Media Resource Center Newsletter
February 2021
Media Resource Center now partially open
The Media Resource Center began lending and accepting back overdue resources on Aug. 1. Please check to see if you have any items taken out prior to March 2020. These items should be returned to us as soon as possible. With Pastors moving to other churches and Bible studies put on hold, we need to try to locate all resources and have them returned before they are forgotten.

If you need to readjust return dates, please contact Karen Campolieto, Media Resource Coordinator and Archives Assistant. The Media Center will not be available for personal pick-up, but you can mail materials until further notice as our offices are closed to the public.
Spiritual decluttering: A fresh start for a new year
One of the wonderful things about each new year is that it brings with it a sense of a new beginning, 365 days of promise and possibility.

Some use this time to bring freshness to their lives. You may decide to declutter the junk drawer, attic, or garage. It may also mean removing many of the sugars, fats, and carbohydrates from our diets.

As a United Methodist church member, parting with some things for a season, may help declutter your spiritual life. Doing so helps make room for a new movement of the Holy Spirit in the months to come.

What might you set aside in the next year? Click here for more.
Digital curriculum resources that are fresh, timely, and biblically based for your small groups from Cokesbury
Keep Your Community Connected - In an increasingly distracted world, facilitating authentic discipleship is more difficult than ever. Amplify helps church leaders equip their congregation with content to deepen their faith and foster community.

Connected Faith connects you with Scripture, with your community, and with God, offering daily readings for individuals and weekly lessons for small groups. Streaming videos available by subscription at amplifymedia.com. 

FaithLink— for small groups from college students to seniors—connects faith to the issues and events making headlines every day. Downloadable.

LinC helps teens examine relevant faith and life issues, using the latest music, movies, news, and current events. Downloadable. Click here for more information.

Also: Free digital resources for kids for you to share and use in your congregation. Click here for more information
New Lenten Resources
New for Lent! - Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today by Adam Hamilton - Nearly everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments, the list of "thou-shalt-nots" found in the Bible. Jesus saw these commandments not as onerous burdens, but as guideposts to help us experience a good and beautiful life.

In this book of Scripture and inspiration, bestselling author Adam Hamilton brings modern eyes to the most important set of ethics in history. He considers the commandments in their historical context, considering the meaning of each commandment in Hebrew, unpacking how Jesus reinterpreted them, and showing how every thou-shalt-not was intended to point to a life-giving "thou shalt." He also explores how the latest research in science and psychology illuminates these commandments, rightly understood, as a way of ordering one's life beautifully in the present day. In a culture marked by workaholism, materialism, and social media-driven envy, God has given us a time-tested path that leads to gratitude, confidence, and peace.

Plan and customize your Lenten study. The DVD includes short sessions on each commandment to combine in that way that fits your group and your schedule. Explore the Ten Commandments with Adam Hamilton as he teaches from locations in Egypt and The Nelson-Atkins Museum. The video sessions are approximately 10 minutes in length and, when combined with the book and available leader guide, can be customized to create a six-week Lenten study.

Click here to preview. Go to our  Online Catalog  to order  Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today K381= ,  then scroll down to choose the component(s) you wish to borrow and add to your shopping cart.
New! for Lent - Seven Words: Listening to Christ from the Cross by Susan Robb - While many of us naturally wish to avoid the reality of the cross, it's from the cross that Jesus speaks and shows his deepest love for us. It's from the cross that Jesus' full humanity draws us closest to him. It's from the cross, as Jesus breathes his last breath and speaks his last words, that his deep trust in the Father and his divine glory are revealed. Those who listen to Jesus' last words from the cross will discover what he most wants them (the world) to hear and will experience an intimate and divine awe only available to those who are willing to draw near his cross.

In Seven Words, Susan Robb looks at the seven last words of Christ on the cross through a lens that finds life and hope in his final sayings, while exploring each from a biblical and historical perspective. The book brings a hopeful and contemplative take on the cross during the weeks of Lent.

Chapters Include:

  • Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
  • Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.
  • Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother
  • My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
  • I thirst.
  • It is finished.
  • Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.

The six-session DVD features Susan Robb guiding participants through the study. The video sessions are approximately 10-12 minutes in length and, when combined with the six book chapters, make an ideal six-week group study. All videos sessions are closed captioned.

Click here to preview. Go to our  Online Catalog  to order Seven Words K383= ,  then scroll down to choose the component(s) you wish to borrow and add to your shopping cart.
New! for Lent - Savior: What the Bible Says About the Cross by Magrey deVega - The cross is the central symbol of the Christian faith. But what exactly did Jesus do to save us from our sins? Why was the cross necessary, and what does it mean for us today?

In Savior: What the Bible Says About the Cross, Magrey deVega faithfully describes the need for reconciliation between humankind and a holy God through Jesus' death on the cross. The Bible uses many images to understand the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection, and deVega guides us through these images to achieve a richer understanding of the Christian faith. By exploring the mystery of salvation through the cross, we can deepen our love for God and others and strengthen our commitment to follow Jesus

The six-session DVD features Magrey deVega guiding participants through the study. The video sessions are approximately 10-12 minutes in length and, when combined with the six book chapters, make an ideal six-week group study. All videos sessions are closed captioned.

Click here to preview. Go to our  Online Catalog  to order Savior: What the Bible Says about the Cross K387= ,  then scroll down to choose the component(s) you wish to borrow and add to your shopping cart.
If you have any suggestions for our format of the Media Resource Center newsletter or have ideas that we may include in the future, I'd love to hear from you. [email protected].
Upper New York Conference | 315-898-2027 | [email protected] | www.unyumc.org