AROUND THE CORNER
Next Issue Aug.4th, 2022
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Thoughts from District Superintendent Suzanne |
“Trust in the Lord and do good; 4 Take delight in the Lord, 5 Commit your way to the Lord; 7 Be still before the Lord.” Psalm 37:3a,4a,5a & 7a
Summer is here with the heat, thunderstorms, brilliant sunshine, lush greenery, beautiful flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables in season, vacation time, and hopefully time with family and friends. I pray for each and every one of you, the churches of the Cornerstone District, the Southern Tier Region, and the Upper New York Conference to have a time of rest, relaxation, and renewal during the months of July and August.
The United Methodist Church continues to be in a time of change, challenge, frustration, and anxiety. The world is full of noise, negativity, division, loud voices, violence, hunger and hurt. I find myself returning again and again to portions of Psalm 37.
Trust in the Lord and do good. Keep the mission of the church at the forefront. Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and doing good by sharing the hope that only comes from a relationship with Jesus.
Take delight in the Lord. Delight in doing God’s work. Building relationships out in our communities, sharing a smile, offering comfort and compassion, caring for the stranger, visiting those in prison, giving water to the thirsty, feeding those who are hungry, offering clothes to the naked. Encouraging one another. Sharing the love of God.
Commit your way to the Lord. Say yes to following Jesus on purpose; practice Wesley’s Five Means of Grace (Searching the Scriptures, praying, fasting, celebrating Holy Communion, having Christian conversation), and see the world through kingdom eyes.
Be still before the Lord. Stop your busyness so that you can hear what God has to say to you, your church, and your community. Reflect on a passage of scripture. Marvel at God’s creation. Take a nap!
A friend shared with me Mother Teresa’s Paradoxical Commandments. I would like to share them with you.
Mother Teresa’s Paradoxical Commandments
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People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
- If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives, Be kind anyway.
- If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies, Succeed anyway.
- If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you,
Be honest and sincere anyway.
- What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight,
Create anyway.
- If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous,
Be happy anyway.
- The good you do today, will often be forgotten,
Do good anyway.
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Give the best you have, and it will never be enough,
Give your best anyway.
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In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
Remember you are a beloved child of God, who is called by name! Continue to focus on the mission of the church, the sharing of God’s love, the hope found only in Jesus, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
May the gift of summer bring glory to God!
Suzanne
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Important Information to Share |
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NEW
If You Need To Contact The Cornerstone District Office PLEASE Use The Number Below For Now
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There is an issue that has come up that just realized. The ability to receive voicemails to our emails has not been happening. So, I apologize if you have left a message or two and we have not returned your call.
I am asking that you call 607-962-8047 (this is the Mountain View District number) Please know that this number does not send the voicemail to my email either but I can retrieve my voicemails from this phone in the office.
And I also please ask that you be patient while the issue is being looked into.
I just don't want you folks to think you are being ignored. Not intentionally. Of course, if you are able to email that is a good way to communicate with us also.
Thank you and again I apologize if you have left messages and have not gotten a response back.
Patti
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Pastors & Their Churches to Pray for Month of JUNE |
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Lord send your spirit in this place.
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Send us love, send us pow'r, send us grace.
-- Ken Medema--
July 24 The Cornerstone District Assistant Patti Gridley, her husband Mort & family
July 31 Allentown UMC. Pastor Stan Scoville & family. Kathy Timpano & family. Jennifer Grimes & family.
Aug. 7 Ashville & Magnolia UMCs. Pastor John Bowen & family
Aug. 14 Bemus Point & Sinclairville:Park UMCs. Pastor Joe Pascoe, his wife Leslie and their daughters Ashley, Taylor & Riley. Tom Holland & family.
Aug. 21 Bolivar, Olean: Trinity & Rivers Edge UMCs. Pastor Dawn Quesenberry, her husband Mike & family.
Aug. 28 Busti Federated. Pastor Lee O’Brien & family
7/21/22
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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 Around The Corner 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:
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If you are in need of UMC Hymnals (these are the red hymnals) please contact the Cornerstone District office. You can call the office at 607-962-8047 or email me at cornerstonedistrict@unyumc.org. Please note that these are located in Jamestown. We are willing to try to work a way to get them to you if you are not in Cornerstone District.
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Safe Sanctuaries ZOOM training to be held August 6th
(Perfect time to get your Sunday School, Youth Group, Nursery or any other Ministry Staff & Volunteers registered)
The standard Safe Sanctuaries training will be Saturday, August 6th from 9AM to 12:30PM This will be held via ZOOM.
REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE: August 5, 2022 AT 5PM
If you are not registered by that time, you will not be able to attend this event. Our next conference Zoom Safe Sanctuaries training is not scheduled until November 5, 2022!
The training will follow the revised ZOOM curriculum developed by the Upper New York Annual Conference Safe Sanctuaries Team, educating those involved in ministries who work with children and vulnerable adults on risks and prevention strategies related to abuse.
The training will be facilitated by Arlene Schmidt and Pastor Christine Mitchell.
The participant curriculum packet is available on the Eventbrite event page via download.
We recommend printing or asking your church office to print this packet for you prior to signing into the training.
For more information on Safe Sanctuaries, and on background checks, click here.
7/21/2022
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Positions open at the Methodist missionary vacation home
in Chautauqua, NY
Seeking host and hostess couple to open and close the home, process reservations, supervise a staff of four, and all operations of the house, including kitchen, laundry, maintenance, and care of the lawn. Host and Hostess should be on site from May 15 to Sept. 15 starting in 2023.
Salary, plus room and board, gate pass, parking.
Please send resumes to: Marie Follett, 331 West Academy Street, Albion, New York 14411 by Aug. 15, 2022. A more detailed list of duties will be available to interested parties.
7/21/22
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The Upper New York United Women in Faith
Mission u event
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The Upper New York United Women in Faith are holding an in-person Mission u event this summer. Would you please help us advertise this event in your weekly newsletters?
Attached is the flyer and registration forms for the UNY UWF 2022 Mission u event, scheduled for August 18 - 20, 2022 at Fayetteville UMC, 601 Genesee St., Fayetteville, NY 13066. This is an intergenerational, in-person event.
A separate Zoom event will be scheduled for a later date.
7/21/22
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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.
7/21/2022
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"We Believe" 12 Step Christ-Centered Support Group
WHEN: Every Thursday
WHERE: Prendergast Library
509 Cherry St.
Jamestown, NY 14701
TIME: 5:30pm
CONTACTS: Scott Robert-716-490-8844 OR
Pastor Tom LeBeau-716-488-1680
What Is "We Believe"?
"We Believe" is a Christ-centered support group for individuals struggling with addiction or brokenness. It is built upon the conviction that the Gospel of Jesus Christ holds both the promise and power for freedom and new life. It is one group of the Addiction Response Ministry (ARM) of Chautauqua County. ARM exists to help individuals and their families in their recovery journey.
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Caneadea UMC
Chicken BBQ & Yard Sale/Bake Sale
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WHEN: Sat., July 23rd, 2022
WHERE: Caneadea UMC
8029 State Route 19, Caneadea, NY
TIME: 12 noon
COST: $12 Donation would be appreciated
MENU: BBQ Chicken, Macaroni Salad, Baked Beans, and a Brownie
Please come and join us for a really fun day!!!!
6/23/22
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WHEN: Sat., July 23rd, 2022
WHERE: Caneadea UMC
8029 State Route 19, Caneadea, NY
TIME: 9am-2pm
AND...... A chance for you to trade a few of your plants for some new ones!!!
6/23/22
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UMPH Extending Permission
to Use Resources For Online Worship
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Nashville, TN The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) is extending full permission to all churches for use of UMPH copyrighted worship materials. Due to the extraordinary challenges faced by churches and others, UMPH (Cokesbury and Abingdon Press) is assuring easy access to essential worship aids and use of the Common English Bible for online worship and studies. Read the full article:
The copyright page in the 1992 United Methodist Book of Worship grants permission as follows:
“United Methodist congregations may reproduce for worship or educational purposes any item from The United Methodist Book of Worship for one-time use, as in a bulletin, special program, or lesson resource, provided that the copyright notice and acknowledgement is included in the reproduction.”
Each worship service is a one-time use. Therefore, churches are free to reproduce the liturgical text as needed (with the exception of the copyrighted service music on pages 173-223).
Further, during the COVID-19 crisis, UMPH is waiving the need to ask permission to livestream and/or record worship services which read, perform, or display liturgical text from the UM Book of Worship. UMPH encourages churches to utilize streaming licenses from OneLicense or CCLI to stream copyrighted service music from The United Methodist Hymnal. Many items appear in the UM Hymnal by permission of the copyright holders and UMPH cannot grant blanket permission to use their intellectual property.
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At this stage of the pandemic, the impact of COVID across the Conference varies by county. To determine how your church can continue to keep participants safe, please consult the CDC website for recommendations.
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Pastors Facing Stress and Slow Burn Burnout |
The life of a pastor is stressful under any circumstances, but the past few years have brought unprecedented challenges. Across the United States, a pandemic that emptied churches, hurricanes and tornadoes, denominational uncertainty, and racial issues have all made a mark.
Click here to read more about how stress is impacting Methodist pastors across the country.
Acknowledging the stress that is affecting pastors, the Upper New York Conference has created a wellness initiative to learn more about UNY pastors’ spiritual needs and to create resources to help them prioritize self-care. Continue following all UNY Conference news platforms for information about this initiative that will be released in the coming weeks.
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Let Us Continue to Keep the Ukrainian People In Our Thoughts & Prayers |
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Reminder: Sexual Harassment Training Is Mandatory |
This is a reminder that New York State employers must adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy and provide training on sexual harassment prevention to their employees on an annual basis. This includes all those employed by the local church.
There is a free on-line training that is available to all. A certificate of completion is provided when the training is complete.
PLEASE NOTE:
Safe Sanctuaries training does not exempt churches from the NYS sexual harassment prevention training requirement.
If you have questions on this topic, please contact Tracy Rickett, Human Resources Generalist, at tracyrickett@unyumc.org or (315) 898-2017.
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Disaffiliating from the UNY Conference
and the UMC
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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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Tending the Soul
2022-2024 A Two-year Training Program for Lay and Clergy
Exp.11.14.22
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Upcoming Upper NY Safe Sanctuary Zoom Training Sessions.
Click here for flyer and more information on these upcoming trainings
For more information on Safe Sanctuaries, and on background checks, click here.
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Bishop Webb announces clergy appointments
View the full list of changes here.
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Media Resource Center
Click here for tips on ordering through our website.
Media Resource Center
315-898-2027
7481 Henry Clay Blvd.
Liverpool, NY 13088
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Lay Servant Courses Offered Around the Conference
Click here to find out when, where and how you can sign up for a lay servant course that you need or are interested in taking. This link connects you to all the Districts in UNY Conference that are offering courses. Just click and start exploring your options!
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Cornerstone District Office
PO Box 687
Bath, NY 14810
716-665-2423
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