AROUND THE CORNER
Information for and about our District
July 15, 2021
Grace and peace in the name of Jesus Christ!

I’m excited to share some news with you related to the Cornerstone District. Beginning July 1, the District office located in Jamestown: Christ First UMC will be moving!

I will be establishing an office in the “old” office space at the District parsonage (15 Morris Lane). Meetings with individuals and events will take place offsite, so fair warning that I will be looking for hospitality from churches throughout the District.

Patti Gridley, who has served as District Assistant for the Mountain View District since September 2010, will care for Cornerstone District operations from her office in Bath, NY. I’m grateful for Patti’s willingness to take on this additional responsibility. If you don’t know her already, Patti has a servant’s heart and I know you will give her a warm welcome and will enjoy getting to know her in the weeks and months ahead.

Operationally, the office phone numbers and email will remain the same. The new mailing address for the Cornerstone District office will be PO Box 687, Bath, NY 14810. I will continue to be available by cell/text (716-860-7860) and email (suzanneblock@unyumc.org).

I believe we’ve learned through the past 15+ months that we are open and able to do things in a new way. Change is never easy, but I’m confident that together, as sisters and brothers in Christ, we can continue to stay connected and be in relationship with each other as we always have.

As always, let us be in prayer together as we begin this new thing. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Grace, peace and love,
Suzanne

P.S. We will be in a period of transition through Monday, July 12. If you have an immediate need or need to speak to someone between now and July 12, please call, text or email me:
716-860-7860

Thank you for your patience!
Going forward Around the Corner will be published/distributed
every other week. Next Issue July 29th
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
Please keep these pastors, their families and the Church families in your prayers throughout the coming weeks.

Prayer Request: Rev. Greg DeSalvatore
 
Please keep the Rev. Greg DeSalvatore, currently serving Cicero UMC, in your prayers. Rev. DeSalvatore suffered a massive heart attack over the July 4th weekend and is currently in the ICU.
He served Wellsville UMC prior to being appointed to Cicero UMC.

The 2021-2022 District Prayer Calendar begins July 25. To view or download, click here.
Welcome New Churches, Pastors to the
Cornerstone District
This year we welcome six new churches to our District, moving from the Mountain View District. The churches and their pastors are:
Allentown & Bolivar, CLM Elva Cornell;
KonXions, Rev. Stephen R. Crowell, Sr.;
Swain & Short Tract, Rev. Marian Luce; and
Wellsville, Pastor Craig Buelow (also serving Northern KonXions - Belfast, Friends in Christ & Rushford churches).

Churches welcoming new pastors/worship leaders as of July 1 include:
Caneadea, Pastor Harrison Putnam;
Charlotte Center, lay supply Dan & Olivia Pavlock;
Falconer, Pastor Mike Childs;
Fentonville, Pastor Deborah Westcott;
Forestville, lay supply Darlene Meeder;
Gerry, lay supply Tom Holland;
Napoli, lay supply Carlisle "Shorty" Gross; and
Pleasant Valley, lay supply Tony Gray.

And we say "Welcome back" to Cornerstone!
Rev. J. Paul Womack, serving Chautauqua:Hurlbut

Rev. Brian Lothridge, who was ordained a deacon at the 2021 Annual Conference.

Congratulations and best wishes to our retiring Cornerstone clergy:
Pastor Heather Allport-Cohoon (6/30/2021)
Pastor Jim Hankey (6/30/2021)
Rev. Tim Phelps (12/31/2020)
NEW
Help Casowasco overcome obstacle of damaging flood
On Monday July 12 at 2:20 a.m., during heavy rain, David Weber Jr., the Site Director at Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center received a call from a neighbor alerting him that there will likely be severe flooding. At 6 a.m., David went around the site and noticed that there was extensive damage from the substantial rain.
 
Hundreds of rocks and boulders fell from atop the hill all through the camp site. Four parts of the road were completely washed away; Seven to 10 culverts were impacted or washed away; several vehicles were flooded; boats were damaged; and the swimming area shoreline eroded away. The Lakeview Chapel, Galilee Lodge, Bethany Lodge, The Emmaus Commons, and the office building were all flooded with 1-4 inches of water.
 
Please pray for the staff and campers at Casowasco. Click here to read more about the impact of this natural disaster and to learn about ways you can help. Click here for a short video message from David and some footage of the storm damage.
The Upper New York Conference
Weekly Digest
To subscribe the Weekly Digest, click here.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Upper New York Assistant Director of Vital Congregations for Spiritual Life, the Rev. Nancy Dibelius, has been providing videos of helpful spiritual practices to help deepen people’s relationship to God during this difficult time.

For 2021, Rev. Dibelius is zeroing in on spiritual disciplines. She explains that spiritual disciplines are a way to get away with Jesus, walk with Jesus, and learn from Jesus.
 
Click here for Rev. Dibelius’s latest spiritual discipline exploration, True Service, which she explains as a lifestyle encompassing acts of compassion and acts of justice.
Job Descriptions and Leadership Training in the UMC has been published with minor updates for several quadrennia. Given our changing context, Discipleship Ministries is interested in enhancing the discipleship focus of this resource and learning about potential improvements. To make this book better, we need your input.
Please complete the survey at your earliest convenience. The survey will close July 18.
Please feel free to contact Naomi Annandale, Director of Research and Strategic Evaluation, (615) 340-1743, with any questions.
NEW








Phishing scheme alert
Please note that there is a new type of phishing-scheme email that has been received in multiple inboxes throughout the Upper New York (UNY) Conference. The email will look as though it is from someone you know in the UNY Conference and will show their actual email address. The text will ask you to link to a DocuSign document. DO NOT OPEN THIS DOCUMENT! It contains a virus. It is not truly from the person in the “From” address.
 
If you have any questions or concerns about this phishing scheme, contact Doug Thomas, UNY IT Manager, at dougthomas@unyumc.org.
NEW
UNY CONAM advocates and educates about missing and murdered indigenous women and girls
 
Did you know that the murder rate of Native women is more than 10 times the national average on some reservations and homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native women and girls and 10-24 years of age? And that often, these disappearances or murders are connected to crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking?
 
The Upper New York Conference Committee on Native American Ministries shared an article in the 2021 Issue I of the Advocate about this along with how you can take action against these injustices.
 
The theme of this issue of the Advocate, is “Celebrating who we are.” CONAM’s advocacy work is something to celebrate! Click here to read their article.
NEW
NY Hero Act and how it pertains to New York State employers
On May 5, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (NY HERO Act) into law. The law mandates extensive new workplace health and safety protections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for ALL New York State employers. The purpose of the NY HERO Act is to protect employees against exposure and disease during a future airborne infectious disease outbreak.
 
Under this new law, the New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL), in consultation with the NYS Department of Health, has developed a new Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Standard, a Model Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan, and various industry-specific model plans for the prevention of airborne infectious disease. Employers can choose to adopt the applicable policy template/plan provided by NYS DOL or establish an alternative plan that meets or exceeds the standard’s minimum requirements.
 
By Aug. 5, 2021, employers are required adopt a model prevention plan and conduct a “verbal review” of the policy, employee rights and the overall prevention plan.
 
By Sept. 4, 2021, employers must provide copy of the adopted plan to all employees in their primary language within 30 days of adoption, or by Sept. 4, 2021.
 
Click here for more information including the details of this law and templates you can use.
Cornerstone District Office mailing address
(beginning July 1,2021):

PO Box 687
Bath, NY, 14810
Items from Celoron UMC Available
The congregation of Celoron United Methodist Church will be celebrating their final worship this Sunday, June 27. They are looking for a "good home" for the church's contents: pulpit furniture, worship supplies, office furniture, kitchen items, etc.

Click here for a compete inventory of available items. If you/your church/any other church is interested, please contact Chris Fandt, Celoron Trustee Chair, 716-488-1722.
Following the New York State Department of Health guidelines, all five UNY Camp & Retreat Centers are thrilled to be able to offer experiences for their visitors. Their welcome videos are in! Camp registration is open and there are staffing needs, especially for health professionals, counselors, and kitchen staff.
 
Get excited about Aldersgate Camp & Retreat Center!
 
Click here to watch Aldersgate’s 2021 Summer Welcome video.
 
Click here to register for camp. Click here for staff opportunities and click here for volunteer opportunities. Click here to visit Aldersgate Camp & Retreat Center’s website.
 
Get excited about Asbury Retreat Center!
 
Click here to watch Asbury’s 2021 Summer Welcome video.
 
Click here to register for Asbury events. Click here for staff and volunteer opportunities.
 
Click here to visit the Asbury Retreat Center website.
 
Get excited about Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center!
 
Click here to watch Casowasco’s 2021 Summer Welcome video.
 
Click here for camp registration. Click here for staff opportunities. Click here for volunteer opportunities. Click here to visit Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center’s website.
 
Get excited about Sky Lake Camp & Retreat Center!
 
Click here to watch Sky Lake’s 2021 Summer Welcome video.
 
Click here to register for Sky Lake camping programs. Click here for staff opportunities. Click here for volunteer opportunities. Click here to visit Sky Lake’s website.
 
Get excited about Skye Farm Camp & Retreat Center!
 
Click here to watch Skye Farm’s 2021 Summer Welcome video.
 
Click here to register for Skye Farm’s camping programs. Click here for staff opportunities. Click here for volunteer opportunities. Click here to visit Skye Farm’s website.
 
Questions? Call the site or the UNY CRM Central Office at 315-898-2026.
Updated Church COVID-19 Guidelines

 
Click here to review the updated Church COVID-19 Guidelines.
Mountain View District
Lay Servant Retreat Day
An all day, in-person retreat for UNY lay servants - and anyone who may be interested in knowing more about Lay Servant Ministry - will be held Saturday, August 21, at Avoca United Methodist Church, 8593 Jacob's Ladder Rd. in Avoca.

Scheduled from 9 am to 5 pm, the retreat will include time for worship and fellowship as well as opportunities for learning. Click here for a flyer with full details.

Advance registration is $15 (including lunch) and is due by August 1. Onsite registration will be accepted for a fee of $20. Click here for the online registration form or email Larry Crandell for more information.
LSM Classes Open to All
Please note the class facilitator and/or contact person and contact him/her with any questions.

Basic Lay Servant Course
The Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course is a foundational course designed to equip new church leaders and renew current leaders in The United Methodist Church.
July 11, 18, 25 & August 1 & 8, 6-9 pm
Class held via Zoom
To register, contact Dave Pritchard pdavepreacher@gmail.com

Polity
August 17, 24 & 31 6-9 pm and August 28, 9 am - 1 pm
Class held via Zoom
Course fee, $15  
Click here for the registration brochure.

To register or for more information on any of the LSM classes listed above, please contact Arlene Schmidt at adschmidt@nycap.rr.com.

Lay Servants Lead in Conflict Resolution
August 21 & 28, 8 am-1 pm
Class in-person, Watertown: Asbury UMC parlor,
200 Parker Street/327 Franklin Street
Watertown, NY 13601
Every church deals with conflict, both healthy and unhealthy, and this course equips and empowers lay servants to help lead through those times of conflict as a time of transformation.

A meal will not be served during the class, we will however, take a break around 11:30 AM. 
 
For additional information about the class, please contact the facilitator at 315-771-9142 or leonvanwie@gmail.com.

Imagine No Racism
September 8, 15, 22 & 29 and October 6 & 13 6:30-8 pm
Class held via Zoom
Course fee, $10
Facilitator: Thaddeus Pinckney thaddeusp1@yahoo.com

Lay Servants Lead in Conflict Resolution
September 11 & 18
9 am – 12 pm and 1-3 pm
Class held via Zoom
Course fee, $10
Facilitator: Pastor Danyal Mohammadzadeh – pastordanyal@livinghopeumc.org

Weekend Retreat: Lay Servants as Christian Transformational Leaders
October 15, 5 pm through October 17, 12 pm
Class held in person
Retreat fee, $65 (includes Friday dinner and Saturday lunch and dinner)
Hotel accommodations, $75 + taxes/night
Contact: Nancy Goddard – bngoddard@davespc.net
Click here for the June/July issue of the Media Resource Center newsletter! 
2021 Campaign for
Red Bird
It's not too early to begin planning for your congregation's response to the annual Upper New York Conference collection drive for Red Bird Mission. Please share the attached letter from David Alexander, Coordinator and member of Endwell UMC.

Ripley UMC has graciously agreed to serve as a collection point for our District again this year. If your church is willing to serve as an additional collection point please email David, Dalexander4@stny.rr.com
Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"
New Teaching Series!
How to Have a Courageous Conversation: Racism
Understanding the Connection of Anti-Racism to Discipleship
Introducing an insightful new series building off the successful components of the original Courageous Conversations course.
A 3-session teaching series that dives deeper into themes around discipleship, the evils of racism, community engagement, and so much more!

Our hope is that these three sessions will encourage and equip church leaders to feel more confident about understanding the need for such a conversation and to glimpse potential outcomes for the local church.

Anti-Racism Resources from United Methodist General Agencies
Discipleship Ministries continues to have a commitment to anti-racism. Explore a collection of articles and videos that can support and assist local congregations in learning about issues of race, in working for justice, and in offering paths towards unity amid diversity.

Our hope is that these tools will help highlight individual growth areas and blind spots as well as shine a light on larger societal systemic issues.
Summer has begun officially! Here are some ideas that will make it a season of meaningful ministry:

In honor of John Wesley’s birthday on June 28, Ask The UMC is exploring key historic places and sites from his life in Epworth, a small town in Lincolnshire in northeast England. Share this resource with your congregation so that they can learn more about Wesley’s life and ministry.
Make a Good First Impression!
How important are logos and who looks at them anyway? Explore the essential best practices you should consider when designing a new logo for your church or organization. Use these five tips to create that next great logo for your church or event.

Essential Training for Communications Ministry
UMCom Training
In 2020, because of COVID-19 safety concerns, UMCom’s Training Team saw a surge of interest in church leader training. The team launched a new set of online courses and updated others to help churches navigate through online worship experiences in a socially distanced world.
The Latest issue of the Bridge is now available for download. It is available in both color and black & white formats. Click here to select the version you prefer and make copies as necessary. Click here to access the information from this issue of the Bridge on the UNY Conference website for easy copying and pasting for those who wish to electronically distribute this news.
CORNERSTONE DISTRICT [cornerstonedistrict.com]