News Stories from September 2022

Rev. Robert Kolvik-Campbell officially begins his joyful journey as District Superintendent

September 28, 2022 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Appointed on July 1, 2022, as District Superintendent (DS) of the Binghamton and Oneonta Districts, the Rev. Robert (Bob) Kolvik-Campbell’s installation service was held on Sept. 25 at Sky Lake Camp & Retreat Center. Over 100 guests enjoyed this uplifting service. Introducing Rev. Kolvik-Campbell, Upper New York Area Resident Bishop, Mark J. Webb, described the many characteristics he ponders when making the decision of appointing DSes. These include deep spirituality; someone who …more

2022 Native American land acknowledgement

September 23, 2022 / By Sharon Schmit, CONAM

The 2022 Upper New York Annual Conference will open with the following: “I would like to begin by acknowledging the Indigenous Peoples of all the lands that we are on today. While we meet today on a virtual platform, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the importance of the lands, which we each call home. We do this to reaffirm our commitment and responsibility in improving relationships …more

Opportunities to disaffiliate from the Upper New York Conference

September 20, 2022 / By The Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Assistant to the Bishop and UNY Director of Connectional Ministries

During the upcoming session of the Upper New York Annual Conference (October 6-8), the Conference will receive its first requests from local churches to disaffiliate from the Conference under ¶2553 of the Book of Discipline. To be eligible to disaffiliate, a church must deposit with the Conference treasurer, all fees stipulated in the disaffiliation agreement at least one week prior to the start of Annual Conference. A complete listing of …more

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day

September 19, 2022 / By Sharon Schmit, CONAM

Often a holiday weekend is just an extra day off from work. We forget what the day is marking. This is not true for many Native Americans when Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday each October. Columbus, like other explorers of his time, operated under the Doctrine of Discovery, a series of Papal Bulls issued by the church in the 1500s which gave explorers permission to claim the …more

The Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood and the Rev. Kolvik-Campbell upcoming installation services

September 14, 2022 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

In January 2022, Upper New York (UNY) Area Resident Bishop, Mark J. Webb, announced his intention to appoint the Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood to the Southern Tier Region and assigned as Superintendent of the Mountain View District and the Rev. Robert Kolvik-Campbell to the Southern Tier Region and assigned as Superintendent of the Binghamton and Oneonta Districts. The appointments were effective July 1, 2022. Rev. Dr. Rood replaces the Rev. Dr. Jeff McDowell …more

Steve Hustedt to leave role as Director of Communications

September 14, 2022 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

After serving as the Upper New York (UNY) Director of Communications for more than nine years, Steve Hustedt will be leaving his role to become the top communicator for the College of Science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “I have greatly valued my time with the Upper New York Conference and the United Methodist Church as a whole,” Steve said. “And I especially value all …more

A Day of Truth and Repentance for Our Children 2022

September 13, 2022 / By Sharon Schmit, CONAM

(Editor’s Note: The following is excerpted from a letter that Sharon Schmit wrote to be mailed to local church representatives for CONAM. We will also be using the prayer and liturgy as part of the CONAM video for Annual Conference 2022. Long before and since the release of the Department of Interior’s initial report on boarding schools, there has been much focus on the devastating impacts of …more

The Rev. Dr. Pam Harris hired as Interim Executive Director of UNY CRM

September 13, 2022 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

For the past two-and-a-half years, the Rev, Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Upper New York (UNY) Director of Connectional Ministries and Executive Assistant to the Bishop, has also served as acting director of the UNY Camp & Retreat Ministries (CRM). Throughout this time and for many years prior, the Rev. Dr. Pam Harris, founder and director of Run River Enterprises, has resourced UNY CRM as well as the CRM in UNY’s …more

Autism Friendly Family Camp pilot a success

September 7, 2022 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Rainy weather did not stop 10 children and seven parents from thoroughly enjoying the inaugural Autism-Friendly Family Camp at Upper New York’s Aldersgate Camp & Retreat Center, which took place  Aug. 21-24. This camp was the brainchild of the Rev. Emily Huyge, pastor at First Geneva United Methodist Church. She wanted her seven-year-old son Jacob, who has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), to be able to experience a …more

Jonesville UMC recognizes National Recovery Month

September 6, 2022 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

National Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible. Jonesville UMC’s STAHL (Stigma takes away hope and life) committee has a lot of great happenings to celebrate recovery …more