E-News from the Valley! March 7, 2017
Click here to go to the Genesee Valley District website.
PRAYERS & CONCERNS


Please pray for the following churches this coming week:  
Dalton UMC, Dansville UMC, Eagle Harbor UMC, East Bloomfield UMC, East Rochester UMC, Elba UMC, Elmgrove UMC
CALENDAR EVENTS


March 18 - Listening Session with CF&A
Rush UMC - Saturday 10am - noon

March 31 - April 2  
UpWord Youth Gathering

April 18 - Prayer & Witness Gathering
Groveland Federated - 7-9pm

May 16 - GVD Clergy Gathering - "Grace"
Elmgrove UMC - 1-3pm

May 17 - Prayer & Witness Gathering
Canadice UMC - 7-9pm

June 1-3  
Annual Conference
NEW! UpWord!17 CCYM Spring Event Registration Opens

March 31-April 2 - Liverpool Holiday Inn
6:30 PM on Friday through Noon on Sunday
Best CCYM event of the year
Registration $60/pp
Rooms $115/night (max. 5 persons per room)
Registration Deadline:  Monday, March 27.
Click here to Register:

NEW! A note from the GVD Lay Servant Ministries Committee

Please spread the word that there are openings for 
the Basic course. 
It will be held at Hilton UMC, on two Saturdays, 
April 29 and May 13, from 9:00AM to 2:30PM. 

Please click here for the brochure for the registration form. 
NEW! Church Finance Webinar!  The Church Audit: You Can Do This!
 

DATE : Thursday, March 9, 2017
TIME : 6:30pm Central
PRESENTER Ken Sloane, Director of Stewardship and Connectional Ministries

Every congregation needs to do a church audit, but it doesn't have to be a big expense or an insurmountable obstacle. 

There is a great Local Church Audit Guide, available free for United Methodist churches that will take you through it step by step. 

Going through the process builds confidence among you financial leaders and projects transparency to your donors. 

Join us as we explore the tools that can make this process easier than you thought.


Upper New York Annual Conference - Safe Sanctuaries® Team
 
SAFE SANCTUARIES® TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Saturday, April 1, 2017
 Grace United Methodist Church, Corning  
(Mountain View District)
 
Upper NY's Safe Sanctuaries® Training
WHO:  Individuals who have responsibility for the safety of children, youth, and vulnerable adults in the churches' ministries - pastors, those responsible for Christian education and youth group leaders.
This course is a prerequisite for Upper NY's Safe Sanctuaries Training of Trainers.
WHEN:  Saturday, April 1, 2017   9:00 a.m. - noon Please arrive between 8:40 and 8:55 so we can begin on time.
WHERE:  Grace United Methodist Church, 191 Bridge Street, Corning, NY  14830
Class size is limited to 40 participants with priority given to those also registering for the afternoon Training of Trainers.
PRE-REGISTER by March 22. Please contact Patti Gridley, Mountain View District Administrative Assistant, at 607-962-8047 or email mountainviewdistrict@unyumc.org   Information needed is name, church and email address.  Link to handouts will be emailed prior to training for participants to print and bring.
There is no charge as Ministry Shares benevolences from local churches cover the expenses.
 
Upper NY's Safe Sanctuaries® Training of Trainers
WHO:  Individuals interested in facilitating Upper NY's Safe Sanctuaries Training as part of their District training team and/or for their local church.
WHEN:  Saturday, April 1, 2017   1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
WHERE:  Grace United Methodist Church, 191 Bridge Street, Corning, NY  14830
Lunch will be provided for those participating in both morning and afternoon sessions.
Registration is limited to 15 participants with those desiring to be a members of their District's training team having priority.
PRE-REQUESITE :  Upper NY's Safe Sanctuaries Training is a prerequisite for Training of Trainers.  The 3-hour Upper NY's Safe Sanctuaries Training course can be completed in the morning or at a previous time but must be the standard learning station format offered since Fall 2012 by a certified UNY Safe Sanctuaries trainer. This is non-negotiable. 
Members of the District training team must be affirmed by their DS. This is your responsibility.
Advanced Lay Servant course credit is available.
There is no charge as Ministry Shares benevolences from local churches cover the expenses.
 
PRE-REGISTER FOR ONE OR BOTH COURSES by March 22, 2017. Please contact Patti Gridley, Mountain View District Administrative Assistant, at 607-962-8047 or email mountainviewdistrict@unyumc.org   Information needed is name, church and email address. 
 
QUESTIONS:  Questions should be directed to Carol Barnes at carolb@htva.net or 607-687-4793 
March is the second annual UMM Conference wide fund raiser: Shoes for Service

Update: Needed Church Champions for Veterans to be the church point of contact for the Shoes for Service fund raiser.
 Funds from this project will go to support the Veterans Outreach 
Center of Rochester.
 I encourage you to check this non-profit organization on the WEB. Currently eight churches in the district are helping.  This project is sponsored by the United Methodist Men but anyone can help.
 In His Service
 George Sanford
330 413 5021

***************

This year it is to support veterans throughout the conference. One of the Veterans Support Organisations is the Rochester Veterans Outreach Center. We are asking Churches to collect shoes of all sorts to be sold to a fund raising  organization that uses the shoes to support missions to 25 countries.

Serviceable shoes will be reused for missions and the others go to recycling. Last year over $7,500 was raised by just 200 churches in the conference collecting shoes. 

Our goal is to involve men and churches of the Genesee Valley District to be involved in the Shoes for Service March Collection. 

Click here for a flyer for your church
Click here for instructions for your church
Rochester Consortium of Theological Schools presents 
the Word made Flesh - teaching & preaching in an 
age of Division 

May 18, 2017
Hosted by Northeastern Seminary
Featuring Gail Ricciuti & Barbara Moore
seminary@nes.edu; www.nes.edu

Registration is now open.
 Important dates for upcoming deadlines.
 
Local Church Audit - The 2016 annual audit of your church financial records is due to the  district office on Wednesday, March 15, 2017.
 
All employers, including churches, must use the new I-9 form beginning January 21, 2017.
Genesee Valley District
of the Upper New York Conference 
of the United Methodist Church 

Pat VanVleck, District Co-Lay Leader
Betsy O'Flynn, Adminstrative Assistant
Rev. Vonda Fossitt, District Superintendent

1100 South Goodman St., Rochester, NY 14620