Healthflex Plan Election Period is Nov. 2 - 17th!

Bishop Ough Makes First Presidential Address to Council
Bishop Bruce Ough
by United Methodist Communications
     St. Simons Island, Ga: In his first presidential address to the Council of Bishops, Bishop Bruce R. Ough brought the bishops alternately to their knees in prayer and to their feet in resounding applause as he laid out a message of unity to a new Council.
     Bishop Ough of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area became Council president in May during the 2016 General Conference. Approximately 119 United Methodist bishops, including 15 newly elected jurisdictional bishops, are gathered at Epworth-by-the-Sea at St. Simons Island, Ga. to lay the foundation for working together during the 2017-2020 quadrennium.
     Bishop Ough said the time together was designed to engage the bishops in exploring how the Council can lead in a time when "the entire United Methodist Church is holding its breath," and urged them to build and model unity within their own body.
     "We clearly are at a crossroads. And, God is calling us to discover the right route for our souls," said Ough. But, he said, as we await the work of the Council and the Commission on a Way Forward, it's no time to stand idly by. Instead, we must lean into our mission.
Read the full article

Voting: A Prayerful Act
Gen Sec. Susan Henry-Crowe visiting the NM Conference

by Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society 
      Voting is a matter of faith, citizenship and democracy. It is a kind of prayer and faithful testament to the belief that every citizen bears a responsibility and equal right to determine the future of governance in society.
A personal reflection
     As a young woman in South Carolina, I vividly remember the first election in which I could vote. Living two hours from my home in Greenville, I drove one Monday night from Winthrop College, where I was studying, in order to vote the next day. This was only a few years after Aug. 6, 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices adopted in many states after the Civil War. Southern states predominantly had employed literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses and other tools to keep African-Americans from voting.

Read the full article 
 

 Haiti Hurricane Matthew Update
South Central Jurisdiction
from umc.org

     Hurricane Matthew was a Category 4 storm that caused significant loss of life and property along Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula. We pray for the lives that were lost and the families that mourn them. The communities most significantly impacted were rural and it is estimated around 200,000 homes were destroyed as well as crops, roadways, and more. Due to widespread damage and the scarcity of resources, Haiti is still in the emergency phase of response. Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) are working with the Methodist Church of Haiti (EMH) to develop a response plan. UMCOR has provided, to-date, $85,000 to EMH for much needed food, water, and supplies, and more grants are forthcoming for future response. Many teams will be needed to assist with EMH's response, however, they need time to develop an effective response plan. Please be in prayer for EMH and the people of Haiti as they discern the best way to move forward. In the meantime, please continue to provide your prayerful support and donations to UMCOR's International Disaster Response fund. Thank you for your continued prayers and support, and for your desire to serve the people of Haiti in the wake of this disaster.
Blessings,
Audrey J. Phelps
Dir. of VIM & Disaster Response
South Central Jurisdiction 

J oyfully2UMC App Makes Church Giving Easy

If your church does not yet offer electronic giving, the GCFA has provided a easy & safe solution.  Your church simply needs to set up Merchant Services through Vanco Payment Solutions to allow receipt of gifts made with debit or credit cards.   
Click here for all the info 

How to Create Professional Looking Event Posters for Fre e

     The holidays are nearly upon us.  This is a great time to invite members of our community into our doors, but how?  One idea is to create eye-catching posters and ask to post them on bulletin boards where you know people are - coffee shops, supermarkets, hardware stores... When you are putting so much of your resources into creating the best event, it makes sense to take the time to advertise your event in lots of different ways, in addition to bulletins, newsletters & announcements.    
     Canva is an online design program that can be used for FREE. It is easy to use and the results are fresh and professional looking.  I have created a how-to booklet on making an event poster in Canva.

Reminder - Fair Labor Standard Act Changes Start on Dec. 1st
     Effective December 1, 2016, a number of formerly "exempt" employees will now be considered "non-exempt," making them eligible for overtime pay any time they work beyond the standard 40-hour work week. 
      We strongly encourage pastors, lay leaders, Staff-Parish Relations teams, and finance committees to pay close attention to how lay staff members are compensated in our churches, and, where necessary, make changes to ensure both compliance with Department of Labor guidelines as well as fair and adequate compensation for the labor that is offered in service to Christ's Kingdom through our congregations.

Upcoming Events
 
November
Nov. 7-11 - Prep for Prof. Coaching Cert. Training - Sacramento
Nov. 18-19 - CCYM - Sacramento (Bishop Preaching)
Nov. 24-25 - Conference Office Closed
Nov. 29 - UMC #Giving Tuesday 
December 
Dec. 23 & 26 - Conference Office Closed for Christmas
Dec. 30 - Conference Office Closed for New Year's Eve
January 
Jan. 2 - Conference Office Closed for New Year's Day
Jan. 27-29 - FUMC-Bloomfield Lay Servant School 
February
Feb. 11 - Messy Church - St. John's UMC - ABQ
Feb. 19 - Mountainside UMC's 50th Anniversary - Bishop Preaching
Feb. 6-8 - Mid-Winter Clergy Retreat - Sacramento
Annual Conference - May 31 - June 2, 2017 
 
Click here for the Conference Calendar

Classifieds
Conference Calendar
UMC website
 


RELEVANT, PASSIONATE, AND LIFE-CHANGING CHURCHES

New Mexico Annual Conference  

11816 Lomas Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87112

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Receptionist Hours: 9:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

(800) 678-8786 toll free; (505) 255-8786; (505) 265-6184 fax

 Click here to view our staff listing  

 

 

Please send photos, articles, events, etc. to Alli Costello, Communications Director at alli@nmconfum.com.  Send classified ads to frontdesk@nmconfum.com.