events

2024 AC Registration Guidelines

Registration for the Upper New York Annual Conference (AC) is open from April 3-24, 2024 via the online form. If you have any requests or questions, contact Brittany Combs at (615) 369-2386 or bcombs@gcfa.org. 

Register now through April 24 for Annual Conference by clicking here. To be excused, click here and submit the form. The 2024 Pre-Conference Workbook will be available no later than May 1. 

Housing during Annual Conference 

The deadline to make a housing reservation at a discounted rate is Tuesday, May 7 and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Conference Office does not take or make reservations and does not accept payment for rooms. 

Youth that notified their district office that they would be attending as Equalization members should confirm with Tony Hipes at (607) 624-2989 or tjhipes@gmail.com all AC details – including hotel rooms. 

1. Clergy retirees, those on medical leave, and equalization members are asked to make their own room reservations directly. There will be no reimbursement given to EQ members this year. Rates and rooms are not held for UNY Conference attendees beyond May 7, 2024.  
2. The person reserving the room is responsible for obtaining a completed and signed tax exemption form from their affiliated church to avoid sales tax on your room. The individual is also responsible for notifying the hotel of the tax exemption form in advance of arriving to avoid any complications. If there is no affiliation with a church, sales tax will have to be paid by the individual. 

Registration for Annual Conference closes on April 24. All payments need to be received by May 10 in order for the registration to be complete/active. The next opportunity to register will be at the start of annual conference on May 30. All late registrants will be charged an additional $50 fee. Registration refunds will not be offered after May 10.   

Specific Instructions: All items marked with a * on the form must be completed.   

Name, email address, postal address, and daytime telephone contact numbers: We would like at least two phone numbers where we might be able to reach you during the day if there are questions regarding your registration. 

Gender, ethnicity, and age: These are necessary demographics used to help evaluate and describe our annual conference. 

Church and district: Please indicate the church to which you are appointed as clergy or at which you attend as laity. If, as clergy, you are appointed to more than one church, please identify just one of the churches. Visitors, please identify your church, if applicable. Please select your district from the list provided. 

Registration fee section: You must select one category which reflects your relationship to the annual conference. The individuals that should be using this form are clergy, lay members to conference, equalization members, retirees, visitors, cabinet, staff, and Sessions team members. If you are uncertain as to your status and relationship to the Upper New York Conference, contact your District Superintendent, or you may seek assistance from Betsy O’Flynn at (585) 340-9525. 

• Clergy – Includes active elders, provisional and associate members, deacons, and licensed  local pastors. 
• Clergy – Retired and Clergy on Medical Leave – Please identify if this category applies to you. 
• Visitor – To obtain registration materials and to sit in the annual conference sessions as an observer requires registration as a visitor. Individuals coming to annual conference with no assigned role have no voting privileges.  
• Vendor – For those requesting vendor tables who are not members of the UNYAC.  
• Clergy Spouse – Spouse of a clergy person attending annual conference. 
• Lay Member – Lay person chosen by your charge/church conference as the church member to annual conference. 
• Equalization member – Conference Position – Lay persons serving on certain conference committees, boards, agencies, teams, and task forces are eligible to serve as ex-officio equalization members. Only those individuals contacted by the Director of Missional Excellence are eligible to serve in this capacity. A list of all ex-officio equalization members will be kept in the Conference Office to verify appropriate registration. If you have any questions, contact Colleen Boyea at colleenboyea@unyumc.org. 
• Equalization member – at-Large – Lay persons invited by their District Lay Leader and District Superintendent may serve as at-large equalization members to annual conference in the current year. An attempt is made for no more than one at-large equalization member from each charge. 

Clergy/Laity Sessions: Please let us know if you plan to attend:  

• Clergy Session: Thurs., May 30 at 1 p.m. at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse 
• Laity Session: Thurs., May 30 at 1 p.m. at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse 

Memorial Luncheon: Friday, May 31 at 12:15 p.m. at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Attendance is by invitation only. 

Retirement and Ordination Dinner: Thursday, May 30 at 5 p.m. at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Attendance is by invitation only. 

Dietary Restrictions: Please review the menu by clicking here. We hope that you will be able to choose meals that meet your dietary restrictions. We have consulted with a chef/clergy person to design menus, within our financial constraints, to address gluten-free, vegetarian, and Vegan. For Heart Healthy, Allergy, or Diabetic Diets, the staff at the SRC Arena will be meeting those needs also. Indicate in this area general or specific dietary needs that must be communicated to the SRC Arena.    

Childcare: If you are registering for annual conference and have children (up to 12 years of age) for whom you need childcare, please indicate the need on your registration form. Please be specific with your request, including number of children in each age category and periods of time needed. Due to space restrictions, there is a limit of 25 spots of childcare available. Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. A confirmation email will be sent to you if we are unable to accommodate your childcare request. There will be a charge for childcare of $25 per child per day with a maximum of $100 per day. Your Annual Conference registration must be submitted and paid in full to complete your registration for childcare. After registration, an emergency and medical information form will be sent to you to be completed and submitted to the childcare worker when you first drop your child(ren) off. You will not be able to leave your child(ren) without submitting a completed form(s).  

• Childcare will be available at the SRC Arena in meeting room 205.  
• Care is provided during these general times. Times slots will be listed on the registration. Please note: childcare is not provided during scheduled meals:  
  • Thursday, May 30: morning and afternoon until 5 p.m., evening until 9 p.m.  
  • Friday, May 31: morning and afternoon until 5 p.m.  
  • Saturday, June 1: morning until 1 p.m.  

Contact Shari Mudge at sharimudge@unyumc.org for any additional childcare information.  

Special needs or requests: In this section of the form, please list any special requests you have including wheelchair use, other handicapping, or medical conditions of which you want us to be aware.