AROUND THE CORNER
October 21, 2021
Around the Corner will be published/distributed
every other week. Next Issue Nov.4th
Isaiah 43:18-20 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (NIV)
 
Ecclesiastes 3:3-11 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (NIV)
 
We are journeying in the season of autumn! The leaves are changing colors, they crunch beneath our feet. We experience sunny days, rainy days, cloudy days, windy days. The temperatures range from the upper 40s to the upper 70s!  Fall is my favorite time of year!
2021-2022 Charge Conference Forms Are Now Available
FYI: If you are having a problem accessing the Charge Conference Forms
Some of you may find that if you use Google Chrome as your browser, you may have a problem getting the forms. Please try to use Firefox as your browser and you will not (should not) have any problems getting to the forms.
Pastors & Their Churches to in Prayer for Month of Oct.
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

October 3- Forestville & Dunkirk UMCs. Darlene Meeder and her family.
October 10- Gerry UMC. Tom Holland, his wife Jessica and their children Amelia, Eli & Josiah
October 17- Napoli & Limestone UMCs. Carlisle “Shorty” Gross, his wife Renee and their family
October 24- Pleasant Valley UMC. Tony Gray, his wife Erin and their family.
October 31-Ashville & Magnolia UMCs. Pastor John Bowen, his wife Cordie and their family.
Bishop Webb announces clergy appointments
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb and the Upper New York Conference announce 17 ad interim appointments and four retirements pending approval of clergy session. View the full list of changes here.
Helpful Links for You
On the Calendar
Nov. 11: Veterans Day

Nov. 17: Vaccine Handbook Training - DETAILS 

Nov. 25: Thanksgiving Day - Conference & District Offices Closed

Nov. 26: Conference & District Office Closed
All New Information
2021 UNY Journal vol. II now ready
The 2021 Upper New York Conference Journal, Vol. II is now available for download as a free PDF and for purchase through the online publisher, Lulu.com. Click here to view an online version, download a copy, or order a printed copy from Lulu.com ($17.64 plus tax and shipping).
Educational Opportunities
NEW
Tired. Frustrated. Wondering...What Now?
If you have found yourself in any of these categories over the past 18 months then the New Faith Communities Team of UNYAC has an opportunity for you! We are offering a series of FREE Zoom webinars to help us all dream of ways to reconnect in a church changed by pandemic. The series is an opportunity to breath fresh air into current ministries and to dream of ministry opportunities yet to come. Each session will feature a topic presentation by a ministry expert followed by time for conversation to spur creativity. Even better, if you attend all three sessions, you can receive 1 CEU for your participation.
Registration is due Sunday, October 17. Once registered you will receive Zoom link via email. You can attend as many or as few sessions as you would like. Each Session includes time with our featured Speaker with group discussion to follow. These sessions are for local church leaders, pastors, planters.
*1 CEU for attending all 3 Sessions. Click here for complete session info.
Registration: click here

Clergy Webinars
Educational Opportunities to meet your CEU Requirements
Date: November 11, 2021
Subject: Teaching, Meeting, Preaching & Me: Time Management for the Church Leader
Time: 2:00-3:00pm EST
Cost: $25.00
Instructors: Ken Willard
Click here for more information & to register
NEW
Advent & Christmas Resources for 2021

Here are several resources to help you
in your advent planning

Click below to explore the "Come Home for Christmas" worship series, read the advent candle lighting liturgy, and dive deep into a podcast discussion around Advent planning for this season and into 2022.
Click here for Advent Candle Lighting Liturgy 2021
Click here for New Advent Worship Series
Click here for Worship Matters Podcast

NEW
New Webinar Series Coming November 16th

Inviting Generosity Beyond the Sunday Offering
Is your church ready to receive gifts that won’t necessarily come through the offering plate? If you were approached by someone offering a larger gift, would you know how to respond?

Join Rev. Ken Sloane, Director, Stewardship & Generosity, as he suggests ways you can improve your church's financial vision to see "beyond the Sunday offering."
Click here to register

Crash Courses in Youth Ministry
New Youth Ministry eBooks designed with the Youth Worker in mind.
Each eBook is loaded with practical tips and basic wisdom that you can read today and put into practice tomorrow! If you are a part-time or no-time youth worker, these crash courses are especially for you.
Click here to learn more and download for FREE

The Church's Ministry with Dementia
Check out our new hybrid-model teaching series designed to help churches see and engage with those living with dementia and other vulnerable adults. 
Click here to learn more and register
Course of Study- REMINDER FOR WESLEY SEMINARY
Licensed local Pastors....are you are planning to take COS for the Winter or Spring Weekends? If you are, please consider filling out your registration form and get it to the District office to have the DS sign it and then I will get it to the registrar. The deadline for registrations are Winter- Dec. 1st, 2021 and Spring-Feb.1st of 2022. (Reminder that the District office is CLOSED on Fridays)

Please, DO NOT WAIT to the last minute to register. When a class is filled, Wesley closes the registration for that class and there is no wiggle room.
 
I am putting this out now as one of the busiest times of the year is coming soon. There is no need for you to miss out on getting your course requirements met. There is NO MONEY due at the time of registration. You can register NOW for both Winter and Spring and if something comes up....you can cancel.

IF you need a specific class...sign up now ...you need to remember that these courses are not just UNY Conference....these are open to other Conferences as well. SO, sign up now

The steps to get registered:
  • Get registration form-click here
  • Fill out the form, print it, YOU sign it.
  • Scan & email to your District Office
  • District AA will get the DS to sign it and will send it to COS Registrar
  • Registrar will fill out her part and get it to Sara Shephard.
  • Sara Shephard will send the Registrar a confirmation of your registration.
  • Registrar will send confirmation to the District AA

There is no reason to wait to the last minute because there is no money that needs to be sent with your registration. So, please sign up now!!
Previous Information
Overview of US Copyright Laws
Has your ministry received a copyright claim on your worship streams? While you may have no malicious intent, copyright laws aren’t governed by intent. To help you avoid these issues, our Legal Services
team has developed a comprehensive five-part article series to help your ministry understand copyright laws and licensing
NYS Minimum wage increase
Effective Dec. 31, 2021, New York State (NYS) minimum wage will increase to $13.20/hour. 
 
Employers in the Upper New York Conference, regardless of number of employees, must pay non-exempt employees 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 Oct. 1 each year. 
 
Click here to read more.
NY Hero Act extended to Oct. 31 and additional details about COVID-19 in NY State
On Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, Governor Hochul announced that the New York State Commissioner of Health designated COVID-19 as an airborne infectious disease.
 
The NY HERO Act plan (a law signed by Governor Cuomo in May 5), mandates extensive new workplace health and safety protections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the NY HERO Act is to protect employees against exposure and disease during a future airborne infectious disease outbreak.
 
Initially, the NYS Hero Act was effective through the end of September 2021. The Hero Act has now been extended to Oct. 31, 2021 because COVID-19 continues to be a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to the public health in New York State.
 
Employers now must follow the requirements of their plans, as well as conduct mandatory training for employees on the plan and the law. Upper New York churches are responsible for the mandatory training for their staff.
 
Click here to learn about the training details.
 
Click here to learn why asking for vaccination status is not a violation of HIPAA.
 
Click here to learn paid-leave requirements related to COVID-19 in New York State.
Boy Scouts of America charter agreement recommendations
Since early this year, the UMC Ad Hoc Committee, comprised of eight Conference chancellors, four general agency staff, and two Bishops, has been working on behalf of all Annual Conferences to negotiate a release for congregations from future lawsuits pertaining to any Boy Scout-related abuse injury from 1940 through 2020. These negotiations are ongoing and involve mediation with other groups involved in the BSA bankruptcy.
 
The Boy Scouts of America and United Methodist leadership continue to work together to resolve matters related to BSA's financial restructuring and have agreed, in the best interest of the young people who participate in Scouting, to strongly recommend to United Methodist chartering organizations and Boy Scout Councils to extend existing charter agreements and facility use agreements in force at this time through March 31, 2022.
 
For UNY congregations, this means whatever arrangement currently in place between the congregation and local scout troop, including charter agreements or facilities use agreements, is acceptable and can continue until March 31, 2022. Any work on initiating a new charter or renewing an old charter should be put off until after that date. It is hoped this extension will provide all parties sufficient time to resolve all the issues before us.
 
Click here to read the full letter from Pam Klotzbach (Chair of UNY Board of Trustees) and Peter Abdella (UNY Chancellor).
Research on how the pandemic has impacted churches across the Connection
We are at the year-and-a-half mark since COVID has changed the way churches connect with their parishioners and community. Throughout the pandemic, ResourceUMC conducted research on how the pandemic impacted churches across the connection. Click here to read about what the data portrayed.
 
A recent study was conducted specifically on how the pandemic affected Black United Methodist congregations. Click here to read about these interesting study results.
Cornerstone District Office, PO Box 687, Bath, NY 14810
716-665-2423