Mountain View District Newsletter
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Dear Friends,
This is the last article I’ll be writing in this space for the rest of 2018. As you know, we have entered the season of Advent, when we focus on the hope of Jesus, peace of Jesus, joy of Jesus, and love of Jesus to the world. Jesus is our hope, our peace, our joy, and our love. How are we sharing this blessed truth (Truth) in our communities? Please share with me how your congregation is sharing the hope, peace, joy, and love of Jesus in your community – really – I want to know.
Like me, perhaps you are really blessed by Advent and Christmas music. One of my favorite carols is “Joy to the World.” Sometimes we sing carols and hymns in general, by rote, not really considering the words we are singing and the message of the song. Have you ever considered the 4
th
verse of “Joy to the World?”
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
Did you catch it? Isaac Watts, the composer of the carol, suggests that the nations (that’s us, my friends) are to prove Christ’s righteousness and the wonders of His love to the world. Are we? Are we? Are we proving to our communities that Christ and the wonders of His love are real? Are we sharing with those who don’t know and those who have forgotten? We do that by entering into relationships with those outside the church. Friends, that is our job as the Body of Christ in the world. Persons who live in our communities need to be introduced to the One who is called Emmanuel – God With Us, and to know that God is ALWAYS with us, no matter the circumstances. That is good news (Good News). Go with Holy Boldness and tell.
A blessed, joyous, and Christ filled Christmas to all. O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
With You in the Journey and Rejoicing in the Truth of Emmanuel – God With Us,
Nancy
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PLEASE Do NOT Fax the office anything at this time.
Our Fax is not working at this time.
Thank you!!!!
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This will be the last Mt. View District Newsletter for 2018
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NEXT MONDAY DEC.10th IS THE LAST EDITION Of LOCAL HAPPENINGS
IN THE MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT FOR 2018
Please send your events you want in the last newsletter by Mon. morning at 9am. LOCAL HAPPENINGS IN THE MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT FOR 2018
Please send your events you want in the last newsletter by Mon. morning at 9am.
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Announcement:
Preparing for Special Session of General Conference
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The Special Session of General Conference will be held from
Feb. 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb has created a series of videos that can help prepare you for what will be taking place at General Conference. The videos review the report created by the Commission on a Way Forward that will be presented at General Conference-they can be viewed individually, used for group discussions, and more-each video can be downloaded as well.
In addition to Bishop Webb's videos, the Upper New York Conference has also compiled other resources to help you prepare for Special Session, including Bishop Webb's Way Forward PowerPoint Presentation, an overview of the three church plans, and more.
Click here
for all resources.
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2018 UNY Conference Journal Vol. II Now Available
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The 2018
Upper New York Conference Journal, Vol. II
is now available for download as a free PDF and for purchase through online publisher Lulu.com. This comprehensive book provides all the details of Annual Conference for the year of 2018.
Please view or download the
2018 Upper New York Conference Journal, Vol. II
for free by first visiting the Conference website
here
.
To purchase it for $16.86 (plus shipping and applicable sales tax) from Lulu.com,
click here
.
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Preparing for Special Session of General Conference
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The Special Session of General Conference will be held from Feb. 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb has created a series of videos that can help prepare you for what will be taking place at General Conference. The videos review the report created by the Commission on a Way Forward that will be presented at General Conference-they can be viewed individually, used for group discussions, and more-each video can be downloaded as well.
In addition to Bishop Webb's videos, the Upper New York Conference has also compiled other resources to help you prepare for Special Session, including Bishop Webb's Way Forward PowerPoint Presentation, an overview of the three church plans, and more.
Click here
for all resources.
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Do You Have Questions About Special Session of General Conference?
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What's the difference between a called General Conference and the one to be held in 2020? Why is the Commission on the Way Forward and not the Council of Bishops submitting the report to General Session? What are the differences between the One Church Plan, the Connectional Conference Plan, and the Traditionalist Plan? Are these some of the questions you or members of your congregation have as we approach the Special Session of General Conference to be held from
Feb. 23-26, 2019
in St. Louis, Missouri?
Click here
to find out the answers to these questions and dozens of others on the Upper New York Conference's Special Session of General Conference FAQ page.
Click here
for an article that provides a basic summary of what to expect at the Special Session.
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The deadline date for 2018 Ministry Share payments will be
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
. After that date, any payments received for 2018 will be reflected in 2019 listed as Prior Year Ministry Share Payments on your monthly statement.
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Youth Winter Weekend
Asbury Retreat Center
Jan. 4-6, 2019
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Calling your Youth Group to come be a part of a weekend getaway designed specifically for youth groups! Our theme this year is SEEKER, come join us for a weekend full of fun spirited games and activities, dynamic worship sessions with speaker Jay Trainer of Infuzion Ministries, amazing food (we know how important food is!), and opportunities to discuss your relationship with Christ. Come grow closer as a body of Christ and make some new friends! Oh, and we can’t forget about A Night of Gametivities and our Annual Sledapalooza! Your group does not want to miss this weekend!
$89 per person, 2 nights/4 meals/1 snack
1 Adult Free with each 8 Paying Youth
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Wage and benefit changes for local churches in 2019
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There are two changes that will affect Upper New York churches and employees in the new year.
Effective Dec. 31, New York State's hourly minimum wage rate is increasing to $11.10. All employers in the Upper New York Conference must pay non-exempt employees minimum wage regardless of how many people they employ.
Click here
to read more about the wage increase.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, New York State (NYS) Paid Family Leave is increasing to 55% benefit and 10 weeks for eligible employees.
Click here
to learn more about the updates and changes.
If you have any questions, contact Tracy Rickett, Upper New York Conference's Human Resources Generalist, at (315) 898-2017 or
tracyrickett@unyumc.org
.
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This award starts on October 1
st
, 2018 and runs till May 25
th
, 2019. The
Golden Bucket
will be awarded at the 2019 Annual Conference.
It is important to follow the UMCOR Cleaning Kit.
Click here
for a list of UMCOR certified supplies used in cleaning kits and
click here
for your closest drop-off location. If you or a few friends can help assemble kits in the very near future at the UNY Mission Central HUB, please contact Mike Block at (315) 898-2066 or
mikeblock@unyumc.org
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New York State Employers required to adopt a sexual harassment policy and training
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Due to a new law, every employer in New York State is required to establish and distribute a sexual harassment prevention policy. The policy can be distributed in writing or electronically. Employers are encouraged to have employees acknowledge receipt of the policy, and to post a copy of the policy where employees can easily access it.
Every employer is also required to provide employees with sexual harassment prevention training by October 9, 2019. This is an annual requirement as part of the new regulations.
Additional resources for sexual harassment training will be shared once that information has been gathered.
Click here
for more details on New York State's Sexual Harassment regulations.
If you have any questions regarding New York state's sexual harassment requirements, please contact Tracy Rickett, Upper New York Conference's Human Resources Generalist at 315-898-2017 or
TracyRickett@unyumc.org
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Do No Harm urges The UMC to lead in combating
the sin of sexual misconduct
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Several members of the Upper New York Conference were invited by Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb to join the Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Connectional Ministries, in sharing training at the "Do No Harm" sexual ethics training event sponsored by the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women and held earlier this month in San Antonio, Texas.
In addition to plenary lectures and discussions, each attendee participated in one of four learning tracks: response teams which walk with churches after allegations of misconduct are known, advocacy resources for survivor-victims, administrative and judicatory responses to misconduct, and integrity and healthy boundaries for lay and clergy leaders. The aim of each of these tracks was to equip participants to build or improve their capacity to respond to sexual misconduct in the UNY Conference and its churches.
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There is still space for
YOU
at one of our fall, winter, or spring gatherings – explore the opportunities available at our Camp & Retreat Centers. Head to
www.campsandretreats.org
for more information or to sign up/register, contact the site directly, or contact the CRM Central Office at 315-898-2026 with any questions.
Asbury:
January 4-6, 2019: Youth Winter Retreat (Youth & their Adult Leader(s))
Casowasco:
December 7-9: Retreat: Be Still {a silent retreat} (Adults)
**Note: Date Correction**
December 30-January 1, 2019: Retreat: Camp Echo (Ages 7-18)
January 25-27, 2019: SOLID: Youth Retreat (Youth & their Adult Leader(s))
March 1-3, 2019: Women’s Chocolate Getaway (Women)
April 11-14, 2019: Quilt by Faith: Spring (Women)
May 12, 2019: Mother’s Day Brunch (Families & Adults)
Sky Lake:
October 21: Retreat: S’MORE Time (Grades 6-12)
November 8-10: Leadership: L.E.A.D. (Leadership Enrichment & Development) (Adults)
January 3-5, 2019: Special Needs Winter Retreat (Ages 18+ with Special Needs)
January 18-21, 2019: Family Winter Weekend (Families & Adults)
February 15-18, 2019: Family Winter Weekend II (Families & Adults)
April 5-7, 2019: Church Family Getaway (Families & Adults)
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Media Resource Center newsletter now available
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The December issue of
Upper New York's Media Resource Center Newsletter
is now available. The Media Resource Center - a free lending library supported through your shared ministry dollars - publishes the monthly newsletter, which features new resources that are currently available or coming soon, along with assorted informational articles about the resource center and other available resources.
Click here
to view and/or print the current newsletter. If you have questions, please contact Karen Campolieto, Media Resource Center Coordinator at
karencampolieto@unyumc.org
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Do You Have Questions about the United Methodist Church?
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Need help deciphering the hows and whys of who we are or what we believe? Maybe you have a faith question you've been pondering?
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Download December Issue I
of the Bridge
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The December Issue I copy of the Bridge is now available for download. It is available in both color and black & white formats.
Click here
to select the version you prefer and make copies as necessary.
Later this week, we celebrate Thanksgiving. This issue features a story about East Rochester UMC and the special relationship they have with the Heritage Christian Services adult rehabilitation center that meets Monday-Friday in the church basement. Church members, day program enrollees, and their families celebrated a special Thanksgiving celebration on Nov. 9.
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Active shooter prevention and response resources
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In light of recent events like the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, it is becoming important to know how to prevent and respond to active shooter incidents. The Upper New York Conference insurance provider, Church Mutual, recommends several resources that churches can use to learn how to prevent and respond to such incidents
.
Click here
to review Church Mutual's resources.
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A number of churches in our Districts are already using the VitalSigns Dashboard with great success/results. A downloadable (PDF) guide for local churches is available
here
.
To sign up to record your weekly VitalSigns,
click here
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You can't prevent disaster. But you can prepare. United Methodist Insurance has created a comprehensive, robust handbook on Emergency Preparedness for Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather for Churches.
Click here
to download the eBook.
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Rev. Nancy Adams
District Superintendent
Patti Gridley
Administrative Assistant
PO Box 706
35 Wilkes Ave., Suite 101
Bath, NY 14810-0706
(607) 962-8047
Check out our Facebook Page
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The United Methodist Center of Upper New York
7481 Henry Clay Blvd.
Liverpool, NY 13088
(315) 898-2000
Toll-Free (855) 424-7878
Fax (315) 898-2150
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Camps & Retreat Centers
or call toll free- 855-414-6400
Safety & Security for your Organization:
Click here
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Mountain View District Office| Upper New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church | 607-962-8047 | 607-962-8045 | mountainviewdistrict@unyumc.org |
Website
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