News Stories from June 2023
New Superintendency Administrative Assistant structure to begin July 1
June 14, 2023 / By UNY Communications
As previously announced, United Methodists of Upper New York will begin a new structure for District Superintendents and District Administrative Assistants (AAs) on July 1, 2023. Each of the six District Superintendents (DSes) will serve two Districts and each will have an Administrative Assistant. Additionally, all District AAs will transition to working remotely (within the next six months) and collaboratively with one another. The phone numbers and emails for the District offices …more
Save the Date: August 17 United Methodist Friends Night at the Ballpark
June 13, 2023 / By UNY Communications
The year, Syracuse United Methodist Ministries (SUMM) will be sponsoring our 43rd annual United Methodist Family and Friends Night at the Ballpark scheduled for Thursday, August 17 at 6:35pm-Syracuse Mets vs. Columbus Clippers, Ohio. There will be no tailgate party this year. Like last year, we will have 200-level assigned seats (not 300-level benches). We will gather on the field at 6.15 pm to sing the National Anthem from Home Plate, and …more
Upcoming Safe Sanctuaries Trainings for the rest of 2023
June 12, 2023 / By UNY Communications
The Upper New York Conference is offering the upcoming Safe Sanctuaries® training opportunities. Registration for each event opens one month prior to the training date. If you have questions, email safesanctuaries@unyumc.org. Click here for a flyer with all details. …more
Proposed 2024 Budget Approved at Annual Conference
June 12, 2023 / By Tara Barnes, Director of Denominational Relations, United Women in Faith
On June 2, the proposed 2024 Ministry Share Budget was presented to the 2023 Upper New York Annual Conference by Holly Roush, chair of the Upper New York Conference Council on Finance and Administration. “Since we last met, CFA has continued to be very active. We have created the 2024 budget, formulated a plan to pay for the Child Victims Act settlements and legal fees, revised our 2022 spending plan, and worked to ensure …more
Board of Trustees Reports to Annual Conference
June 12, 2023 / By Tara Barnes, Director of Denominational Relations, United Women in Faith
The Upper New York Conference Board of Trustees presented its 2023 report to the Annual Conference on Thursday June 1. The Rev. Pamela Klotzbach, president of the board, presented an overview of the board’s work, which includes the purchase, sale, and maintenance of Conference-owned properties, conference legal matters, the disaffiliation process, and managing and selling church buildings that have closed. The Trustees also manage the Conference’s master insurance …more
Laity celebrated at Annual Conference 2023
June 6, 2023 / By Tara Barnes, Director of Denominational Relations, United Women in Faith
Lay members to the 14th gathering of the Upper New York Annual Conference attended the Conference laity session held June 1 at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York. Conference Lay Leader Jessica White welcomed laity to the gathering and named the session’s speakers. The Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding then introduced Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, resident bishop of the Pittsburgh Episcopal Area and interim bishop of the Harrisburg Episcopal Area, who …more
Petition and Resolutions results at the 2023 Upper New York Annual Conference
June 6, 2023 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Discussions and voting for the petitions and resolutions brought to the 2023 Upper New York (UNY) Annual Conference session took place on June 3, 2023. The Conference petitions can be found on pages 31-53 of the 2023 Pre-Conference Workbook except for UNYAC2023.11, which can be found in the updates to the Journal addendum page on the Conference website. Of the 11 petitions, only four were voted on because time expired …more
Retirees honored and appointments named
June 6, 2023 / By Tara Barnes, Director of Denominational Relations, United Women in Faith
Retiring clergy were recognized and appointments were named at the Service of Passage on the final day of the 2023 Upper New York Annual Conference. The Rev. Mike Weeden, Dean of the Cabinet and District Superintendent of the Northern Flow District, opened the service by thanking retirees for their years of ministry. “The world and the church have always needed faithful ones who answered the call. Thank you, retirees, …more
The Leadership Report inspires collaboration at AC2023
June 2, 2023 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The United Methodists of Upper New York (UNY) Leadership Report was presented during the afternoon plenary at the 2023 UNY Annual Conference. Jessica White, Conference Lay Leader, presented the laity portion and the Rev. Mike Weeden, Northern Flow District Superintendent and Dean of the Cabinet, presented the Superintendency portion. Jessica White used the term claity to describe collaborative ministries between clergy and laity that work to discover, develop, and deploy Christ-following …more
Board of Pension & Health Benefits report presented and two recommendations carried at AC2023
June 2, 2023 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Rev. Sara Baron presented the Board of Pension & Health Benefits report during the June 2 afternoon plenary at the Upper New York (UNY) Annual Conference. She spoke of the increasing cost of healthcare. She said, “Moving into 2023, there was an increase in cost of 12 percent. That is a concerning amount, one that we did not think either churches or participants could absorb. The increased cost to churches was 3 …more