Northern Flow/Mohawk

Weekly Newsletter

March 20, 2025

Contacting Northern Flow/Mohawk District Office

If you are trying to reach the district office please use the following information:

DS Rev. Weeden mikeweeden@unyumc.org

Email tammymcadam@unyumc.org

Phone 315-535-5149

Mailing Address PO Box 208 Gouverneur NY 13642

Office Hours Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you would like to sign up for our weekly newsletter or would like to have something posted please email me. Articles need to be sent in by Wednesday by 3:00 p.m..

Registration is now open for the 2025 Upper New York Annual Conference, being held May 22-24 at the OnCenter located in Downtown Syracuse.

Click here for helpful information, including registration costs and hotel information.

The registration deadline is April 15. We look forward to seeing you there.

PEACE!

Rev. Carolyn Stow

UNY Conference Secretary

John Dominic Crossan – One Night Only – On ZOOM – All Invited!

Sponsored by the Adult Education Program of Plattsburgh UMC

TITLE: "The Resurrection of Jesus: The Different Easter Visions of Western and Eastern Christianity"

DESCRIPTION:

Is the West's Individual Resurrection of Jesus Alone or the East's Universal Resurrection of Jesus and All Humanity in closer conformity to Paul's understanding in 1 Corinthians 15?

Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. (Registration Deadline is March 28^th)

at luv2garden5@gmail.com or 518-562-8982

(A ZOOM link will be provided closer to the event)

A free will donation would be appreciated to help cover the cost of this event. Mail your check to Plattsburgh UMC at 127 Beekman Street, Plattsburgh NY 12901. (put in memo Line – Adult Education)

John D. Crossan is generally acknowledged to be the premier historical Jesus scholar in the world. His books include The Historical Jesus, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, and Who Killed Jesus? He has appeared in the PBS special "From Jesus to Christ."

Change the World weekend is an event organized by CCYM in order to increase connectivity and youth involvement in missions.

If you are interested in participating you can join us at Skye Farm or Asbury Retreat Center on May 17^th @9:00 AM.

There will be CCYM representatives at both camps to lead all attendees in a morning devotion and a closing worship! If attending Skye Farm churches will be required to provide their own lunches, if attending Asbury, lunch will be provided for participants.

To register contact lclark@fumceg.org or tjhipes@gmail.com.

Please register by Monday, May 12. If your church is not able to attend either camp, the youth in your church can plan a mission to be done in your community.

If you plan your own mission please share your stories by emailing them to lclark@fumceg.org or tjhipes@gmail.com.

Flyer

Group Study for Holy Week via ZOOM

Monday thru Friday – April 14^th thru 18^th at 8 a.m.

Bring a cup of Coffee and join Pastor Phil as we journey through Holy Week using Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan’s Book

The Last Week!

Please purchase your book ahead of time!

Top Jesus scholars Marcus J. Borg & John Dominic Crossan reveal a radical & little-known Jesus. As both authors reacted to & responded to questions about Mel Gibson's blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, they discovered that many Christians are unclear on the details of events during the week leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. Using Mark's gospel as a guide, they present a day-by-day account of Jesus' final week of life. They begin their story on Palm Sunday with two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The 1st entry, that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate leading Roman soldiers into the city, symbolized military strength. The 2nd heralded a new kind of moral hero who was praised by the people as he rode in on a humble donkey. The Jesus introduced herein is this new moral hero, a more dangerous Jesus than the one enshrined in the church's traditional teachings. The Last Week depicts Jesus giving up his life to protest power without justice & to condemn the rich who lack concern for the poor. In this vein, at the end of the week Jesus marches up Calvary, offering himself as a model for others to do the same when confronted by similar issues. Informed, challenged & inspired, we not only meet the historical Jesus, but meet a new Jesus who engages & invites us to follow him.

The Commission on Archives and History is looking for new members to join the Commission. Currently we do not have representatives from every District.

We meet every 2 months by Zoom and at the Archives in Liverpool at least once a year. We are in charge of the United Methodist Archives for the UNY Conference, as mandated by the Book of Discipline.

Our duties are to maintain the Conference Archives and to collect, record

the contents by GCAH standards, and supervise boxes of closed church records.

Disaffiliations made very obvious how critical our work is.

In addition we hire and supervise an Archives Asst and supervise an intern and the small team of monthly Archives volunteers.

Contact Susan Slenker, CAH Secretary for details. jslenker@twcny.rr.com

Calling all lovers of history! The UNYUMC Archives in Liverpool is again in need of monthly volunteers. We meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays to process records received from closing churches and to research requests received from past church members for family legal records. Every day is a treasure hunt! Bring your lunch/beverage and plan to stay 3-4 hours.

For details, call Susan Slenker, CAH Secretary, at 315-516-5289.

Upper New York Ministry Shares Brochure for 2025

Now Available

What are Ministry Shares and how do they affect you and your church?

The Upper New York Conference Council of Finance and Administration (CFA) breaks it down for you in a brochure.

The continuing story of Ministry Shares: sharing God’s gifts with the world 2025.

This printable brochure explains everything you need to know about

Ministry Shares–how they are calculated, where the money goes, and how they affect you.

Download Brochure Here

ERT Basic Training

Celebrate UMCOR Sunday a day early by joining an Early Response Team Training on March 29th! This training will give you the skills you need to make a difference when disaster strikes in your community. You’ll learn key skills like roof tarping, debris removal, and how to care for survivors.

Date: March 29th, 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Location: Rush United Methodist Church ( 6200 Rush Lima Rd, Rush, NY)

Cost: $35 (includes materials, lunch, background check, and ID badge)

Questions: disasterresponse@unyumc.org

Registration closes March 27th 2025

Click button below to learn of upcoming Mission Related Events

Information Here

United Women in Faith Offer Grants That Support Women, Children, and Youth

The Upper New York Conference United Women in Faith is dedicated to fostering positive change in communities by offering annual grants to non-profit and church-based organizations. These grants aim to uphold the teachings of Jesus Christ by directly addressing the needs of women, children, and youth within the Conference boundaries.

The grant program, running from July 1 to June 30 each year, provides vital support for projects that promote well-being, equality, and empowerment. Eligible initiatives must align with at least one of the following areas:

Promoting Wholeness: Projects that nurture the physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual well-being of women, children, and youth.
Combating Racism: Programs working to eliminate institutional racism, protect cultural identities, and preserve languages.
Advocacy: Efforts that champion the rights and needs of women, children, and youth.
Leadership Development: Opportunities designed to cultivate leadership skills.
Empowerment: Initiatives that encourage women to actively participate in decision-making at all levels of their lives.

The application process requires careful preparation, including a fully completed form and a detailed budget. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be considered. While the grants offer significant support, they come with restrictions: funds cannot be used for salaries, honorariums, rent, or building improvements.

This program reflects the unwavering commitment of the Upper New York Conference United Women in Faith to build stronger, more equitable communities by investing in the lives of those most in need. Non-profits and church organizations within the Conference boundaries are encouraged to seize this opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

Application

WHAT IS A STEWARD?

I have a devotional book sitting on my desk at the church. I usually only have office hours one day a week, so I don’t read this daily. The book is Giving to God: The Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life by Mark Allan Powell. Chapter 2 starts with a verse of scripture: Think of us this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mercies. (1 Corinthians 4:1).

We talk about stewardship in the church, but I think we focus on it as a way to raise money. Are we really practicing stewardship? Are we stewards? Remember, God created everything, so that means we don’t have ownership; we are only stewards. If you hired (or asked) someone to keep an eye on your home when you’re on vacation, they are a steward of your stuff. They don’t own it; their only responsibility is to make sure your stuff stays safe and is in the same condition as it was when you left.

I think we forget that we are stewards. Too often, we forget we’re only stewards and start to think that the property entrusted to us is actually our own.

We are stewards of what God has done. We didn’t choose to be. We just are. Don’t feel bad; I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. How about if we look at being a steward as something better than just a hired hand? What if it is part of our calling as Christians and disciples? God has entrusted us with caring for God’s creation.

“We are the agents through whom God has chosen to bring about God’s purposes: love and joy and peace.” [1]

Look around God’s creation. How can we be God’s agents?

Look around the church. How can we be God’s agents?

Look around what you have “control of”. How can we be God’s agents?

Don’t focus on how what you see betters your life and you. Try focusing on how what you do with it changes lives.

So what do you see?

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org

[1] Giving to God, p. 29