news stories Tagged “Imagine No Racism”
We laughed, we pushed, we dreamed about the plans God has for us
August 24, 2022 / By Georgia Whitney, CCORR member
The Upper New York Conference CCORR Team gathered at Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center on July 28th for prayer and conversation about where we go from here as we partner with the Holy Spirit and the people of the Upper New York UMC to dismantle racism. We laughed; we pushed; we dreamed about the plans God has for us. First, we took time to celebrate the accomplishments of the last …more
Reminder regarding New York State required annual training for sexual harassment prevention
April 11, 2022 / By Tracy Rickett, UNY Human Resources Generalist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This is a reminder that every employer in New York State is required to provide employees with sexual harassment prevention training on an annual basis. Sexual Harassment Prevention Training New York State Law requires that employers of one or more employees must conduct sexual harassment prevention training for all employees on an annual basis. The employer can decide the timing of the annual training (calendar year, anniversary date, or any …more
From the Desk of Bishop Webb: Praying for Ukraine this Lenten season
March 2, 2022 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The following was sent to the Upper New York Conference on March 2, 2022 from Bishop Mark J. Webb. Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Many of us in congregations throughout Upper New York will hear the words of “An Invitation to the Observance of Lenten Discipline.” Some of those words in that invitation are as follows: “I invite you, therefore, in the …more
Important dates for 2022
January 19, 2022 / By UNY Communications
Every January, we announce important dates for the year. As the COVID pandemic makes it difficult to know how the future will unfold, the dates related to Annual Conference are tentative and updates will be announced should there by any changes. Feb. 28: Final date to update statistics in Ezra system March 1: Deadline for submission of petitions and resolutions (from individuals, churches and unofficial bodies of UNY) as well as deadline …more
Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood and Rev. Bob Kolvik-Campbell to become District Superintendents
January 17, 2022 / 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. Dr. Sherri Rood, pastor at Penfield United Methodist Church, will be appointed to the Southern Tier Region and assigned as Superintendent of the Mountain View District. …more
CCORR Celebrates Preaching to Dismantle Racism
May 11, 2021 / By Conference Commission on Religion & Race
In early 2020, a team of CCORR members invited submissions for a juried Preaching Contest. Designed to elicit and share creative excellence in our collective struggle to uproot racism from our church, this contest yielded some wonderful submissions. We are pleased to announce that Rev. Ewart Morris won the contest with his entry “Unity is God’s Idea.” Beginning with the intimate words of the apostle Paul, &ldquo …more
The grace to admit fragility
April 27, 2021 / By Rev. Marti Swords-Horrell
“The Lord said to me, “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.” So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power can rest on me. Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, …more
Black History Jeopardy
February 16, 2021 / By Rev. Holly Strickland and Georgia Whitney, Conference Commission on Religion and Race
Knowledge equals power and understanding! As we move through Black History Month, here's a fun way to deepen and enrich your knowledge of African American history. You might do this as a team event—or just to increase your familiarity on a variety of African American topics. Think of it as Black History Jeopardy! 1.) Question: Who was the first black woman to travel in space? Answer:: Dr. Mae …more
What is “White Privilege?”
February 10, 2021 / By Georgia Whitney, Conference Commission on Religion & Race
Have you ever gone to a shopping mall and been followed or harassed by a security guard? Have you ever been refused a loan even when you had a strong credit rating? How about being assumed guilty when accused of a crime? Me neither. That's because, as a white person, I have an unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits, and choices bestowed on me just because I' …more
Systemic vs Institutional Racism
January 13, 2021 / By Georgia Whitney, Conference Commission on Religion & Race
When did you last use an offensive term referring to someone of another race? Refuse to sit next to a person at church whose skin color is different from yours? Told a racist joke? It's probably been a while—or maybe you've never done these kinds of things. Because as Christians, that's just not how we behave. And in the U.S., that's how …more