Northern Flow Weekly Newsletter November 17, 2022

The Current

November 17, 2022

UNY Delegates Meet Their New Bishop

Rev. Hector Burgos

“I was almost asleep, but I was so excited;” this was the

Rev. Hector Burgos’ response when he found out, after 2:00 am

on Friday, November 4, 2022, at the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference, that he was assigned as bishop to the Upper New York (UNY) Conference and would be starting January 1, 2023.

Rev. Burgos was elected as a bishop in the Northeastern Jurisdiction

on the third ballot during the afternoon plenary on Wednesday November 2, 2022. Rev. Burgos, 48, is the first Hispanic elected bishop in the jurisdiction and the first Puerto Rican ever elected in the denomination.

Click here to read about his 25-minute joy-filled meeting with the UNY delegates right after the announcement of his assignment.

A Note to You From Our New Bishop

Dear siblings in Christ of the UNYAC,

It has been quite a week! I am humbled by the discernment of the NEJ Conference who elected me to serve as a Bishop in The United Methodist Church.

Also, on Friday, I received the news that I have been assigned to serve with the beautiful people of the Upper New York Annual Conference, whom I already love and can’t wait to meet and to ministry together.

The UNYC delegation gave my family a sweet taste of the love and warm hospitality of the UNYC when we met briefly after assignments were announced. I was inspired by their passionate faith, diversity and hopes for the church.

I look forward to growing alongside you in our knowledge, experiences, and outward expressions of the love of God, in Jesus Christ, and share these blessings with all the people in our communities and the world.

See you soon!

Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez

Dear Friends in Christ,

Last week, Jurisdictional Conferences gathered throughout the United States to engage in holy conferencing and to complete the important work of discerning and electing bishops of The United Methodist Church. The Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference, of which Upper New York is a part, met in College Park, Maryland Nov. 2-4. Delegates from each Annual Conference in our jurisdiction including our own Upper New York delegates prayed, worshipped, and faithfully offered their service in carrying out the work before them.

I am grateful to the delegation of the Upper New York Conference and their role and leadership throughout the conference gathering. Our appreciation to Carmen Vianese and the Rev. William Mudge for leading our delegation well and each one of our delegates in offering themselves to serve the church in this way.

It was a joy to witness the election and consecration of Bishop Hector Burgos and celebrate with others his assignment to the Upper New York Conference, effective, Jan. 1, 2023.

I invite you to pray deeply for Bishop Burgos, his spouse, Jazelis, and their four children, Joel, Fabian, Marcos, and Valeria. While this is a time to celebrate God's new call and look forward, it is also a time of saying goodbye. Bishop Burgos will begin transition work with me and the other leaders of the Upper New York Conference in the days and weeks ahead. We will be blessed by the leadership he will offer and the gifts he and his family will bring to the Upper New York Community.

I also want to extend my prayerful gratitude to the Rev. Dr. Wendy Deichman who accepted the endorsement of the Upper New York Conference to be considered as an episcopal candidate. Wendy represented herself and us with grace, clarity, and a deep sense of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Let us pray for Wendy as she continues to reflect on this experience and continues to be used by God in her place of ministry and mission.

As I move toward the end of my time in partnership with you, be assured of my on-going prayers and deep gratitude for the journey we have shared. The mission of makin disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the Church, remains our corporate call. May we continue to have courage and boldness in responding to that call.

Blessings,

Mark J Webb

Grant Announcement

The Upper New York Mission Central HUB is excited to announce the “Everyday Disaster Grant” to benefit local churches in the Upper New York Conference that are working in their community to fight everyday (socio-economic) disasters. These disasters might include, but are not limited to, food insecurity, addiction, racial injustice, violence, or lack of affordable housing.

This funding opportunity is intended to connect, build relationships, and celebrate the impactful outreaches that are happening throughout the Upper New York Conference and are playing a vital role in creating disciples that transform the world. We can't wait to hear the difference you are making in your community!

The grant application will be open from 11/1/22 – 12/31/22. Grant recipients will be announced in February 2023. Please send all questions to Kristina Clark, Director of Upper New York Mission Central HUB, at kristinaclark@unyumc.org

The grant application is now open and can be viewed here: https://www.unyumc.org/mission/mission-funding-opportunities

Clergy Tax Workshop Offered by

Rev. Susan Ranous

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A CLERGY TAX WORKSHOP?

I am planning on offering a two-hour workshop during the afternoon of December 8th or the evening of December 8th.

If you are interested, please email me at susanranous@unyumc.org. It will be held via Zoom. Once I hear from you, I will send you a link!

Clergy are treated differently under the tax code than virtually anybody else in the country.
Are clergy employees or self-employed? Hint: the answer isn’t obvious or easy!
Clergy have advantages and disadvantages that no one else has.
Often, confusion exists concerning clergy compensation, deductions and expenses.

This workshop will help you gain a better understanding of the current tax laws that affect clergy today.

At the end of this workshop, you will have a better understanding of the unique issues faced by a United Methodist Clergy Person. Topics will include:

Defining the Dual-Status Tax Classification of Clergy
Defining What a Clergy Person Is
What Responsibilities the Church Has
What Responsibilities Clergy Have, Describing the Housing Allowance and Exclusion
Discussing Exemptions and Deductions
Completing Your Tax Filing Forms.

Rev. Susan Ranous, Ordained Deacon

Farewell/Retirement Gathering for Bishop Webb

You are invited to Upper New York (UNY) Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb's farewell/retirement gathering on Saturday November 19th 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Upper New York Conference Center, 7481 Henry Clay Boulevard in Liverpool. Join others throughout the Conference to celebrate Bishop Webb's 10 years of ministry as Bishop of the UNY Conference.

Charge Conference Forms Due Dates

Due November 1st.: NOW PAST DUE

Pastor's Appointment Advisory Form (https://uny.umcprofile.org)

S/PPRC Appointment Advisory Form (https://uny.umcprofile.org)

Pastor-S/PPRC Covenant Forms (https://uny.umcprofile.org)

*These need to be printed and mailed to the district office*

Due December 1st.: UPDATE ONLINE - DO NOT PRINT A COPY

Church Profile (https://uny.umcprofile.org)

Pastor's Profile (https://uny.umcprofile.org)

Due February 15th. 2023

Report of Trustees

Report of Finance Committee

2022 Year End Financial Report

2023 Church Budget - Your church format

2022 Statistical Reports (http://ezra.gcfa.org)

Message from CAH

(Commission of Archives and History)

To All UNY Conference Churches:

HELP!

The Conference Archives needs your help! We are inundated with boxes of church records to sort/save.

Please do YOUR part. Sort your records BEFORE you send to us. If your church is merging, your records go to the NEW entity. If your church is closing, there is a prescribed list of records to send to the Archives.

If your church is disaffiliating, there is a prescribed list to send. Please do no send anything else!

The Commission of Archives and History's responsibility is to keep the history of the Conference. As churches close, their records come to the Conference Archives for safe keeping and reference. With churches closing each year and disaffiliations looming, we are running out of space.

Our existing rooms at the Conference Center are almost full already. Just since January we have received records from about 20 churches. They are filling the aisles as we go through them to discard the items we will not keep. For example, one church sent us 30 boxes of materials. After sorting through we kept 3 regular archival boxes and one small box. Most of the rest was recycled, trashed, or kindly taken to the local historical society by a CAH member who lived nearby. Another church sent in 5 boxes; we kept 1.

We don’t like throwing away items, but we have no choice. National GCAH Guidelines are clear on what we must keep, what is desirable to keep, and what is unnecessary to keep. Go to the Conference web site, to Resources, to UNY Archives and History and click on Church Closings.

To know what the Discipline says about what to keep, click the link below.

https://www.umc.org/en/content/book-of-discipline-2549-disposition-of-property-of-a-closed-local-church

This link tells how long to keep some records.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/gcah.org/Resources/Guidelines_Publications/Closed-Local-Church-Records-Guidelines-2017.pdf

Another link is more specific about what to keep and how long. You may skip over the first few pages for in depth information.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/gcah.org/Resources/Guidelines_Publications/Local-ChurchSched-2017.pdf

Several years ago, the CAH created a video you can watch to see “What to Toss and What to Keep”. You can also find it on the UNY Archives and History website

https://vimeo.com/303744535/ab78413ba8

One of the actions CAH recommends: If the item is not on the required list, see if some other group would like it, such as the local historical society as mentioned above. Be especially careful that you send all baptism, membership, marriage, and confirmation records. We constantly get requests to locate these records so copies can be made. Sadly, we often strike out. This includes digital (thumb drive-saved) records!

If there are still questions, please contact CAH with your full contact information, and one of the members will get back to you.

We are also in need of volunteers to help us on Tuesday afternoons!

Call 315-516-5289 if interested.

The 2022-2023 Church/Charge Conference and Annual Forms are now available to download.

All information can be found by clicking here.

On this page, you will find links to various reports, including Report of Pastor, the Safe Sanctuary Compliance Report, and more.

Village House for rent in Carthage NY

For anyone, but preference for clergy of any faith or denomination, and immediate family.

15 minute drive to Fort Drum via State Route 3

4 bedrooms - 2 baths, approximately 2400 square feet.

First floor office. All appliances included in kitchen and first floor laundry.

Large living room and large dining room. Large enclosed side porch. One car garage detached. Front, side and backyards. Wood stove in the living room.

Carthage Central School District - short bus rides.

Snow removal of driveway included along with lawn mowing as well.

This is a United Methodist parsonage, not used by current pastor. it is a lovely home built about 1870.

Please contact Dale Manning - property manager - at dale.d.manning@gmail.com to schedule a tour and review the rental agreement.

The Upper New York Conference is launching our #BeUMC campaign, highlighting clergy and laity in the Conference describing why they love being United Methodist. In a world that desperately needs positive stories, we hope this campaign will uplift you, reminding all of us of the mission of the United Methodist Church.

We are looking for positive stories to share about what it means to #BeUMC. If you can take a video of yourself explaining why you are proud to be a United Methodist, we’d love to share your story.

Email us at news@unyumc.org

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.

Contact Rev. Brett Johnson, pastor.brett.johnson@gmail.com, with any questions.

Bishop Webb Announces Clergy Appointments

Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb and the Upper New York Conference announce appointments and retirements pending approval of clergy session. View the full list of changes here.

Wondering how clergy appointments are made?

Click here to read about the process.