news stories
Deepen your relationship with God through spiritual formation and direction
April 10, 2018 / By UNY Communications
Whether you are a lay person or clergy member, how is your spiritual walk? What can you do to improve it? How can you recognize God in all the complexities of life, not just those “holy” moments, but in the questions and struggles as well? Upper New York (UNY) has spiritual directors who can help you in spiritual formation and spiritual direction. Spiritual formation is the …more
ERT and VIM volunteers put forth amazing effort at Hogansburg UMC
April 9, 2018 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ten Upper New York Conference Early-Response Team members (ERT) and Volunteers-in-Mission (VIM) team members (two from the Crossroads District, one from the Albany District, and seven from the Northern Flow District) came together on April 2 and April 3 to begin restoration of the Hogansburg UMC, which is on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in the Northern Flow District. The church was damaged by flood waters of the St. Regis River in …more
Social Holiness Concerns: Conscience of the Conference
April 3, 2018 / By Rev. Marti Swords-Horrell, pastor, Emmaus United Methodist Church, Albany
Many of us remember where we were on April 4, 1968 when the nation was shaken to its core by the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee. I remember that tragic day very well, but also conversations at our family’s table the previous fall concerning the criticism Dr. King was receiving for his opposition to the Vietnam War, and the connections he was making …more
Getting Ready for Annual Conference 2018: Offerings
April 3, 2018 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
For this year’s Annual Conference held May 30-June 2 at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, there will be five offerings collected. The first two offerings will be collected during the laity and clergy sessions on Wednesday evening May 30. The Clergy Care Fund offering will be taken at the clergy session and a Helping Hands Fund offering will concurrently be taken at the laity session. The …more
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