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| Conference Treasurer Sherri Mackey answers questions regardind the budget. Photo by Matt Williams |
The morning at the Pre-Conference Briefing on May 19 was rounded out by brief reports from the Council on Finance & Administration, which discussed the budget, a report by Nominations and Leadership Development, an Equitable Compensation report, and a report from the Board of Pensions and Health Benefits.
Following the reports, board members and leaders of the Upper New York Annual Conference took questions from the floor. As Ted Vickery, president of the Council on Finance & Administration, pointed out with a laugh, many of them focused on the budget.
Vickery highlighted two budget issues: the proposed cap on ministry shares and the fact that the bottom line on the $10.7-million proposed budget is the same as last year’s.
“We made a conscious decision to hold the line,” Vickery said, “… because we understand the fiscal realities of where we are, not just in local congregations, not just in Upper New York, but nationally and internationally."
Regarding the shared ministry cap of 10 percent, it is intended, Vickery said, to ensure that an individual church’s ministry share will not fluctuate more than 10 percent up or down from that of the previous year. This does not, Conference Treasurer Sherri Mackey said, affect the ministry share formula, which was adopted last year and remains in place.
The figure being used in the ministry share formula, however, will be 14.75 percent this year vs. 15 percent last year.
For more detailed analysis, Vickery referred people to the Pre-Conference Booklet: the budget appears on pages 59-60; an explanation of changes are on pages 61-65; and more detailed analysis - offered in response to requests from last year, Vickery said - appears on pages 66-70.
Mackey explained that the Ministry Shares Reserve functions as “place holder” in the budget so that spending can be adjusted based on the actual amount of ministry shares received. The proposed ministry shares reserve is $513,183 or 4.8 percent of the budget.
Responding to a question about past ministry share amounts, Mackey said that the percentage received in 2010 was 78 percent and in 2011 it was 76 percent.
The Rev. John Martin gave the report for the Nominations committee, pointing out the class terms which are being aligned so that they coincide with the schedule of General Conference. That is being phased in, he said, “so it’s not as painful.”
The Rev. Steve Deckard gave the report on behalf of the Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, admitting that people’s eyes may “glaze over” as they read pages 98-107 of the Pre-Conference Booklet. He did point out one recommendation that would allow the board to act between Annual Conference Sessions in order to have the flexibility to respond to ongoing changes.
The Rev. Wilson Jones gave the report on Equitable Compensation, during which he emphasized that pastors who remain in the same appointment and who are at the base level of compensation will not see their compensation decrease below that level. Further, it is recommended that churches offer pastors a salary increase of no less than 2.1 percent in 2013; that is in line with the 2.1 percent increase in salaries for the Conference staff.
*Beth DiCocco is writer/editor for the Upper New York Annual Conference; email her at bethdicocco@unyumc.org.
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| Conference Lay Leader Scott Johnson speaks at the May 19 Pre-Conference Briefing. Photo by Matt Williams. |
For a time of centering during the afternoon laity session at the Pre-Conference Briefing, Upper New York Annual Conference Lay Leader Scott Johnson reminded the attendees why they were there.
“Let’s take a second to breathe, and remember why we are truly here,” Johnson said, before reading John 15:1-11.
The focus of his message was about bearing fruit and the notion of vitality.
“To help put all of this into context, I am going to ask a question,” he said. Who is a morning person? he asked, watching hundreds of hands go into the air.
“That is a lot of people. God bless you, because I am not,” he said. He then told how his wife would certify that statement. But he also said that although he is not a morning person, he does get up early.
“I get up early because I have to, to get the things done,” Johnson said. “There is a difference between someone who gets up early and (someone who) is a morning person.” And that difference gets to the heart of vitality.
Over the next few years, Johnson said the members of the Conference will hear derivatives of the word "vital" a lot, from the vitality of ministries to vital congregations. “This is not a gimmicky trick,” he said. “I personally have bought into this vitality thing… This vitality thing matters.”
“We know we are not in the place that we aspire to be. … We are not making disciples of our neighbors. The real crisis that is hitting our hearts is that we are not making disciples of our children.”
This “vitality thing,” he said, will help the Conference understand what it is aiming at, and “I want you to hear this in a new way.”
The concept of health is a complicated one. Johnson said there are many components to it, and even though a person can be healthy they can still have problems.
“As much as we talk about our love of Jesus Christ and our love of this institution, … the real question is how do we get from a functional place to a vital place as a church, because that is what we are after,” Johnson said. “Our goal here is not to fill our pews with members; our goal is to share the Love of God.”
He encouraged everyone to challenge themselves, to answer the question “how do we vitalize our connection in new ways.
“How do we plug into where we are headed, where we are going? We have to build relationships, (we have) to connect in meaningful ways.”
*Christian Vischi is the communications associate for the Upper New York Annual Conference. He can be reached at christianvischi@unyumc.org.
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| Associate Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries Mike Huber presented a workshop for laity during the Pre-Conference Briefing. Photo by Matt Williams. |
Whether you have two children or six children, you love them equally.
That was the message imparted by Mike Huber, associate director of Camp & Retreat Ministries for the Upper New York Annual Conference.
Giving an analogy of the camp and retreat centers being like children, Huber said he loves each of the six sites equally.
“I am extraordinarily biased; I started camp at age 3 and I have not left since,” said Huber. “Over the past year I have fallen in love with the Upper New York Annual Conference’s six children. They are different people … but our goal is to love them all, market them all and provide opportunities at them all.”
The six camp and retreat centers – Aldersgate, Asbury, Casowasco, Findley, Sky Lake and Skye Farm – all have unique qualities to them. Some are “rustic,” which Huber said can have a different meaning to different people, and some are technologically advanced.
“My goal for this first year has been to love them all equally, but find out what our strengths are and what our opportunities for growth are,” Huber said.
Providing a peanut gallery of sorts, Huber had Stephanie Deckard, Paul Sweet, Margo Rankins-Burd and the Rev. Heather Williams give insight into the prominence that camp plays in young people discovering who they are.
“One of the things about camp is as a youth you discover who you are, and who you are supposed to be in this world,” said Deckard. “You discover your strengths… there are so many things about camp where lives are transformed.
“As kids we learn that yes the world is tough, but now I know who I am supposed to be.”
Sweet said there are specific skills that can be nurtured at camp for young people, but even the camp leadership takes away positives from the experience.
“Even last summer when I volunteered for the entire summer as counseling staff, it was amazing to watch kids throughout the week grow. It really is something special and unique that I have not been able to find anywhere else.
“(One week of camp) really can prepare kids for life beyond camp. Even for us older people it can reinvigorate our faith,” said Sweet, who received several laughs from the crowd, likely for his “older people” comment. Sweet is currently a high school student.
All six sites are currently ahead of the registration pace from summer 2011, said Huber. He encouraged those in attendance at the pre-conference workshop to impress to their local churches that camp is open for everyone. He added that financial means should not be a hindrance for a youth attending camp.
“Last year we gave away over $70,000 in campership money,” said Huber. Ethnic minority scholarships are available; there is a low income need scholarship; and there is a first time camper scholarship for the first camper registered from a church that has not sent anyone to camp in the past five years. “Each site also has local scholarship money,” Huber added.
For more information about Camp & Retreat Ministries of the Upper New York Annual Conference, visit them online.
*Christian Vischi is the communications associate for the Upper New York Annual Conference. He can be reached at christianvischi@unyumc.org.
Some 1,000 members of the Upper New York Annual Conference were registered to attend the Pre-Conference Briefing at the War Memorial in Syracuse.
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Adirondack District Superintendent William Mudge offers a prayer during the Pre-Conference Briefing Opening Worship. Photo by Christian Vischi
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They were gathered around tables with centerpieces of rocks and soil representing the Annual Conference theme: Planting God’s Future in Hearts and Neighbors: Called to Till.
“It’s time to check the dirt; prepare the garden, prepare the soil of our hearts, churches, communities and world so the living God can take root, wherever we go,” said the Rev. Heather Williams, who was leading the worship.
Adirondack District Superintendent William Mudge gave the Scripture reading, Mark 4:1-9, the parable of the sower.
In his prayer, Rev. Mudge asked God to “Open us to your Word like a plow lays open the earth in the spring.”
Rev. Mudge went on to talk about his father’s garden in Westernville, where he grew up. His father had polio, and leaned on his hoe when he worked in the garden. Rev. Mudge leaned on a hoe as he recounted some of the lessons he learned in that garden long ago.
“I hated that garden,” he said. “I wanted to play. I didn’t want to work in the garden.” He would often pretend that he was sleeping when his father came to wake him.
Just as his father did, Rev. Mudge said, Jesus comes into our bedrooms every day and wakes us and whispers “I’m going to change the world today, do you want to come?”
But, in order to make that journey, Rev. Mudge said, there is some work to be done in this garden.
On his recent visit to his father’s now unused garden, he also found a lot of “hard pack, weeds and thorns.”
We, in our Conference’s “brokenness,” also sometimes create hard pack.
“We have been in a broken place for a long time,” he said. “We make assumptions about each other. Sometimes when a brother or sister begins to speak, I make a pre-judging that either leans in or leans out.
“We have put barriers in each other’s way, and I’m so sorry for that,” he said. “It is not my intention to cause hard pack on anyone’s spiritual journey."
It is an irony of God’s Kingdom, Rev. Mudge said, that just as we face the most difficult of times, that is when God is prepared to “do something wonderful.”
“In the midst of the angst and pain we feel around our family, is it possible our Lord and Savior is about to do something wonderful among us?” he asked.
He described his “worst moment in the garden.” It was when he, then in his late teens, told his father that he felt one of his sisters was not worthy of her father’s love; that “she was disqualified” and why he felt that way.
“He looked so sad,” Rev. Mudge said, as he described what happened next:
He leaned the hoe into me and I took, and he held out his hands. His father said to him, “You know I held her just like I held you.”
“He was so upset and so hurt,” Rev. Mudge said. “He didn’t take his hoe back, and I watched him turn and stumble out of the garden.”
And while we sometimes create hard pack and weeds, we should be reminded, Rev. Mudge said, “The one who created us, he held you, just like he held me.”
“It does not please a parent’s heart when we hurt each other,” he said.
His sermon was met with a standing ovation and applause.
*Beth DiCocco is writer/editor for the Upper New York Annual Conference; email her at bethdicocco@unyumc.org.
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| Scott Johnson offered a primer on how Annual Conference works and how those attending for the first time can best fulfill their role. Photo by Matt Williams |
By definition, Annual Conference happens every year, but that doesn't mean that all the members have been through it before.
As part of the Pre-Conference Briefing on May 19, there were four workshops offered for laity – including an orientation for members attending the Annual Conference (AC) Session for the first time.
There were also workshops on United Methodist Men/United Methodist Women, Lay Servant Ministries (formerly Lay Speaking Ministries) and Camp & Retreat Ministries.
The AC orientation was led by Upper New York Annual Conference Lay Leader Scott Johnson and BLenda Smith, a member of the Board of Laity.
In his advice, Johnson stressed that first-timers should not be afraid to ask questions when they are drowning in the jargon and alphabet soup of United Methodist acronyms.
"If you have a question, ask it," he said. "Don’t let things fly by you or roll by you without understanding them … (Annual Conference) takes off like a rocket and does its own thing, and first-timers are just hanging on for ride.
"Ask a question – maybe not to the presiding officer – lean over ask a buddy," he said. "Engage and be engaged at the Annual Conference Session."
Those who had questions for Johnson and Smith got a chance to practice their Annual Conference protocol by approaching the microphone, stating their name, church, that they are laity and what district they are from.
Two suggestions to help newcomers raised from the floor included adopting the tradition of having those who use acronyms during the Session drop a dollar in a jar.
"I'm hesitant to suggest that," Johnson said with a laugh, "because I'll be putting money in that jar."
And to have first-time members identified in some way – perhaps with a sticker, so "old-timers" could buddy up with them and help them out.
Johnson said there was really no way to prepare them fully, but he did want to be sure they did not lose sight of the mission amid the rules.
"The key thing to remember about Annual Conference is that it’s not just 937 mission sites, it’s all these people," Johnson said. "It’s about how do we do this thing God is calling us to do … how we use what we've been given by God to do God's glory."
And when it comes time to vote, he said, "Vote your conscience; how the Spirit moves you at that time," adding that the members were chosen because their congregations trust them to use their "good judgment and prayer" to come up with their vote.
*Beth DiCocco is writer/editor for the Upper New York Annual Conference; email her at bethdicocco@unyumc.org.
Since June 19, 2010, the Conference Leadership Team (CLT) has been tasked with and working on discerning, discovering and helping the Upper New York Annual Conference (UNYAC) commit to a path of ministry.
During their presentation at the Pre-Conference Briefing at the War Memorial, Syracuse, members of the CLT outlined that path of ministry, highlighting four areas of ministry focus over the next quadrennium.
The CLT is “involved in a multitude of ministries,” said Scott Johnson, Conference lay leader and member of the CLT. However, four projects will be specifically lifted up at the Annual Conference Session.
Rebecca Lo Kohler, marketing associate of the UNYAC, gave an overview of HANDS4NY. From June 1, 2011 to June 1, 2012, the focus of the project is feeding 1 million people in one year.
“We have leaned on and learned from each other as we have fed our neighbors with God’s love and food,” said Kohler. “On June 1 we will report the total number of those we fed this year. And we will celebrate, every person, every meal.”
But what about next year? she asked. HANDS4NY is more than a feeding ministry, and Kohler said the plan over the next quadrennium will be outlined at the upcoming Conference Session. “(We’ll be) using hands to feed the hungry, comfort the sick, aid in disaster recovery… and work with the poor.”
The Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, director of Connectional Ministries, gave a report from Greg Forrester, who is coordinating the relief effort for the Conference, on the second project of focus: Disaster Recovery.
“We have made progress, and yet we have a long way to go,” said. Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding. Although there is not a lot of legislation before the Session in regards to disaster recovery, he said there is an allocation for disaster response teams in the budget. However, he added, “the bulk of funding for the recovery effort has been from donations made by you. … Our friends at the United Methodist Committee on Relief were paying attention to your generosity and they have matched your dollars - $125,000.
“Of course the dollars alone won’t rebuild the homes and lives of our neighbors… it will continue to depend on the hundreds of volunteers that have mucked out basements and cooked meals, …” said. Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding.
The dependence on volunteers will be evident over the next quadrennium because there is still a great need in flood-ravaged areas of the Conference. “We have a lot to do, whether you can pound a nail or not,” said Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding.
Christine Doran, executive assistant to Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Marcus Matthews, and the Robert Kolvik-Campbell, pastor of Calvary United Methodist Church (UMC) in Latham, both members of the Africa University Endowed Scholarship Task Force, said task force chair Shirley Drake Byers will announce at the UNYAC Session an update on the fund. The goal is to raise $1 million for Africa University, which would provide eight annual scholarships in perpetuity.
Doran said Africa University is “one of the greatest United Methodist success stories,” and she highlighted how it ties directly to the three areas of focus from the CLT: diversity, responding to poverty and discipleship.
She also announced that with a goal of having an Africa University speaker in every church in the Conference, a Speaker’s Bureau Training will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. June 7 at the Conference Office (University UMC) in Syracuse.
The Rev. Rebecca Laird, pastor of The Road at West Genesee UMC and a member of the New Faith Communities Team, reviewed the fourth project: Plentiful Harvest.
That name was given to “a comprehensive approach to revitalize 300 existing congregations and plant 100 new faith communities,” said Rev. Laird. Two new positions will be created to help foster this growth: director of Vital Congregations, a part-time position to be filled by the Rev. Aaron Bowens effective July 1; and director of New Faith Communities, a full-time position to start Jan. 1, 2013.
The funding for the director of Vital Congregations will come from existing budgeted resources; the director of New Faith Communities - which commences in the 2013 budget - would be funded from a non-budgetary source, the proceeds from the sale of church assets at the close of a church.
Jan Rothfuss, a lay member of the CLT, ended the presentation, saying that one of the main objectives of the CLT is to hear what the Conference thinks about the performance of the CLT and the projects undertaken. There are three ways to reach the members of the CLT:
“We would like some feedback on this presentation and on the presentation we will make at Annual Conference,” Rothfuss said. “We also have three questions we would like your response to: When you look at the diversity of your congregation, who is missing? What is the next step your congregation will take to engage with people living in poverty? And what is the most effective way your faith community is making disciples?”
*Christian Vischi is the communications associate for the Upper New York Annual Conference. He can be reached at christianvischi@unyumc.org.
The Children’s Home in Greater Binghamton, which advocates for children and families, is celebrating its centennial this year, and is commemorating the anniversary with a luncheon on May 23.
In 1912, Women of the Methodist Episcopal Church began a home for women and children in Binghamton. The Children’s Home continues to care for children and families, and now has nearly 300 employees working at eight facilities that house more than 14 programs.
The lunch begins at noon at the Riverwalk Hotel in Binghamton. Tickets are $35 per person; $250 for a table of eight.
For more information or to make a reservation, contact the Children’s Home at (607) 772-6904 or
Findley is offering a relaxing, low-key getaway to help your family transition into summer. This weekend won’t have an intensive schedule to follow. You can pick and choose what activities, if any, you want to participate in. The swim area will be open and the slip-n-slide will be up and running. You can take a hike in the woods or just sit and relax by the lake. There will be morning devotions and a service in the chapel Sunday morning. There will also be a chicken barbeque picnic Sunday.
For more information go to www.campfindley.org or call (716) 769-7146.
This weekend is designed for families and friends to spend time camping with fellow Christians. A variety of activities are offered. Start your summer on the right foot at Sky Lake.
For more information go to www.skylakecenter.org or call (716) 769-7146.
Join Skye Farm’s popular Family Camp for fun filled weekends with family and friends. Come enjoy the Skye Farm facilities. We can assist you with campfires, swimming, boating, hiking, singing, playing games, crafts and worship. Meals will be provided and families will have cabins or their own RV’s or tents for housing. Come join us for marshmallows, meals, meeting friends, merriment and music.
For more information go to www.skyefarmcamp.org or call (315) 364-8756.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE – Parking at the OnCenter Garage, which can be entered from Harrison or State Streets, will be $4 per car per day paid by the participant at the time of exit from the garage. In addition, there are free shuttles from the four “city” hotels as noted on the hotel registration form. A shuttle schedule – in coordination with the Conference agenda -- will be posted at a later date. The shuttles will drop passengers at the entrance doors to the OnCenter and may be a better option for those with mobility issues.
There will be a Hospitality Team to assist attendees in exiting the shuttle and getting into the sessions room. Wheelchairs will be available.
To allow for greater flexibility and personal choices, there have been no arrangements made for breakfast at the Annual Conference site. The hotel registration form indicates which hotels offer a complimentary breakfast. The hotels which do not offer a complimentary breakfast do have restaurants. As well, Conference Youth Ministries will be selling coffee OUTSIDE the OnCenter as a fundraising activity.
Meals provided with your registration will be plated and served in the room adjacent to the main meeting room. Meals to be served are as follows:
Friday Lunch - Jerk Chicken Skewer entrée salad or Vegetarian option, served with bread, beverages and dessert
Friday Dinner - Chicken Piccata with basmati rice and seasonal vegetables, beverages and dessert
Saturday Lunch - Spiced rubbed port tenderloin entrée salad or Vegetarian option, served with bread, beverages and dessert
If these meals do not meet your dietary needs, please contact Martha Miller (MarthaMiller@unyumc.org) before May 1.
There will be no group or special meals facilitated by the Sessions Committee. Any group (i.e. Alumni groups, or special interest groups) interested in an off-site gathering can contact the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau for information on local restaurants that may be able to accommodate group meals.
Pictures will be taken during the Annual Conference for an Upper New York Pictorial Directory. Olan Mills will be set up on the lower level of the OnCenter.
The Display Room will be in the Ballroom on the lower level of the OnCenter. Cokesbury will be present and has exclusive rights to sell books at the Annual Conference. Request forms for exhibitors desiring a table will be available in January and will be granted on a first come/first served basis with a paid request form. An estimated cost at this time is $25 per table.
Child Care will be offered on the lower level during all official Conference Sessions, free of charge. Families MUST pre-register for this service on the registration form and provide information about their children so that appropriate numbers of child care providers can be secured, and appropriate equipment provided.
All Annual Conference events will take place in the OnCenter, including the Memorial Service and Service of Ordination.
