October 27th, 2022 Oneonta District UMC News for you
* Please share this newsletter with your friends and congregation members.
District E-newsletters
To subscribe to the Oneonta district E-newsletter, send us your email address.
To submit news for this publication, send it no later than Wed. by 4 PM for Thursday publication, to: [email protected]
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2022 UNY Annual Conference News |
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Click here to see what you missed or re-watch videos, including recordings from each day, from the 2022 Annual Conference session.
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When mailing items to the office PLEASE use the information listed below.
Oneonta District Office UMC
C/O Teresa Wood
28 Orchard St.
Oneonta, NY 13820
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The District Office is open by appointment only.
Please Call ahead to make an appointment.
Office hours vary Mon. – Thurs..
the office is CLOSED Friday Thru Sunday
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IMPORTANT Reminder:
Pastors / Churches - is your church information correct?
· Is the service time correct?
· Is the address and phone number correct?
· Is the contact information correct?
· Has the chair of your committees changed since CC?
Please let the district office know of any updates you would like made to this listing.
Click on the link below to see the information the conference has on your church.
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2022-2023 Church/Charge Conference Annual Forms Due Dates
NOTE* All Clergy Compensation forms are due at the district office 2 wks prior to your Church Conference OR by Nov. 21st - Which ever comes first.
IMPORTANT – NEW this year, there are 2 different Compensation forms. Please be sure to use the correct form or it will be sent back to you.
Form 5. 2023 Clergy Compensation Form (requires Microsoft Excel 2003 or later)- This form is to be used for all Licensed Pastors and appointed Elders
AND
Form 5c. 2023 Retired Serving Clergy/Lay Supply Compensation Form with excel worksheet- This form is to be used for Retired Clergy Serving a church, CLMs and Lay Supply pastors
Due November 1st.:
*These need to be printed and mailed to the district office*
Due December 1st.: UPDATE ONLINE - DO NOT PRINT A COPY
Due February 15th. 2023
Report of Trustees
Report of Finance Committee
2022 Year End Financial Report
2023 Church Budget - Your church format
Click here to download the 2022-23 Annual Report Form Checklist.
If you need help getting forms please contact Teresa at the district office.
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Dates for Oneonta district Annual Church Conferences announced:
We hope to see you there!
Churches are asked to meet with the Superintendent annually to celebrate and take stock of ministry, as well as conduct necessary business of the church--the Annual Church Conference. These in-person meetings will take place in Fall 2022 at central locations around the district.
All who have membership in the local church are welcome to vote.
The Theme this year is: “Keeping the Mission the Mission”.
Much of the required business we will do will have been considered by the appropriate teams in the congregation before we gather for formal approval at the Church Conference.
The schedule has already been shared with your pastor or other leader of your congregation. I hope as many as possible will be able to attend.
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Free webinar about cooperative parishes offered tonight
There are several small churches in the Upper New York Conference. There are some that have combined with nearby small churches to become cooperative parishes.
Join Kay Kotan and Jason C. Stanley for a FREE webinar designed to help laity and clergy understand the what, why, and how of cooperative parish ministry.
Participants will rediscover the power of a crowd-sourced, circuit ministry approach to the places we are called to love and serve.
The webinar will be held Thursday Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. EST on Zoom.
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John Wesley loved All Saints Day
Nov. 1 is All Saints Day, a sometimes-overlooked holy day in United Methodist congregations. It is not nearly as well known as the day before, All Hallows' (Saints') Eve, better known as Halloween, but is far more important in the life of the Church.
On All Saints Day, let us give thanks for both the saints in glory and those on earth, who have led us to Jesus. As they have shared the gospel with us, may we add our voices so someone else may hear about the grace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, enjoyed and celebrated All Saints Day. Click here to learn why.
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Voices heard and not heard at the AC2022
Monitoring reports are presented at Annual Conference to understand whose voices are heard and whose voices are not heard on the floor of Annual Conference. To conduct these reports, when speakers come to the floor, they are asked to identify their gender, race, whether they are clergy or laity, their District, and their church.
This year, Annual Conference was held virtually from Oct. 6-8—as opposed to appearing at a microphone on the floor, these speakers waited in a virtual que and when called upon, they were able to speak via Zoom.
The speakers on both Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 were predominantly white clergy. Lay members and People of Color were underrepresented.
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CCORR outlines three goals in their upcoming work
The Conference Commission on Religion and Race (CCORR) report was presented during the Oct. 6 afternoon plenary at the 2022 Upper New York (UNY) Annual Conference, held virtually.
The CCORR team discussed the success of the Imagine No Racism 2.0 curriculum in educating clergy and laity across the Conference about dismantling racism. Then, the team discussed three goals for the future: to express the harms experienced by all People of Color in the UNY Conference, to create a plan for educating younger adults on dismantling racism, and to increase the number of churches that are active in anti-racism work.
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Local District News & Happenings |
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Sat. Oct. 29th, from 11am-3 pm - Worcester UMC is hosting an event called" Raise the Roof" this is a fund raiser for repairs to their roof, this is a concert setting with several bands performing Rebecca and Brian from Rebecca and the Tall Boys, Northern Grace, Rustic Chill, and reunion of Two Hymnal Tilt. This is being held in the sanctuary of the Worcester UMC Church. A Good will offering and refreshments will be on sale so come enjoy a afternoon filled with live music and Christian fellowship.
Drop Bible study weekly every Wednesday
Richmondville UMC at 10am
Worcester UMC at 6pm
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Important UPDATE: Unadilla UMC is a drop-off site in our Oneonta district. -
The Unadilla UMC is open the 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 9 -11 am for drop-off.
The truck is coming to pick up at Unadilla UMC on Thursday, 11/17. All boxes and other items need to be at Unadilla UMC by Wednesday, 11/16.
(H) 607-988-0192 or (C) 607-267-3015 to make other arrangements to drop off items.
NOTE: Barb will be away Nov. 4th- 21st- During this time please contact Sherry Mott. Sherry's phone # is 607-761-9235 and her e-mail is [email protected].
The trip is planned for Nov. 28 with the packing of the trucks on Saturday, Nov. 26.
The need for shoe-boxes 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. The planning team will still take new clothes as they can be used at the Community Outreach Center for distribution.
Your help in this project is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, David Alexander can be reached by email:[email protected] , or you can call 607-743-8955.
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Update on the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference
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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Wesley Heritage Tour 2024
Join Pastor Brett Johnson on the trip of a lifetime to visit John and Charles Wesley’s homeland of England. We will be visiting sites of great importance to United Methodists, including the Wesleys’ hometown of Epworth, Oxford, Bristol, and worship in the Wesley Chapel in London.
We will also be stopping at Stonehenge and Stratford-on-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and St Paul’s Cathedral. Tour dates are July 13-22, 2024. Please use the following link to register: https://portal.myfaithjourneys.com/ and use group code 24002.
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Gary Bergh scholarship and justice awareness trips to the Holy Land
Since 2009, the Gary Bergh Scholarship has been offered by the Conference Task Force on Peace w/Justice in Palestine/Israel to enable persons interested in justice and human rights to travel to Palestine/Israel on “justice awareness” trips.
Here is a list of recently announced trips this fall:
CPT - (Community Peacemaker Teams) - Nov. 3-14
FOSNA - (Friends of Sabeel, North America) - Nov. 26-Dec. 6, 2022
The deadlines for some of these trips have already happened. But you can check these groups on their websites or contact them directly to learn about upcoming delegations, especially Eyewitness Palestine.
For Gary Bergh Scholarship applications, contact Karen Peterson (607-739-3143). You are requested to be available for UNY presentations or reports upon return. Clergy may be eligible for clergy credit.
Contact any of the following members of the UNY Taskforce on Palestine/Israel leadership team for more information.
Linda Bergh, 315-492-8507
Karen Peterson, 607-739-3141
Gary Doupe, 607-743-5062
Merle Showers, 716-862-4235
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UMY Mission Central Hub News |
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NOTICE: Please direct all questions regarding the Mission Central HUB to:
Kristina Clark
Director of Missional Engagement
Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church
7481 Henry Clay Blvd.
Liverpool, NY 13088
Direct Line: 315.898.2066
Cell: 570.267.5711
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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 ([email protected]), 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.
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Training & Education Opportunities |
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Safe Sanctuaries 3.5 hour basic training
(this training is for all Clergy, and anyone working with children, youth or vulnerable adults)
Saturday, November 5, 2022
9:00 am - 12:30pm
Registration Opens October 5, 2022 @ Midnight
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For more information regarding Safe Sanctuaries please visit our website:
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Attention Clergy -Register now for pre-retirement workshop this fall
All clergy looking to retire in the next year are encouraged to attend a pre-retirement workshop. The next workshop is scheduled to be held in-person on Friday, Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. -3 p.m. at the United Methodist Center in Liverpool, NY. It may be moved to a virtual format if there is a rise in COVID positivity rates.
Join Upper New York Benefits Administrator Julie Valeski and Wespath representatives Robert Christophel and Todd Creviston for this workshop that highlights and explains the benefits available through The United Methodist Church to retiring clergy. They’ll discuss the current pension plan, health insurance options, Social Security, and any moving assistance available.
Registration is open through Oct. 28, 2022. If you are seeking to have a private consultation with a benefits educator, you can indicate that on the registration page.
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Course of Study Information
If you are registering for a COS class at GBHEM – you will need to list the name and email of your COS registrar.
That information is as follows:
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UMC Clergy Education Offering Courses for Credit
ClergyEducation.com is a resource for clergy and church leaders, offering CEUs accepted by most United Methodist annual conferences.
Click here for a complete catalogue of recorded courses.
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Camp and Retreat Ministry (CRM) NEWS |
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Fall Retreats at Sky Lake Camp & Retreat Center
Autumn is the perfect time to retreat to the woods.
Reserve your spot today!
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November 2022
November 4 @ 3:00 pm - November 6 @ 5:00 pm
It is time to come away and rest awhile as you spend a weekend at Sky Lake free of the distractions of the outside world. We are excited to welcome women over the age of 18 to our “Ladies of the Lake” weekend. MILD AND WILD If you're new to Sky Lake, or if you are returning, you are wholeheartedly welcome. Our leadership team is planning a weekend filled with "mild and wild" activities. You might hike in the…
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The following job openings are posted on the Upper New York website...
1) Reservations Specialist for Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center
2) Seasonal Camp Staff
If you are interested in applying, please apply online through our website. Please contact Tracy Rickett with any questions. Thank you.
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Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
(American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month)
Next month is Native American Heritage Month. Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity to raise awareness about the unique challenges Native people face, and share the ways in which tribal citizens conquer those challenges.
Click here for Native American Heritage Month worship resources.
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The Church Wellness Checkup Information
We believe a Vital Congregation is the body of Christ making and
engaging grace-filled
Christ Followers, who put faith into action.
A Vital Congregation…
Worships with passion
Nurtures and grows disciples
Engages in mission and outreach to their community
Gives generously to the mission and ministries of the church
The Church Wellness Checkup is a tool to help your congregation
become more faithful in
partnering with God in bringing the Kingdom of God to fruition.
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Save the date: Bishop Webb’s farewell gathering
You are invited to Upper New York (UNY) Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb’s farewell/retirement gathering on Saturday Nov. 19 from 1-4 p.m. at the Upper New York Conference Center, 7481 Henry Clay Blvd. in Liverpool. 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.
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Bishop Webb announces clergy appointments
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb and the Upper New York Conference announce interim appointments and four retirements pending approval of clergy session. View the full list of changes here.
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New York State Minimum Wage Increase effective 12/31/2022
October 2022/By Tracy Rickett, UNY Human Resources Generalist
New York State Minimum Wage Increase
Effective December 31, 2022, New York State minimum wage will increase to $14.20/hour.
Employers in the Upper New York Conference, regardless of number of employees, must pay non-exempt employee’s minimum wage. Future increases will be determined by the NYS Director of Budget in consultation with the NYS Commissioner of Labor and will be announced on or before October 1 each year. Please click this link for more information on the change to
Non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime pay under the state and federal wage and hour laws. Overtime pay for non-exempt employees is calculated as time and one-half their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a workweek.
An updated NYS Minimum Wage poster must be posted at your work site for your employees by December 31, 2022. Once the updated poster is available, the Conference office will post it on our Church Employer webpage under Employment Law Compliance and Posters
New York State Minimum Salary
As of the date of this news article, the New York State minimum salary for employees classified as exempt under the New York State Labor Law remains at $990.00/week or $51,480.00 per year. Any updates to the New York State minimum salary will be published as it becomes available.
Churches should review their wage and hour practices to ensure that their employees are classified properly as non-exempt or exempt and that current minimum wage and minimum salary levels are being paid to employees.
If you have any questions on this topic, please contact Tracy Rickett, Human Resources Generalist, at 315-898-2017 or [email protected].
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Disaffiliation Information-From Wespath
Understanding Pension Liabilities-For Local Churches Considering Disaffiliation
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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Disaffiliating from the UNY Conference and the UMC
During the Upper New York (UNY) Annual Conference held virtually in June of 2021, the body passed Resolution UNYAC2021.7 which created a Study Commission to examine the readiness in the UNYUMC for the Implementation of the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation.
Last fall, the UNY Study Commission issued surveys to clergy and congregations in the UNY Conference about the Protocol. Despite there only being a 30 percent response rate, some congregations and clergy did report that if the Protocol passes, they will leave the United Methodist Church. Click here to read the survey report.
Earlier this month, the Global Methodist Church announced that it will launch on May 1, 2022. Click here to read the announcement.
Given these changes, the Conference Board of Trustees anticipated there would be congregations who might now desire to explore disaffiliation.
Click here to read an article that outlines the disaffiliation process.
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Reminder: Sexual Harassment training mandatory
New York State required sexual harassment annual training prevention reminder
New York State Law requires that employers who have at least one or more employees must conduct sexual harassment prevention training for all employees on a yearly basis. The timing of when to hold the yearly training is up to the employer as long as it is completed annually. A notice of the employer’s sexual harassment policy must be provided to all employees during this time and the employer should maintain records of the training for audit purposes.
Safe Sanctuaries training does not exempt churches from the New York State sexual harassment prevention training requirements.
Click here to learn more about what’s required in the training, how to create a sexual harassment policy if you haven’t already, and free training opportunities offered by New York City that satisfy the state’s requirements.
If you have questions, you can contact Tracy Rickett, Human Resources Generalist in the Conference Office at (315) 898-2017 or via email at [email protected]
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Don't Wait, Get Your Federal Tax Exemption Letter!
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On the Conference calendar
Oct. 28: Registration deadline for pre-retirement workshop - DETAILS
Nov. 1-30: Native American Heritage month
Nov. 1: All Saints Day
Nov. 2-4: Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference - DETAILS
Nov. 11: Pre-retirement Workshop 10-3 p.m. - DETAILS
Nov. 15: General Commission on Religion and Race grant application deadline - DETAILS
Nov. 19: Bishop Webb Farewell Gathering 1- 4 p.m.
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Oneonta District Office
66 Chestnut Street Oneonta NY 13820 - Physical Address (Second Floor)
Mailing Address
C/O Teresa Wood
28 Orchard St. Oneonta, NY 13820
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
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Your Partners in Ministry at the Oneonta District Office |
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"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."
Rev. Bob Kolvik-Campbell- District Superintendent
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