news stories
The four Sundays of Advent
November 16, 2016 / By UNY Communications
The season of Advent is celebrated over four Sundays in The United Methodist Church – this year, those Sundays are Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, 11, and 18. The season begins four Sundays before Christmas, ending at sundown on Christmas Eve. The end of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical or church year for Christians. During Advent, United Methodists prepare for and anticipate the coming of Christ. “We remember the longing of …more
How Ministry Shares support young people at the local level: The UNY Conference Media Center
November 15, 2016 / By Tasha Gottschalk-Fielding
While Conference Ministry Shares fund youth and young adult outreach on a national and even global level, the ministry provided by churches’ connectional giving also returns to the youth of the churches themselves. A key example of this level of ministry is the Conference’s Media Resource Center in Endicott. which lends resources to youth and young adult groups in churches all across the Conference. Diane Miner, the …more
My reflections on the Leadership Institute 2016
November 15, 2016 / By Pastor Alicia Wood
Our Upper New York Annual Conference session three-day meeting in spring 2016 included a three-part learning time with Adam Hamilton, the lead church planter of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan. He started this church 26 years ago, and now it has four sites/campuses. The church is so generous that it hosts a Leadership Institute annually, sharing what the congregation has learned as they planted and grown …more
The Connection: What Ministry Shares mean for the local churches
November 14, 2016 / By Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding
When I started serving as the UNY Conference’s Director of Connectional Ministries, it wasn’t long before I was asked, “so what do we get from the Conference?” This question, asked by both clergy and laity, usually came up in a discussion about shared ministry payments and conference budgets. Heard in the wrong way, it could sound like a consumer demanding a vendor …more
What not to buy for Christmas (or anytime)
November 11, 2016 / By Merle Showers, Upper New York Task Force on Peace with Justice in Palestine/Israel
In 2015, we as an Annual Conference voted to divest in several companies that were doing business in Israel that supported the occupation of Palestine. HP (Hewlett Packard) was one of those companies, because it supports Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its people by supplying some of the security equipment/technology to control the Palestinian people. Our General Board of Pensions (now Wespath) has worked very hard to …more
From the desk of Bishop Mark J. Webb: Why Ministry Shares matter
November 8, 2016 / By Bishop Mark J. Webb
Editor's Note: The fall 2016 issue of the Advocate reveals the UMC Connection and how Ministry Shares spark change locally and around the world. Here is an excerpt of Bishop Mark J. Webb's article. See the full article in the print copy of the UNY Advocate/2016/Issue 4 (coming out the third week in November). United Methodists accomplish big things together. That is true around the world and it is …more
UNY represented at NAMC Annual Meeting
November 8, 2016 / By UNY Communications
Wheeling, West Virginia, hosted the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Jurisdictional Native American Ministries Committee (NAMC) on Oct. 6 – 8. Upper New York was proudly represented by Kae Wilbert, chair of the Upper New York Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM), and Sharon Schmit, member of CONAM and newly elected treasurer of the NEJ NAMC. CONAMs throughout the Jurisdiction gathered to connect with resource representatives who work in Native Ministries, receive …more
Respite program for families with autistic children aims to foster more community, less isolation
November 3, 2016 / By Kathleen Christiansen
The Autism Society of the Greater Capital Region recently received a $5,000 seed grant from the New York State Caregiving & Respite Coalition to begin a respite program for families with autistic children. The society is currently working with United Methodist churches in the Albany area to get the program up and running. The Rev. Alan Kinney, pastor at the Eastern Parkway UMC in Schenectady and on the Autism Society&rsquo …more
Council of Bishops to call for 2019 General Conference
November 2, 2016 / By Diane Degnan / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
St. Simons Island, Ga.: Through an affirmative vote at their fall meeting this week, the United Methodist Council of Bishops expressed their intent to call for a special session of the General Conference in either February or March of 2019 and asked the business manager of the General Conference to move forward with exploring venues and a bid search. The Constitution of The United Methodist Church provides that the …more
Holy Land Journey with Bishop Webb scheduled for January 2018
November 1, 2016 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Join Bishop Mark J. Webb and his wife, Jodi Webb, on an 11-day trip (January 9-19, 2018) to the Holy Land through Educational Opportunities Tours. This journey will deepen your experience and bring to life the Scriptures. You will have the opportunity to explore Jericho and Qumran; Bethlehem; Caesarea, Mount Carmel, and Megiddo; The Galilee; Cana, Nazareth, Samaria, and Jacob’s Well; Jerusalem; and Ein Karem, Nebi Samuel, Emmaus, and …more