news stories
What to expect at the 2017-2018 District Days
August 18, 2017 / By
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb will be visiting each of the Districts in the Upper New York Conference during his 2017-2018 District Days tour. The theme of the tour will be “A Way Forward.” This year’s District Days is set up in such a way that will facilitate active discussion. In each District, conversations will be had in small groups based on …more
Rowing toward shore after my husband’s death
August 15, 2017 / By By Jan Rothfuss
My husband’s death was not completely unexpected but I was holding on to the thought that we would be together a while longer. After all, he had survived his initial bought with cancer in 2013 and 2014 was a great year, including the birth of our first grandchild and a road trip together out to Colorado. But in June of 2015, he was called home. While I had experienced the death …more
Laity District Days locations announced
August 14, 2017 / By
Bishop Mark J. Webb has announced the following dates for the District Days with the Bishop coming in the fall of 2017 and the spring of 2018. Locations for the event have now been confirmed for each District as follows: Mountain View – 9/7 @ Avoca UMC Cornerstone -9/17 @ Christ First, Jamestown Finger Lakes - 9/26 @ Seneca Falls UMC Niagara Frontier – 10/3 @ Harris Hill UMC Albany – 10/5 @ Shenendehowa UMC Adirondack – 10/19 @ Queensbury UMC Oneonta – 10/30 @ …more
God’s strength throughout my life
August 14, 2017 / By Rev. Rhonda Kouterick, Horseheads UMC
When have I had to trust that God is enough? When haven't I? And when haven't you? Here are some times throughout my life when I have trusted that God is enough: It was when I went off to seminary with a sleeping bag and $75 in my pocket with no guaranteed place to stay and thinking I could buy what books I needed for the semester; The housing …more
Upper New York Conference offers a grant through The Trust Agreement of the late Ercil Cady
August 14, 2017 / By UNY Communications
The Cady Grant is available to UNY individual United Methodists, local UM churches, or District and Conference ministry teams. Priority shall be given to educational proposals that benefit African Americans or Native Americans. This year's applications are due August 21, 2017 with notification by September 1, 2017. The proposal must demonstrate: 1. The education/ministry/program/event is faith based. 2. A direct benefit …more
From the desk of Bishop Mark J. Webb: Response to Charlottesville
August 14, 2017 / By Bishop Mark J. Webb
Bishop Mark Webb has shared the following Response to Charlottesville: Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Having just returned this morning from some time away with limited access to news, my heart breaks upon reading the reports of what occurred in Charlottesville, VA on Saturday, August 12th. This is evil fully manifested. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we must stand strongly against this kind of hate and …more
Register now for Sept. 15-16 Annual UMM Gathering
August 9, 2017 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This year's UMM's Annual Gathering at Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center takes place on Sept. 15-16. With the theme Revival, the Rev. Mark Lubbock is the keynote speaker and exciting music will be performed by Mark Jones and Eric Schele. Rev. Lubbock is the CEO of the non-profit men's ministry "Gulf South Men" headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA, serving Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Gulf South Men …more
2017 UNY Conference Journal Directory now available for purchase
August 9, 2017 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The 2017 Upper New York Conference Journal Directory is now available. This directory contains up-to-date contact information of all UNY churches, clergy, members to Annual Conference, and surviving spouses for the 2017 Upper New York Annual Conference Session. There are two ways to receive the Journal Directory: Click here to purchase a hard copy from online publisher Lulu.com OR click here for free downloadable PDF version on Issuu. If you …more
Southern Sudan Health Project: Saving lives with health education
August 2, 2017 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor’s Note: This is a story of the Southern Sudan Health Project, a project that resulted from collaboration between United Methodist Churches in Central New York and the Lost Boys (Read about one of them here). The Lost Boys are a group of refugees from Southern Sudan, many who were granted help to resettle in the United States between 2000 and 2001. When this project started in 2005, Southern Sudan was …more
How God provided for Lost Boy Majer Kuon
August 2, 2017 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Today’s headlines about South Sudan provide a glimpse of the struggles that the Southern Sudanese people face today. Civil war casualties. Famine. Attacks on aid workers. South Sudan (which was a part of Sudan until 2011) has a long history of struggle. Colonized by the British in the 1940s, Sudan became independent in 1956. However, conflict immediately grew between the Northern part of Sudan (and the Sudanese government) and the …more