Message from DS Rev. Mike Weeden
First Things First
“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
Luke 12:29 – 32. The Message
Have you ever had those moments when something just pushes through the cacophony of noise and messages that crowd our lives? Maybe it’s a song on the radio; or, a prayer thought that rises to the top in your reflection; or, something someone says that will not let go of you; or, a devotional reflection; a sermon you heard; or, a scripture passage you have read. I do too. I recently I read these verses from Luke’s Gospel and it stopped me in my tracks.
This has been a busy season for me. There are many realities of ministry that I am juggling: change in our denomination; the call to provide leadership in the District; the prayerful discerning work of appointments; assisting pastors and local churches with need and concerns; grief over
Rev. Vonda Fossitt’s death; tending to the work that comes with Cabinet responsibilities; the overall stress of ministry; deep sadness and anger at the events in Buffalo. One morning as I found myself pretending I am balancing all these concerns and responsibilities the words of Jesus pushed through the noise, worry, and busyness: “Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.”
Seek my face, I heard Jesus saying. Seek what God seeks first. God knows. Don’t be ‘so pre-occupied with the getting that you don’t respond to God’s giving’. Be about first things first. These words came as comfort to my soul; like fresh air in a musty shut-up room.
So now I turn the radio off in my car more. I silence the TV more often. I step out on the back porch and listen to the glory of the creation. I spend more time in silence. I reflect more on gratitude. I seek Jesus more. I find I carry the burdens differently. The cacophony of noise is dissipated by the love and presence of God.
This verse came as a challenge, it came as a reminder, and it came as a word of grace and comfort to me. What message is God pushing through the noise of your life that you need to hear? What is God saying to your church about remaining focused on first things first in the midst of the many challenges and changes of today?
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Peace with Justice Sunday
June 12, 2022
WHAT IS PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY?
United Methodists relate to this special Sunday by seeking peaceful solutions, creating and supporting peace-related ministries in their conference and learning about peaceful, just efforts around the world. Our Social Principles call us to love our enemies, seek justice, and serve as reconcilers of conflict. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to work together to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them.
The United Methodist Church, with its historic commitment to peace and justice, can and should provide leadership to this social transformation. The General Board of Church and Society Church holds a non-governmental, consultative status with the United Nations. This status allows us to participate in UN meetings, consultations and conferences. We recognize and renew our call for social transformation, for the quest to open the doors of opportunity for all, to distribute resources more equitably, and to provide better care for persons in need.
Donations for this special Sunday support programs and ministries to educate, equip and mobilize actions in support of identified Economic, Health, and Gender Justice Priorities. Each Annual Conference has a Peace with Justice Coordinator developing local social justice ministries. Fifty percent of the offering remains in your annual conference to support this ministry.
We achieve peace with justice efforts by working with the World Council of Churches, interfaith and ecumenical bodies, and secular organizations for social-justice policies and programs that seek the wholeness of shalom for all of God’s people. Your gift, joined with the gifts of others makes a significant impact in the lives of individuals and communities.
Did you know we have resources to celebrate Peace with Justice Sunday?
Click here for everything you need to inspire and empower your congregation to give generously.
Need more information about Peace with Justice Sunday?
Click here to find out about our rich and long history of generosity. Our hope is to inspire you to learn more about the work we accomplish together through the ministry we call connectional giving.
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District Office Closed
Please note that the Northern Flow District Office will be closed for the week of May 23rd to May 30th. I will be on vacation that week and will not be answering any emails or phone calls at that time. I will return on Tuesday May 31st and will answer any emails and phone calls at that time.
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Webinars Available
Do you have someone new who is now a trustee or a member of your SPRC? Here are some resources to help them learn.
New materials and webinar recordings room April 26 and 28, 2022 were developed for churches in the Southern Tier Region, which consists of the Cornerstone, Mountain View, Binghamton, and Oneonta Districts. District Superintendents the Rev. Suzanne Block, the Rev. Dr. Jeff McDowell, and the Rev. Nancy Adams led the sessions.
One webinar was related to church trustees with included resources and the other webinar was related to staff-parish-relations committees with included resources.
Click here to watch these helpful recordings and access the useful resources.
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District Gathering With Bishop Webb Offered for Laity
** The Gouverneur First UMC will have the nursery open and available for those that will need it. If you could please let me know if you would like to take advantage of this service. **
Next month, Upper New York Area Resident Bishop, Mark J. Webb, will be hosting regional gatherings with laity for a time of worship, conversation, and celebration of mission and ministry. This will be a time to converse about the current realities within the UMC and the opportunities found in our call to live out the mission of Jesus Christ for today and into the future.
The following are the dates and times for the gatherings with Bishop Webb:
June 12, 2022 @ 3:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. at LeRoy UMC
If you would like to attend please email the district office here to register so we can plan accordingly.
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In Person Conference Postponed
to October 6-8 to be held Remotely
The Sessions Committee of the Upper New York Conference gathered by Zoom on the morning of Thursday, April 21 to discuss growing concerns about the uptick in COVID-19 cases in Upstate New York and throughout the United States.
Members of the Committee shared both their own perspectives and what they have been hearing from others regarding the comfort level of gathering more than a thousand United Methodist from across Upper New York at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena. In the end, while there was a great sense of loss about not being able to gather in-person for the third year in a row, the Committee overwhelmingly agreed that the top priority had to be the health and safety of the individuals that would be asked to attend. The decision was made to institute a backup plan that has been in place since the Committee started planning for an in-person Annual Conference gathering.
Annual Conference will be postponed to Oct. 6-8, and it will be a virtual gathering. The plan is to use the same technology that was used at the 2021 virtual Annual Conference gathering, which was relatively well received.
Postponing Annual Conference creates a new set of logistical concerns to address and the decisions about those concerns will be shared once they are made. In the meantime, anyone who has already registered for the planned in-person Annual Conference gathering will receive full refunds. The processing of refunds will start immediately but could take a couple of weeks to complete. If you made a hotel reservation, you should contact the hotel directly to cancel.
“We know that there will be many different reactions to the news of Annual Conference being postponed and moved to a virtual event,” said the Rev. Joellyn Tuttle, Chair of the Sessions Committee. “Many will be disappointed; many will be relieved; and many more will be some combination of the two. Ultimately, this decision puts the health of the members of the Annual Conference first and that felt right to the Committee. Our first desire was to do no harm, and we are confident that we can pull together an excellent virtual event in October.”
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Hand Bells Wanted!!
Hand Bells Wanted – If your church is no longer using your hand bells - the United Methodist Church of Webster may be interested in purchasing your bells.
Please contact the church office at office@umcwebster.org, or call weekdays between 9:30 to 4:30 PM ( 585-265-9720).
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Phishing Emails Again!!
D.S. Rev. Weeden has been notified that people are receiving phishing emails again that appear to come from him.
Please note that any email Rev. Weeden sends out will only be from his work email that is mikeweeden@unyumc.org and he would never send anything from a gmail account to you. Also note that he would never solicit any gift cards or anything else from anyone.
If you receive this kind of email please DELETE it and do not respond or open it.
Thank you
Northern Flow District
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Grants Available for Projects
It is the desire of the UNY Conference United Women in Faith (formerly UMW) to offer grants to non-profit community and faith-based organizations that follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and address the needs of women, children and youth within the boundaries of our conference.
** Submission deadline is June 15th, 2022 **
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Trip to Holy Land 2023
The clergy team of Syracuse United Methodist Ministries (Revs. Andy Anderson, B.J. Norrix, Jee Hae Song, and Alicia Wood) invite you to join them on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Feb. 14 – Feb. 24, 2023.
You will explore, learn, and fellowship as you visit Caesarea, the Sea of Galilee, Cana, Nazareth, Samaria, Jacob's Well, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and much more. The cost of the trip starts at $3,448, leaving from JFK, New York. There is also an option to extend your trip through Jordan for an additional cost.
You are encouraged to register immediately with only $100. Register by June 14 ($75 off), July 14 ($50 off), August 14 ($25 off). Brochures with more details and registration forms are available. Please contact:
Jee Hae: jeehaesong611@gmail.com, 404-825-8025 (cell), for a brochure, online registration link, if you have any questions, or need more information.
There will also be an informational session on May 3 at Erwin First United Methodist Church that you can attend in-person or via Zoom.
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Online Summer Courses
Dear Local Pastors
Please register for ALPS-MTH " fully online summer courses" by May 30.The website is www.alpsumc.org (click on the Schedule 2022 tab at the top of the web page and scroll down for the list of SUMMER 2022 courses) Click on the registration tab at the top of the page to register. This is a great time to finish one or two more courses - -fully online.
Email a copy of your registration form to Pam and mail your registration check NOW -- so Pam can quickly add you to the summer course list .--while your registration form is processed through the Conference Office. Thank you.
SUMMER 2022 COURSES - FULLY ONLINE
June 17-18 and July 8-9, 2022
COS 122 (formerly 112) Theology I Rev. Dr. Phil Jamieson
COS 124 Transformative Leadership (do not take 124 if you took COS 113) Rev. Dr. Robert Brown
July 15-16 and August 5-6, 2022
COS 221 (formerly 211) Bible II: Torah & Israel’s History Rev. Dr. Russ Sisson
July 29-30 and August 12-13, 2022
COS 223 (formerly 413) Worship and Sacraments Rev. Dr. Ken Ramsey
COS 422 (formerly 412) Theological Heritage IV: Wesleyan Movement Rev. Dr. Jason Vickers
UPDATE ON FALL 2022 COURSES:
In late June, ALPS-MTH will email you additional information about FALL 2022 Hybrid courses, options on course locations, and other format information. Please check your email regularly in June (and your spam folder). Based on GBHEM policy - All Extension and Regional Schools must return to a Hybrid --one weekend residential and one weekend zoom class session format for all courses that begin after August 31.
Go ahead and register now for the ALPS-MTH fall 2022 courses that you want and need to take. We will work on the location arrangements with you in late June and July. If you are located at a great distance from the scheduled course location and cannot make it to the location for the one weekend, contact Barbara bnye34@gmail.com Since you will only attend a course in residence one weekend, the location may not be a problem for you. Students will make their own hotel and meal and snack arrangements for all courses.
If there is a renewed Covid surge nationally or in states or locales in the fall or a local campus/course location issues a local health advisory, the course format could change OR the GBHEM policy requiring hybrid courses with a residential weekend could change. We cannot predict the fall conditions now.
The best thing to do is register for the fall courses NOW--so that we have your course registration with your home address, email, and cell phone information-- so we can make the best course plans possible at this time.
This is a time of transition. Please be flexible. We will get through this transition. Local pastors have done an amazing job working throughout the pandemic with their churches while attending COS Courses. The ALPS-MTH faculty and staff have done an amazing job converting courses to online and now will transition to Hybrid courses. Then, they may have to make last minute changes in format again-- if local health conditions change again. The fall may be challenging for all of us in some ways, but we will get through it. Thank you for your continuing support.
I hope that your ministry is going well. We continue to pray for those who have experienced loss and grief during the pandemic from Covid-19 and from other health/mental health concerns and family crises. We pray for the Church as God continues his work and allows our participation, and we pray for the world so in need of God's love, healing, and reconciliation.
In Christ,
Barbara and Pam,
Dr. Barbara Nye, Director
Ms. Pam Whitmore, Registrar
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Job Opportunities for Upper New York Conference
The Upper New York Conference has job openings, please click here for more information.
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Connect with Us 2022
Attached is the Connect with Us Academy 2022 announcement with the continuing education course schedule and descriptions --along with the registration form. These are high-quality courses. The full cost per course is just $75. The courses include videos and printed resources as well as 1-2 short zoom sessions. These courses are available to all clergy and CLMs. The pastor may invite one lay leader to attend the course with them without cost. A team of pastors from the same district may wish to register for these courses. The only written assignment is a short implementation plan at the end of the course for one CEU credit. Textbooks are not required. Videos and resources are provided for each course.
Your continuing theological education is important. Please consider registering for these courses.
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Tending the Soul Training
Tending the Soul, a training program in Missional Spiritual Direction and Congregational Formation, will be starting a new cohort in November 2022. The program is designed for lay and clergy. Perhaps more than any other time in our recent past, the ability to listen deeply for God, to remain centered and non-anxious, and to hold sacred space for others is an essential tool in ministry (both within your local congregation and the greater community).
Click here for more information and a brochure with all details on the program and how to apply.
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Conference Office Looking for your Stories!!
We’re looking for stories of a church vitality! Stories that inspire! Stories that motivate! Stories that can encourage churches throughout the Upper New York (UNY) Conference to try something new to live out the mission of the United Methodist Church, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
- June: Supporting marginalized or oppressed individuals and communities
- July: Church membership growth
Throughout the first half of 2022, we are asking for narratives of church success stories. Click here to read more about this initiative.
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Stewardship with
Rev. Susan Ranous
May 11, 2022
TALKING ABOUT MONEY IS IMPORTANT –
EVEN IN CHURCH (cont'd)
I’ve been talking about the importance of talking about money in church—the right way-- not being apologetic, but not focusing on the need of the church to receive.
I think a vitally important way to help people in the pews, or in the community, have a good relationship with their own money is to provide budgeting, getting out of debt, or other financial workshops.
Good resources exist. One well-known one, of course is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.
Another one that I think is very well done and has relatively inexpensive workbooks is “Financially Freed Up.” (Link available here)That is their main program. They also have a workbook on getting out of debt, one for teaching kids, and one for seniors. They have good workbooks and good resources. They have also started an app-based program, so it works well virtually.
Another program, recently released by Wespath, is Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being. (Link available here) This is a new educational curriculum that seeks to support and strengthen clergy and congregations with a Wesleyan guide to improved financial planning.
Both of these programs are well-written and easily useable. I encourage you to check into them and prayerfully consider offering financial training in your church!
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Safe Sanctuaries Training Schedule for 2022
Attached is a flyer for all upcoming Upper New York Safe Sanctuaries Zoom training session for the year, along with registration links and dates.
We will continue to send reminders prior to registration by an individual bases but we wanted to make sure all dates were available to the conference, districts and churches.
You will notice that the dates are strategic as we want to make it available prior to summer VBS programs, Fall Sunday school start up and a couple others in between. We have also set two Training of Trainer dates which we will ask those who wish to become a trainer in their local church and/or their districts to join.
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2022 Holiday Schedule
The District Office Will Be closed on the Following Dates
May 30th Memorial Day
July 4th Independence Day
September 5th Labor Day
November 24th and 25th Thanksgiving
December 23rd Christmas Eve (Observed)
December 26th Christmas (Observed)
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Northern Flow District
District Superintendent
Rev. Michael Weeden
Administrative Assistant
Tammy McAdam
Regional Associate
Rev. Rich Weihing
District Associate
Nancy Stanley
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Northern Flow District Office Hours |
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Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
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Northern Flow District
93 East Main Street, Second Floor
PO Box 208
Gouverneur, NY 13642
Phone: (315) 535-5149 FAX: (315) 535-5151
Upper New York Annual Conference
7481 Henry Clay Blvd,
Liverpool, NY 13088
Phone: (315) 898-2000 Fax: (315) 898-2027
Bishop's Office
7481 Henry Clay Blvd,
Liverpool, NY 13088
Phone: (315) 898-2020 Fax: (315) 898-2150
The Media Resource Center of UNYAC
Visit the website at
Our mission is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
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