NEW! Thoughts from our District Superintendent:

just wondering…

some thought for the e-news…winter 2023

Winter is the oldest season. But quietly beneath the snow….

   Seeds are stretching out and reaching. Faithful as the morning glow

                                                                     Carrie Newcomer

Some 67% of people now work from home.

Winter becoming spring always reminds us that life is change. If we really observe the world around us…life…nature…is always changing. The constant in life is change. Without change there is no life. Life means change. Death means decay. Resurrection means life-changing change. 

Is there life or death in our churches?  Is there life or death in our UNY Conference? Is there life or death in our UMC? 

Are there signs of change or decay in our churches, Conference, UMC?

When there is no change…there is only decay…and death.

When there is change…there is spring…life!

COVID made us change… and for a moment there was life.

Now it seems like we want to go back to “normal” …which might mean no change. 

There world around us is changing…full of life. Industry, business, young people

are all adopting new ways of being…they are changing and growing. Are we?

Think about it… the government and the church might be the two institutions which resist change the most. Is there evidence that there is life in either?

If there is no change…then all there is is decay and death. If there is change…

there is life!

And we are called to change the world….to bring life to all!   May it be so!

May it be so!

Blessings,

Ted Anderson

District Superintendent

SAVE THE DATE for Regional Meeting with Bishop Hector

Bishop Héctor Burgos, who prefers to be addressed as Bishop Héctor, is eager to meet laity and clergy throughout the Conference and has scheduled dates for regional meetings.

The meetings will be as follows

(please attend the meeting closest to you):

·       ·March 1, 2023 – Lakes Region–Auburn UMC

·        March 2, 2023 – Northeast Region–Plattsburgh UMC

·        March 15, 2023 – Southern Tier Region—Olean: Christ

·        March 16, 2023 – Southern Tier Region—Central Endicott

The clergy meetings will be from 1-3 p.m.

The laity meeting (and clergy unable to attend the earlier time)

will be from 7- 8:30 p.m.

NEW! All Annual Conference Newsletter

2nd Issue

Mt. View District has again shared with us their

All Annual Conference Newsletter.

This is a great tool for all questions and information

concerning AC.

Please click here for the newsletter

NEW! Looking for students attending SUNY Geneseo

or nearby community colleges

The Geneseo United Methodist Church, under the appointment of Pastor Beth Malone,

is beginning to revive the SUNY Wesley Fellowship which meets at the InterFaith Center near campus. We are reaching out to all of the churches in our conference who

could have students attending SUNY Geneseo or nearby community colleges for

contact information. I would appreciate it if you could provide me with any student information. 

They could also contact me directly at shadetreeauthor@gmail.com 

or via telephone (585) 969-0127.

I appreciate any assistance you can give me in reaching out to students that could be in our area. As you know, Wesley Fellowship is such an important support system and tool for growing leaders in our church!

UMCOR Cleaning Buckets for Buffalo

In the aftermath of the Christmas Blizzard, many have

asked “What else can we do?”.

Buy items from the Upper New York Mission Central Hub’s

“Cleaning Kit" Amazon Wishlist now through March 1st and have your items shipped to Harris Hill United Methodist Church, located

in the Buffalo area. 

Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3U03Y63G93KQA?ref_=wl_share

Harris Hill United Methodist Church’s “Go! Ministry” was prepared to respond to their community's cleaning needs after the blizzard with UMCOR Cleaning Buckets. They graciously provided these buckets to their neighbors and helped many make sense of the mess that was in front of them. Let's help replenish their buckets!

If you are dropping off in person, please call Harris Hill UMC to schedule a drop off at (716) 632-4688

Buying from somewhere else?

Ship to: 8495 Main St, Williamsville, NY 14221

Certificates of Insurance for your Church

Please refer to the link below to obtain a certificate of insurance for your church - they are only good for one year.

Please refer any questions to Tracy Rickett at the

conference office 315-898-2017

CLICK HERE for the instructions

Scholarships Available for

United Methodist Students!

Applications are now open for scholarships from the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation. Every year, UMHEF awards $2+ million

to students planning to attend one of the 100+ UM-related colleges, universities, and seminaries across the country.

Don’t let finances get in the way of achieving your dreams of a

quality education! Apply by March 1 at https://umhef.org/apply. 



NEW! informed to transform

Informed to Transform will occur on zoom during

the first 2 weeks of March!

Each evening, Tuesday – Thursday, there will be one or more workshops offered.

Registration details will be out this week.

Once registered a zoom invite will be sent out. 

Trustees with Jack Keating

Tuesday March 7 7-8:30pm

Born in Crisis, Shaped in Controversy  - United Methodist History with John Tyson

   Wednesday March 8  6:30-8pm

SPRC with Pastor Christine Mitchell and Carl Vullo

Thursday March 9    7:00-8:30pm

Interested in Ministry?  Why and How with Ann Kemper

       Tuesday March 14 7-8:30 pm

Church Finances with Susan Ranous 

       Wednesday March 15 7-8:30 pm

Intentional Discipleship  with Jennifer Green

and the Hilton UMC

       Thursday March 16 7-8:30 pm

Report your church statistics on ACStats

Annual Church Statistics (ACStats) is the one-stop location for United Methodist data that tracks membership, expenses, and income.

It's designed to help churches submit year-end statistics to the Upper New York (UNY) Conference digitally in a way that's cost-effective.

This user-friendly platform replaces Ezra as the method of

reporting your church statistics.

March 17, 2023, is the deadline to complete the 2022 statistical report for your church; however, you cannot enter any data to the 2022 statistics tables until Jan. 3, 2023.

In the meantime, you may familiarize yourselves with the new ACStats platform by reviewing the user's guide for local churches. Translated reports are available in Spanish and Korean. 

Click here to learn more.