Dear Friends and Members of our churches:
Grace to you and peace through the presence of Jesus Christ!
WARNING! THIS MESSAGE MAY CAUSE INCREASED GIVING THROUGH AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! I receive quarterly reports from the finance department of our conference alerting me to each church’s payments of direct bills such as insurances and shared ministries. Direct bills are what churches must pay to be insured. Shared Ministries is what we together decide to pay as United Methodists, including mission and administration. Right now we have 10 of our 74 churches which have not paid anything toward Shared Ministries in 2021. This amounts to $44,158 so far. I have found there are basically three reasons for churches which do not pay anything: 1) Cash Flow problem; 2) Attitude problem; 3) Priority problem. Whichever it is, the conference “robs from Peter to pay Paul,” but actually “Peter” is nearly out of money. Your area churches have to pick up your slack! If your church is one of the ten, please speak with your pastor and find out why. If you don’t know the level, email me and I will tell you. Please encourage your leadership to lead by example and support the ministry they agreed to by being a United Methodist Church!
Jeff McDowell
Pastors and Laity that are assigned to a church please make sure you register for Annual Conference. Registration is now open. Registration closes June 1.
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Mountain View District Office
Open By Appointment Only
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At this time visits to the office are by appointment ONLY.
- You will be asked to fill out questionnaire
- Get your temperature taken
- Mask MUST be worn
- Socially Distancing
Office Hours are: Mon.-Thurs. 7am-2:15pm
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A Note From District Associate Rev. Mike Kelly |
Good Morning Friends of the Mountain View District,
How to be a welcoming church in COVID times.
It seems to me that one thing that COVID has potentially taken away is our expression of a welcoming church. The welcoming handshake that we so often have given is gone for safety’s sake. As a new person entering a church you are greeted by a masked attendant insisting upon your name and contact information, they stick a thermometer in your face and in some instances the friendliest gesture is them offering to you a squirt of hand sanitizer. You enter the church, and you may or may not be ushered to an appropriate seat. The seating is properly spaced to reflect social distancing, masks are in place and all are split up into their own household pods. You sit your seat and are not bothered by the loathsome greetings by other members as they are avoiding contact. Something that you may have enjoyed in the past, the passing of the peace is not offered. The pastor comes in and heads straight to pulpit, where he or she may be shielded behind plexiglass, and after the service people are whisked away to their cars, there is not even a chance to have a cup of coffee together.
Friends does this sound familiar, either in policy or perception? The CDC and the Department of Health have instituted policies that we must follow, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t properly, with rules in place, greet a new visitor. First off, be sure to use people that are friendly as greeter/ screeners. Visitors can’t see the smiling faces behind the mask, but you can infer a smile using a friendly voice and welcoming words. And you can encourage your people to be sure to greet new folks, something simply like, “Thank you for joining us.” And as a pastor you must make every effort to speak to them personally. It is important that your folks ask them to fill out a visitor card and provide some type of welcoming packet/ gift with the church’s information, and perhaps the most important thing is that you take time to follow up with a phone call or a card to thank the new visitor for coming and being part of the service.
COVID has changed the way we used to do business, improvise!
Reverend Michael Kelly
Mountain View District Associate
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Bishop 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.
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April 1-June 1- Registration Open for Annual Conference- Details
May 8- Pre-Conference Training-9am-11am
May 13- Pre-Conference Training 6pm-8pm
May 20- Pre-Conference Training 9am-11am
June 17-19- The Twelfth Session of Annual Conference will be held virtually
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Camps and retreats are back in UNY |
The Upper New York Camp and Retreat Ministry Area is excited to welcome back campers and guests for summer programs at all five of our sites. Safety precautions (including limiting capacity) will be in place to ensure the safety of all, as life-long memories are made in our fun and supportive environments.
Click here for more information on the programs being offered this summer, which is also where you will find the link to register. We can’t wait to see you this summer!
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SAVE the DATE: Bishops Retreat 2022 |
Due to the coronavirus, the 2020 Bishop's Retreat, originally scheduled for Oct. 20-22, 2020, at the Radisson Hotel in Corning, NY is being postponed until Sept. 27-29, 2022. It will also be held at the Radisson Hotel in Corning. The theme is, “Sharing Our Faith Boldly” and the keynote speaker is Debi Nixon, Executive Director of Development and ShareChurch at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Registration will open following the completion of the 2022 Annual Conference session. |
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Fraudulent Unemployment Claims |
The Upper NY Conference office has seen an increase in fraudulent unemployment claims for conference staff. We have received a few calls from churches who participate in unemployment insurance that they have as well. Click here for more information.
Please note: Churches are not required to participate in unemployment insurance but some voluntarily do for their lay staff.
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FOR CERTIFIED SAFE SANCTUARIES TRAINERS ONLY: |
Zoom Review of Revised Trainers Manual and Final Curriculum
2 training opportunities:
(both sessions will be the same, please only sign up for one)
Tuesday, May 18th, 7pm-9pm
Wednesday, May 26th, 7pm-9pm
Please only choose one training date as they will provide the same information.
The UNY Safe Sanctuaries Team would like to thank all of you for your patience during the transition in this time of covid. As many of you know, we have now hosted three conference-wide online trainings. We feel we are ready to roll it out to you trainers to begin training this new curriculum in your local churches and districts.
- The Trainers’ Manual has been reformatted to accommodate virtual training.
- The curriculum has been finalized, taking into account many of your suggestions.
- With the assistance of 20 trainers, the SS Team has presented this training in the last 3 months (3 times) to approximately 200 participants. It has received great feedback from participants.
Communities are beginning to open up. Our churches are opening up, but we still need to be safe. As the conference Safe Sanctuaries Chairs, we recommend this training to be done via an online platform such as Zoom. However, if you wish to do a small group gathering of vaccinated individuals in person, PLEASE use THE NEW training manual to avoid sharing and touching props as used in the past. And just like anything else we do, please practice social distancing and wear a mask.
We want to allow SS trainers to be together again and begin offering this training to your District and/or local church.
We look forward to seeing you all in May. Thank you for your time and passion for keeping the children, youth, and vulnerable adults safe in our churches and our communities.
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Two-day Workshop: Developing and Maintaining
An Outward Heartset & Mindset
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Our Objective:
To help the people in our churches and communities to see themselves and every human being as a beloved child of God in order to be better prepared to be part of making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
We invite teams, individuals, lay & clergy leadership to participate in a workshop that brings us to a renewed awareness of ways to use deeper insight to strengthen relationships and ministry.
Many have commented that this workshop has reawakened their God-given longing to genuinely appreciate, support, and learn from all, so that we are better able to be in ministry together.
Workshop Leaders: Rev. Bill Mudge and Rev. Debbie Earthrowl
The workshop runs from 6 PM to 9 PM on Friday, May 7
and from 9 AM to Noon and from 1 PM to 4 PM on Saturday, May 8.
The cost is $130 for materials; some scholarship assistance is available.
She will send you the ZOOM links when you register.
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Becoming Informed to Transform
Open to All!
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“….all were united in their devotion to prayer….suddenly a sound from heaven …filled the entire house” (Acts 1:14 & 2:2 CEB)
WHAT: Transforming Church Leadership to Transform Lives
WHO: Church Leadership Teams covenanting to work together for 12 months
WHY: To prepare to lead the church into its revival
WHEN: Orientation Meeting May 4, 8 p.m. via Zoom
Three Phases:
May 11 - July 27, 2021, Zoom Bi-weekly, Tuesdays 6 - 8 p.m.
September – December 2021
January - June 2022
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Course of Study-Wesley Theological Seminary |
Reminder that registration deadline is May 14th. Remember that you need to sign it, your DS needs to sign it and then the conference registrar needs to sign it.
This Summer program will be fully on-line.
Also remember that you need to know your WTS student ID (Wesley Theological Seminary) and your GBHEM PID (General Board of Higher Education and Ministry)
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Media Resource Center
Now Partially Open
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The Media Resource Center began lending and accepting back overdue resources on Aug. 1. Please check to see if you have any items taken out prior to March 2020. These items should be returned to us as soon as possible. With Pastors moving to other churches and Bible studies put on hold, we need to try to locate all resources and have them returned before they are forgotten.
If you need to readjust return dates, please contact Karen Campolieto, Media Resource Coordinator and Archives Assistant. The Media Center will not be available for personal pick-up, but you can mail materials until further notice as our offices are closed to the public.
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Can churches require proof of vaccination for visitors at worship or a church event? |
With vaccination eligibility available for so many now, a lot of New Yorker’s are starting to return to more regular participation in various activities as they are vaccinated. This includes going to church.
Accordingly, there are a lot of questions about if it is okay to require that visitors show proof of vaccination when attending church events, including weekly worship. Current legal guidance advises against requiring visitors to show proof of vaccination. Click here to learn why.
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COVID-19 Information & Resources |
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Other News Links From the Conference |
If you want to keep in the know of what is happening in the Upper New York Conference and the United Methodist Church please consider these links. |
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The HUB at UNY Conference Center |
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MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT OFFICE |
35 Wilkes Ave.
PO Box 706
Bath, NY 14810
607-962-8047
Office Hours
Mon.-Thurs. 7am-2:15pm
In Person by APPOINTMENT ONLY
Rev. Dr. Jeff McDowell
District Superintendent
Pastor Mike Kelly
District Associate
Ann Welch Wood
District Lay Leader
Patti Gridley
District Administrative Assistant
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