News Stories from August 2018
How God has been calling me into pastoral ministry
August 14, 2018 / By Gavin Hill, Eden United Methodist Church
Editor's Note: The article below was featured in the Summer 2018 issue of the Advocate, which focused on churches and individuals that are boldly living their call. Read how young Gavin Hill, not even out of high school has already been called to pursue a career path into pastoral ministry. It’s important to know this when discerning God’s call—God whispers, he doesn&rsquo …more
Becoming disciples through confirmation
August 14, 2018 / By Heidi Gran, Director of Christian Education, First United Methodist Church of East Greenbush
Editor's Note: The following article was published in the summer 2018 issue of the Advocate. This issue focused on ways in which churches and individuals are boldly living their call. Living boldly into a call can start as early as confirmation. In this article, Heidi Gran describes how successful their confirmation model has been in growing the faith of youth at First United Methodist Church of East Greenbush. Our church …more
From the desk of Bishop Mark J. Webb: Imagine no Racism engagement
August 13, 2018 / By Bishop Mark J. Webb
Editor's Note: Below is a letter that Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb sent to the Upper New York COnference on Tuesday August 14. Dear Imagine No Racism Group Participants, I am grateful to each of you for your participation in Upper New York’s Imagine No Racism ministry. You are engaging in the urgent work of addressing racism in ourselves, our Church, and …more
Partnering with Friends in Uganda
August 8, 2018 / By Pastor Bob Schooley, Centerville UMC / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
You know what it’s like to see a friend you haven’t seen in a year, don’t you? It’s a moment of great joy, when time stands still. Stepping out of the airport in Entebbe – 7,000 miles away -- there stood our friend Musumba (Pastor) Fred Muyimbwa, welcoming us, as he always does. This was our 16th journey to Uganda since 2006. Friends, our …more
Into the desert
August 7, 2018 / By Pastor Cory Jones
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from a longer story that Pastor Jones submitted for the Mohawk District newsletter. To read the original article, contact Mohawk District Administrative Assistant Cindy Muder at MohawkDIstrict@unyumc.org. This past July I took part in a cross-cultural trip through my seminary, Drew Theological, and spent eight days in southern Arizona in an area commonly referred to as the Borderlands. The purpose …more
What is God inviting you to do?
August 6, 2018 / By Nancy Dibelius, Assistant Director, Spiritual Life for Vital Congregations
Editor’ Note: This article originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of the Advocate, which focused on individuals and churches throughout the Upper New York Conference who are boldly living their call. Discerning your call is a many-layered, challenging process for most of us. To discern means more than to understand or to make a decision. Discern comes from the Latin discernere; dis means apart, and cernere means to separate. …more