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

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 will be held on Monday, July 1 at 1 PM at Dannemora UMC located at 82 Clark St. in Dannemora. 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 keep the family of George Ezekiel in your prayers. George, 82, died on June 14. He is survived by his wife Olive, two sons and four grandchildren. Click here to read George's obituary. A celebration of George's life was held at Albany: McKownville UMC, their home church, on June 24.

Please continue to keep Lyn Moon in your prayers. Lyn is now home and recuperating after being hospitalized for some time. Lyn serves as the Superintendency Administrative Assistant for the Niagara Frontier and Cornerstone Districts. Some of you may have met Lyn at the Annual Conference at the check-in table. She is one of Carrie's colleagues.



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

A joy: Rev. Bob Long is traveling to Africa University!

A few weeks back, unbeknownst to him, we put out an appeal for donations to send Rev. Bob Long to Africa University as part of the UNY pilgrimage in Feb. 2025. Bob has been a long-time supporter of Africa University, biking to annual conferences 19 times over the years, including twice to Burlington, VT and three times to Syracuse, to raise funds for the University. Because of Bob's current financial reality, he would not have been able to make the trip in February. Due to a huge outpouring of support, Bob will be on the plane headed for Africa in February!!!

Bob sends this message to all who sent donations, words of support and prayer:

Surprised. Appreciative. Humbled. Grateful. These words describe my response to the gracious generosity that has made my trip to Africa University possible. I have found significant purpose in interpreting and assisting Africa University as I have been able since 1992. Now I will see this magnificent collaborative venture at first hand.  In the fullness of Shalom. Bob Long

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/

Many clergy and congregations embark on a new season of new appointments

In this season of change, United Methodist churches are saying goodbye to retiring pastors while eagerly anticipating new leadership. Dr. Brian Mitchell from Shenendehowa UMC in Clifton Park and Brenda Morrow from the Eastern Parkway UMC in Schenectady, both in the Albany District, share their personal and congregation's experiences. These experiences underscore the Methodist tradition's resilience and commitment to renewal, embracing each new appointment with hope and resolve.

Read the story

Join Together in Prayer!

Are you a dreamer who sees beyond barriers to envision the impossible? Despite challenges, God's transformative power continues through us. What dream has God placed in your soul? Watch as Rev. Debbie Earthrowl, Albany & Adirondack District Superintendent, talks about the courage to dream anew in this month's Together in Prayer. Join us in discovering the courage to dream anew in faith.

Find more resources here: https://www.unyumc.org/resources/together-in-prayer

Stewardship with Rev. Susan Ranous

Today's article focuses on "In-kind Donations." Looking to your congregation and their expertise and their time could be a way to cover the cost of services that you would otherwise have to pay for. Suggestions include: (a) asking a CPA in your congregation to help with accounting; (b) volunteer receptionists and file clerks; (c) a volunteer group that could do groundskeeping chores around the church; (d) people who might be willing to paint a room in the church. Click here to read more. And you can sign up for her blog.

Laundry ministry fosters community bonds

PHOENIX, N.Y. — Phoenix UMC’s Loads of Love Laundry Mission offers support by providing free laundry services to those in need while also fostering community bonds. A video produced by the UNY Conference explores the impact of the program, highlighting personal stories, the challenges overcome and the community’s role in supporting one of life’s basic necessities.

Watch video

Archives and History

Bishop Oliveto to chair

LGBTQ+ heritage center

MADISON, N.J. — Bishop Karen Oliveto will chair the Center for LGBTQ+ United Methodist Heritage, set to be launched in October. Oliveto, who leads the Mountain Sky Conference, is set to retire as bishop this year. The new center was announced May 2 at General Conference. “The voices, ministries and witness of my queer siblings in Christ — who for far too long have been silenced and cast aside — are examples of the stories we will intentionally collect, preserve and share through the Center for LGBTQ+ United Methodist Heritage,” said Ashley Boggan D., the top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Read press release

Learn more

All that General Conference passed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — United Methodist News has assembled a chart of all the legislation that this year’s historic General Conference moved forward. The chart includes brief summaries of what the legislation does and when its takes effect.

Read story and see chart

ResourceUMC: Effective dates for legislation

Beyond the Horizon

While walking along the shore in Maine this scene captured my attention.

There is a simple beauty to the image which to me also invokes a feeling of looking out at the vast ocean waiting for a loved one to return home or of wishing one could leave everything behind and explore what lies beyond the horizon.

We long to know what lies beyond our current situation, eager for a new adventure or fearful of what lies ahead. God through the prophets and finally in the person of Jesus seeks to assure that we need not fear what the future holds. In the words of Psalm 23, even if we walk in the valley of the shadow of death itself, we need not fear for God is with us and will see safely through. The resurrection of Jesus assures us that the grave is not the end. In the words of Charles Wesley hymn “made like him, like him we rise.”

God continues to speak to us through the accounts of God’s interactions of individuals recorded in Scripture, the words of hymns, worship services, and directly to us in those moments when we make room for him through meditation.

If you need some direction for forms of meditation that help you make room for God, I would encourage you to check out some of the resources on the internet, including the United Methodist devotional site www.upperroom.org or those offered by The Upper New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church at www.unyumc.org/ministries/spiritual-life . You can find personal assistance by speaking to the head of your local Faith Community.

Today’s photo was taken in Maine on 4/8/2010.

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.