9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Springville 1st UMC
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Apply Now for Undergraduate Scholarship
The Upper New York Conference College Ministry Team invites high school and college undergraduate students to apply for the Lottie Brown Grant.
The application deadline is April 10.
Click here for more information and to apply.
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Register for Summer Camp!
Registration for Summer Camp 2019 is now
OPEN
!
Upper New York Camp & Retreat Ministries is pleased to offer a wide variety of
fun
,
exciting
, and
meaningful
programs this summer including classic favorites and brand new adventures!
Check out our retreat offerings throughout the year, including summer, at
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Rev. Sherri Rood
District Superintendent
Rich Preston
District Lay Leader
Cathy Hall
Administrative Assistant
716-665-2423
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