Words From DS Sherri Rood |
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Dear Friends,
It’s officially church/charge conference season! I’m looking forward to meeting with the churches on the district to get to know you and to hear about your church.
In our tradition, the Charge Conference is the basic decision-making body of the local church and is composed of all members of your Administrative Board or Administrative Council (Whichever your church has.). In most cases we broaden the Charge Conference to include all the members of the local church, giving them voice and vote. This is called a Church Conference. We sometimes use these terms interchangeably, but it’s important to know the difference. Whether Church or Charge Conference, we are required to meet once a year to review and evaluate the mission and ministry of the church, receive reports, adopt objectives, and elect members of the Administrative Board or Council and other officers, set the salary of the pastor, affirm Certified Lay Ministers and Lay Speakers, and recommend to the District Committee on Ordained Ministry candidates for ministry. It’s important to note that a quorum for any Church or Charge Conference are the persons physically present. The Book of Discipline does not allow for absentee ballots.
This is important work! Your pastors and church leadership have been busy completing reports in preparation for your church/charge conference. I hope you will take the time to review this information and plan to attend your church/charge conference.
This year I will be asking three questions at each Church/Charge Conference:
- What is happening in your church’s ministry that you are excited about?
- Given your present circumstances, what do you believe God wants you to do as a congregation? What’s your next faithful step together?
- What do you expect from me, your District Superintendent? How can I be a resource to you?
There will also be an opportunity for you to ask me questions.
I hope you will take some time to think about these questions as we prepare for our time together. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon, hearing about your church and finding ways I can be of service to you.
I’m praying for you, please pray for me!
Grace and peace,
Sherri
10/20/22
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Pre-Advent Gathering
for Active and Retired Clergy
and CLMs Providing Worship Leadership
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A time for worship, prayer, reflection, and conversation
as we prepare for the Advent Season
This is an opportunity to care for your soul and gather with colleagues!
Wednesday, November 9th from 9 am to 1 pm
At Fresh Start Church Miracle Mile Campus
2447 Corning Road
Elmira, NY
Please RSVP with Patti at the District Office
by November 4th
or phone at 607-962-8047
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From the Desk of Reverend Michael J Kelly,
Mountain View District Associate
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Blessings Friends,
Yesterday I had the good fortune to enjoy a time of worship and fellowship with the District Committee on Ministry and a few other servants from the Mountain View District. It felt really good to be together. One of the things that stuck with me was our D.S. Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood speaking about how we are in this together. You may remember that I have written about this before, but it is getting more and more pertinent. Friends, laity and clergy alike, we are a team. His team, I think sometimes we forget that.
The common talk around the United Methodist’s is disaffiliation. And maybe that’s the answer for your particular church. If that is, there’s a lot of work to do and a lot of steps to follow and please understand that this not to discourage anyone, just the reality from those that I spoke to that are going through the process. But here’s the truth of the matter and I refer you to the Scripture from Galatians 3:26-28 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. We are all His, whether disaffiliated or not, we are His and His church. Let’s not forget that, and again we are all in His work together.
Sherri said, “We want to know how we can help.” She meant it and so do I. We have an obligation as His church, as His people to serve, to serve as the Bishop, to serve as the Superintendent, as Elders, as Deacons, as Licensed Pastors, as CLMs, as Lay Servants and as laity, the same obligation, and that is to answer to His call.
The Bible doesn’t call us to be Methodist or Baptist, Catholics or any other denomination, the Bible refers to us as children of God and together we are to make disciples of all the nations. The Kingdom has been under fire, perhaps never like it is now, at least never as I recall, but I am confident that together we can fulfill the obligations as brothers and sister but mostly to Jesus Christ.
Be blessed with the love of Christ and in each other,
Mike
10/20222
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INFORMATION ON HOW TO CONTACT US |
District Office contact Patti at:
607-962-8047
District Superintendent contact Rev. Sherri Rood
315-898-2077
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UPDATED: IMPORTANT INFORMATION |
The Conference Website is now up and running again!!! The Charge Conference forms are all available NOW. click here for access to them.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you have downloaded a 2022-2023 Comp Sheet prior to receiving this note....DO NOT USE THAT FORM!!!! The correct compensation forms are NOW available.
9.22.2022
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Do You Have An Events For The Newsletter?
If your church is hosting events, dinners, VBS and you would like it put in the Newsletter. Please send me the particulars of the event. Please include the Date, Time, Name of your Church or Place it is being held, Address where event is happening, Contact info if needed, a Small Blurb on the event. Please do make sure I receive the information by the Tuesday of the week that the Newsletter will be sent. The Newsletter is sent every other week (the next newsletter date is always found at the top the newsletter) Send your information to:
9.22.2022
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Pastor Appreciation Month |
Don't forget your Pastor! October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Do something special for them. Covid has been tough everyone. But.... it has been a little tougher on Pastors as they have had to learn how to do church differently. Be Kind, Be Graceful, Show them that you appreciate them.
10.6.22
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Jeff Steinberg Team Concert/Ministry |
WHEN: Fri.., Oct. 21, 2022
WHERE: Horseheads UMC
1034 W. Broad Street.
Horseheads, NY 14845
TIME: 7pm
10.6.22
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A Chance to "Catch Your Breath"
A Two Night Zoom Retreat
ALL Lay & Clergy Women Welcome!
WHEN: Fri. & Sat., Oct. 21 & 22, 2022
WHERE: Zoom
TIME: 6:30pm-9pm Both Nights
COST: $12
VENUE: Keynote Speaker: Bishop Susan Hassinger
-Heather Williams-Carmen Vianese-Nancy Dibelius
HOSTED BY: UNY COSROW-Commission On the Status & Role of Women
9.22.22
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Rev. John R Tyson, Ph.D. Offering a Teaching Event |
Rev. John R Tyson will be hosting "Teaching Event" on Methodist history and theology over at Webster UMC, Oct. 21-23, 2022. The focus will be upon a socio-economic analysis of the beginnings of Methodism as a lens for making sense of the relevance of it today. These lectures will reflect (to some degree) the course of interpretation he has taken in his recent book Born in Crisis (the relevant history of Methodism). Tickets can be purchased at www.umcwebster.org, click on the Resources tab. Click here for brochure
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Mountain View District Lay Servant Fall-Winter Classes |
Courses Being Offered Are:
- Ministry With the Forgotten
- Teaching Biblical Faith
- Basic Lay Servant
WHEN: Friday, November 4th 4 -8 pm
Saturday, Nov. 5th, 9 am - 4 pm
WHERE: Horseheads UMC
1034 W. Broad Street, Horseheads, NY 14845
9.8.22
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Genesee Valley District Fall Training Retreat |
Courses being offered are:
- The Basic Lay Servant Course
ADVANCED COURSES:
- United Methodist Heritage
- Biblical Storytelling
- Imagine No Racism
WHEN: November 4-6, 2022
(ten hours are required for course credit. That will include attendance & participation in Sunday Worship.)
WHERE: Asbury Camp & Retreat Center
16 Lakeside Avenue
Silver Lake, NY 14549
Office # 585-237-5262
Click here for more lay servant ministry information
10.6.22
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Pre-Retirement Workshop Scheduled |
There will be an in-person pre-retirement workshop to highlight and explain the benefits available through The United Methodist Church to retiring clergy.
Please be aware that this workshop may be moved to an online format if COVID positivity rates warrant such a change.
The workshop is scheduled for Friday, November 11th from
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is intended to assist persons in their later years of ministry understand the current pension plan, health insurance options, Social Security, and moving assistance available. You can schedule a private consultation with a benefits educator on the registration page.
Online registration is required in order to attend by October 28, 2022.
9/22/22
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Save the Date for Bishop Webb’s Farewell Gathering |
You Are Invited to Attend
WHEN: Sat., Nov. 19th, 2022
WHERE: UNY Conference Center
7481 Henry Clay Blvd.
Liverpool, NY
TIME: 1-4pm
Join others throughout the Conference to celebrate Bishop Webb’s 10 years of ministry as Bishop of the UNY Conference. More details will be released once they become available.
9.8.22
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Update on the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference |
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During a special session held virtually on Oct. 15, delegates to the Northeastern Jurisdictional (NEJ) Conference voted to elect two new Bishops at the upcoming Nov. 2-5 conference. The vote was 81 to 69.
The delegates made the decision after hearing reports from the NEJ Committee on Episcopacy and the NEJ College of Bishops regarding episcopal elections. The College of Bishops had recommended that there be no election of new Bishops during the 2022 Session of Jurisdictional Conference.
The NEJ Committee on Episcopacy had recommended one election.
Since the November 2022 is a regular session of the Jurisdictional Conference, all Bishops will be eligible for the assignment process by the Committee on Episcopacy. The Committee could recommend assignments for all Bishops and could leave some Conferences open for the Council of Bishops through the College of Bishops’ recommendations to fill episcopal coverage in those open areas.
Bishop John Schol of the Greater New Jersey Area presided over the special session.
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Find out all you need to know about Annual Conference |
The Upper New York (UNY) Annual Conference took place from Oct. 6-8 on a virtual platform.
The UNY Communications team has provided valuable tools for all who are interested in a recap of the conference.
Click here to access bulleted notes, news stories, and videos of the 2022 UNY Annual Conference.
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The Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood urges
UNY Conference leaders to lace up their sneakers
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Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood’s moving sermon was entitled “Lace up your Sneakers.”
Rev. Dr. Rood used Abraham’s journey in Hebrew 11: 8-10 as an example.
She paraphrased God’s message to Abraham. “Lace up your sneakers Abraham—go to a place you’ve never been.”
Then she said, “He laced up his sneakers and walked by faith, obedient to God’s call, even though he didn’t know where he’d end up.”
Rev. Dr. Rood asked guests, “How are you doing with trusting God these days…God wants us to move forward even though you don’t know where you are going.”
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Previous Information Shared |
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The Commission of Archives & History's Responsibility
is to Keep the History of the Conference
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As churches close, their records come to the Conference Archives for safe keeping and reference. With churches closing each year and disaffiliation's looming, we are running out of space.
Our existing rooms at the Conference Center are almost full already. Just since January we have received records from about 20 churches. They are filling the aisles as we go through them to discard the items we will not keep. For example, one church sent us 30 boxes of materials. After sorting through we kept 3 regular archival boxes and one small box. Most of the rest was recycled, trashed, or kindly taken to the local historical society by a CAH member who lived nearby.
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How You Can Help Those Affected by Hurricane Ian |
United Methodists plan to lead the way to recovery after Hurricane Ian unleashed substantial damage in Florida and South Carolina. At this time, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has asked for prayers, monetary donations to UMCOR, and for congregations to continue assembling supply kits.
There are so many ways to help!
Click here for monetary donations to go directly to UMCOR.
Click here to access kit supply lists and instructions.
You can also bring the kits and/or appropriate supplies directly to the Upper New York (UNY) Mission Central HUB in Liverpool—contact the UNY Director of Missional Engagement, Kristina Clark (kristinaclark@unyumc.org), to coordinate a drop-off date and time.
Congregations can also buy supplies for the kits off the UNY Mission Central HUB Amazon wish lists and have them shipped directly to the HUB. If purchasing from another website, congregations or groups can ship the supplies directly to the HUB by setting the mailing address to Mission Central HUB 7481 Henry Clay Blvd, Liverpool NY 13088.
Click here for the UNY HUB hygiene kit Amazon wish list.
Click here for the UNY HUB menstrual hygiene Amazon wish list.
Click here for the UNY HUB cleaning bucket Amazon wish list.
Monetary donations to the UNY Mission Central HUB can be given by clicking here.
Please continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Ian.
10.6.22
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Equitable Compensation Applications Available Now |
The Commission on Equitable Compensation has issued guidelines and application forms for salary grants to local churches for the period January to June 2023. Salary grants are available only to churches with a pastor under full time appointment.
To apply for salary assistance from the Equitable Compensation Fund, applicants should review the policies and procedures in the application document for guidance, and then complete the application according to the directions provided. Completed applications should be submitted to your District Superintendent by the October 14, 2022 deadline.
Please read through the application thoroughly and provide all required documentation. Lack of required information could result in the denial of your application.
Click here for more information.
9/22/22
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Opportunities to disaffiliate
from the Upper New York Conference
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During the upcoming session of the Upper New York Annual Conference (October 6-8), the Conference will receive its first requests from local churches to disaffiliate from the Conference under ¶2553 of the Book of Discipline. To be eligible to disaffiliate, a church must deposit with the Conference treasurer, all fees stipulated in the disaffiliation agreement at least one week prior to the start of Annual Conference. A complete listing of churches who have met this requirement will be posted on the Conference website on Oct 3.
During Annual Conference, members will be asked to ratify each disaffiliation request by a simple majority of members present and voting. This will be a simple up or down vote with no provision for amendment (see Judicial Council Decision 1379 and ¶ 2529.1_b_ (3)).
In addition to this year’s Annual Conference, there will be three other opportunities for local churches to request disaffiliation. These include next year’s regularly scheduled Annual Conference session in June as well as two special sessions – March 25, 2023, and Oct. 14, 2023.
Click here to learn more and to find needed forms for disaffiliation.
9.22.22
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Upcoming communication schedule |
Please note that the Upper New York (UNY) Conference communication schedule for the month of October will have the following changes due to Annual Conference:
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There will be no Weekly Digest the week of Oct. 2-8 and the week of Oct. 9-15.
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There will only be one publication of the Bridge and that will be published the week prior to the third Sunday of October.
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There will be up-to-date news coverage of the Oct. 6-8 virtual UNY Annual Conference on the Conference website
9.22.22
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Step by Step Process for Developing
an Intentional Discipleship Plan
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The Northern Flow District has created training resources for congregations and persons to walk through a “step-by-step” process for developing an Intentional Discipleship Plan.
Click here for steps 1 and 2 of the training; follow the guidance of the video trainers, use the provided PowerPoints and the resources (links) to enable your church and team to develop and implement your congregation’s Intentional Discipleship Plan.
Additional training steps will be provided over time. Imagine what God will do as more and more churches develop their process for Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World!
10/6/22
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We are in the planning stages for this years collection of shoeboxes and other items for the Red Bird Mission. We are looking for drop off sites in the various districts where various Churches could drop off their shoeboxes and or other items that are going to the Red Bird Mission. We are looking for sites from October 16 thru November 16. The trip is planned for November 28 with the packing of the trucks on Saturday, November 26.
The need for shoeboxes filled with personal hygiene supplies, backpacks, new blankets and sheet sets and diapers are in great need this year. The need for used clothing is not a critical need at this time as their warehouse is full. We will still take new cloths as they can be used at the Community Outreach Center for distribution. If there are Churches that can be drop off sites, please send an email to Dalexander4@stny.rr.com , so a list can be made available in our future emails.
Your help in this project is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, I can be reached by email or you can call 607-743-8955. Thank you for helping us start the process of getting things ready to take to the Red Bird Mission.
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2022 UNY Journal Vol. I available for download or purchase |
The 2022 Upper New York Conference Journal, Vol. I 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 2022.
Click here for options to either view an online version or download a copy from Issuu or to purchase it for $5.06 (plus shipping and applicable sales tax) from Lulu.com.
9/22/22
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Disaffiliation Information-From Wespath
Understanding Pension Liabilities-For Local Churches Considering Disaffiliation
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Watch this video for easy-to-understand answers to complex questions related to pension plan funding and the withdrawal liability payment required for local churches that disaffiliate from the UMC.
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Download the #BeUMC Discussion Guide |
Did you know that the United Methodist Church has a free, downloadable 45-page discussion guide tied to the #BeUMC campaign? This is a great resource for your Sunday School class, Bible study, or small group to reflect on what it means to #BeUMC.
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MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT OFFICE |
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35 Wilkes Ave. (Physical location)
PO Box 706 (Mailing Address)
Bath, NY 14810
607-962-8047
Mon.-Thurs.
In Person by APPOINTMENT ONLY
District Superintendent: Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood
District Associate: Pastor Mike Kelly
District Lay Leader: Ann Welch Wood
District Administrative Assistant: Patti Gridley
If the office is closed and you have an emergency please call 315-898-2077 and leave a message or email Sherri at sherrirood@unyumc.org
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