MY APOLOGIES FOR THIS NOT BEING SENT OUT MAY 13th |
I am so sorry that this did not get sent out Thursday! I thought I had sent it and apparently I did not. Again, I am so sorry this is late. Patti
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Dear Friends and Members of our churches:
Let us remember to keep Christ first in all we do. We are connected in the body of Christ and that means we give, live and serve together. Part of our body-life is being together at Annual Conference Session. Each church is represented there by its pastor and lay member. To neglect that is to live independently from the body. Our recent experience at this event is that a few louder voices dominate the microphones while those with quieter wisdom are marginalized. Often, those quieter ones are focused more on Christ and His agenda. My hope for our time together at conference is that the quieter voices claim equal time with the louder ones; that we as a body are able to spend time on spiritual issues affecting us and not the minor disputes of a few. My prayer is that we live into what it really means to be the body of Christ, with Him as the head, directing and leading us together. As we lift up Christ, we are lifted up with Him, together. Let equity, justice, truth and peace be our reality this year at Annual Conference session. And may we listen for the voice of God more intently in the still, small voices.
Jeff McDowell
Pray for these churches with upcoming pastoral changes:
Addison, Beaver Dams, Bishopville, Breesport, North Chemung, Cohocton, North Cohocton, Corning Grace, South Corning, Oakwood, Westside Elmira, Wheeler, Whitesville.
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Pastors and Laity that are assigned to a church please make sure you register for Annual Conference. Registration is now open. Registration closes June 1.
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Mountain View District Office
Open By Appointment Only
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At this time visits to the office are by appointment ONLY.
- You will be asked to fill out questionnaire
- Get your temperature taken
- Mask MUST be worn
- Socially Distancing
Office Hours are: Mon.-Thurs. 7am-2:15pm
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A Note From District Associate Rev. Mike Kelly |
Good Morning Friends of the Mountain View District,
We as United Methodist share in six special Sundays each year. They are Human Relations Day; which is celebrated the Sunday before Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, One Great Hour of Sharing; which is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Native American Awareness Sunday; which is on the third Sunday of the Easter season, Peace with Justice Sunday, which is held on the first Sunday after Pentecost, World Communion Sunday, which is the first Sunday in October and finally United Methodist Student Day which is the last Sunday in November. You can find amazing resources, free at ResourceUMC.org, UMC.org and UMCdiscipleship.org. And by the way these resources are paid through your shared ministry, so please use them.
This year Peace with Justice Sunday is May 30th and we are bound by Scripture to participate and develop plans for our communities. Proverbs 31:8-9 Common English Bible tells us: 8 Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. 9 Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor. This is Biblically sound, and a declaration of what we must do. And I believe that it should begin with individuals in each of your churches.
I am certain that I do not have to explain why Peace with Justice Sunday is important, but what some of you may not know is that there is a Peace with Justice Coordinator for the Upper New York Conference. Her name is Heather Smith and her email is peacewithjustice@unyumc.org. We also have within the conference a Social Holiness Team which is led by Alan Kinney. The Social Holiness Team administers the Peace with Justice Grant Program. This program is supported by one half the money collected by the Peace with Justice Special Sunday Offering taken by each congregation. The other half of the collection is remitted to the General Board of Church and Society to support their global grant program.
We in the Mountain View District are fortunate to have a diverse population. But with that comes the need for active discipleship and active leadership to fight for those that are oppressed and for those that are in need. I am willing to help with these programs as you develop them to fit your
Reverend Michael Kelly
Mountain View District Associate
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Bishop Announces Clergy Appointments |
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb and the Upper New York Conference announce appointments and retirements pending approval of clergy session. View the full list of changes here.
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April 1-June 1- Registration Open for Annual Conference- Details
May 13- Pre-Conference Training 6pm-8pm Link
May 18-Safe Sanctuaries Training for Certified Trainers
May 20- Pre-Conference Training 9am-11am
May 26-Safe Sanctuaries Training for Certified Trainers
June 17-19- The Twelfth Session of Annual Conference will be held virtually
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Changes to Church COVID 19 Guidelines |
The Covid-19 guidelines found on the UNY webpage are a revision of those previously published. While underlying public health science and regulations have changed little since March, this revision seeks to increase clarity and ease of use.
Click here to view and download the COVID 19 Church Guidelines document. This document is best viewed from a computer. You may not be able to view it on an Apple device, including an iPhone or iPad. For more answers to frequently asked questions regarding the coronavirus and the Upper New York Conference, click here.
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ALBANY DISTRICT LAY SERVANT COURSE OPPORTUNITIES |
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Hello,
I want to share with you a hiccup in the Disaster relief kits being donated to the UNYC Mission Central HUB.
Firstly, thank you to all churches for the support of this much needed mission. Thank you for putting this together and thinking of people in need when a natural disaster wreaks havoc in your community. The Disaster Relief Kits dropped off will be a blessing to many families.
I love how the districts are working together collecting supplies and/or kits from churches to drop off here at the HUB; being connected is so important. Working together is the key to being the Hands and Feet of Jesus.
UMCOR frequently updates their supply lists as needed. I noticed when verifying the Cleaning Bucket Kits today a few items were not specific to the current UMCOR list. Here is an example: aerosol cans can expand in heat and cold causing the seal to break and/or can explode, then everything in the bucket will be contaminated and we would have to replace the whole kit. They found using gel air freshers and disinfecting wipes are better suitable for the long term of storage. N95 masks are specific for Mold and micro debris in the air when cleaning, regular dust masks are not. We understand N95 masks are hard to find, and we can get them. If an organization cannot find N95 Masks we have them here, or any item on the supply list, we ask for a dollar donation per item missing to cover costs. It’s a learn as we go process. 😊
With all the Districts helping we are hoping to get the word out of the updated current UMCOR supply lists. Even though the items not UMCOR approved will be put to good use, it can get costly to us to replace. The supplies we are not able to use will be donated to other local non-profits for their use - nothing is wasted, trust me. A few of the non-profits organizations are SPCA, Humane Society, blessing bags, men and women shelters, food shelters, soup kitchens... the list goes on and on.
Below are 2 URLS; one for Facebook and the other for our webpage on the conference site. We are active with sending updates on the needs for the conference Mission HUB and current activities. There are many opportunities to help on our pages, if you could share, thank you the blessings will be many.
Any questions please don’t hesitate to contact myself or Mike Block.
Blessings to you.
Here is the link to the current supply list of the 3 kits we collect:
MaryBeth Ingalls
Upper New York Conference
Mission Volunteer Coordinator
7481 Henry Clay Blvd. Liverpool, N.Y. 13088
1-315-898-2064
1-315-372-0285
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Sky Farm and Asbury are each hosting a Work Day to support our wonderful Camp & Retreat Centers.
• The day will begin at 10:00 AM
• Masks are required for all attendees
• Cost is $20/per person (youth and adult)** and includes lunch
• Each day will include worship and fun
• The day will close with worship and end around 4:00 pm
Questions? Contact Judy Hipes at 607-624-2145 (phone or text).
We understand this is short notice for your groups, and we look forward to helping out our Retreat Centers and having some interaction with our Conference Youth!!
If you have a group(s) that would like to attend, please complete the sign-up sheet(s) for one or both of the camps - Click Here
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Social Holiness to offer 3-session study |
All UNY clergy, active and retired, are invited to join members
of the Social Holiness Team for the 3-session study,
This study was produced by the General Board of Church & Society and aims to look gun violence facts & statistics as well as the church's response. This is not about taking away anyone's rights.
The discussions will be held at 9am on 3 consecutive weeks,
either Tuesdays (May 18, 25 & June 1) or Thursdays (May 20, 27, & June 3).
It is possible to miss a discussion and pick up the following week. Meetings will be held by zoom and will last about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
to RSVP or with questions.
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Reminder regarding New York State required annual training for sexual harassment prevention |
This is a reminder that New York State employers must adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy and provide training on sexual harassment prevention to their employees on an annual basis.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy
Each New York State employer is required to have a sexual harassment prevention policy in place. The employer’s sexual harassment prevention policy must be provided to the employee at the time of hire and during each annual training. The policy can be provided electronically as long as the employee is able to print the policy for their records.
It is recommended you obtain a signed acknowledgment from the employee affirming they have received and read the employer’s sexual harassment prevention policy.
Click here for a prior news article on the sexual harassment prevention policy requirements.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
New York State Law requires that employers of one or more employees must conduct sexual harassment prevention training for all employees on an annual basis. The employer can decide the timing of the annual training (calendar year, anniversary date, or any other date) as long as it is completed annually. Employers are encouraged to track completion of training through attendance sheets, certificates of completion, or some other manner for audit purposes.
Free Training Available
The New York City Commission on Human Rights has developed a free online training that will satisfy both the New York State and New York City anti-sexual harassment training requirements. New York City's free online training is available here.
Please note that Safe Sanctuaries training does not exempt churches from the New York State sexual harassment prevention training requirements.
Click here for a previous news article with a helpful FAQ on this topic.
Click here for a previous news article on additional training options.
If you have questions on this topic,
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Camps and retreats are back in UNY |
The Upper New York Camp and Retreat Ministry Area is excited to welcome back campers and guests for summer programs at all five of our sites. Safety precautions (including limiting capacity) will be in place to ensure the safety of all, as life-long memories are made in our fun and supportive environments.
Click here for more information on the programs being offered this summer, which is also where you will find the link to register. We can’t wait to see you this summer!
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FOR CERTIFIED SAFE SANCTUARIES TRAINERS ONLY: |
Zoom Review of Revised Trainers Manual and Final Curriculum
2 training opportunities:
(both sessions will be the same, please only sign up for one)
Tuesday, May 18th, 7pm-9pm
Wednesday, May 26th, 7pm-9pm
Please only choose one training date as they will provide the same information.
The UNY Safe Sanctuaries Team would like to thank all of you for your patience during the transition in this time of covid. As many of you know, we have now hosted three conference-wide online trainings. We feel we are ready to roll it out to you trainers to begin training this new curriculum in your local churches and districts.
- The Trainers’ Manual has been reformatted to accommodate virtual training.
- The curriculum has been finalized, taking into account many of your suggestions.
- With the assistance of 20 trainers, the SS Team has presented this training in the last 3 months (3 times) to approximately 200 participants. It has received great feedback from participants.
Communities are beginning to open up. Our churches are opening up, but we still need to be safe. As the conference Safe Sanctuaries Chairs, we recommend this training to be done via an online platform such as Zoom. However, if you wish to do a small group gathering of vaccinated individuals in person, PLEASE use THE NEW training manual to avoid sharing and touching props as used in the past. And just like anything else we do, please practice social distancing and wear a mask.
We want to allow SS trainers to be together again and begin offering this training to your District and/or local church.
We look forward to seeing you all in May. Thank you for your time and passion for keeping the children, youth, and vulnerable adults safe in our churches and our communities.
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Fraudulent Unemployment Claims |
The Upper NY Conference office has seen an increase in fraudulent unemployment claims for conference staff. We have received a few calls from churches who participate in unemployment insurance that they have as well. Click here for more information.
Please note: Churches are not required to participate in unemployment insurance but some voluntarily do for their lay staff.
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SAVE the DATE: Bishops Retreat 2022 |
Due to the coronavirus, the 2020 Bishop's Retreat, originally scheduled for Oct. 20-22, 2020, at the Radisson Hotel in Corning, NY is being postponed until Sept. 27-29, 2022. It will also be held at the Radisson Hotel in Corning. The theme is, “Sharing Our Faith Boldly” and the keynote speaker is Debi Nixon, Executive Director of Development and ShareChurch at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Registration will open following the completion of the 2022 Annual Conference session. |
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Course of Study-Wesley Theological Seminary |
Reminder that registration deadline is May 14th. Remember that you need to sign it, your DS needs to sign it and then the conference registrar needs to sign it.
This Summer program will be fully on-line.
Also remember that you need to know your WTS student ID (Wesley Theological Seminary) and your GBHEM PID (General Board of Higher Education and Ministry)
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COVID-19 Information & Resources |
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Other News Links From the Conference |
If you want to keep in the know of what is happening in the Upper New York Conference and the United Methodist Church please consider these links. |
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The HUB at UNY Conference Center |
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MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT OFFICE |
35 Wilkes Ave.
PO Box 706
Bath, NY 14810
607-962-8047
Office Hours
Mon.-Thurs. 7am-2:15pm
In Person by APPOINTMENT ONLY
Rev. Dr. Jeff McDowell
District Superintendent
Pastor Mike Kelly
District Associate
Ann Welch Wood
District Lay Leader
Patti Gridley
District Administrative Assistant
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