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Welcome to the Finger Lakes District e-Newsletter!
Please
share this with church members and staff, teams and organizations. We hope that you will find this a useful resource as we work to promote the missions, ministries and events of the Finger Lakes District.
The next District eNewsletter will be published July 21
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An Introduction
I am pleased to meet you all here in the Finger Lakes District!
Hello to Everyone -
It is so good to be serving you and our Lord, Jesus! I'd like to share with you a little about myself.
My husband, Scott, and I are very active members of the Marcellus UMC. We love the Lord and our church family! My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11, "
11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
My husband and I will be 36 years this July 11 happily married. We live in Marcellus, NY. We have three adult children: Nicole (36 yo - working for the World Wildlife Fund); Jeremy (33 yo - our arborist working for Cayuga Tree Services), married to Olivia, they have two sons - my grandboys (Isaiah (4 yo on August 2) and Asa (2 yo on November 15)); and our youngest is our son, Bryan (31 yo) who has a 10 yo daughter, Peyton (April 4 is her birthday) - our first grandbaby. We have four cats; Lovely (our 11 yo kitty that was born blind - God has shown us just how amazing he truly is as we watch her live without handicap - truly inspiring), Jax (also 11, a 13 lb orange tabby boy), Xena and Aiya (our 7 yo black/white long haired girls); and one little love of a dog, Opie, a 5 yo ChiPin (chihuahua/mini pincher mix).
My extracurriculars outside of church and family, and fur babies, are camping, kayaking, gardening, watercolor painting, singing for the Lord with the Master's Touch Chorale and small women's group, Manna, crafting, and reading.
I am truly blessed by God to be serving you in the Finger Lakes District! Thank you for your patience as I answer your questions and meet your needs.
I am working out of the office in Seneca Falls:
Monday and Tuesday - 12 noon to 7:30 pm
Friday - 12 noon - 5:00 pm
I am working from home: Wednesday - 2:00 to 7:00 pm
Saturday - 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Thursdays are for my grandsons and Sunday is for the Lord!
The District office is closed to the public until after Labor Day, however, if you need to come to the office, please call or email and I will schedule something with you.
Thank you to Rev. Nola Anderson, our District Superintendent, for the introduction in her letter to the District.
Grace and Peace be with you,
Mary Tanner
Administrative Assistant
Finger Lakes District
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NEW!
Statement released by the UNY Conference Commission on Religion and Race (CCORR)
The recent acts of racial violence and the subsequent demonstrations and the recent killings represent more than a few bad apples among us - they are the result of a white supremacist system that dehumanizes people of color.
Click Here to read the full statement, which includes suggestions o deliberate steps to take to help address the challenges before us.
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NEW!
Dismantling Racism Resource
The UMC will lead a sustained and coordinated effort beginning now and continuing 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.
You will find graphics you can used on social media to promote the need to end racism. Use the hashtag #EndRacism and
click here to access graphics you can use.
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NEW!
Travel Restriction List
The New York State website has updated the list of restricted states due to COVID-19.
Click Here for the most current Updates.
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NEW!
From the Desk of Bishop Webb
On July 1, Upper New York (UNY) Area Resident Bishop, Mark J. Webb, wrote a letter to UNY clergy, certified lay leaders, and other congregational leaders in UNY. With the new appointment season upon us, Bishop Webb expressed gratitude and appreciation for the way that clergy are continuing to lead throughout this pandemic. He congratulated the clergy who are retiring and wished them well, apologizing that we did not have the opportunity to celebrate them as we usually do at Annual Conference.
Bishop Webb also noted that he and UNY leaders are navigating ways to have a clergy session that follows NY State guidelines and said he is thankful for everyone's patience.
Click here to read Bishop Webb's uplifting and informative letter.
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NEW!
Red Bird Mission
Click Here for a letter from Dave Alexander about this year's Redbird Mission collection!
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NEW!
Discovering, Developing, Deploying Christ-Following Leaders
Starting July 1, 2020, the Upper New York (UNY) Conference will be divided into three Regions, with four Districts in each Region. The focus of the Leadership Teams of each Region will be an initiative called, the
Discover, Develop, Deploy Christ-Following Leaders initiative.
The UNY Conference Operational Team, Leadership Team, and The Conference Communications Team created a fun model to measure progress as we journey toward reaching these goals - the model resembles a car dashboard.
Currently, the needle for churches that have a Disciple Making Plan/Pathway in place is set at 19% as of July 1, 2020. Because the Conference is just beginning this dashboard approach, the needles for the number of new disciples and Christ-Following Cabinet aim to reach the following goals by June 30, 2025:
- 100 percent of churches to have Disciple-Making Pathways/Plans (DMPs)
- To increase the number of new disciples made each year to 3,600 by June 30, 2025
- To discover 2,700 new potential Christ-following transformational lay and clergy leaders, to develop at least 1,800 of them in learning cohorts, and to deploy at least 900 of them as co-leaders in 450 or more churches
- And to have 50 percent of the churches in Upper New York to be considered highly vital by June 30, 2025
Transformational leaders are both set at 0. The percentage of highly vital congregations is currently at 11 percent.
Click here for an article that outlines this plan, provides factsheets for each of the four measurement criteria, and includes quick and easy forms for churches to fill out when they have a new disciple and/or when they identify a potential Christ-Following Transformational Leader.
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Church Nursery Care Attendant Needed
First United Methodist Church
340 Main Street
Geneva, New York
Seeking an experienced child-care provider to oversee our church nursery during worship.
- Must be comfortable caring for infants and children through age five including children with special needs.
- Must be age 18 or older and be responsible for your own transportation.
- Must participate in a background check and must complete three-to-four-hour Safe Sanctuaries training, which is required of all church staff. Our church will cover any fee required.
- There will be a four-week probationary period upon hire.
Tentative start date is September 6, but this is dependent on resuming worship due to COVID-19.
Salary is $20 per hour for 3 hours work each week (Sundays 9 AM - 12 PM).
E-mail [email protected] to express interest and share qualifications OR write to First United Methodist Church, 340 Main Street, Geneva NY 14456. Deadline to submit application materials is August 1, 2020.
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If your church is in need of a musician for worship or special occasions contact Japheth A. Niles, majoring in Music Performance at OCC. Japeth is the son of Rev. Jefferson Niles.
Instruments: Piano, Organ, Drums
Music: Hymns, Gospel, Classical & Jazz
Telephone: (315) 887-1141
Mobile: +1 (314) 244-6610
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Biblical Storytelling * Advanced Lay Servant
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Learning the sacred stories of Scripture by heart and sharing them with others is both an ancient-future art and a powerful spiritual practice. This course is for everyone who wishes to learn, to tell, and to connect with God and other people through the ancient-future art and spiritual discipline of telling the sacred stories of Scripture - yes, you can do it too! By the end of this course, you are able to share at least one text with others by heart--not memory.
Pastor Della Ludwig invites you to explore this spiritual discipline with her during five two-hour sessions of learning and sharing. Della is a United Methodist Pastor serving in Rushville and Newark, NY. She serves on the Finger Lakes District Lay Servant Team and is a long-time biblical storyteller. She offers this course in a live online session.
What: Advanced Lay Servant - Biblical Storytelling
Where: Online via Zoom
When: 4:00 - 6:00 PM on Tuesdays July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4, 2020
Who: Youth & Adults, Laity & Clergy
Text: Dancing with Words: Storytelling as Legacy, Culture, and Faith by Ray Buckely, ISBN-10: 0881774073
Cost: $20 plus the cost of text
Register early to reserve your spot. You are asked to purchase and read the entire text before the first class. Amazon, Cokesbury, and other online booksellers offer the course text.
Dancing with Words: Storytelling as Legacy, Culture, and Faith by Ray Buckely, ISBN-10: 0881774073
Payment is due at registration. Send check written to UNYC to:
Jennie Young-Walczyk
614 Clark St. Rd
Cayuga, NY 13034
Contact Jennie Young-Walczyk with questions. PHONE: 603-667-8273 EMAIL:
[email protected]
Registration Deadline: June 24
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Bibles FREE to a Good Home
The Fleming Federated Church has approximately 25 RSV Bibles that need new homes. They are currently being stored in an airtight bin safely waiting for their new owners.
Call Jennie at 603.667.8273 to claim
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ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2020
Postponed until October 3, 2020
The Eleventh Session of the Upper New York Annual Conference has been postponed due to concerns of the coronavirus pandemic. On October 3, 2020, there will be a one-day session to allow the necessary business of the Annual Conference, as outlined in the Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, to be cared for. In addition, the 2020 Clergy session will be held in the afternoon of Friday, October 2, 2020, followed by the Service of Commissioning and Ordination that evening.
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Dates for NE Jurisdictional Conference
The Council of Bishops recently announced new dates for the 2020 Jurisdictional Conferences in the United States which have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jurisdictional Conferences in the United States will take place
November 10-12, 2021
. To read more,
click here
.
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Bishop Webb Announces Clergy Appointments
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb and the Upper New York Conference have the following appointment and retirement announcements pending approval of clergy session. View the full list of changes
here.
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Church Reopening Guidelines
As we know, guidelines for church reopening are being updated frequently. Currently churches may operate at 25% seating capacity as long as reopening guidelines are followed:
Has Your Church Done This Important Thing?
Churches are required to have developed
a Safety Plan
and have it available/on file at the church and to
submit a form
that affirms that guidelines are being followed prior to reopening.
Upper New York also is requiring that churches affirm their compliance with safety requirements
by submitting this form
.
Deadline for submission is Friday, June 26, 2020. This is required even for churches that choose to continue to meet only remotely.
An email has gone out to clergy and local hires serving the district and trustee and administrative council chairs notifying them of this NYS required Reopening Compliance Form. This compliance form must be submitted whether or not your church is opening for worship or any other reason. If you are a pastor, trustee or ad council chair, look for the email, and please do not hesitate to submit it. PLEASE NOTE: The deadline to complete the form is June 26. This date is not included on the original notification.
FAQs About Churches Reopening
Click here
for a compilation of the Frequently-Asked-Questions with answers. If you have a question related to reopening, feel free to contact our COVID-19 hotline at (315) 898-2012 or
[email protected]
and someone will contact you and add the question and answer to our compilation.
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UNY Conference Center remaining
closed to the public
Please note that the Upper New York Conference Center in Liverpool, including the Episcopal office and Crossroads District office will remain closed to the public
until Tuesday September 8
,
the day after Labor Day at the earliest.
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Paycheck Protection Plan Extended
There is still dollars available to apply for!!!
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Fact sheet from the Small Business Association
Attached is a FAQ from the Small Business Association that specifically allows faith based entities eligible for the PPP. CLICK HERE
More resources from the
General Council on Finance and Administration
The GCFA website has resources for churches related to the Payroll Protection Program as offered by the Small Business Administration. April 3rd is the first day churches can apply and there is a process to follow. Resources that answer frequently asked questions found on the GCFA site, which are updated constantly, will be the first place to answer general question about the program:
CLICK HERE
In addition, this video from Moses Kumar shares other resources loaded to the website and how to proceed with applying:
CLICK HERE
.
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Amendment to Arrearage Policy Enforcement Delay
Relief efforts from Wespath and the CBOPHB during the COVID-19 Crisis-Amendment to
Arrearage Policy Enforcement Delay. CLICK HERE for more information.
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Extension of the Blueprint for Wellness (BFW) and Health Quotient (HQ) deadline
September 30, 2020
These wellness screenings are for eligible participants as noted in the news article. Link below to the news article.
Tracy Rickett, PHR, SHRM-CP, CCWS
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New version of I-9 for all New Hires at Church
A new version of the I-9 employment eligibility verification form is available and is mandatory for use effective May 1, 2020. The new form is available
here
.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) publishes a paper I-9 Form and an electronic, fillable I-9 Form. The new version of the paper form has no changes from the prior version.
The form is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. All U.S. employers must properly complete the Form I-9 for each person they hire for employment in the U.S., including both citizens and noncitizens. New hires and employers, or their authorized representatives, must complete the form. Employers must retain the completed forms for a designated period and make them available for inspection when called to do so.
Click here
to learn about I-9 changes on the electronic form and documents new hires must present to establish identity and employment authorization.
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COS Input Requested
We will be having a meeting to discuss the COS satellite program and are looking for any input that the local pastors have concerning their experience with the past sessions.
- What did you like and what do you think we can improve on?
- I understand that the last session had to move to online - how did that work?
- Would you like to see more online options?
This was our first year with the Satellite school located at the conference office location. Any constructive feedback is welcome, and I will bring it up at our meeting in July.
Thanks in advance for your help
Betsy O'Flynn
COS Registrar
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EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)
Employee Assistance
Program (EAP).
There is a new number for 2020!
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Safe Sanctuaries: Supporting a Shift to Online Youth Ministry Meetings
As we are all experiencing new ways of doing ministry during this pandemic, our Worship has changed as has our engagement with our children, youth and vulnerable adults. Many of us are utilizing online tools like zoom to vary on with our ministries.
Attached is an article of ways we are able to keep our children, youth and vulnerable adults safe during thing this time. We hope you will find it useful.
Click here for the link.
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UMW Annual Spring Banquet 2021
Dear Finger Lakes UMW sisters -
Here is an addition to our decision about postponing our Annual Spring Banquet:
Save the date!
Tuesday,
May 11, 2021
.
It can be a double celebration! Recognition for both 2019 and 2020 honorees and Reading Plan participants.
Be safe!
Marcia Waterman,
Communications
Finger Lakes District
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The 2021 UNY Budget Information Published
A hard copy of the Upper New York (UNY) Narrative Budget Booklet has taken on a new format that will allow for multi-year use.
Click here
for the proposed Ministry Shares budget numbers for 2021.
Click here
to review the Narrative Budget Booklet electronically and to read some reports that some ministry areas submitted to support their 2021 UNY Conference Budget.
For hard copies of the Narrative Budget Booklet, contact your District Office or email
[email protected]
.
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If you would like to subscribe to this e-newsletter, please send your email address to:
[email protected]
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Finger Lakes District
of the Upper New York Conference
12 North Park St., Suite 11
Seneca Falls, NY 13148
Office: 315-781-0188 efax: +1-315-282-2367
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