news stories
Special session of Annual Conference announced for Sept. 6 and 7, 2014
July 22, 2014 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Aug. 29, 2014 Update: special Session (Sept. 6 & 7) indefinitely postponed Upper New York Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb has announced the postponement of the special session of the Upper New York Annual Conference at all three locations. The special session was originally scheduled for Sept. 6 and 7 at Rush UMC, Liverpool UMC and Saratoga Springs UMC. Negotiations between the Conference Board of Trustees and the seller of the proposed building at 7481 Henry Clay …more
Feeding the spirit: Summer Lunch Wagon ministry a success
July 16, 2014 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Susan Hardy, Reaching Our Neighbors Ministry Oversight Team (RON MOT) member, has toured some of the ministries that received grants in RON MOT's 2013 round of funding. In this story, she recounts her visit to Schenectady Inner City Ministry's Summer Lunch Wagon. Until I toured some of the Schenectady Inner City Ministry's (SICM) outreach programs, I didn't realize that a pastor could be employed full-time outside …more
Certified Lay Ministers: Laity called and connected
July 2, 2014 / By Beth DiCocco / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
They provide pulpit supply, pastoral leadership and staff support in cooperative parishes. Harrisville UMC in the Northern Flow District hosted a special service and lunch to celebrate a new class of Certified Lay Ministers, who often serve churches that could not otherwise afford a pastor. They lead Bible study, VBS, and children's and older adult ministries. They perform funerals and make hospital or nursing home visits. They are Certified …more
AC 14 supports resolutions by Africa 360
June 4, 2014 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Rev. Craig French, pastor at the University UMC in Syracuse, presented the resolutions of the Africa 360 Task Force, the purpose of which Rev. French described as the chance to "weave together two great causes:" the Africa University Scholarship Endowment Fund and Imagine No Malaria. Resolution 1 reads: "That the Upper New York Annual Conference reaffirms its commitment to …more
New initiative seeks to encourage young clergy
May 9, 2014 / By Beth DiCocco / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A new initiative in Upper New York geared toward increasing the number of young United Methodist clergy is one of 29 programs to receive grants from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Young Clergy Initiative. The grants totaled $1.36 million. The Upper New York Camp and Retreat Ministries Young Clergy Initiative (UNYCRM YCI) was the only Camp and Retreat Ministry in the denomination to be selected; it was …more
Bronze markers honor deceased clergy
March 20, 2014 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Upper New York Commission on Archives and History is reviving a tradition of honoring clergy who have died by presenting their families with a bronze grave marker. The policy adopted by the commission in 2013 reads: “It shall be the policy of the Upper New York Annual Conference Commission on Archives and History to present to every deceased pastor’s family (with) a bronze grave marker in recognition …more
Bishop names two new District Superintendents
January 24, 2014 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb is pleased to announce the appointment of two new District Superintendents. The Rev. Nancy Adams, director of the Caring Covenant Cooperative Parish and pastor at Newark Valley UMC, will be Superintendent of the Mountain View District. The Rev. Jeffrey McDowell, pastor at Centenary UMC in Bath, will be Superintendent of the Finger Lakes District. The appointments are effective July 1, 2014. “Both …more
Retired pastor and his wife embark on ‘year of adventures’
January 16, 2014 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Rev. Roy Hansen, retired (pictured above in Tanzania), and his wife, Valerie Brown, have embarked on what they've called their "year of adventures." In July 2012, they biked 275 miles across Michigan. In August, the couple sold their home in Corning and headed to St. Jean Pied de Port, France, where they began a 300-mile pilgrimage known as The Way of St. James or El Camino de Santiago. Legend holds …more
How do clergy appointments get made?
June 19, 2013 / By Bishop Mark J. Webb
The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church gives the responsibility for appointment-making to the bishop and district superintendents of the Annual Conference. While appointment-making is a task that happens year-round, the majority of appointments are made during the months of January through May, and then “fixed” at the Session of Annual Conference. The rhythm of making an appointment seems to be a mystery to …more