Northern Flow Weekly Newsletter June 2, 2022

The Current

June 2, 2022

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.

Bishop Webb to Offer Virtual Conversation with Laity

June 21st

Upper New York (UNY) Area Resident Bishop, Mark J. Webb, had planned on in-person meetings with UNY laity this month, but these meetings had to be canceled due to expressed concerns, related to the COVID pandemic.

To create an opportunity for these conversations to be held, Bishop Webb will be hosting a live webinar on Vimeo on Tuesday June 21 at 6:30 p.m.

During this webinar, Bishop Webb will address recent denominational developments and discuss the importance of keeping focused on the mission of the Church. The webinar will include a time for questions and answers.

Individuals are invited to send questions in advance, along with their name and church, for Bishop Webb to address by emailing them to news@unyumc.org by June 17th. An opportunity to submit questions during the webinar will be available through a chat function.

Click here on June 21st to join this webinar.

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.

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.”

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

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.

Click here to read more.

** Submission deadline is June 15th, 2022 **

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:

Pastors B.J.: bjnorrix@gmail.com, 315-726-2815 (cell);

Andy: andmcand@hotmail.com, 917-723-0901 (cell);

Alicia: pastoraliciawood@gmail.com, 315-450-1632 (cell); or

Jee Hae: jeehaesong611@gmail.com, 404-825-8025 (cell), for a brochure, online registration link, if you have any questions, or need more information.

Click here for more information.

Job Opportunities for Upper New York Conference

The Upper New York Conference has job openings, please click here for more information.

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.

2022 Connect Schedule

2022 Connect Registration Form

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.

Any questions can be directed to the Rev. Nancy Dibelius (nancyd@unyumc.org).

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.

Stewardship with

Rev. Susan Ranous

May 19, 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.

We need to provide an easy-to-understand process for folks who want to adjust their relationship with money and generosity. There is teaching about money and preaching about money. They are not the same thing. An article I recently read said it this way:

Preaching allows the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and inspire change for the hearer.
Teaching is about the practical ways to manage money

I was recently teaching at Local Pastor Licensing School, and I shared the thought that while, traditionally, we have fall stewardship campaigns, where we encourage folks to give to God through the local church, or increasing the giving that they are currently doing, we cannot assume that everyone is at the same place in their life; in their faith journey; or in their financial situation.

We forget that:

Some people are just out of school with student loan debt
Some have kids in college
Some have young children that require paid health care
Some are newly retired on fixed incomes
Some have credit card or other debt

If the only time we talk about money in church is to talk about their generosity and what we’re asking them to do, we’re missing the opportunity and the requirement to help them in their relationship with money. Everyone needs to learn and understanding how to steward what they have and understand what God would have them do with it.

Again, I recommend focusing, yes, on the needs of the people to give, that giving is a part of worship, but also to have a good and better relationship with money.

May 25, 2022

TALKING ABOUT MONEY IS IMPORTANT –

EVEN IN CHURCH (cont’d)

I’ve been talking about the importance of talking about money in church. An Article by Christian Stewardship Network says this:

The average person spends 40 hours a week working to earn money,

at least a few hours a month planning and tracking their money, and a

significant number of hours spending it. Money is a significant part of

our daily lives, yet pastors think talking about it once or twice a year is

enough to help people manage it better.[1]

This is so true! I’d like to add a couple of “editorial” comments, or, more accurately, my thoughts on the above statement.

· For some people, working 40 hours isn’t enough to earn “enough”

· Some people aren’t working even 40 hours, for various reasons

· For those not earning a “sustainable” wage, less time is spent earning, and more tracking and planning

· For some working 40 hours, it takes two wage earners to support a family

· For some, budgeting works; others have never learned how to budget

· When so much time is spent by the folks in the pews or in the community earning, worrying about, praying about, crying about, money, and we only talk about money once or twice a year???

What do I mean by that last statement? Well, that your money and your relationship to money isn’t important until it’s important to us. And it’s only important to us when we need it!

It is an awful way to understand money as a church, as The Church, as Christians, as followers of Jesus, as Disciples…

So:

Let’s re-think how we talk about money as a church.

Let’s change our own understanding of money as a church.

Let’s care more about our neighbor and less about ourselves!

Reading back over this, it seems harsh, but, unfortunately, true. Please, please, look at your own personal relationship with money, work with your leadership on your church’s relationship with money, and reach out to your folks in love, with hands reaching out to hold a hand, to give a hug, and not to just receive an offering.

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.

If you or anyone has any questions please direct them to the Safe Sanctuaries team via our email safesanctuaries@unyumc.org .