Notes From District Superintendent Sherri

Dear Friends,

Last week Bishop Burgos-Núñez’ announced DS coverage of Districts in The Upper New York Conference. As of July 1st, I will be assigned to the Finger Lakes and Crossroads District and The Rev. Suzanne Block will be covering both Mountain View and Genesee Valley District. This decision was not made lightly and will position us to continue to provide the resources needed for pastors and churches as we move forward into our new reality.

We find ourselves living in a state of constant change – or at the least we are more acutely aware of it. Change is a double-edged sword. It offers opportunity, but it also means letting go of the familiar.  Change can leave us feeling unsettled and a bit anxious. My prayer is we will find strength and comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is the bedrock of our faith. Remember the parable Jesus told about the foolish man who built his house upon the sand and the wise man who built his house upon a rock? When I think about this parable, I still hear the children’s song in my head, and in particular, the last verse, “So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ…and the blessings will come down as the prayers go up… so build your life on the Lord.”

What does it mean for us to build our life on Jesus? For me, it’s striving to be more like him: Prayerful, faithful, compassionate, relational, seeking reconciliation and justice, endeavoring to let people know that God loves all of us, just as we are. 

Or as the words from Micah 6:8 (CEB): “He has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.” 

My prayer is we will live into those words every day. It’s not always easy. Our culture right now is vociferously divisive, wounding, and hyper-critical. As the Body of Christ, we are called to be different. Let’s be counter cultural. Let’s seek to understand before we strive to be understood. Let’s be good listeners who offer grace and reconciliation. Let’s find the things we agree on rather than enumerating all the things we disagree about. Let’s seek to work together, focusing on being conduits of God’s love and grace to a weary and hurting world.

What does it look like for you to build your life on Jesus? What will you do today that will help you in that endeavor?

I sincerely thank you for your prayerful support these past ten months. In this short amount of time, we’ve done good work together that will continue under Suzanne’s capable leadership. It has been and continues to be a joy to serve with you as we make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

I’m praying for you. Please be in prayer for Bishop Burgos and the Cabinet.

Grace and peace,

Sherri

Visiting the District Office

The office is generally open Monday-Thursday.

We would appreciate if you would PLEASE CALL FIRST before coming to the office. We occasionally work remotely and would not want you to make an unnecessary trip to the office to find that we are not in.

Please call 607-962-8047 or email the office at

mountainviewdistrict@unyumc.org

2023 Appointment Announcements

Click here to read the letter of how the processes for appointment discernment, retirement announcements, expressing interest in open churches, and transitioning churches.

Click here for the announcement of appointments

District Administrative Assistants, Offices Reconfigured

This information originally appeared in the March 29th issue of the UNY Conference Weekly Digest. Click here to read the full article.

The Upper New York Extended Cabinet shared today, March 29, its plan to reconfigure how administrative support is provided to its districts. Beginning July 1, 2023, the current structure of eight part-time and two full-time administrative assistants serving districts will be replaced by six full-time Superintendency Administrative Assistants, each serving two districts as well as working collaboratively on the superintendency support team. 

The new configuration of district administrative staff aligns with the reconfiguration of the Cabinet announced in January by Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez. Click here to read about the reconfiguration of the Cabinet.



By Jan. 1, 2024, it is anticipated all Superintendency Administrative Assistants and District Superintendents will work from home and all district offices will be closed. In this new arrangement, each district will still have a dedicated administrative assistant assigned to them.

Pre-Conference Workbook

The 2023 Upper New York Pre-Conference Workbook, formerly known as the Journal, Vol. I, is now available. This comprehensive workbook provides all the details for the 2023 Upper New York Annual Conference, being held June 1-3 at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. 

Click here to either view an online version or download a copy from Issuu or to purchase a copy for $4.99 (plus shipping and applicable sales tax) from Lulu.com.

Adirondack District Offering Lay Servant Courses

Please remember that you MUST Attend ALL class times & dates to receive credit.

All registrations and course fees must be in by the DUE DATE

For a registration form or more information, contact Arlene Schmidt at arlenedschmidt@gmail.com

Advanced Course: Heritage: Living Our United Methodist Beliefs

Registration opens May 2

Mondays: June 12, 19, 26, July 10 & 17: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15

Facilitator: Pastor Bruce Hazard

Basic Lay Servant Course

Registration opens May 2

Thursdays: June 15, 22, 29, July 6 & 13: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15

Facilitators: Paula McMahon, CLM & Jacqueline Kim, CLM

Advanced Course: Discover Your Spiritual Gifts

Registration opens June 1

Tuesdays: July 11, 18, 25, August 1 & 8: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15

Facilitators: Jacqueline Kim, CLM & Paula McMahon, CLM

Advanced Course: Leading Worship

Registration opens June 19

Mondays: July 31, Aug. 7, 14, 21, & 28: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15 

Facilitator: Pastor Bruce Hazard

Advanced Course: Leading Prayer

Registration opens July 13

Thursdays: August 24, 31, Sept 14, 21 & 28: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15

Facilitator: Jacqueline Kim, CLM

Advanced Course: Polity

Registration opens July 25

Tuesdays: September 5, 12, 19, & 26: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15

Facilitator: Pastor Bruce Hazard

Advanced Course: Discover Your Spiritual Gifts

Registration opens August 24

Thursdays: October 5, 12, 19, 26, & Nov 2: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15

Facilitator: Jacqueline Kim, CLM

Advanced Course: Called to Preach

Registration opens September 26

Tuesdays: November 7, 14, 28, Dec. 5 & 12: 6-9 p.m.

Zoom: Fee $15

Facilitator: Jacqueline Kim, CLM

MEN’S RETREAT UNITED MENS MINISTRY / NEW GENERATION

WHEN: May 12th & 13th, 2023

WHERE: Letourneau Christian Center

4950 County Road 11

Rushville, NY 14544

Mountain View United Women in Faith

Special Recognition Dinner



WHEN: Monday May 15, 2023

WHERE: at the Y at Watson Woods

(used to be Watson Homestead)

TIME: 5:30 pm

EVENT: Buffet Dinner

COST: $20  (Checks to MVDUWF) Advance payment appreciated

RSVP: by May 8 to Karen Peterson - dpeterson1@stny.rr.com

2023 Safe Sanctuary Trainings

The UNY Safe Sanctuaries Team has scheduled four, 3.5 hour Zoom basic trainings in 2023. There will also be Training of Trainers sessions.

The Basic trainings take place 9 AM to 12:30 PM, Saturdays: May 6, Aug. 5 and Nov. 4.

The Training of Trainers will be 9 AM to Noon, Saturday, Oct. 7.

The Basic training is for all clergy and anyone working with children or vulnerable adults. The Training of Trainers is for anyone who would like to become a church or District Safe Sanctuaries trainer in the UNY Conference. You need to have taken the Basic Training first.

If you need training between these dates, or would like to host an in-person training, please contact the District Office or send an email to the Safe Sanctuaries team, safesanctuaries@unyumc.org.

Registration for the February training will open Jan. 4. Look for the link in upcoming announcements.

For more information regarding Safe Sanctuaries, visit the Conference website: Click here. To view the poster, click here.

Opening to Grace 2023 Retreats

Co-director of the Mountain View District Lay Servant Ministry and Gestalt Pastoral Care Minister, Deaconess Susan Sihan, RN.

These retreats will be Hybrid In Person and Online.

• May 19-21
• Sept. 14-16
• Oct. 26-28

Click here for flyer and more information

Attention Churches

If you are considering…

Buying or selling a church building, a parsonage or other church property,

including land, or Undertaking major renovations to existing properties, or

Building a new church, parsonage, education building

or an addition to an existing building,

There are certain procedures that must be followed. 

The Book of Discipline - Chapter Six - Church Property

(page 733 in the 2016 version)

describes in detail the requirements that must be met in

order to do these things.



Please contact the District Office

607-962-8047

mountainviewdistrict@unyumc.org

Boy Scout Bankruptcy update

Last week, the General Council of Finance and Administration (GCFA) issued an updated frequently asked questions webpage on the Boy Scout Bankruptcy following a recent ruling in the case. This webpage provides an overview and provides insight on what might happen next. Contact either Bryan Mills (bmills@gcfa.org) or Brandy Bivens (bbivens@GCFA.ORG) if you have any questions.

Two new job openings for a part-time Cook and part-time Kitchen Assistant for Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center have been posted to the website. If you have any referrals for any open positions, please ask folks to apply through the link on the website. Please contact me with any questions. Thank you.

https://www.unyumc.org/about/jobs

Does Your Church Have Members Attending SUNY Geneseo

My name is Gwyneth Jones-Wenninger, I am serving as the Wesley Fellowship Interim Director at SUNY Geneseo. 

The Geneseo United Methodist Church, under the appointment of Pastor Beth Malone, is beginning to revive the SUNY Wesley Fellowship which meets at the InterFaith Center near campus. We are reaching out to all of the churches in our conference who could have students attending SUNY Geneseo or nearby community colleges for contact information. I would appreciate it if you could provide me with any student information. They could also contact me directly at shadetreeauthor@gmail.com or via telephone (585) 969-0127.

I appreciate any assistance you can give me in reaching out to students that could be in our area. As you know, Wesley Fellowship is such an important support system and tool for growing leaders in our church!

Are You Connected to UNY?

Do you receive the latest news and updates from UNY Conference? All pastors should be connected and as many people from your congregation that would like to be. This is open to everyone – pass the word!

If you are not connected please follow the instructions below. 

To sign up either click the following link: https://bit.ly/UNYnotes.      

Or follow the steps below:

• Go to the conference website
• Click on News in the toolbar
• Select Connect with UNY



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