news stories
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
Getting Ready for Annual Conference 2018: Clergy Session and Laity Session
March 20, 2018 / By Shannon Hodson
Clergy Session and Laity Session for the 2018 Annual Conference will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday May 30 at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Clergy must check in at the registration table before heading to their session. The Clergy Session is a time for the clergy to come together for brief worship, and to fulfill the Book of Discipline responsibilities. The primary purpose of …more
Reflection of my Mission of Peace trip to Cuba
March 19, 2018 / By Madeline Klein, Baker Memorial UMC
I didn’t quite know what to expect from the Mission of Peace to Cuba. A few people I know had traveled to Cuba not long ago and from the descriptions they gave me, I envisioned dirty streets, people dancing, old cars, and colorful houses. While most of these expectations proved correct, there is so much more to Cuba than what they saw as tourists. They saw the outside …more
Imagine No Racism initiative launches April 21, 2018
March 19, 2018 / By Upper New York Communications Team
Imagine No Racism (INR) is a ministry of the Upper New York Conference, in response to the Call to Action Resolution of the Northeastern Jurisdiction in July of 2016, to engage in the work of eliminating racism. INR seeks to raise consciousness and increase conversation and ministry at the local church level through a multi-year, small group approach. The goal of INR is to increase conversations on and awareness of racism …more
Blaney sisters celebrate 100th birthdays
March 14, 2018 / By Pastor Ken Blume, Apulia UMC
Three sisters, Ruth Smith, 102 years; Marion Rakov, 101 years, and Louise Henderson who turned 100 today, March 14, 2018, will be celebrating their centennial birthdays together with an upcoming family gathering and dinner. They are the daughters of the late John and Pearle Squire Blaney of Apulia Station, NY. They account for their longevity to being raised in the country and working on the family dairy farm, plus never smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. …more
My faith transformation during my Mission of Peace trip to Cuba
March 12, 2018 / By Gavin Hill, Eden United Methodist Church
Editor’s Note: The Mission of Peace (MOP) is a yearly journey of discovery and shalom to nations in our global community sponsored by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Council on Youth Ministries of The United Methodist Church. The most recent MOP trip was to Cuba, Dec. 28, 2017-Jan. 12, 2018. Fourteen youth went on the trip, of which four were from Upper New York. The day before we left for Cuba, I felt …more
Social Holiness Concerns: Promoting Human Rights for all, especially children
March 6, 2018 / By Karen Peterson, Task Force of Peace with Justice in Palestine/Israel
Israel is the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes children in military courts, with approximately 500 to 700 children entering Israeli military detention system in a year. UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) has repeatedly called upon Israel to end night arrests and ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children in military detention. On November 14, 2017, legislation was introduced in the US Congress entitled Promoting Human Rights by Ending …more