The Current

October 20, 2022

Congratulations to Pastors Earl Lalone

And Donna Fitchette on completing the Course of Studies!

Last Saturday, October 15^th, Pastor Earl LaLone, pastor of the Clayton and Depauville United Methodist Churches, and Pastor Donna Fitchette, pastor of the Ogdensburg and Waddington United Methodist Churches, completed their Course of Study and graduated from the program in a service held at Methodist Theological Seminary in Delaware, Ohio. Local Pastors taking the Course of Study finish 20 seminary comparable courses of study, with multiple courses taken in disciplines ranging from Leadership, History, Theology, Polity, and Bible. Course of Study takes years to complete as local pastors balance the demands, responsibilities, and call of ministry with the requirements for successful completion of school coursework, both remotely and on-site.

What an outstanding achievement! This is a testament to Earl and Donna’s diligence, faithfulness, the leading of the Holy Spirit, the support of their families, and the understanding of their congregations. The Northern Flow District joins you in celebration of this accomplishment. We thank God for your gifts in ministry, your leadership in the District, and the faithful determination you displayed in reaching these goals!

Earl and Donna join another Upper New York Annual Conference Local Pastor, Mary Abraham Johnson, pastor of the Bowens Corners UMC in the Crossroad District, in graduating last weekend!

Congratulations and Praise God!

Videos from Annual Conference 2022

If you missed Annual Conference you can watch videos here

Charge Conference Schedule Announced

Charge Conference Schedule

Watertown First UMC Collecting Shoeboxes

Watertown First UMC will be serving as a collection point for shoeboxes and other gifts headed for Red Bird Mission for Christmas. Please call Sylvia in advance, since they don't have a person in the office most of the time, and she will let you into the building.

As you know, our address is 236 Mullin Street, Watertown. Sylvia's cell is 315-778-5074.

Our deadline for accepting gifts is November 9th.

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.:

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)

2022 UNY Journal Vol. I Available

for Download or Purchase

The 2022 Upper New York Conference Journal Vol. I is now available for download as a free PDF and for purchase through online publisher Lulu.com. This comprehensive book provides all the details of Annual Conference for the year 2022.

Click here for options to either view an online version or download a copy from Issuu or to purchase it for $5.06 (plus shipping and applicable sales tax) from Lulu.com.

Message from CAH

(Commission of Archives and History)

To All UNY Conference Churches:

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.

Pre-Retirement Workshop Scheduled

There will be an in-person pre-retirement workshop to highlight and explain the benefits available through The United Methodist Church to retiring clergy.

Please be aware that this workshop may be moved to an online format if COVID positivity rates warrant such a change.

The workshop is scheduled for Friday, November 11th from

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is intended to assist persons in their later years of ministry understand the current pension plan, health insurance options, Social Security, and moving assistance available. You can schedule a private consultation with a benefits educator on the registration page.

Online registration is required in order to attend by October 28, 2022.

Click here to register and click here for more information.

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.