NEW YORK/CONNECTICUT DISTRICT

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1 NEW YORK/CONNECTICUT DISTRICT A publication of The New York/Connecticut District, of the New York Annual Conference, of the United Methodist Church Marilyn McCarter, editor 34 Kelly Lane Pine Island, NY mccarte@optonline.net Rev. Elizabeth J Ott, District Superintendent Chan Gillham, Administrative Assistant P.O. Box 3007 Stamford, CT nyctnyac@aol.com November 2013 Edition The Travelliing Preacher... A Word ffrom tthe D..S. the fruit of the Spirit is love. (Galatians 5:22 Do No Harm, Do God, Love God (The General Rules John Wesley) Well, here it is the beginning of November and apples are on sale in every market and produce store in the region. As you may remember, it was the sight of trees laden with apples along the roads and in fields everywhere I traveled this fall that got me to thinking about the way God s Spiritual Fruits are found here and there and everywhere in little churches with a handful of members and in big congregations with multiple Sunday services. As I read that the first Fruit of the Spirit in Paul s list found in Galatians, I admit I wasn t surprised to find that it is Love. Love is at the essence (or core if you ll permit me to use the word) of our Christian faith and our understanding of the relationship between ourselves and God and each of us with one another. The Great Commandment is that we Love God and Love our Neighbor as ourselves. Scripture tells us and we believe that God is Love. We accept that Jesus is God s gift to the world because God loves the world. These and many other passages from the Bible define love as the central theme of the scriptures God s love for us and how we are to be loving in the way we live our lives. So it s not surprising that the writings of Paul are full of explanations for what this love is and what it isn t. Paul found that the early believers struggled to understand how to live a love-centered life and so his writings tell us that love isn t selfish, or proud, or vindictive but rather, love is merciful, and generous, and patient, and takes joy in everything good. Still this challenges our understanding as we question just what kind of love is this? Perhaps we ve all heard that the root of the meaning of the kind of love Paul is talking about is in the Greek agape which is one of several types of love defined in the Bible including eros (romantic or physical expressions of love), storge (love of family), and philia (love of brother or in less sexist language neighborly love). There is, however, another kind of love which comes from the Greek word charis meaning grace or kindness and this is the kind of love I believe Paul means because it is, I find, a better way of expressing God s love for us, our love for God and the love we have for others. This charis love is the grace and kindness of God toward us in all that God extends to us in the creation, in our physical bodies, in breathing into the us the spirit of life, of giving us a perfect example of how to live through the life of Jesus - who in self-giving agape love made it possible for us to enter into eternal life and love with our Continued next page

2 The Trravelliing Prreacherr ccoonnt ti iinnuueedd... gracious God. This is love we must first receive in order to extend love to others. Or, in other words, we have to know the love of God for us before we can ever love God and our neighbor as God intends. Now as I look at the word charis, I notice that it looks a lot like another familiar word that we find in the Christian community which is charity. In fact, charity is about being gracious and kind to others. Sadly, though, over time charity has taken on a kind of different meaning as we think of giving to charity in terms of cleaning out the old unwanted clothes from our closets or items from our homes and donating them to charity to get rid of them while keeping a clear conscience about not overflowing the landfill! So, let s be clear charity is a lot more about how we express generosity, kindness, and grace to other people than it is about getting our stuff sorted out of our lives! This is what got me to thinking about John Wesley and the General Rules which Ruben Job outlined in his little book Three Simple Rules a few years ago. I think Wesley wanted to put together into a simple, easy to remember statement the essence of how to live a Christian life based on the fruits of the Spirit. So Wesley says Do No Harm, Do Good and Love God or in other words, we are to operate from a place of charis in every situation as much as we possibly can. This means if we express charis toward God, we are doing everything we can to tell God how thankful we are for God s grace and kindness to us. This is the attitude of gratitude we hear about so much and it is rooted in the love (the charis) that we express to God in response to God s love for us! Then, as we give and receive this gracious love with God, we are now able to extend that love the charis to others in ways that represent genuine love which is merciful, generous, takes joy in what is good, has patience through difficulty, shows understanding with different points of view, and is humble before God and neighbor. No wonder Paul told the Christians of Galatia that the first spiritual fruit is love! Without this love based on our realization of God s love for us how can we ever be entrusted with the work of changing the world into a place where people know God s love for them and express love in positive ways toward one another? What Paul is saying is that the first work of the church is to be that place where people can find out about God s love for them, receive the understanding and accepting love of others, and learn to live and express this charis love in their own faith and life! What this means, friends, is if our churches are full of conflict, strife, stress, animosity, anger, envy, - or in contemporary language any kind of my way or the highway attitudes or behaviors then the fruit of the Spirit is missing! First and foremost, through the scriptures, the model of Jesus, and the teaching of the early founder of the church along with our own Methodist founder we are to express love and all the actions that define Christian love in all that we say and all that we do. So that we love our God and our neighbor as we Do No Harm, Do Good and Love God. What kind of fruit is on your tree? Where is the fruit of the Spirit expressed as this kind of love in your life and in your church and in the way you meet the world each day? This is the kind of question John Wesley asked in those small group meetings of the early days of Methodism when the people would gather and share their faith growth, experiences and challenges. Then they d pray for one another right there and commit to continue to pray through the week until their next meeting time as they asked God to strengthen each of them and to bring good fruits in their lives. As we move through the month ahead, I hope you ll receive my prayers for you as I ask your prayers for me. Let s begin this journey by praying for the Spiritual Fruit of Love the charis love to blossom and grow in our lives and in our churches. For this is the life-changing love that will transform the world as God s Spirit produces new fruit all around us. Peace, Betsy ~2~

3 NY/CT UPCOMING DATES Unseating Racism from Pulpit and Pew Anti-Racism Training, November 7 & 8, Stony Point Center, 17 Crickettown Road, Stony Point, NY Second Annual District Advent Service, December 8, location TBA The DS is in the office, schedule permitting, on Monday through Thursday. Cabinet Meetings change from week to week. Friday is her customary day off. To reach Betsy, you may her at nyctnyac@aol.com, or call the district office at s and phone messages are answered at the earliest opportunity. Send articles and pictures for publication in the Connector to: mccarte@optonline.net or Marilyn McCarter 34 Kelly Lane Pine Island NY and add to your newsletter distribution list. NY/CT DISTRICT NOW ON FACEBOOK See link below or search for New York Connecticut District. Please "like" the page and you can follow all the latest District news on Facebook. The New York Annual Conference through the grace of God embodies a beloved community of hope, building up a healthy Body of Christ, with heart-warmed United Methodists in mission for the transformation of the world. ~3~

4 NYAC upcoming events of note: Learn to Create SMART Goals November 2 Discover how to set goals with your congregation that are specific, measurable, actionoriented, have clear responsibilities, and are timed. 9am noon, First UMC, Shelton, Conn. For more information and registration, go to: (see page 9) 2013 Health Clinic November Each year 24 pastors and/or their spouses from the NYAC participatein a health clinic at New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn. In four days, participants receive a thorough physical examination and any follow-up tests that may be indicated. There will also be time to tour the Hospital and participate in seminars on recent developments in health care. You will get a penetrating view of your mission hospital at work. For more information and to apply, go to: Vital Congregations Workshop November 16 Rev. DJ del Rosaro, from Spark 12, will lead this workshop for pastors and church leadership teams. Spark 12 is a faith-based catalyst that invests in young entrepreneurs to launch innovative ideas that will transform the world. Light breakfast/registration begins at 8 a.m.; workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Edith Macy Conference Center in Briarcliff Manor, NY. Registration: $75 per church. Lunch is provided. To register, go to: (see page 10) Holy Conferencing November 16 Is there a Future for an Inclusive Church? 10:30am - 4pm, Memorial UMC, 250 Bryant Avenue, White Plains, NY (see page 11) Volunteer in Mission Training December 14 Discover what you need to know before you go during this session led by Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the conference Learning Center, 20 Soundview Ave., White Plains, N.Y. Registration is $5 per person; lunch will be served. For more information or to register, go to: ~4~

5 OUT & ABOUT the District UMC of the Highlands sponsored their annual Free School Supplies Ministry on Saturday, August 17 th, providing basic school supplies for each grade, including containing pencils, notebooks, crayons, etc. free school supplies were handed out to 175 children in the community, grades K-12. UMC of the Highlands newsletter For the past three summers, as their summer mission project, Vail s Gate UMC has collected school supplies for children sheltered at Safe Homes of Orange County. They distribute items such as pencils, pens, composition books, construction paper and crayons. Vail s Gate Visitor Trinity-Boscobel UMC continues two service ministries: on the 4 th Monday of each month they provide volunteer cooks and helpers for preparing meals for the residents of Jan Peek House, a shelter in Peekskill; and every six weeks they staff the Emergency Food Bank at Asbury UMC in Croton-on-Hudson. Trinity-Boscobel UMC The Tower Amid a cacophony of barking, Rev. Vicky Fleming, blessed over 35 animals at the annual Blessing of the Animals at the Sugar Loaf UMC. On Saturday, October 19 th, dogs, cats, rabbits, and even a 26 year old Chinese Box Turtle, stood in line with their owners to receive their personal blessing from Rev. Fleming. It was an extremely moving service this year, noted the church spokesperson. The love these owners have for their animals was so obvious it moved many to tears. Also on hand was the Warwick Valley Humane Society who brought several adoptable animals to the event. More donations were received for the humane society than any previous years. October 19th also saw the Blessing of the Animals at Tilly Foster Farm in Brewster, NY. Pastors Ed Dayton and Wongee Joh spent the afternoon offering God s blessing to all the beloved pets and farm animals present. Drew UMC has offered an Animal Blessing annually but this year moved the event to the county owned farm and asked the other local UMCs to participate: their 4Church Coop that includes Drew, Lake Mahopac UMC, Purdys UMC and Mount Hope UMC, plus Holmes and Brewster UMCs. Putnam Humane Society was also present with kittens and puppies needing a forever home. Drew UMC organized a free rabies clinic for cats and dogs needing an update. 200 free Rabies vaccines were offered and a couple of pets were adopted. Continued next page ~5~

6 OUT & ABOUT the District continued Darien UMC participated in the fifth annual Feed My Starving Children MobilePack, jointly hosted by the 11 Darien Churches and co-sponsored by the Council for Darien School Parents. The goal was to pack 200,000 special FMSC MannaPack meals for starving children all over the world, with a fundraising goal of $44,000. In addition to filling M&M tubes with quarters to raise funds, volunteers joined together to pack the meals, which cost 22 each. Darien UMC Tower Tidings On Sunday, September 22, 2013, the service of the Sugar Loaf UMC was dedicated to honoring first responders, veterans and those currently serving in the military. The moving service, lead by Reverend Vicky Fleming, was attended by representatives of the Sugar Loaf Volunteer Fire Department, as well as veterans representing all branches of the military. A luncheon of hero sandwiches followed the service. (At right, Reverend Vicky and three generations of volunteers from the Sugar Loaf Volunteer Fire Department) As an alternative to going Trick or Treating, Poughkeepsie UMC hosted a Harvest Trunk & Treat Party on October 27 th. Guests came in costume and decorated cars lined the church parking lot with their trunks or tailgates open. Then, as the parade began, costumed crusaders safely visited each trunk for a treat. Finally, all gathered in the courtyard for donuts and cider. Poughkeepsie UMC The Journey As mentioned in October s Focus on Mission Edition of The Connector, in August 19 youth and 5 adult chaperones from Hyde Park UMC participated in a week long mission program called, Bridge Builders As part of their effort to Bridge Between The Bridges and not wait until the Bridge Builder s mission trip next summer to service communities in need, on September 15 th the youth went to the Hudson River Housing complex in Poughkeepsie to reunite with the children and families that they had met this summer. They brought arts & crafts supplies and playground games and got a chance to visit and play and reconnect with those they had served. The UMC of Hyde Park Messenger First UMC Stamford has spent the year celebrating 225 years in Stamford. Each month a special guest preacher has lead the service, beginning in January with Rev. Dr. Dennis Winkleblack, and continuing on with Rev. Kenneth Hawes, Rev. Richard Rice [as Francis Asbury], Rev. Betty Smith, Rev. Donald Kirkham, Rev. Dr. Traci West, Rev. Scott Summerville, Rev. Robert Howard, and District Superintendent Rev. Betsy Ott. On Sunday, September 22 the anniversary celebration concluded with Bishop Martin McLee preaching. The previous evening over 200 people attended a celebration dinner, with the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister Emeritus, The Riverside Church, NYC as the keynote speaker. There were video testimonials from some of the longtime members, and Rev. Richard and Nancy Rice attired in costume appeared as John and Susanna Wesley. ~6~

7 First UMC Stamford is sponsoring a First@First@Four Concert Series. The concert on Sunday, November 3, at 4pm will feature the Newtown Youth Voices from Newtown, CT. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students and they are available online. SUICIDE LOSS SUPPORT GROUP at Drew UMC Everyone in the group, including the facilitator, has had someone close to them take their life and knows how devastating that experience can be. We invite those who lost someone to suicide, to attend a meeting of the group, which meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at Drew UMC 28 Gleneida Avenue Carmel, NY. There is no charge for participation. For more specific directions to Drew UMC, or for any questions you might have about this group or other groups in New York, call William Listwan at UM Army Scholarships of $100 per person are available for first-time church groups planning a mission trip. Other scholarships are available for groups who have participated before. Learn more: Generation Transformation is an initiative from GBGM that provides mission service opportunities for young adults. To learn about these programs, visit Involved/Generation-Transformation/ An invitation to the ANNUAL WESTCHESTER/FAIRFIELD COUNTY THANKSGIVING DIVERSITY BREAKFAST (see page 12) "The breakfast is a unique opportunity to meet our neighbours from many faith and ethnic backgrounds. We are indeed a wonderful mosaic of humanity... united in so many things, but also bringing incredible diversity of understanding, wisdom, creativity and compassion. Loving our neighbor begins by getting to know them better and the Breakfast helps me do that This is a vital part of our understanding & responsibility as Methodists & as citizens. This year the Breakfast includes a special focus on young people. I am also proud to say that Bob Walker will be representing the Bishop in the Program." Steve Gill, Diversity Breakfast Co- Chair & Member Mamaroneck United Methodist Church. ~7~

8 MEET NY/CT DISTRICT S CURRENT CANDIDATES for CERTIFIED LAY MINISTER Several years ago, the UMC took steps to expand team ministry and heighten the quality of ministry in smaller churches by recognizing the importance of using lay ministers. Outlined in paragraph 271 of the Book of Discipline, the preparation and certification of lay ministers (CLMs) in our district is well underway. In early 2012 a program of study was formulated by the District Committee on Ordained Ministry (DCOM) and in the spring of that year District Superintendent Rev. Betsy Ott affirmed the nomination of five candidates who had been recommended by their local churches. Working individually and as a team, our lay minister candidates are serving God, their churches and their communities while pursuing completion of the self-paced study program, all of which activities are aimed at becoming certified by DCOM for assignment in the NY/CT District. Ross Topliff is a long-time member of Gardnertown UMC in Newburgh, NY. A former Lay Leader, he has served as a trustee and Finance Committee member. Ross sings in the choir, is active in visitation, serves as chair of the Membership & Evangelism Committee and is coordinating plans for the church s 225 th anniversary celebration. He is also chair of the District Committee on Ministry and leads our Certified Lay Minister program activities. Kathleen Reynolds is Lay Leader at Drew UMC in Carmel, NY. She is a Certified Lay Servant trained in Healing Prayer by Pastor Debbie Mygatt and conducts healing prayer classes working closely with Pastor Debbie. Kathleen s calling focuses on social injustice, homelessness and poverty and her ministry aspirations are aimed at bringing God s love and compassion to underserved members of society. Elizabeth Langan served ministries at Wappingers Falls UMC for a number of years before recently becoming a member of Red Hook, NY UMC. Liz will be focusing on local mission activities as she has in the past, including collecting personal care items for charity, luncheon programs for widows, food pantry and Hospice volunteerism, and related missional leadership. She has also taught adult Sunday School and was active in supporting No More Malaria. Debbie Vail and her husband Vince are members of Trinity UMC in LaGrangeville, NY. She is Lay Leader and Lay Member to annual conference and is a church trustee. Debbie is active in hospital and nursing home visitation, bringing communion to shut-in members of the church. She fills in for her local pastor during vacation and other absences and is helping lead a weekly prayer and healing service at Trinity. She is a Certified Lay Servant and active CLM candidate. Parker Prout has been an active member of East Avenue UMC in Norwalk, CT since 2005 and was Music Director there until mid Parker has been a member of the Worship, Finance and Stewardship committees at East Avenue, and is currently on the SPR, visitation and revitalization committees along with being a member of the church s contemporary Praise Band. He also serves on the NY Conference Personnel Committee and is a 20 year trustee of YMCA Camp Mohawk for Girls in Litchfield County, CT. If you would like more information on this program, please contact Ross Topliff rtopliff@verizon.net. ~8~

9 S M A R T Specific Measurable Action oriented Responsibilities stated Timed 242 (Book of Discipline) reminds us that the local church shall be organized so that it can pursue its primary task and mission in the context of its own community-reaching out and receiving with joy all who will respond; encouraging people in their relationship with God and inviting them to commitment to God s love in Jesus Christ; providing opportunities for them to seek strengthening and growth in spiritual formation; and supporting them to live lovingly and justly in the power of the Holy Spirit as faithful disciples. As a way of aligning objectives and goals throughout the denomination, every congregation is invited to set reasonable and achievable goals around the five quantifiable measures identified by the denomination. Therefore, as a process for beginning to assess the congregation s health and set reasonable and achievable goals, we invite congregations to use this format for goal-setting at charge conference. To help you in this process Pastor John Parille will be presenting a workshop on SMART goal settings. Leadership teams with their pastors are invited to on Saturday November 2, :00am to 12:00pm First UMC of Shelton 188 Rocky Rests Rd. Shelton, CT For more information and registration contact Ximena Varas ximenavaras@umcshelton.org

10 Team Vital Imagine Your Ministry Plan Sat. November 16, a.m. - 3 p.m. 8 a.m. Breakfast/ registration opens Edith Macy Conference Center 550 Chappaqua Rd., Briarcliff Manor, NY $75 per church leadership team: pastors & leaders your vision goals teamwork Rev. DJ Del Rosario s work with young adults led him to work with Spark 12, a faith-based agency dedicated to bringing new ideas to life. DJ served as the Executive Director there before returning to pastoring a local church. Applying similar principles to the local church, DJ will assist each church to bring innovative ideas into reality for the transformation of the church and the world. Each leadership team should plan on leaving the workshop with a new and innovative ministry plan developed in response to the needs in each church s community. Register online at your ministry plan inspiration leadership nurturing

11 November 16 10:30am - 4pm Memorial UMC 250 Bryant Avenue, White Plains, NY All churches in our Conference are directed to consider attending this event. The 2012 session of Annual Conference authorized the creation of a committee to study the possibilities of a more inclusive UM Church in the aftermath of General Conference earlier that year. The committee, drawn from concerned groups within our Conference and ethnic caucuses, was to consider how we might be more open to LBGT persons regarding ordination and marriage, within the present parameters of the Discipline. The committee met regularly over the next year, and reported to our 2013 session that we had found support in Wesley s writings as well as in events within our denomination s history. We have also been encouraged to find that we are not alone in our pursuits. There are similar efforts transpiring in other areas in the connection, and we are engaged in developing dialogue with them. Over the course of the year, however, we were frustrated in our efforts to find a clear path to making the structural changes in our polity that would achieve the more inclusive church we desire. The 2013 Annual Conference also supported our belief that it is important now to share where we have been and what we have found over the course of our research and analysis. By action of the Conference, all local churches through their church councils or appropriate bodies are to have on their agendas this month or next consideration of attending the Symposium and Workshops on a More Inclusive UMC. We are ready now to report on the results of our work, to share what we see in the future, and to offer workshops on how to use this information productively in the local church. Your attendance at this event will provide your church with the knowledge of the stress lines within our denomination over issues of inclusiveness and how they may play out as we move through this quadrenium and into the next. ~11~

12 WELCOMING RELIGIOUS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ANNUAL WESTCHESTER/FAIRFIELD COUNTY THANKSGIVING DIVERSITY BREAKFAST BUILDING THE MOSAIC Honoring these builders who make our region so diverse: Geoffrey Anderson Westchester Residential Opportunities Sister Beth Dowd Songcatchers Rabbi Amiel Wohl Coalition for Mutual Respect THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, :45 to 10:00 am (doors open at 7:30 am) Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY Tickets $16 in advance; $20 at the door RSVP at For more information contact AJC at or the Westchester Jewish Council at CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSE ROOTS AND SHARED VALUES THANK YOU TO THE MANY DIVERSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT MAKE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE! ASL interpreter available upon request. Founding Sponsor Event Sponsors: AJC Westchester The Duchesne Center for Religion and Social Justice Hudson River Presbytery Westchester Jewish Council Supporting Sponsors: Bezer Holiness Church Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Iona College Mamaroneck United Methodist Church Temple Sholom Mount Hope African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Communal Partners: American Friends of Soroka Medical Center Antioch Baptist Church Bet Am Shalom Synagogue Center for Jewish-Muslim-Christian Understanding Coalition for Mutual Respect Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester Empty Hand Zen Center Gateway Center at Westchester Community College Hillels of Westchester Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Huguenot Presbyterian Church Interfaith Connection Israel Bonds JCC of MidWestchester JCY-Westchester Community Partners/FSSY Jewish Family Congregation J-Teen Leadership Larchmont/Mamaroneck Interfaith Council Larchmont/Mamaroneck Local Summit Neighbor s Link Pelham Jewish Center Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, Inc. Pleasantville Community Synagogue Rosenthal JCC of Northern Westchester Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilition and Nursing Shaarei Tikvah St. Bartholomew s Episcopal Church St. Francis of Assisi Parish Temple Beth Abraham Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester Temple Beth Shalom-Mahopac Temple Israel Center of White Plains Temple Shaaray Tefila The Academy for Jewish Religion United Church of Christ Church (White Plains) Upper Westchester Muslim Society Westchester Day School Westchester Hispanic Coalition Westchester Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Non-Violence Westchester Region of Hadassah Westchester United Woodlands Community Temple. List in formation as of October 11th. Visit website above for up-to-date list. Add your organization!