The 2017 Annual Conference Journal is Online!

Early Response Team Training

UMCOR relies on Early Response Teams (ERT) as part of their disaster response approach.  There are a few important facts about ERT:

·         ERT are called out starting just after the emergency (fire, flood, storm, etc.) has been made safe.  The ERT mission is to help the survivors of such emergencies to stabilize their situation and know the presence of Christ's love in their lives.

·         ERT are composed of you and me.  Local persons who are willing to give up 3 to 5 days, to help their neighbors in need.

·         In New Mexico, we are just getting started in growing our disaster response capability. We have an equipment trailer (pretty well equipped) and 15 persons trained to be members of an Early Response Team.  To be able to respond to a disaster and provide rotating teams of people anywhere in New Mexico, we need a lot more.  It will take years for those affected by Hurricane Harvey & Irma to fully recover and more disasters will come.

     That's where YOU come in.  We are starting to train more people so that we can respond when needed. There will be a Farmington training on November 18th and an ABQ training after the new year.  Registration will be $40 and will include all course materials and food.  Please send your name, address, and phone number to Dru Kuntz at the Conference Office, dru@nmconfum.com, or call her at 505-255-8786.

Click here for more info on ERT Training

 

The UMC Magazine - Interpreter Online

Click here for the Sept/Oct Issue of the Interpreter 

NM Conference Archivist, Willard Steinsiek and quilter extraordinaire and Bishop's Assistant, Diane Lippitt hung this beautiful quilt in the hallway of the Conference Office today. 

GCFA Upcoming Webinars

With GCFA On-Demand, we are bringing our resources to you. As always, our webinars are free and open to all annual conference staff members interested in this topic. Be sure to mark your calendars and tell your colleagues! We have three (3) upcoming webinars specifically designed for annual conferences and connectional ministry partners.  (Obviously, the first is past.) 

Click here for more info  

Fall Clergy Retreat Registration

  Click for more info

  Legacy Ministries to Dying Churches Give Congregations a Way to End Well 

     After the funeral for yet another member of Richfield United Methodist Church earlier this year, nine of the 12 remaining members of this rural 111-year-old church (the other three are homebound) got together to discuss their future.

     By many metrics, the church was still vibrant. It had a healthy $90,000 balance in its treasury; it regularly contributed to the local community, collecting food and school supplies; it was proud of its near-perfect attendance record. Unless someone was sick or in a nursing home, every member could be counted on to be at church on Sunday mornings.

     But the colonial brick building in the central region of North Carolina had not drawn new members in more than a decade. The two textile mills in nearby Albemarle had long closed, and a mill in the town of Richfield had shuttered. With no industry and few jobs, the small community of 600-plus residents was unlikely to grow.

     Fortunately, the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, to which Richfield belongs, last year launched a project funded by The Duke Endowment  to help declining congregations take a hard look at their future prospects and consider their options.

     The Church Legacy Initiative, as it's known, is a novel experiment that helps declining churches chart their end and leave behind a lasting gift. A sort of "hospice care for churches," a dozen or so similar programs have started in various United Methodist conferences across the country, and other independent   nonprofitshave begun to offer similar services.

Click here for the full article 

World Communion Sunday is October 1st.

 

Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world."  And because the people of The United Methodist Church believe that all of God's children have been created and gifted to build the kingdom Jesus ushered in, we're resourcing them to do just that. Because of your giving on World Communion Sunday, the most powerful tool to change the world is in more hands.

Give Now!

 

Charge Conference Season is upon us!

The Bishop's Tucumcari Itineration is Saturday at 3 pm. 

Upcoming Events Click here for the Conference Calendar