Finger Lakes Inspirational Actions at Work |
|
Welcome Brothers & Sisters of the Finger Lakes District,
Please share this with your church members, staff, teams and organizations. We hope that you will find this an invaluable resource as we work to promote the missions, ministries and events of the Finger Lakes District.
|
|
Our Mission:
"Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by... living the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be God's love with our neighbors in all places."
|
|
|
|
Not all storms come to disrupt your life.
Some are God's way of clearing your path.
|
|
 |
Starting June 5th, Gorham UMC is running a book study on I Am A Church Member by Dr. Thom Rainer.
Class time is after the 9 AM service, 10:15-11:15 AM.
Books are provided free of charge, but a $5 donation to offset expenses would be appreciated.
At this time in person only but all are welcome to join.
Any questions? Please call the church at (585) 526-6737.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial Peace University!
Newark First United Methodist Church is pleased to announce that we will be offering Financial Peace university, a workshop series authored and presented by Dave Ramsey and facilitated in small groups led by Stephanie Mercer.
What is Financial Peace University?
We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! It teaches God's ways of handling money.
|
|
Nine - series program will cover:
- Introduction to the Seven Baby Steps
- Relationships and Money
- The Nuts and Bolts of Budgeting
- How to Rid Yourself of Debt Forever
- The Power of Marketing on Your Buying Decisions
- Protecting Your Health, Family and Money with Insurance
- Plan for Retirement and Sending Kids to College
- Real Estate and Mortgages
- The Foundations of Generous Giving
Who should Attend: Individuals 18 years or older and married couples (couples are strongly encouraged to attend sessions together)
When: Wednesdays starting July 13th and ending September 7th
Time & Locations: 6:30 PM - 8 PM in the Lounge at Newark First United Methodist Church
Cost: $50 per individual/couple (Parishioner rate)
$129.99 per individual or couple (non-parishioner rate)
*****Cost includes all material needed for the course
All are welcome to join. At this time it will be held in person only. Any questions/comments or if you would like to join the course please email Stephanie Mercer at mercermusicstudio@gmail.com
|
|
|
Churches condemn hate, urge action after shootings
|
|
|
Churches condemn hate, urge action after shootings
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has seen 202 mass shootings so far this year.
The racially motivated attack in Buffalo on May 14th was the deadliest shooting this year.
Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church is just a few blocks away from the Tops market where
the Buffalo shooting took place. The pastor of Lincoln Memorial, the Rev. George Nicolas,
emphasized that this attack is just one example of racism that Black people, like himself, are all too familiar with.
Also, this past weekend, there was a mass shooting in a Southern California Presbyterian church.
United Methodists across the Connection are responding to both acts of violence. Click here to read more.
Lincoln Memorial UMC in Buffalo
has three families that were directly affected
by the tragic incident in Buffalo
+ a youth's teacher was killed
+ a member's uncle
+ a member's neighbor
+ Many others in the congregation knew others who were murdered
Contact information for Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church:
Church mailing address:
641 Masten Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209
Any cards received are read to the congregation.
|
|
|
|
Focus on our Children & Youth |
|
Advanced Course: Called to Preach
Mondays: June 13, 20, & 27: 6 - 9 p.m.
Thursdays: June 16 & 23: 6 - 9 p.m.
Zoom: Fee $15
Facilitators: Jacqueline Kim and Arlene Schmidt
Advanced Course: Polity
Wednesdays: July 6, 13, 20, 27: 6 - 9 p.m.
Zoom: Fee $15
Facilitator: Jacqueline Kim
Basic Lay Servant Course
Mondays: July 18, 25, August 1st: 6 - 9 p.m.
Thursdays: July 21 and 28: 6 - 9 p.m.
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15
Facilitator: Jacqueline Kim
Advanced Course: Leading Worship
Mondays: August 8, 15, 22, 29: 6 - 9 p.m.
Zoom: $15
Facilitator: Bruce Hazard
Advanced Course: Called to Preach
Thursdays: September: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: 6 - 9 p.m.
Zoom: Fee $15
Facilitators: Jacqueline Kim and Arlene Schmidt
Advanced Course: For the Common Good (Spiritual Gifts)
Tuesdays: October, 4, 11, 20, 24, 27: 6 - 9 p.m.
Zoom: Fee $15
Facilitators: Jacqueline Kim and Arlene Schmidt
Advance Course: Opening Ourselves to Grace
Thursdays: November 10 & 17: 6 - 9 p.m.
Tuesday: November 29, December 6 & 13: 6 - 9 p.m.
Zoom: $15
Facilitator: Jacqueline Kim
|
|
Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia Through a Spiritual Lens
Tuesdays: April 19, 26 & May 3, 10, 17: 7 - 9 p.m.
Zoom
Course Fee: $10
Public Prayer (Required Lay Speaker Course)
Wednesdays: June 8, 15, 22, 29 & July 6, 2022: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Zoom
Facilitator: Rev. Nancy Dibelius
Course Fee: $10.00
Lay Servants Lead in Conflict Resolution
Saturdays: August 6 & 13: 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Zoom and in-person
Course Fee: $10
Facilitator: Pastor Danyal Mohammadzadeh
Transforming Evangelism
Saturdays: September 10 & 17: 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Zoom
Course Fee: $10
Living Our United Methodist Beliefs (Heritage – Required Lay Speaker Course)
Mondays: October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Zoom
Course Fee: $10.00
Advanced Lay Speaking Class: God's Mission ... Our Mission
Fridays, May 6, 13, 20, 27 & June 3, 10: 7 - 9 p.m.
ZOOM
Facilitator: George Ramseyer
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Maintain Focus in a Distracted World |
These days it’s so easy to be pulled in different directions or become distracted. We are consumed by all the ways in which COVID-19 is challenging us with death, illness, and disruption of our daily lives. Many of us are feeling isolated by the virus as it steals opportunities for us to gather in person. We’re also living with the uncertainty of General Conference—will General Conference meet this year and what will happen if it does or if it does not?
These are all serious concerns that cause anxiety and stress in our lives. We’re weary of living in uncertainty. It’s all very distracting.
Click here to watch a video of Bishop’s Operational Team member Lindsay Martin and Conference Leadership Team member, the Rev. Steven Taylor, providing encouragement and tips on how to maintain focus in our distracting world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
(this training is for all Clergy, and anyone working with children, youth or vulnerable adults)
Saturday, August 6, 2022
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Registration Opens July 7, 2022 @ Midnight
Saturday, November 5, 2022
9:00 am - 12:30pm
Registration Opens October 5, 2022 @ Midnight
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Training of Trainers -TOT
(this training is for anyone who would like to become a church or district Safe Sanctuaries trainer
in the Upper New York Conference.
Must have completed 3.5 hour basic Training prior to taking the TOT Training.)
Saturday, October 22, 2022
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Registration Opens September 22, 2022 @ Midnight
For more information regarding Safe Sanctuaries please visit our website:
|
|
Nominations for 2022 Denman recipients being accepted through July 1, 2022 |
|
.
The Denman award honors United Methodists in each Conference whose exceptional evangelism brings people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. Each year, Annual Conferences join the Foundation for Evangelism in recognizing one youth, one clergy member, and one lay person in each Conference.
The 2021 recipients in the Upper New York Conference were Pastor Della Ludwig (clergy) and Pastor Sean Chanthasone (clergy). The 2020 recipients were Nolan Carner (youth), Rick Fisher, Jr. (laity), and Pastor Jose Rodriguez (clergy).
The deadline for submitting your 2022 nominations to the Conference has been extended to July 15, 2022.
|
|
|
|
If you would like to get the United Women in Faith (formally UMW) newsletter please email Marcia at philmarwat66@gmail.com
With the pandemic and the changes in officers some churches are not receiving the district newsletter and this will help Marcia update her distribution list.
Thank you
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Pastoral Wellness Initiative |
|
|
|
Are you a part of an accountability group? |
The Upper New York Conference vitality focus for the month of May is “accountability groups.”
Accountability groups stem from what John Wesley called class meetings. Class meetings consisted of up to 12 women and men that met weekly as a “gracious accountability” group. Their focus was to individually answer the question: “How is it with your soul this week?”
Those in Wesley’s class meetings did not study a book. They may have sung a song, read a Bible verse, and had prayer. But their main purpose was not Bible study, but a review of the state of their souls. It resulted in a wildly successful movement to revitalize the Church of England and start the Methodist movement in North America.
Are you a part of an accountability group in your church or District? What does it look like? We’d love to know.
|
|
|
|
Who helps your pastor prioritize wellness? |
Pastors have a lot of responsibilities that go far beyond preparing for worship. They are on call to congregants who need support; they perform weddings and funerals; they have meetings throughout the week with different ministry teams at their church.
The COVID-19 pandemic placed more demands on these pastors—for many, they had to recreate the way they did worship to digital platforms.
We want to know how congregants are helping their pastors renew and replenish their souls and we’d like to share these stories with the entire Upper New York Conference.
By sharing these stories, our hope is that others throughout the Conference will be inspired to help their pastors prioritize wellness during these difficult times.
|
|
|
Trip to the 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 May 14 ($100 off), 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.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
How Camp & Retreat Ministries shape the lives of children and youth |
The most recent issue of the Advocate focused on children and youth in the Upper New York (UNY) Conference; regarding this population, the summer camp experience at one of the UNY Camp & Retreat Centers is of important emphasis.
It is always fascinating to see the number of hands that are raised when a group of clergy women and men are asked if they received their call to ministry in a camp and retreat setting.
Click here to find the answer to this question in an eloquent article written by Matt Williams, the site Director for Sky Lake Camp & Retreat Center.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casowasco Trail walk/run on June 18 |
Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center is having a Highlands Trail Run/Walk on Saturday, June 18. This race starts at 9 a.m. and the cost is $30.00 with the cost going towards camper scholarships. Participants who sign up by May 22, receive a free t-shirt.
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
Finger Lakes District Office Hours: |
Monday - Working from home 8 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday - Thursday - 1:30 PM - 7 PM
Friday - Working from home 12:30 PM - 4 PM
Appointment only for in person visits to the office. Please email to schedule an appointment.
Mask are required in the office.
|
|
Finger Lakes District Superintendent
Rev. Nola Anderson
NolaAnderson@unyumc.org
District Associates
Joellyn Tuttle - JoellynTuttle@unyumc.org
District Lay Leader
Shafeegh Habeeb - HABEEB26332@roadrunner.com
District Administrative Assistant
Charlie Ann Camp - FingerLakesDistrict@unyumc.org
(315) 781-0188
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
