Weekly Digest: April 28, 2021

Weekly Digest | April 28, 2021

Camps and retreats are back in UNY

The Upper New York Camp and Retreat Ministry Area is excited to welcome back campers and guests for summer programs at all five of our sites. Safety precautions (including limiting capacity) will be in place to ensure the safety of all, as life-long memories are made in our fun and supportive environments.

Click here for more information on the programs being offered this summer, which is also where you will find the link to register. We can’t wait to see you this summer!

Pre-Conference training/briefing opportunities: May 8, May 13, or May 20

This year’s UNY Annual Conference is being held virtually June 17- June 19. You can click here to register and obtain more information.

To properly prepare, you will want to attend one of the Pre-Conference training/briefing opportunities.

Choose one of the following dates and times:

May 8 - 9-11 a.m.
May 13 - 6-8 p.m.
May 20 - 9-11 a.m.

You will want to register for Annual Conference prior to attending the briefing for the best impact.

At these trainings, first, GNTV (this year’s technology support) will offer a presentation and tutorial on how the platform will work for this year’s virtual conference.

The training will then move on to the Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, UNY Director of Connectional Ministries and Executive Assistant to the Bishop, and other Conference leaders previewing the agenda of the 2021 Annual Conference. There will also be a time for questions and answers.

Zoom links will be posted on the Conference website and sent via email next week.

Save the Date for the next Bishop’s Retreat

Due to the coronavirus, the 2020 Bishop's Retreat, originally scheduled for Oct. 20-22, 2020, at the Radisson Hotel in Corning, NY is being postponed until Sept. 27-29, 2022. It will also be held at the Radisson Hotel in Corning. The theme is, “Sharing Our Faith Boldly” and the keynote speaker is Debi Nixon, Executive Director of Development and ShareChurch at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Registration will open following the completion of the 2022 Annual Conference session.

Bishop Webb announces clergy appointments

Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb and the Upper New York Conference announce one ad interim appointment, six appointments, and three retirements pending approval of clergy session. View the full list of changes here.

The spiritual discipline of Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina revisited by Nancy Dibelius.mp4

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Upper New York Assistant Director of Vital Congregations for Spiritual Life, the Rev. Nancy Dibelius, has been providing videos of helpful spiritual practices to help deepen people’s relationship to God during this difficult time.

For 2021, Rev. Dibelius is zeroing in on spiritual disciplines. She explains that spiritual disciplines are a way to get away with Jesus, walk with Jesus, and learn from Jesus.

Click here for Rev. Dibelius’s latest spiritual discipline exploration, revisiting the discipline of Lectio Divina.

Is my District Superintendent emailing me?

Have you recently received emails your District Superintendent, your pastor, or other leader asking for gift cards/money or perhaps informing you of an urgent request? Please be aware that these are phishing schemes—they are SPAM emails. Do NOT send buy or send gift cards! Over the past year, there has been an increase in these types of emails world-wide, and, just like everyone else, we have seen an increase in Upper New York. Here are some identifiers of these types of emails:

First and foremost, your DS or another leader would not request gift cards or money from you in an email.
If the email has a picture or your DS or the person requesting gift cards or money, don’t fall for this scam. It is extremely rare for someone to include their photo in an email!
If the email says it is urgent or a favor is needed, not mentioning what and asks you not to call but to reply by email, it is likely a phishing email.
Check the email address—if it is not a unyumc.org email (example debbieearthrowl@unyumc.org); it is SPAM!

If you get emails like these, simply delete them and/or mark it as SPAM.

Click here for a good five-minute video clip on what to look for in phishing emails.

CONAM remembers beloved committee member

Members of the Upper New York Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM) will greatly miss Rev. Dr. Donald R. Washburn who died April 4, 2021. Don brought his ready smile and positivity to every meeting. He was a voice for love and action in the three Native American churches in our conference and advocated tirelessly for native peoples everywhere. Don served as chairperson for the former Troy Conference CONAM. He was honored with the Peace with Justice award by Troy Conference for his work with the federal government, New York State, and Ganienkeh.

As a member of the Turtle Island Trust for over three decades, Don lived out his belief and dedication in support of the culture and language of the people of Ganienkeh, a traditional Mohawk community. To honor Don’s lifelong work, UNY CONAM presented a memorial gift to provide educational materials to the school at Ganienkeh. Don will be greatly missed, but his words of wisdom, love, and advocacy will continue to be heard at our gatherings.

Save the dates (May 18 or May 26) Upcoming Safe Sanctuaries® trainings for trainers via Zoom

The UNY Safe Sanctuaries (SS) Team would like to thank all of you for your patience during the transition in this time of COVID. As many of you know, three conference-wide online trainings have already taken place. The team feels ready to roll it out to trainers to begin training this new curriculum in your local churches and Districts. Updates include:

The Trainers’ Manual has been reformatted to accommodate virtual training.
The curriculum has been finalized, taking into account many of your suggestions.
With the assistance of 20 trainers, the SS Team has presented this training in the last 3 months (3 times) to approximately 200 participants. It has received great feedback from participants.

Two training opportunities for this trainers’ training are available (both sessions will be the same, please only sign up for one):

Tuesday, May 18, 7 - 9 p.m.
Wednesday, May 26, 7 - 9 p.m.

Click here to register.

If you have questions, send an email to safesanctuaries@unyumc.org.

Download or access news items from the May Issue I of the Bridge

The May Issue I of the Bridge is now available for download. It is available in both color and black & white formats. Click here to select the version you prefer and make copies as necessary. The stories that are featured in the Bridge can also be accessed from the news section of the Upper New York (UNY) Conference website for easy copying and pasting for those who wish to electronically distribute news featured in the Bridge. Click here to access the UNY Conference news items.

This issue announces the new team of leaders available to help people plant New Faith Communities. It also includes information about a campaign dedicated to Hispanic and Latino New Faith Communities and an announcement about the “new” New Faith Community, Church in the Wild.

The Bridge is a communications tool designed for local churches to stay connected to each other and to the ministries taking place around the Upper New York Conference and The United Methodist Church. The newest volume will be listed at the top of the webpage, with older volumes below. The Bridge is designed to be handed out in worship, via email, on the church website, as a church bulletin insert, or as a standalone item. If you have questions or are unable to make copies, please contact news@unyumc.org.

Dismantling racism resource: The grace to admit fragility

The UMC is leading a sustained and coordinated effort to actively engage in the ministry of dismantling racism and promoting racial justice. The UNY Conference Communications team will regularly share worship, advocacy, and educational resources to help with this important campaign.

This week we share with you an article, written by the Rev. Mart Swords-Horrell, pastor at Oneonta First UMC, about white fragility.

Click here to read this thought-provoking story.

Updates: April 22 - 28

Death Notice: Virginia Snyder

Please keep family and friends of Virginia Snyder in your prayers. Virginia, 95, died on April 20. She was predeceased by her husband, the Rev. Eldon Snyder, who served several Upper New York churches, including Tonawanda UMC, Tonawanda First UMC, Ebenezer First UMC, and others in the former Western New York and North Central New York Conferences. A celebration of life was held on April 24. Condolences can be sent to Virginia’s son, Paul Snyder, at 341 Roncroff Drive, N Tonawanda, NY 14120. Click here to read Virginia’s full obituary.

Prayer Request: Pastor Gaylord “Jake” Campbell

Please keep family and friends of Pastor Gaylord “Jake” Campbell (retired) in your prayers. Pastor Campbell, 84, died on April 21. He served several Upper New York churches, including Pownal UMC, Boyntonville UMC, and others in the former Troy Conference. Click here to read Jake’s full obituary.

Funeral Announcement: Rev. Vivian Summerville

Please continue to keep family and friends of the Rev. Vivian Summerville in your prayers. Rev. Summerville died on July 16. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on July 22 at the First United Methodist Church of Fulton, located at 1408 State Route 176 in Fulton. Pre-register by calling (315) 592-7347. Face masks and social distancing guidelines will be followed at both events. Rev. Summerville’s funeral will be livestreamed here. Click here to read her full obituary.