Adirondack and Albany District Newsletter

Send us your news, events and classifieds: carrieboyer@unyumc.org

Saturday, July 6, 2024

District Office hours: Tuesdays through Saturdays; 8 AM to 5:30 PM except Thursdays, 8 AM to 2:30 PM. Call Carrie Boyer @ (518) 608-1246 or send an email to carrieboyer@unyumc.org

Please send all emails to carrieboyer@unyumc.org

The District phone is (518) 608-1246 and our mailing address is PO Box 511, Newtonville, NY 12128.

Our District Superintendent, the Rev. Debbie Earthrowl can be reached at (518) 391-3215 and debbieearthrowl@unyumc.org

Newsletter Format

We have combined the Adirondack and Albany newsletters. In order to shorten the body of the newsletter, there are two links to Local Church News:

Events/Announcements: Click here

Meals/Sales and Classifieds: Click here

Don't Miss Any Important News/Announcements from the Conference Office!

To ensure that you don't miss any important information,

please consider subscribing to the following:

Click here to subscribe to UNY Notes.

Click here to subscribe to the Weekly Digest

Click here to read the Weekly Digest published July 3.

Prayer concerns

Please keep the family and friends of Pastor Ted Trevail in your prayers. Ted, 71, died on June 25 after a brief illness. A funeral service was held on Monday, July 1 at Dannemora UMC. Click here to view Ted's obituary. Ted began his ministry in 2017 in the Upper New York Conference. He was appointed to Lyon Mountain Memorial UMC, and then late (2019) to Mooers UMC. He was currently serving these churches at the time of his death.

Please send us your prayer requests and joys! Send to carrieboyer@unyumc.org

Missionaries available to speak at your church in September

Is your congregation seeking to further immerse itself where God-made-known-in-Jesus is alive today?

A transforming experience for any congregation is to invest itself in an ongoing relationship with missionaries. Such lively and life-inspiring relationships offer an unique opportunity to experience faith and love with followers of Jesus of other cultures. The important preposition is “with.” We live in a world that is increasingly connected, multi-ethnic and interactive. Faith and love that immerse themselves within these God-given dimensions add a new dimension of the uniting, affirming and refreshing joy so greatly desired at this time. Following is a chance to take such a step.

Emmanuel Ufonna Mefor and his wife Florence Ogugua Mefor will be itinerating within the USA this year. They will be within UMUNY Conference from Sept. 20 through Sept. 25.

Dr. Emmanuel Ufonna Mefor is a medical doctor and missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church currently assigned to Old Mutare Missionary Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe. “God’s mission is being carried out through my work by the unending stream of patients being cared for physically, spiritually, and psychologically,” Emmanuel reflects. “God’s blessing is on this ministry as he expands its territory, one of which is improving and restoration of failing (eye)sights. His healing hands are making the patients well, which brings joy to everyone. To God be the Glory!”

Florence Ogugua Mefor is also a missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church assigned to Old Mutare Missionary Hospital, Harare Zimbabwe, utilizing her skills as a nurse mid-wife. “God’s mission is being carried out as numerous women and children are being cared for and given higher chances of survival,” she says. “My ministry is to help save lives, improve failing sights, and general well-being of patients."

The Mefors are willing to make themselves available to congregations that might wish to see what such and engagement might offer. Both have power point presentations and share personal experiences from their ministries and work. If you would like to schedule a time on Saturday, Sept. 21, Monday, Sept. 23, or Tuesday, Sept. 24, contact Bob Long, 518-423-7737; Bikealong2@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Bishop Hector Burgos Núñez announces clergy appointments

After the prayerful discernment of the Upper New York Cabinet, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez announced the following appointments on July 3. All appointments, unless otherwise noted, were effective July 1, 2024. Click here to view appointments. Click here to view appointments.

Preparing for the Fall "Rush" of visitiors

Are you ready for the fall rush? September in the Upper New York area is one of the biggest times of the year when people try out church for the first time. Many people try something new as the school year begins. Is your church doing something unique and creative to reach into your community in new ways? The UNY Conference Communications team want to know. Tell them all about it!

Click to Brag about your church

Click to View resources

US Supreme Court ruling puts focus on housing

PORTLAND, Ore. (UM News) — United Methodists see reason to increase their efforts to care for homeless people after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld ordinances that make sleeping outside a crime. Those efforts include building affordable housing on church property. The Greater Northwest Area, which includes the Oregon city where the Supreme Court case originated, has made housing a ministry focus.

Read story

Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference begins next week

The Northeastern Jurisdictional (NEJ) Conference gets underway in Pittsburgh with committee meetings starting on Monday, July 8. NEJ business doesn't begin until Wednesday, July 10. Jurisdictional conferences are typically held every four years to coincide with General Conference to elect and assign bishops and select members of general boards and agencies.

Please pray for UNY delegates as they continue to do important work for the conference and The United Methodist Church. Stay up-to-date with all the news by reading the Daily Christian Advocate, viewing the schedule, watching the livestream, and more. Click to Learn more

Explore UMC's 'School Showcase'

UMC.org’s School Showcase is a powerful tool that helps students learn about schools, seminaries, colleges, universities and other educational institutions that serve United Methodists.

Click here.

The Caring Congregation

Care Ministry webinar available

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The Caring Congregation, a nonprofit founded to help build effective care teams, is partnering with Lay Servant Ministries of The United Methodist Church to offer a National Care Ministry webinar July 12-13. The course covers topics including theological foundations of care, boundaries, visitation, care for the dying and establishing a culture of care in your church.

Explore New Opportunities in Mission Leadership!

Are you interested in leading a mission journey in your community or beyond? Join us for the UMVIM Team Leader Training on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Upper New York Conference Center in Liverpool. This intensive session, led by Ray Yarnell, NEJ Volunteers in Mission Coordinator, is designed for both new and seasoned mission leaders in the local church.

Key Topics Include:

Spiritual Leadership
Mission Safety and Health
Cultural Competency
Understanding Poverty
Types of Mission Service
What to Expect Before, During, and After Your Journey

By attending, you'll gain invaluable skills and insights to effectively lead mission trips, whether locally or internationally. Lunch and all training materials are provided.

Early bird registration is $15 until Aug. 31 After that, the price increases to $25. Register now at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/vimtraining/event/tlt /

Next Safe Sanctuary Training August 3 via zoom: Registration open

WHEN: Saturday, August 3, 9 AM to 12:30 PM via Zoom

WHAT: The goal of this course is reducing the risk of abuse. This basic course satisfies Upper New York's Minimum Standard that all adults who have regular and direct contact with children, youth and vulnerable adults are Safe Sanctuaries trained. Topics include the need for Safe Sanctuaries, types, and signs of abuse, recognizing signs of abuse and neglect, basic procedures in hiring/selecting workers, basic procedures in supervising workers and program participants, responding when abuse or neglect is disclosed or suspected, and reporting abuse.

(click the link below)

https://forms.gle/cPQab8xLeDisb6yr8

Click here to for more information on Safe Sanctuaries.

Click here to view the poster, which includes information on upcoming training dates, including "Train the Trainer.

We host a resident Christian summer camp where all youth from ages 6 to 18 are invited to spend a week or more at one of our exciting summer camp rograms. Click here to view the program offerings and to register.

Stewardship with Rev. Susan Ranous

Today's article focuses on creating a Stewardship Plan. Click here to read more. And you can sign up for her blog.

District Superintendent Rev. Debbie Earthrowl posts a daily devotional on Facebook

Click here to view today's devotion, which focuses on scripture from the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 15, where Jesus stresses the importance of being focused on God's true will for us and not just the letter or the law or tradition.

Debbie shares her devotion live on Facebook every morning.

JULY 6, 2024

To Know God

Filip Kharchanka (Estonia)

Link to Today's Devotional

READING FOR THE DAY

Matthew 23:23-24

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Praying and studying scripture bring me closer to God.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Thank you, Lord, for sending answers to our prayers that change our thinking and move us toward a fuller knowledge of who you are and how you call us to live. Amen.

Independence Day, 2024

Thursday had been for most a day for family get togethers, fireworks, and celebrating with pride this nation conceived under the proclamation “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of Independence).“

Generations have fought to preserve that right not just for this nation but also for individuals in distant lands, recognizing that we are all created in God’s image and interconnected in a myriad of ways.

During our celebration of our nation’s birth, we must also remember that not even great individuals are perfect. History is full of examples of individuals who in the name of patriotism have justified great evil. I believe the hope of our world lies not in seeking greatness for one’s nation but in allegiance to a God who offers forgiveness for our faults and calls us to love one another regardless of what nation we call home.

Inspired by God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul would proclaim: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).”

Today’s photo is of Fort Stanwix in Rome, New York taken on 8/27/2010. Fort Stanwix played a crucial role in the protection of the Northern Colonies during the Revolutionary War.

I have done more than 1,400 Daily Photo Devotions, most of which can be seen on my blog at Blog Posts – Daily Photo Devotions (wordpress.com).

Shalom,

David E. Smith, Pastor

Mayfield & Northampton at Fish House United Methodist Churches

Phone or Text: 518-572-4051

Email: revdavid76@gmail.com

You can find this and other devotions in my blog at www.adirondacksights.wordpress.com. You can also find more of my pictures on my web site www.revdavidimages.com.