MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT NEWS
Nancy's Notes

Dear Friends,
   I am sad that this is my next-to-the-last article I will be writing to you. In case you haven’t heard, as of July 1 st , I will be Superintendent of both the Oneonta and Binghamton Districts, and will be moving to Binghamton this coming Tuesday. Jeff McDowell, currently the Superintendent of the Finger Lakes District will be your Superintendent. Jeff served as the pastor of Centenary UMC in Bath for 17 years, so he has some familiarity with the district. I commend him to you! 
    I was thinking back to my installation service on September 14, 2014. Time has flown by… That day I told a story that has stuck with some of you through these past 6 years. I know that, because you still refer to it, and it is heartening to know that you still refer to it. I share it with you again:
An apple orchard owner needed people to pick the apples in his orchard. He invited people who then moved in and agreed to pick the apples. The orchard owner died, but the people continued to pick the apples. Year after year, generation after generation, the people lived together and picked the apples. As the apple orchard grew and prospered, the people decided they needed someone to come in to organize the picking of the apples, so they appointed certain people to supervise the picking of the apples, and they became the lead apple orchard picking people. These head pickers organized the people so everyone could pick the apples, and they chose some who were especially gifted at picking apples to lead them in the process. You know what happened. As these head pickers picked the apples and led the people, the people realized that these head apple pickers were pretty good at picking apples. “Why don’t we let them do all the picking? We’ll assist, but we’ll make sure that they get all the picking done.” As generation after generation went on, the head pickers did more and more of the picking, and the people did less and less, until finally, they came to the point where the only apples being picked were being picked by the head pickers. The people would just sit around and watch the head pickers pick the apples. The problem was that the head pickers couldn’t pick the apples fast enough. Some of the apples would fall on the ground and become rotten, and the smell would waft into the people’s nostrils. The people would say, “How come those head pickers don’t pick the apples fast enough?” Our whole orchard is rotting. It smells. There’s a great stench here.  They should do something.  The head pickers even forgot that the others were supposed to help pick the apples. The head pickers would talk together when they would meet at their Annual Conference and talk together. Oh, wait. Did I say Annual Conference? Whenever they met together for a few days on a yearly basis, they would talk about how they couldn’t get all the apples picked. They would work within the group of head apple pickers, and they’d find the best head apple picker who would give seminars on how to pick apples to the head apple pickers. Then they would try different ways to get people excited. Every year, the head pickers would have an Annual Conference – I mean a special meeting and get a really famous apple picker to come in and talk about how to pick those apples, and they would have a special choir who would sing apple-picking songs. One person would always get up and give his testimony on how he picked an apple one day. There were bookstores with books on apples and great apple-pickers of the past. There were radio broadcasts by special apple-pickers, and some apple pickers got on television. But the stench of the apples rose up. 
One day a boy was playing in one of the trees in the orchard and saw a hole in a tree. He reached inside the hole and found a rotting book. The boy took the book to one of the head apple pickers. The book was from the original apple picker who was the owner of the orchard. The original apple picker left instructions on how to pick the apples. They opened the book and read those instructions. The instructions said that everybody is supposed to pick apples. The only way they’re going to get all the apples picked is if everybody who lives in the orchard picks the apples. The people said, “What a concept!” The head apple pickers said, “This will make our jobs so much easier.” The folks who lived in the orchard said, “If we all pick apples, the orchard won’t smell like it does now.” … Hmmm…

    Friends, it was and still is – everybody’s job to pick the apples. It’s everybody’s job to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Our mission is the same and will not change, regardless of leadership coming and going. I will miss you greatly, but more on that next week…

        With You in the Journey as we continue to pick apples,
       Nancy
The Mountain ViewDistrict Office Will Continue to Work Remotely
Through Labor Day
Please connect through email and telephone.
The office building is temporarily closed.

The Mountain View District Office Administrative Assistant is available via phone and email.
7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., Monday-Thursdays generally.
Call the District 607-962-8047, or
send email to: mountainviewdistrict@unyumc.org.
In-person assistance may be available by appointment.
Bishop Webb 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 .  
Please consider subscribing to the following links. These will keep you updated on all the news coming from the conference office during this time. It will help keep repeated emails from being received.
NEW
UNY Conference Reopening Taskforce
On June 2nd, the UNY Reopening Taskforce hosted a webinar on reopening your church. Click here  to watch that webinar.  Click here  to see the PowerPoint that accompanied the webinar.
6/18/2020
NEW
New York State Opening Guidelines
As you know New York State has recently authorized the resumption of limited in-person gatherings in church buildings across the state, provided certain mandatory minimum safety requirements are met. These are the links that pertain to churches from the NYS website. 




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.  

6/18/2020
NEW
Upper New York ALSO Requires Affirmation
The Upper New York Conference is also requiring that churches affirm their compliance with safety requirements by submitting this form . Every church in the Conference whether you reopen or you choose to continue to meet remotely must submit this form.

Deadline for submission is Friday, June 26 , 2020. 
6/18/2020
NEW
UNY clergy are eligible for 1 CEU from BOM
The Upper New York Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) has approved the following motion: It is moved that all clergy, including local pastors, and all Certified Lay Ministers serving as leaders of congregations, shall be eligible to receive one (1) CEU from the Board of Ordained Ministry, for leading congregations through the COVID-19 pandemic in the Upper New York Conference.

Eligible clergy would apply for the certification by Dec. 1, 2020 and would need to briefly share in a paragraph for two, the nature of the work during the New York State PAUSE , how it worked, and what the response was. Eligible Clergy and CLMs would then receive a CEU certificate.

BOM’s policy on this would be as follows: Pastors would apply for the CEU by filling out a short form, with a paragraph, describing what they did to keep churches connected and how it worked. Certificates would then be issued by BOM.  Click here to fill out the form. The deadline to submit the form to BOM is Dec. 1, 2020. The form should be emailed to Pastor Bob Kolvik-Campbell at pastorbob@hotmail.com or sent by regular mail to Bob Kolvik-Campbell, Christ Church UMC, 417 Park Street, Sherrill, NY 13461.
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.

This week, we recommend graphics you can use on social media to promote the need to end racism. Use the hashtag #EndRacism and click here to access graphics you can use.
6/18/2020
PREVIOUSLY RUN NEWS ITEMS
PPP is STILL Available
Good news!!!!! We are being told that there is still a billion dollars (and yes that is B for billion) available as of a week ago today to apply for. The timeline is now 24 weeks. I am not sure if that means for new applicants or if for those of you that applied in the beginning.
You may want to check this out to see where things are now.
Click here for more information.
6/11/2020
Tune in to Webinars 
The Conference website has webinars to assist you with the following:
• How to Facebook Live
• Using ZOOM to keep church connection
• Online Giving
• Streaming worship online

6/11/20
Deadlines for Annual Reports
is July 15th
Deadline for the following Reports:
  • Report of Trustees
  • Report of the Finance Committee
  • 2019 Local Church Financial Audit
these reports due date have been extended until July 15, 2020.
Local Church Historian School
The General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church will be offering a Local Church Historian School in 2020 for church historians---or anyone interested in the story of their church.

The curriculum will cover a wide range of skills necessary to become a "complete" church historian.

The school will begin on September, 14, 2020. Plan now to use this opportunity to ensure that the heritage of each of our churches will be celebrated and that each church can receive the full benefit of its own amazing story.

The school is free to attend. Click here to register.
6/11/2020
General Conference 2021 dates announced
and will explore use of technology
The quadrennial legislative event will take place on Aug. 29 - Sept. 7, 2021 , at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn.  
Click here for more information

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UMC Bishops announce dates
for postponed 2020 Jurisdictional Conferences

The Jurisdictional Conferences in the United States will be held Nov. 10-12, 2021. The days prior to and after can be used at the discretion of each Jurisdictional Conference. 

Click here for more information
5/28/2020
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 Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day at the earliest.
NEW
From the Lewis Center
for Church Leadership
50 Ways to Welcome
a New Pastor
If a new pastor is in your congregation's future, be sure to check out 50 Ways to Welcome a New Pastor. This resource shares tips on how to say goodbye to your current pastor in a healthy way and offers helpful advice on how to welcome your new pastor.

Read now and download free.
6/11/2020
New Pastors Should Make Time to Listen 
Sidney Williams writes that a top priority for a new pastor needs to be listening to the stories of congregants to discern needs, learn who the leaders are, and build community. The importance of spending time listening, sharing, laughing, and crying together cannot be overstated.

FAQs about churches reopening

Last week, the UNY Conference published a news item overviewing reopening guideline with a link to view an up-to-date comprehensive guide to help local churches understand when they can open and resume services. Since then, we have been getting some questions.

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  COVID-19response@unyumc.org  and someone will contact you and add the question and answer to our compilation.
5/28/2020
Imagine no Racism approved as an
advanced course in UNY
Great news for Lay Servant Ministries! Imagine No Racism (INR) has been approved as an advanced course for Upper New York. The curriculum, which has a deeply spiritual foundation, has been formatted as a 10-hour course including videos, conversations, and experiential learning. An INR facilitator will lead each course. Each District has at least three trained facilitators who will guide the conversation as the participants experience vital concepts dealing with racism in today’s world. The goal of this experience is to develop each lay servant’s ability to be an ally who walks with people of color to build relationships and take action for justice.

Stay connected to the Conference communications platforms for more details to come.
5/28/2020
COS Satellite School Registration
for 2020-2021 Sessions
All of us at Wesley and the UNY conference pray that you are well and your congregations are healthy. We are hoping to hold courses in person in the fall, but those decisions have not yet been made. Everyone, faculty and students, should be prepared to hold courses on-line should the stay at home orders and social distancing requirements remain in effect.  
 
If you have any questions about this, please contact Sara Sheppard at ssheppard@wesleyseminary.edu   Please check Blackboard close to the start of your class for instruction information.  
 
Thank you!
 
Sara
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Click here for the registration form
Please remember your DS needs to sign;
then the UNY COS registrar ( candidacy@unyumc.org) needs to sign BEFORE it gets forwarded on to the school.
The registration form can also be found on the conference website - under Ministries in the toolbar - under Board of Ordained Ministry -
right hand side of screen - COS satellite school
Upper Room Daily Devotional
During this time of anxiety and isolation The Upper Room wants to make it as easy as possible for people to find resources to support spiritual health. We are providing the May/June 2020 issue of The Upper Room magazine, both in English and Spanish, for download at no cost.

In addition, four short prayer resources that address specific needs are also available below. Please download and share as you wish. Peace be with you.

RESOURCE CENTRAL
Helpful links to put resources at your finger tips!