News Stories from March 2018
Apply for a Peace with Justice grant by April 30
March 29, 2018 / By Heather Smith, Peace with Justice Coordinator
Peace with Justice Grant applications are being accepted through April 30, 2018. The application can be found here. Please read the information included and fill out application completely. The Peace with Justice Grants are provided by funds collected on Peace with Justice Sunday, one of the six Special Sunday offerings required by the Book of Discipline. Half of all money collected in our conference stays right here to support new ministries that …more
Sound the alarm, save a life
March 28, 2018 / By UNY Communications
A house fire can start at any time in any home. The Upper New York Mission Central HUB, with the help of Volunteers in Mission (VIM) and Early Response Team (ERT), is working with the American Red Cross to help install free smoke alarms where needed. In UNY, more than 500 alarms are available and will be installed in the Central New York area on Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 …more
Rev. Corey Turnpenny selected as Annual Conference 2018 Memorial Service speaker
March 28, 2018 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Rev. Corey Turnpenny, pastor at Whitney Point UMC, has been selected as the Memorial Service speaker for the 2018 Annual Conference held May 30-June 2 at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena in Syracuse; the Memorial Service takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday May 31. Rev. Turnpenny grew up in a Methodist church in Wilkes Barre, Pa. She felt God calling her to ministry at the age of 11! Her bond …more
CLT discusses ministry in Holy Saturday times
March 27, 2018 / By Stephen J. Hustedt / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Conference Leadership Team (CLT) spent their time together on Friday, March 23 and Saturday March 24 framed by three questions focused around the theme “Living through Holy Saturday” (the time between the crucifixion and the resurrection). The three questions were: What spiritual practices can help us journey through Holy Saturday times? What does leadership look like on Holy Saturday? What is God inviting us to accomplish in this time? …more
Getting Ready for Annual Conference 2018: CRM Staff to again provide childcare for Annual Conference
March 27, 2018 / By David Wood, Program Director, Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center
Childcare at this year’s Annual Conference will be provided by staff members of Camp & Retreat Ministries (CRM) for the seventh consecutive year. Staff involved in childcare are a combination of year-round and seasonal CRM employees who have served at least one full season at one of Upper New York’s Camp & Retreat Centers. CRM staff are trained to handle a wide variety of topics when …more
Commission members grateful to serve, complete work on final report
March 26, 2018 / By Council of Bishops
Members of the Commission on a Way Forward expressed gratitude at the opportunity to be part of the Commission and they signaled hope for The United Methodist Church as they completed their meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 22. The 32-member Commission has been meeting since January 2017 in various places throughout the global denomination to assist the bishops in their charge from the 2016 General Conference to lead the church forward …more
Applications still being received for lay equalization members to Annual Conference
March 23, 2018 / By UNY Communications
Applications are still being accepted for individuals desiring to serve as a lay equalization member to the 2018 session of the Upper New York Annual Conference. Lay equalization members must be professing members of a United Methodist Church within the Upper New York area. The deadline for all applications is April 29, 2018. Upper New York rules regarding lay equalization members state that after lay persons by virtue of office as identified by …more
Discipleship ministries seeks to serve what the Church is becoming
March 20, 2018 / By Discipleship Ministries
The board of directors of Discipleship Ministries, at its spring meeting, took additional steps to position the agency to be more relevant and useful in order to better serve the future needs of the United Methodist Church. “We are relentlessly committed to reimagining and reshaping our agency to match the needs of the church we are becoming,” the Rev. Junius B. Dotson, General Secretary (CEO) of Discipleship …more
Bishops, leaders of UMC-related institutions optimistic of denomination’s future
March 20, 2018 / By Council of Bishops
Several leaders of United Methodist Church-related institutions voiced optimism and are preparing for possible changes in the global denomination that could occur as a result of the Special Session of the General Conference called for February next year. As part of its commitment of offering a proposal that would move The United Methodist Church forward with as much unity as possible. The Council has encouraged similar gatherings on each continent. …more
How Cobleskill UMC increased Special Sunday Giving
March 20, 2018 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Cobeleskill UMC has greatly increased their giving. For Human Relations Day, their congregation gave $65 in 2017, and $366 in 2018. And for UMCOR Sunday, they went from $420 in 2017 to $650 in 2018! Click here to find out exactly how Cobleskill UMC accomplished this increase in generous giving. According to Cobleskill UMC pastor, the Rev. Dr. Nancy Hale, “We used the resources from umcgiving.org to increase awareness about how the donations for Special Sundays …more