Northern Flow/Mohawk

Weekly Newsletter

November 27, 2024

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..

Northern Flow and Mohawk District Office

The district office will be closed on Thursday November 28th and Friday November 29th in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday!

We would like to wish you a very blessed and happy holiday!

If you are traveling please be safe.

Northern Flow CLS's

Are you currently a CLS in the Northern Flow District?

Are you looking to go further and become a CLM?

If you are interested in this process please contact the Northern Flow office at 315-535-5149 or email tammymcadam@unyumc.org

Season of Rest – A Gift for January 2025 from UNY's Compelling Preaching Initiative

As part of Upper New York's Compelling Preaching Initiative, we’re thrilled to present Season of Rest, a four-week sermon series designed as a gift to you— UNY preachers and churches—that can be used for January 2025. This series, co-developed with the Greater New Jersey and Eastern PA Conferences' Breakthrough, centers on the vital spiritual practice of rest, offering a time of renewal, balance, and inspiration.

Access at: https://breakthroughseries.org/series/season-of-rest

Season of Rest Sermon Series Overview:

· Week 1: Release into Rest (1 Kings 19:1-9): Discover how God helps us release into rest rather than pushing us to do more.

· Week 2: A Rhythm of Rest (Ecclesiastes 3:1-13): Explore ways to cultivate a healthy rhythm of rest, work, and play for spiritual growth.

· Week 3: What Kind of Rest: The Science Behind Rest (Genesis 2:1-3): Embrace the natural rhythm of rest modeled by God for our well-being.

· Week 4: The Gift of Rest (Leviticus 25:1-19): Celebrate rest as a gift for restoration, equity, and wholeness for all people.

The Season of Rest series comes fully equipped to support your worship planning with:

· Weekly Sermon Guides & Worship Liturgy

· Children’s Moments & Small Group Study Guides

· Mission Engagement Ideas

· Graphics & Video Resources

· 4 optional pre-recorded video sermons, available in mid-December at https://www.unyumc.org/resources/uny-sermon-bank

This series is offered as a supportive resource, crafted to ease sermon preparation and inspire a shared journey of renewal across our congregations. Take time this January to embrace Season of Rest—a heartfelt gift from Upper New York's Compelling Preaching Initiative to enrich your ministry and encourage sacred rest.

Northern Flow 2024 Charge Conference Schedule

Mohawk District

December 8 1:30 p.m. Hosted by Hosted by Point Rock

Rescheduled Charge Conference

Hawkinsville

Lee Center

Point Rock

Taberg

Florence

December 7 10:00 a.m. Hosted by Gouverneur

Depeyster

Ogdensburg

Gouverneur

North Gouverneur

GIVING IS AN ACT OF WORSHIP

In my reading, I’ve been working through Giving to God: The Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Live by Mark Allan Powell. In the very first chapter, he talks about giving being an act of worship.

I know that, originally, giving in churches wasn’t a monetary gift because churches were supported by the government. But as that changed, then the offering time became a time to offer monetary gifts.

The author talks about how, in the Bible, when people made their offerings or sacrifices (grain, birds, animal, food, etc.), those gifts were actually burned at the altar. Can you image if on Sunday morning, after the ushers went around and collected the offering, that the plates were carried forward to the altar, and the pastor dropped them all in a little burn barrel and lit them on fire? Wow! How do you think the congregation would react?

Most of us figure that the reason we have the offering during the service is because the church needs to pay its bills and to allow the church to do good things with the money. Of course, both of those things are true, but it’s not WHY we have an offering during the service.

The offering is an act of worship. We are invited to give up something that we value—our money—as a sacrifice to God. The author has this to say (which I loved). “It is the high point of the liturgy. We come to church to worship God and at no other point in the service are we provided with so pure an opportunity for worship as this.”[1]

So is this is such an important part of the worship liturgy, why do we act embarrassed when the time to receive an offering comes?

I know I’ve been part of stewardship programs that talk about the needs of the church, how much the bills are, and even what the mission and ministries are that the church is doing. But that actually misses the whole point of giving. We give because we want and need to give it. We give because we can do nothing else when we decide to follow Jesus and become a disciple.

Think about it. Why are we giving? Are we giving to the church? Or to God?

If you wish more information on anything you’ve been reading about, please feel free to contact me at (315) 427-3668 or sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org.

I’d be happy to help or answer any questions.

[1]Giving to God: The Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life, by Mark Allan Powell (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006), page 11

If at any time through out the year, your church has a change in leadership please contact the district office as soon as that change is made.

This includes SPRC Chairs, treasurers, etc..

Please include all contact information including a valid email address.

Thank you!

You can send the information to tammymcadam@unyumc.org

CONFERENCE NEWS & INFORMATION

Stay up to date with all the news coming from the conference office. Subscribe to the Weekly Digest here.

Certified Lay Servants

Did you know you are able to take Lay Servant Courses online through Be A Disciple? They offer courses you can take that you can get credit for with your district. All you need to do is let the office know along with proof of completion and it will go in your record! For more information please click here