Mohawk District E-newsletter for Churches and Pastors
December 16, 2020
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This is how God showed Love among us: By sending the one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
1 John 4:9 (NIV)
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Continue to show support: Assist those from
Remington Arms who have
lost their jobs through a District-wide Mission
(see letter from D.S. below)
- Send donations of any amount (payable to First UMC of New Hartford who is helping with the technical aspects of purchasing gift cards with the donations)
- Mail to: Mohawk District, 105 Genesee St., New Hartford, NY 13413
- Include cards expressing God's love and support for those unemployed
- By the deadline of Dec. 18
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To subscribe to the news-
letter, send us your email
address. To submit news
for this publication, send
it a minimum of eight
days in advance to:
District E-newsletters
To catch up on the latest,
past e-newsletters
are conveniently archived
on the Conference website at:
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District Prayer Focus
Week of December 20
Hamilton: Park UMC
and
Waterville UMC
Rev. Bryant Clark
Week of December 27
Bishop Webb
and
Upper NY Cabinet
Week of January 3
Rev. Bob Kolvik-Campbell
and
Mohawk District Committee on Ordained Ministry
the 2020-21 Prayer Calendar
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No District E-News December 23 |
The District Office is closed for vacations and the Christmas New Year's holidays. Messages will be checked. Christmas blessings to all! |
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District Christmas Mission
Over the past months we have seen some high highs and we have shared some low lows. I have been in awe as I’ve seen churches come together to hold each other up, reinventing how to be the church even in the hardest of times. The pain of separation from our loved ones, the anxieties of an unsure world, and the stress of a global
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pandemic are all very real. But like God leading Moses and God’s people through the desert, God is with us in our own desert moment leading us forward to what comes next. On the District Leadership Team we wonder, where might God be leading us? What is on the other side of this desert? Are there blessings to be had and shared along the way? We think so. In fact, we have all seen first hand how this unique moment demands us to collaborate to do ministry in new and collaborative ways. That’s why we have started to wonder what mission work might look like on a district level. Imagine if the whole of Mohawk district came together to truly share in the work God has called us to! Today I want to inform you of a mission opportunity that might act as a first step for us toward doing more collaborative work on a district level.
On October 25th, five hundred and eighty-five workers were laid off at the Remington factory in Ilion, NY right here in the Mohawk District. Our neighbors in Ilion were left with no severance pay and they had their paid vacation stripped away. It is surely a dark period for these folk, but can God show up in their lives? God can through us. The District Leadership Team in collaboration with a few at the New Hartford UMC are coordinating an effort to collect Christmas cards with messages of hope and well wishes for these workers--Let them know they are being prayed for and that they are not alone. Remind them that they are loved by God. We are also hoping to supply as many families as possible with a $25 gift card to Walmart. Just think, with a $100 donation, you can impact the lives of 4 families this Christmas season. We hope you will join us as a district as we surround these persons with love in their time of need. In mission, we may never be able to help all people but we can make a big difference for some. Cards and gift cards can be delivered to the Mohawk District office, 105 Genesee St., New Hartford, NY 13413. Checks can please be made out to New Hartford UMC and put “Remington” in the memo line. The church will help us account for all donated funds and get a check for all donations to purchase the gift cards. We hope to have these gifts collected by December 18th.
May God bless you all in this Advent season and may you see the light of Christ this Christmas.
Rev. Abel Roy, Superintendent
and
The Mohawk District Leadership Team
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UMC Offers Advent Devotions Each Week |
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Did you miss the Both/And learning experience to enhance
your worship? Catch up with the recording of the event!
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Both/And: Maximizing Hybrid Worship for Online &
In-Person Audiences with Jason Moore
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View the webinar at this link:
After you watch, please click this link for the evaluation:
Here's the corresponding handbook:
View this Webinar and:
· Better prepare for the rest of Advent and Christmas.
· View to prepare into the new year. Recorded webinar available for 90 days
for all in UNYAC!
· View webinar in the first 30 days to participate in a “town hall” style follow up
30 days after the webinar for people to gather, ask questions and share
ideas. Participants in that session can attend whether they attended the
live webinar or if they watched the recording.
· A 20 Page Handbook, extended Q & A.
Through this webinar churches large and small, technically savvy and challenged, are finding hope, inspiration, and great best practices for the next season of worship in their faith communities.
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Most of Oneida County in COVID-19 Micro-cluster
(NYS Yellow Color Zone)
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Read about this change and what it means for churches and businesses. Click here.
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Am I in a Micro-Cluster Area? |
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Lay Servant Courses - Open to All
The following courses are the 2020-2021 cycle for certification as Lay Servant or Lay Speaker. To register or for more information please contact the Arlene at adschmidt@nycap.rr.com. To view the brochure, click here.
Advanced Course: United Methodist Heritage
Thurs., Jan. 7, 14, 28: 6-9 p.m. and Sat. Jan. 23: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Basic Course: Basic Lay Servant (daytime course)
Each date is 9 a.m.- Noon. Tues., Jan. 19, Thurs., Jan. 21, Mon., Jan. 25,
and Wed., Jan. 27.
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15
Advanced Course: Preaching: From Your Hearts to Theirs
Course 1: Mondays, 6-9 pm: February 22, March 1st & 8; & Saturday March 13: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
OR
Course 2: Thursdays, 6-9 pm, February 25, March 4 & 11; & Saturday, March 20: 9-1 pm
ZOOM: Course Fee $15
Deadline for registration form and fee is February 8
Advanced Course: Leading Prayer
Wednesdays April 14, 21, May 5: 6-9pm
Saturday May 1: 9-1 pm
ZOOM: Course Fee: $15
For more information about Lay Servant Ministries, click here
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UMC Clergy Education Offering Courses for Credit in Jan./Feb. 2021
Jan. 7 - Creativity Hacks; Ideas to get your congregation unstuck and moving forward
Anne Bosarge. Click here to register or for information.
Jan. 14 - It Takes More Than a Sermon: Tips to Become a More Effective Preacher
Quincy Brown. Click here to register or for information.
Jan. 20 - Inspiring your congregation to take leaps of faith during these uncertain times
Rebekah Simon-Peter, Click here to register or for information.
Jan. 26 - Powerful Preaching During Lent and Easter
Bishop Sharma Lewis. Click here to register or for information.
Feb. 4 - The Difference the Cross Makes: Ideas and Tips for Preaching During Lent
Wil Cantrell. Click here to register or for information.
Feb. 9 - Developing Effective Communication to Grow Your Church
Kevin Slimp. Click here to register or for information.
Feb. 16 - Leadership Development in the Local Church
Ken Willard and Kelly Brown. Click here to register or for information.
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Pipe Organ Available to a Church
The Morning Star UMC has a large pipe organ that was taken out of the Mohawk UMC when they closed and is in our Frankfort church looking for a home with a church interested in a pipe organ. It is dissembled and available to a good home. It has two manuals (keyboards) and two peddles.
God Bless,
Pastor Joelle
Morning Star United Methodist Church (Ilion/Frankfort)
(315) 894-4093 (Ilion)
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Oneida County Executive Picente Advises COVID Recommendations Dec. 7 |
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Superintendent Abel Roy urges all Oneida County United Methodist Churches to follow recommendations.
- “Keep elementary students in at least a hybrid schedule with social distancing and mask-wearing and keep the classes spread out.
- Moving forward, the county will release the names of businesses, organizations and residents cited for violating public health guidelines.
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All governments, non-profits and organizations should cease in-person public meetings and meet virtually.
- Oneida County will continue to ensure that the county’s hospital systems have proper PPE.
- County government workforce will return to stricter procedures than in the spring, including working remotely.
- The county executive will create a vaccine workgroup that will focus on education and distribution of a vaccine.
Picente also urged employers to enforce mask orders, have employees tested routinely and allow for remote work if possible.
The county executive also called for residents to stay home when possible, wear a mask whenever they leave the house and not congregate with people outside their immediate household.”
Watch the news conference on the County Executive’s website. Click here:
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Visiting Mohawk District Office Suspended for Time Being
The Mohawk District Office is happy to assist you via phone/email.
The Mohawk District Office staff will be available
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
generally, via phone and email and limited in-person hours.
Call the District 315-797-1777, or
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Mohawk District Office
105 Genesee Street
New Hartford, NY 13413
315-797-1777
Office Hours:
*The District Office is Closed Dec. 21-Jan. 1. If you have an emergency, call
and leave a message on the answering machine. Messages will be checked.
Regular Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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