news article
Getting Ready for Annual Conference 2018: Offerings
April 3, 2018 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- The first two offerings will be collected during the laity and clergy sessions on Wednesday evening May 30. The Clergy Care Fund offering will be taken at the clergy session and a Helping Hands Fund offering will concurrently be taken at the laity session. The Clergy Care Fund assists clergy who need financial support, and Helping Hand raises funds to be used by the Cabinet to assist congregants in need of financial support.
- During Opening Worship on Thursday May 31, the offering collected will go to support the Upper New York Mission Central Hub—a place located at the UNY Methodist Center for local churches to actively engage in outreach and disaster response ministries. From training the Conference’s Volunteer in Mission and Disaster Response teams to collecting and assembling flood buckets, health kits, and more, the UNY Mission Central HUB is the perfect answer to local churches who feel called to expand their outreach ministries. Click here to learn more about the UNY Mission Central Hub.
- The offering collected on Saturday morning June 2 during the Young Adult Worship service will go to Mission of Peace (MOP)—an annual journey of discovery and shalom to nations in our global community sponsored by the Northeastern Jurisdiction Council on Youth Ministries. Click here and here to read the reflections from two Upper New York youth who went on the MOP journey to Cuba earlier this year. Next year, MOP will be going to the Philippines.
- The final offering to be collected during Annual Conference will be at the Ordination Service on Saturday June 2. This offering will go to New Faith Communities (NFCs). New faith community planters work to create safe places for un-churched or de-churched people to explore their faith, consider what it means to follow Jesus Christ, and then practice discipleship together with new friends. These communities gather in malls, cafes, storefronts, bars, homes, fellowship halls and restaurants, and each one is committed to being God’s love with their neighbors. There are currently __ New Faith Communities in UNY—click here to learn more about UNY NFCs.
Annual Conference provides these five great opportunities to support the United Methodist Connection. From helping our youth experience a mission trip of their lifetime and supporting the many ministries the pour forth from Mission Central to supporting clergy and congregants with financial constraints and planting New Faith Communities, you can help the Upper New York and people around the world flourish with your generous offerings.