216th Session of the

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3 216th Session of the NEW YORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE June 10-13, 2015 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, Presiding Ms. Renata Smith, Conference Lay Leader Mr. Mitchell Underwood, Associate Conference Lay Leader Reverend Adrienne Brewington, Dean of the Cabinet Reverend Ann A. Pearson, Connectional Ministries Consultant Reverend Fredric O. Jackson, Conference Secretary Reverend Robert Walker, Assistant to the Bishop Ms. Cheryl Fortune, Episcopal Administrative Assistant Mr. Ross Williams, CFO & Director of Administrative Services Ms. Barbara Eastman, Event Manager & Technical Consultant GNTV, Mr. David Wood, Audio/Visual Reverend Ian Straker, Chair, Legislative Sections Reverend William Pfohl, Chair, Board of Ordained Ministry Reverend Lydia Lebron-Rivera, Vice Chair, Board of Ordained Ministry Reverend Heather Sinclair, Worship Committee Co-Chair Reverend Charles Ryu, Worship Committee Co-Chair Mr. Raymond Trapp, Music Director Pastor John Fritz, Mr. Stephen Allen, Head Ushers Ms. Donna Madden, RN, Nurse Coordinator

4 NEW YORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, :00 a.m. CHECK IN Begins David S. Mack Arena CMVT Display Table Set Up Arena UMCOR Kits Collected Arena 1:00 p.m. Gathering Music: Music Team Arena 1:30 p.m. Celebration of Worship and Communion Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, Preaching Offering: NYAC Young Clergy Debt Assistance Program Make checks to NYAC, Memo: Clergy Assistance Opening Worship GATHERING MUSIC The people are invited to bring the waters blessed in the churches of the NYAC to the fonts placed throughout the worship space during this time. PRELUDE I Surrender Music Team Words and Music by: Matt Crocker & Joel Houston All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # * All are invited to stand as able.

5 *CALL TO WORSHIP about three in the morning, as we were continuing in instant prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground. As soon as we recovered a little (that would be Wesley himself) from that awe and amazement at the presence of his Majesty, we broke out with one voice We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. (John Wesley s Journal January 1, 1739) We praise thee, O God; We acknowledge thee to be the Lord! Hallelujah! Give me one hundred preachers [and one hundred laity] who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth. (John Wesley Letters 1777) We praise thee, O God; We acknowledge thee to be the Lord! Hallelujah! I observed many years ago, It is hard to find words in the language of men [people], to explain deep things of God. Indeed there are none that will adequately express what the Spirit of God works in his children. But perhaps one might say, By the testimony of the Spirit, I mean, an inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God immediately and directly witnesses to my spirit. (John Wesley, Sermon 11: The Witness of the Spirit Discourse 2, Section 2, Paragraph 2, 1872 Edition) We praise thee, O God;We acknowledge thee to be the Lord! Hallelujah! *PROCESSIONAL HYMNS Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart Rejoice, ye pure in heart; rejoice, give thanks and sing; your glorious banner wave on high, the cross of Christ your King. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. Your clear hosannas raise, and alleluias loud; whilst answering echoes upward float, like wreaths of incense cloud. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. Yes, on through life s long path, still chanting as ye go; from youth to age, by night and day, in gladness and in woe. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. At last the march shall end; the wearied ones shall rest; the pilgrims find their heavenly home, Jerusalem the blest. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. Praise God who reigns on high, the Lord whom we adore, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God forevermore. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. Words and Music by: Edward Plumptre & Arthur Messister Public Domain 3

6 Revive Us Again We praise Thee, O God! For the Son of Thy love, For Jesus Who died, and is now gone above. Refrain: Hallelujah! Thine the glory. Hallelujah! Amen. Hallelujah! Thine the glory. Revive us again. We praise Thee, O God! For Thy Spirit of light, Who hath shown us our Savior, and scattered our night. (Refrain) All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, Who hath borne all our sins, and hath cleansed every stain. (Refrain) All glory and praise to the God of all grace, Who hast brought us, and sought us, and guided our ways. (Refrain) Revive us again; Fill each heart with Thy love; May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. (Refrain) Words and Music by: William P.Mackay Public Domain A WELCOME FROM THE SHINNECOCK NATION TO THE LAND WHERE WE STAND Elder Elizabeth Thunder Bird Haile, Shinnecock CENTERING PRAYER Rev. Heather Sinclair, Greenwich: First UMC The Lord be with you And also with you (Brief silence): Resurrecting God, you have brought us to this place where you call us to continue the work that has been started. Give us the courage to move forward with enthusiasm and creativity to rebuild and to restore, to reclaim and to renew your beloved prophetic community. You have promised to be with your people. Help us during our work and our fellowship this week to see one another as you see us. May this holy conferencing be your means of grace to all of us gathered here, and through us to the people we are called to minister to and with. Speak to our hearts, our minds, and our spirits, that we may be renewed and begin to dance, and continue to dance. Reconnect us with the dance that lies in each and every one of us. We want to dance with your Spirit! We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. 4 * All are invited to stand as able.

7 MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE OF BISHOP MARTIN D. McLEE Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 SUNG RESPONSE Lord, Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true with thanksgiving, I ll be a living sanctuary for you. Words and Music by: John Thompson & Randy Scruggs All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # PRAYER Rev. Constance Pak, Chair of the Episcopacy Committee TIME OF TRANSITION Color Esperanza Diego Torres All Rights Reserved (English translation:) I know what s in your eyes with just looking at you. (I know) you re tired of walking and walking and walking, always in circles in the same place. I know that windows can be opened. To change the atmosphere depends on you. It ll help you; it s worth it once more. (Refrain:) To know it s possible, to want it to happen, to get rid of our fears, to expel them. To paint our faces with the color of hope, to tempt the future with our hearts. INTRODUCTION AND WELCOMING OF BISHOP JANE ALLEN MIDDLETON Episcopacy Committee: This is a new day. God is doing marvelous things among us. While we do not always see what lies ahead, of this we are sure: God has already gone ahead of us and prepared our way and meets us with great joy upon our arrival. We welcome home our beloved Bishop Jane Allen Middleton who, having answered another call to service, comes to stand in the breach as our Episcopal leader. Greetings, Bishop Middleton. We lovingly welcome you into this historic space and time. As we work together and minister together to transform the entire New York Annual Conference Community by spreading God s Word of love in Jesus Christ, our faith is in the goodness of God who has anointed and appointed you to lead us in this important work; a God who never abandons us, one who loves us enough to preserve, provide for and protect us at all times and in all places. God is doing a new thing. This is a new day. Bishop Middleton: This is indeed a new day. With faith in a surprising God who continues to do exceedingly abundantly above anything that we can ask or think or imagine, I accept the call to lead this Annual Conference through this phase of our journey. Members of the New York Annual Conference: We will dance with you into this new day, into this time and space that opens now before us. Trusting in God s infinite goodness and steadfast love we are transformed more and more into God s image as we work for God s purpose in the New York Annual Conference. All: Thanks be to God, Alleluia! Amen. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS 5

8 GATHERING OF THE BAPTISMAL WATER Take Me to the Water Music & Dance Teams Down By The Riverside Negro Spiritual All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under OneLicense.net E Negro Spiritual All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD SCRIPTURE READING Exodus 3:13-14 Then Moses said to God, Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you. Now they may say to me, What is his name? What shall I say to them? God said to Moses, I am who I am; and he said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you. PSALM from Psalm 98 Pastor Wendy Paige, Monroe Cooperative Parish *GOSPEL READING Rev. Denise Smartt Sears, Metropolitan District Superintendent The Lord be with you. And also with you. A Reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. Luke 4:16-21 This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. SERMON The Spirit of God Has Anointed Us Bishop Jane Allen Middleton GRAND SILENCE A believer indeed, may sometimes be grieved, because he cannot do what his soul longs for. He may cry out, when he is detained from worshipping God in the great congregation, Like as the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God: When shall I come to appear in the presence of God? (John Wesley Sermon 8: The First Fruits of the Spirit Section 2 Paragraph 10) PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Let us pray: Resurrecting God, as we follow Jesus to the cross where our sins are eliminated, and to the grave where our guilt is buried, bring us to new life through the power of your Holy Spirit. We pray that this resurrection will be seen and felt in our individual lives, in the life of the church, in our communities and in the world. God of Resurrection bring us to new life in Christ. Carol June, Catskill UMC With grace, we will dance with your Spirit the ballet of resurrection. 6 * All are invited to stand as able.

9 Much has been lost in our lives through our own carelessness and lack of will. Goals that were set have been abandoned, and our desire for building your Kin-dom has lagged. Through your Holy Spirit that hovered over the waters of Creation bringing order out of chaos, speak to us again your Word of order and allow us to reclaim that which is lost, bringing us again to a place of bright new beginnings. Rev. Roslyn Lee, Dix Hills UMC With enthusiasm, we will dance with your Spirit the tango of reclamation. We have broken our covenant with you, O God, and have moved away from you. Relationships have been broken between individuals, within families, congregations, Conferences and throughout your universal church. Reconciling God, bring us back to right relationship with you and with each other. By your Loving Spirit, bind us together in your expanding circle of love as we waltz together in the dance of reconciliation. Tiffany French, New Rochelle UMC With love, we will dance with your Spirit the waltz of reconciliation. We have rejected Christ as the cornerstone, and have built our lives and communities on the shifting sands of the opinions of the world. So we find ourselves being buffeted by the storms of life, and the shelters we have built for ourselves do not stand. We need to be restored to the security of your presence and power. By your faithful Spirit, restore our lives and make us strong temples for your Spirit to dwell in again. Rev. Milagros Solorzano, New Jerusalem UMC, Brooklyn With faithfulness, we will dance with your Spirit the salsa of restoration. So here we are, bruised and broken, sad and sorrowing, hurting and hesitant, foolish and fearful. We bring ourselves to you, God, to be resurrected, reclaimed, reconciled, restored and renewed. We embrace your promises to be with us to the end of the age, and to receive your blessing when we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. And so we ask. In the rhythm of this dance of renewal: Rev. Steven Knutsen, Seaford UMC Reminding us, O God, that we are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ. Now restore us, revive us, renew us, resurrect us and anoint us for new service in your Kin-dom. Amen. *EXCHANGE OF PEACE OFFERING OF GIFTS AND SELVES NYAC Young Clergy Debt Assistance Program Pastor Ximena Varas, St. Andrew s UMC, New Haven The vision for the Young Clergy Debt Assistance fund was the creation of Bishop Martin D. McLee who had a profound desire to provide financial support to clergy aged 40 years or younger serving in the New York Annual Conference. To be eligible for a grant, the following three requirements must be met by clergy: 1) be a licensed local pastor or be ordained or be in the process of becoming an ordained deacon or elder in the United Methodist Church; 2) be serving in an appointive or assigned ministry as a superintendent s supply in the NYAC for the past three years, and 3) have academic debt. 7

10 OFFERTORY MUSIC PRESENTATION OF OFFERING AND THE COMMUNION ELEMENTS *DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Words and Music by: Louis Borgeois and Thomas Ken Public Domain PRAYER OF DEDICATION Pastor Ximena A. Varas HOLY COMMUNION THE GREAT THANKSGIVING The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. Bishop Jane Allen Middleton and members of the Cabinet It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth. In the beginning your Spirit moved over the face of the waters. You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast. Your Spirit came upon prophets and teachers, anointing them to speak your Word. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest! Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. At his baptism in the Jordan your Spirit descended upon him and declared him your beloved Son. And throughout his life and ministry, your Son danced with the Spirit always. With your Spirit upon him, and dancing with the Spirit, he turned away the temptations of sin. 8 * All are invited to stand as able.

11 Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, baptizing us with the Holy Spirit and with fire, as on the Day of Pentecost so that we Your people can always dance with the Spirit. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said, Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. On the day you raised him from the dead he was recognized by his disciples in the breaking of the bread. And in the power of your Holy Spirit your Church has continued in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup. And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood and empowered by the gifts of the Spirit. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, showing forth the fruit of the Spirit until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and for ever. Amen. Amen. Amen. THE LORD S PRAYER BREAKING THE BREAD SHARING THE BREAD AND THE CUP 9

12 MUSIC DURING COMMUNION PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, you now have set your servants free to go in peace as you have promised. For these eyes of ours have seen Salvation which you have prepared for all the world to see! Now that we have participated in this holy mystery, in which you have given yourself to us, grant that we may go into the world as your covenant community dancing with your Spirit to give ourselves for others. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. SENDING FORTH *BENEDICTION Bishop Jane Allen Middleton *RECESSIONAL HYMN We ve a Story to Tell the Nations We ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right, a story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light, a story of peace and light. Refrain: For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright; and Christ s great kingdom shall come on earth, the kingdom of love and light. We ve a song to be sung to the nations, that shall lift their hearts to the Lord, a song that shall conquer evil and shatter the spear and sword, and shatter the spear and sword. (Refrain) We ve a message to give to the nations, that the Lord who reigneth above hath sent us his Son to save us, and show us that God is love, and show us that God is love. (Refrain) We ve a Savior to show to the nations, who the path of sorrow hath trod, that all of the world s great peoples might come to the truth of God, might come to the truth of God. (Refrain) Words and Music by: Henry E. Nichol Public Domain 10 * All are invited to stand as able.

13 POSTLUDE Spirit of the Lord Conference Music Team arr by F. Hammond The opening worship communion liturgy is an adaptation with dancing motifs from The Great Thanksgiving for the Day of Pentecost The United Methodist Book of Worship, p :00 p.m. Cokesbury Opens Arena 3:15 p.m. Break 3:30 p.m. Opening of Annual Conference: Bishop Jane Allen Middleton Arena Dancing with the Spirit: Conference as a Means of Grace Prayers for the 216th Session of Annual Conference Greetings/Introductions: Rev. James Moore, Session Committee Organizational Resolutions: Rev. Fred Jackson, Conference Secretary Recognition of Rev. Fredric O. Jackson Election of Conference Secretary Conference Rules Committee: Rev. Fred Jackson, Conference Secretary Nominations for the Conference Board of Trustees: Ms. Melodye Merola 4:00 p.m. Rev. Bill Perkins Lecture Series Arena Dr. L. Gregory Jones, Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry, Senior Strategist for Leadership Education, Duke Divinity School L. Gregory Jones, the 2015 Rev. Bill Perkins Lecture Series speaker, currently serves as the A. Morris and Ruth W. Williams Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School, Senior Strategist for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, and as Senior Strategist for the Fuqua-Coach K Center for Leadership and Ethics. He also serves as the Strategic Director of the Laity Lodge Leadership Initiative and as the Executive Director of A Foundation for Theological Education. Greg is a gifted speaker, a noted writer, and a trusted advisor who helps leaders imagine new possibilities and shape cultures for organizational success and productivity. He is passionate about re-shaping cultures within and across organizations and has coined the term traditioned innovation to capture how he re-frames complex challenges to seize significant opportunities. He is currently writing a book on Traditioned Innovation. Greg is the author or editor of 16 books, including the co-authored Forgiving As We ve Been Forgiven: Community Practices for Making Peace (with Celestin Musekura, in 2010), the co-authored Resurrecting Excellence (with Kevin R. Armstrong, in 2006), Everyday Matters: Intersections of Life and Faith (2003), and the widely acclaimed Embodying Forgiveness (1995). Jones, an ordained United Methodist pastor, has also published more than 200 articles in a variety of publications. Greg is married to the Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones, Associate Dean for United Methodist Initiatives and Ministerial Formation at Duke Divinity School. They are the parents of three children: Nathan, Ben and Sarah, and are grateful for their daughter-in-law, Amy Little Jones. 11

14 5:00 p.m. CONFERENCE DINNER AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall Legislative Section Leaders Student Center Room Women in Ministry Student Center Greenhouse 7:00 p.m. Clergy Session Student Center Multipurpose Room 7:00 p.m. Laity Session Arena UMCOR KITS All kits for UMCOR must be delivered to the mezzanine of the Arena by Thursday evening. The truck will leave for the UMCOR relief depot early Friday morning. THURSDAY, JUNE 11, :00 a.m. Blueprint for Wellness Screening Plaza Room West 6:15 a.m. Morning Worship and Communion Greenhouse Led by Class of 2015 Elders 7:00 a.m. CONFERENCE BREAKFAST AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall Asian Council Multipurpose Room West Town and Country Multipurpose Room West 8:30 a.m. Opening Prayer led by NYAC District Superintendents Thursday Morning Opening Prayer *OPENING HYMN Holy Ground We are standing on holy ground. And I know that there Are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now We are standing in His presence on holy ground (Repeat twice) Words and Music by: Geron Davis All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # SCRIPTURE FOCUS FOR THE MORNING Hope does not put us to shame because God s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5) CALL AND DELIVERANCE O God, your Spirit is all around us, in us, among us and works through us. Rev. Adrienne Brewington, Long Island East District 12 * All are invited to stand as able.

15 We thank you for your presence with us. From the east we hear you call us to a fresh beginning in the newness of the day. Rev. Kenneth Kieffer, Connecticut District Deliver us, O God, from ruts in life s roads and stagnant waters that would keep us from traveling with you. From the west we hear you call us to live as the compassionate and whole-y people you have created us to be. Rev. James Moore, Catskill/Hudson District Deliver us, O God, from our broken-heartedness that prevents us from seeing your vision and offers us only incomplete dreams. From the south we hear you call us to the warmth of your love and blossoming new growth. Rev. Denise Smartt Sears, Metropolitan District Deliver us, O God, from hard hearts and hands that are clenched too tightly to take up the work you have for us to do. From the north we hear you call us to the refreshment and peace of a cool, bubbling spring where we can be renewed. Rev. Sungchan Kim, Long Island West District Deliver us, O God, from boiling anger, resentments, prejudices and pride. From below we hear you offer us a firm foundation grounded in the bedrock of our faith in your power to transform ashes into beautiful new beginnings. Rev. Betsy Ott, New York/Connecticut District Deliver us, O God, from unstable and uncertain belief. From above we hear you call us to life beyond our ability to imagine and greater than anything we have ever experienced here. All District Superintendents Deliver us, O God, from our limited perception of your power and might to bring us safely into your presence day by day. Praise be to the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow! SONG Spirit of God Spirit of God, bright Wind, breath that bids life begin, blow as you always do; create us anew. Give us the breath to sing, lifted on soaring wing, held in your hands, born on your wings. Refrain: Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! (continued on following page) 13

16 Spirit of God, bright Dove, grant us your peace and love, healing upon your wings for all living things. For when we live your peace, captives will find release, held in your hands, born on your wings. Refrain: Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Spirit of God, bright Hands, even in far off lands you hold all the human race in one warm embrace. No matter where we go, you hold us together so, held in your hands, born on your wings. Refrain: Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Words and Music by: Steven Garnaas-Holmes All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under OneLicense.net #E PRAYER Rev. Adrienne Brewington, Dean of the Cabinet O God, who is love, thank you for your presence and the power of your Spirit who is here with us today and every day. Guide us in our work and worship. May what we do be worthy of you and be marked with the seal of your blessing. Through this day, whenever we feel disconnected and distanced from you, whisper into the ears of our spirits and remind us to reach deeply inside ourselves where the fountain of your Spirit will touch us and reconnect us with you. Whenever we are unable to find our way through difficult and challenging conversations and feel that you are distant and uncaring about our struggles, remind us to reach out to take the hand of our neighbor, to look into the face of a child, and there to find that who we see and touch is you. And in those moments when we feel lost and alone, separated from one another and from you, isolated and forgotten, let us open our hearts and our hands to receive the warmth of your love again. Let us be open to your Spirit today. All day. Here and now. For the love of your Son and the glory of your realm on earth and heaven. Amen. *SONG Spirit of God Spirit of God, bright Flame, send us in your holy name, the power to heal, to share your love everywhere. We cannot fail or fall, or know defeat at all, held in your hands, born on your wings. Refrain: Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! 14 * All are invited to stand as able.

17 Spirit of God, in all, we gladly hear your call, the life in our hands that sings, the power of your wings. Born of your grace we rise, love shining in our eyes, held in your hands, born on your wings. Refrain: Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Alleluia! Come, Spirit, Come! Words and Music by: Steven Garnaas-Holmes All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under OneLicense.net #E :45 a.m. Report of Conference Council on Finance and Administration: Mr. Geof Fowler Report of Pensions and Health Benefits: Rev. Bill Shillady 9:45 a.m. Black College Offering: Ms. Veronica Darby Make checks to NYAC, Memo: Black College This morning s offering supports the Black College Fund. In 1972 General Conference established the Black College Fund apportionment. Today, The United Methodist Church supports 11 historically Black colleges and universities, more than any other religious denomination. We extend greetings and thanks to the Lina H. McCord Ambassador of the Black College Fund, Nicholas Pettye, for joining us today. Mr. Pettye attends Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. 10:00 a.m. Break 10:15 a.m. Memorial Service, Renewal of Baptism and Communion Preacher: Rev. Sungchan Kim, DS, Long Island West District Service of Remembrance A Service of Remembrance, Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant and Holy Communion GATHERING CENTERING MUSIC WELCOME Bishop Jane Allen Middleton 15

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20 *CALL TO WORSHIP from Psalm 24 Rev. Sonia Jermin, Deacon The earth is the Lord s, and everything in it! From the east to the west, from the north to the south, God s Spirit moves across the face of the earth. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand and dance and sing in this holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, those who sing the name of Jesus Christ, those who trust in the gift of God s grace, those who desire to dance in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Wake up, people of God! Lift up your heads! Lift up the gates! Come before the Lord with singing and dancing! From the east to the west, from the north to the south, we gather together, united by God s Spirit, to celebrate God s glory and to offer praise and thanksgiving Let s worship God together! *HYMN OF REMEMBRANCE Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above Come, let us join our friends above who have obtained the prize, and on the eagle wings of love to joys celestial rise. Let saints on earth unite to sing with those to glory gone, for all the servants of our King in earth and heaven are one. One family we dwell in him, one church above, beneath, though now divided by the stream, the narrow stream of death; one army of the living God, to his command we bow; part of his host have crossed the flood, and part are crossing now. Words and Music by: Charles Wesley Public Domain LITURGY OF REMEMBRANCE CALL TO REMEMBRANCE Rev. Fredric Jackson, Conference Secretary Sisters and brothers in Christ, we have gathered to praise God and witness to our faith and our unity in Christ. We have come to remember and celebrate the lives of those who, once among us, have finished their course in faith and now rest in peace with our Lord. May we in this moment and through the reaffirmation of our baptismal vows and the holy meal, remember and 18 * All are invited to stand as able.

21 confirm for ourselves, the promise of God to receive us in mercy when our labor on earth is ended. In remembrance of this promise and through the name of our Savior, let us join in the Litany of Remembrance. LITANY OF REMEMBRANCE God of our yesterdays, we remember and cherish those who, even a short time ago, lived and worked with us for the sake of your kingdom. We rejoice in their witness and their faithfulness. God of today, we are conscious of the legacy of faith that these, your servants, have left behind. May our work be a witness to the faithfulness of their labors. We celebrate their love that lives in our hearts. God of all our tomorrows, we celebrate their entry into the heavenly host, and we offer with great joy, our praise and thanksgiving for their continued presence in our lives. We offer praise of the promise of life forever more. MUSIC MINISTRY Ani Ma Amin arr. by P. Caldwell Jennifer Axelson, Violinist ACT OF REMEMBRANCE Hear now the roll of those who have joined that great cloud of witness since we last met. (After each name is read, the jing is rung and a candle lit and placed on the cross. Please remain silent until the Act of Remembrance is completed.) *HYMN For All the Saints For all the saints, who from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia, Alleluia! Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light. Alleluia, Alleluia! Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, And win with them the victor s crown of gold. Alleluia, Alleluia! (continued on following page) 19

22 O blest communion, fellowship divine. We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleluia, Alleluia! And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, Steals on the ear the distant triumph song, And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia, Alleluia! From earth s wide bounds, from ocean s farthest coast, Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia, Alleluia! Words and Music by: Ralph Williams & William How Public Domain LITURGY OF WORD SCRIPTURE Phillipians 3:20-21 Ms. Arletha Miles-Boyce, Tremont UMC, Bronx But there s far more to life for us. We re citizens of high heaven! We re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him. (from The Message by E. Peterson) MESSAGE From Earthly Body to Glorious Body Rev. Sungchan Kim, Long Island West District LITURGY OF WATER *HYMN OF BAPTISM Down to the River to Pray As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good ol way. And who shall wear the starry crown? Good Lord show me the way! O sisters let s go down. Let s go down, come on down O brothers let s go down Down in the river to pray 20 As I went down in the river to pray, studying about that good ol way. And who shall wear the robe and crown? Good Lord show me the way! O mothers let s go down. Let s go down, come on down. Come on fathers, let s go down. Down in the river to pray. * All are invited to stand as able.

23 As I went down in the river to pray studying about that good ol way. And who shall wear the starry crown? Good Lord show me the way! O sinners, let s go down. Let s go down, come on down. O sinners, let s go down. Down in the river to pray. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI# NEW SERVICE OF REAFFIRMATION OF THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT This service reframes the structure and vows of the current Baptismal Covenant (UMH 50 and 2004 Book of Discipline, para. 217) in fresh imagery and a more interactive style. *INTRODUCTION Sisters and brothers in Christ: Today we come to the waters, to renew our commitments made in the sacrament of baptism in each other s presence to Christ who has raised us, the Spirit who has birthed us, and the Creator who is making all things new. RENUNCIATION OF SIN AND PROFESSION OF FAITH And so I ask you, will you turn away from the powers of sin and death? We renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, Reject the evil powers of this world, And repent of our sin! Will you let the Spirit use you as prophets to the powers that be? We accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves! Will you proclaim the good news and live as disciples of Jesus Christ, his body on earth? We confess Jesus Christ as our Savior, put our whole trust in his grace and promise to serve him as our Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races! Will you be living witnesses to the gospel, individually and together, wherever you are, and in all that you do? We will remain faithful members of Christ s holy church. And serve as Christ s representatives in the world. Will you receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments? We affirm and teach the faith of the whole church as we put our trust in God Almighty in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. 21

24 THANKSGIVING OVER THE WATER Water is poured on the baptismal font, and stirred and lifted up. The Spirit of the Lord is with us. Let us pray: Almighty God, the life you birthed in us by baptism into Jesus Christ will never die. Your justice never fails. Your mercy is everlasting. Your healing river flows. Your Spirit blows where you will. We cannot stop you, God! But sometimes we try. We try to block the flow, we redirect the winds of the Spirit, or we walk so far away from the life-giving Stream that we do not hear its sound, and we forget its power. We parch ourselves. We are dry and thirsty, O God. Come, refresh us! The officiating clergy offers gestures of calling upon the Holy Spirit to come upon the people and the water. The people are invited to offer the same gestures as they respond. Come upon us, Holy Spirit! Come upon these waters. Let these waters be to us drops of your mercy. Let these waters remind us of your righteousness and justice. Let these waters renew in us the resurrection power of Jesus. Let these waters make us long for your coming reign. Eternal God, One in Three and Three in One! All glory is yours, now and forever. Amen! Here, the officiating clergy, while lifting up waters from the baptismal font says, Remember your baptism, and be thankful! Amen. Thanks be to God! THANKSGIVING Let us rejoice in the faithfulness of our covenant God. We give thanks for all that God has already given us. As members of the body of Christ and in this congregation of the New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, we will faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. The God of all grace, who has called us to eternal glory in Christ, establish and strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit, that you may live in grace and peace. Photos of baptisms that have taken place in NYAC in the past year are displayed on the screen. 22 * All are invited to stand as able.

25 *EXCHANGE OF PEACE As we exchange the peace as part of the baptismal renewal, the water from the baptismal font is carried throughout the worship area and sprinkled over the people. These words are used as the peace is exchanged: Remember your baptism and be thankful. MUSICAL OFFERING I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry Words and Music by John Ylvisaker All Rights Reserved. For One Time Use. Reprinted under CCLI # LITURGY OF THE TABLE INVITATION TO THE TABLE/HYMN OF PREPARATION Come to the Table Come to the table of mercy, prepared with the wine and the bread. All who are hungry and thirsty, come and your soul will be fed. Come at the Lord s invitation, receive from His nail-scarred hand. Eat of the bread of salvation, drink of the blood of the Lamb. Words and Music by: Claire Cloninger All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI# GREAT THANKSGIVING Bishop Jane Allen Middleton with members of the Order of Deacons The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to you, Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to You, God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. You created all things, blessed them, and called them good. God of Abraham and Sarah, God of Miriam and Moses, God of Joshua and Deborah, God of Ruth and David, God of the priests and the prophets, God of Mary and Joseph, God of the apostles and martyrs, God of our mothers and our fathers, God of our children to all generations, 23

26 And so, with Your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise Your name and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest! Holy are You, and blessed is Your Son Jesus Christ, who in the fullness of time, came and dwelt among us as one of us, bringing good news to the poor, healing the sick, raising the dead, sharing table with sinners, and teaching the way that leads to life together, abundant for all. By the baptism of his incarnation, life, suffering, death, and resurrection, You gave birth to Your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. On the night in which Christ gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to You, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to You, gave it to his disciples, and said: Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. And so, in remembrance of these Your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, strengthen us to run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith. By Your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at the heavenly banquet. Through Your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in Your holy Church, all honor and glory is Yours almighty God, now and forever. Amen. THE LORD S PRAYER 24 * All are invited to stand as able.

27 BREAKING THE BREAD SHARING THE BREAD AND THE CUP PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Loving God, we give you thanks for your continuing invitation to this table in this house of yours, where we are fed and born anew as a new creation in Jesus Christ. Now that we have participated in this holy mystery, in which you have given yourself to us, just as the cloud of witnesses and the saints before us have done from age to age, grant that we may go into the world as your covenant community, riding the rhythm and the strength of your continuing presence among us, to dance with your Spirit and give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *CLOSING HYMN Beams of Heaven as I Go Beams of heaven as I go, through the wilderness below, guide my feet in peaceful ways, turn my midnights into days. When in the darkness I would grope, faith always sees a star of hope, and soon from all life s grief and danger I shall be free someday. Refrain: I do not know how long twill be, nor what the future holds for me, but this I know: if Jesus leads me, I shall get home someday. Oftentimes my sky is clear, joy abounds without a tear; though a day so bright begun, clouds may hide tomorrow s sun. There ll be a day that s always bright, a day that never yields to night, and in its light, the streets of glory, I shall behold someday. (Refrain) Words and Music by: Charles A.Tindley Public Domain *CHARGE AND BLESSING 11:50 a.m. Announcements: Rev. Fred Jackson, Conference Secretary Grace: Rev. Estella Voner Abel, Deacon, Class of 2015 Retiree 12:00 noon CONFERENCE LUNCHEON AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall Retired Clergy and Spouses Student Center Greenhouse NYTS Alumni/ae Student Center, Room 142 Yale Alumni/ae Plaza Room Middle 25

28 1:30 p.m. Legislative Sections Legislative Section 1 Hofstra USA Legislative Section 2 Student Center Theatre Legislative Section 3 Multipurpose Room Legislative Section 4 Cultural Center Theater Legislative Section 5 Arena Legislative Section 6 Plaza Room Middle & East (begin at 1:45pm) SCRIPTURE AND PRAYER BEFORE LEGISLATIVE SECTIONS Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV) Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Prayer: Gracious God we are here this afternoon to seek your will and to do your work, and so we ask for the presence and guidance of your Holy Spirit. Help us each to let go of our own understanding and to seek your perfect wisdom and plan, for every issue before us. Guide us to follow your Word as shared by the apostle Paul; to value others above ourselves, not looking to our own interests but to the interests of others. In our connection with one another, may we have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who took the very nature of a servant. Lead us in our discussion, direct us in our voting, show us how to serve. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 26 5:00 p.m. CONFERENCE DINNER AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall Methodist Federation for Social Action Hofstra USA Wesley Fellowship Greenhouse Bishop s Dinner with Class of 2015 Retiring Clergy and Spouses University Club 6:00 p.m. Festival of Ministries Displays Arena 7:00 p.m. Celebration of Retirement Class of 2015 * All are invited to stand as able.

29 Celebration of Retirement CELEBRATION OF RETIREMENT *PROCESSIONAL Hymn of Retirement of Pastors Holy God, we lift our voices in a hymn of thanks and praise For the pastors you have sent us called to serve us through these days. Bless them as they journey onward, hold them in your care always. They have blessed us in our worship, showing us the gospel s goal, Weaving silence, word and music with a sure, artistic soul, Integrating many voices into one creative whole. They have opened up the scriptures in the context of today; Words of comfort, words prophetic, words to show us how to pray, Helping us to find a gospel to illuminate our way. They have walked with us in sorrow, sharing self to meet our need. They have joined in celebration, partnering our dancing feet, Building into daily living sacramental wine and wheat. Words: 2007, Paul Stott Music: SICILIAN MARINERS Used by permission CCLI# GREETING Rev. Noel Chin, Conference Relations Chair ORDER OF FAREWELL Retirees: We thank you, the members and friends of the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, for the love and support you have shown us while we have ministered among you. We are grateful for the ways our leadership has been accepted. We ask forgiveness for the mistakes we have made. As we change our conference relationship to that of retirement, we carry with us all that we have learned and shared here. We receive your thankfulness, offer forgiveness and accept that you now enter into retirement. We express our gratitude for your faithful service among us. We ask your forgiveness for our mistakes. Your influence on our faith and faithfulness will not leave us with your retirement. 27

30 Retirees: We accept your gratitude and forgiveness, and we forgive you, trusting that our time together and our parting are pleasing to God. We release you from turning to us and depending on us. We encourage your continuing ministry in the New York Annual Conference and will pray for you. CELEBRATION OF MINISTRY Estella Voner Abel Bronx: Butler Memorial Walter C. Barton, Jr. Western New York Annual Conference; NYAC: St. Albans: Grace; Manhattan: St. Mark s; Brooklyn: Newman Memorial; Bridgeport: Golden Hill Susan Chadwick Verbank; Bronx: Trinity (City Island); LaGrangeville: Trinity; LaGrangeville: Trinity & Wiccopee: Community Jacob S. Dharmaraj Bombay Annual Conference; Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference: Clarksburg; Donovan; Clinton; NYAC: Pawling & Poughquag; Shrub Oak Robert Ellis Kersten NYAC: Pine Plains; Wyoming Annual Conference: Stamford & Harpersfield; Otego; NYAC: Grahamsville & Sundown; Monticello & Liberty; Upper New York Annual Conference: Trinity UMC, Wilton, NY DaleEllen Krazmien Hyde Park, Associate; Chatham; Newburgh: Gardnertown; Norwalk: East Avenue; Goshen Koonae Annie Lee Mamakating, Woodridge & Hurleyville; Woodbury, NY; Korean Methodist Church and Institute; East Meadow; Southampton; Stratford James W. Moore Callicoon, Fremont Center, Hankins & North Branch; Warwick; Hyde Park; Superintendent, Catskill Hudson District Barbara J. Mungin Manhattan: Salem, Associate; Mt. Vernon: Asbury; Bronx: Epworth; Hempstead; Croton-on-Hudson: Asbury; Staten Island: Faith Tilda A. Norberg Metropolitan Association: United Church of Christ; Director, Gestalt Pastoral Care Associates Anne M. Rossini Olivebridge & Samsonville; Albany Medical Ctr.; Coeymans Hollow: Trinity & Dormansville: First Wendy Karen Steed Coxsackie; Woodmere-Lawrence & Inwood: St. Paul s; Inwood: St. Paul s 28 * All are invited to stand as able.

31 Judith A. Stevens Sayville, Associate; Sloatsburg; Manhattan: St. Paul & St. Andrew; Floral Park; Simsbury; Patchogue; Staten Island: St. Paul s; Bellmore & East Meadow; Mamaroneck Louise Stowe-Johns Alabama West Florida Annual Conference: Huntington College Chaplain, Tutwiler Prison; Tuskegee First; Dexter Avenue; First & St. Paul s, Union Springs; NYAC: Consultant, GBGM; East Norwich: Community; Amityville: First Russell G. Waldmann Bloomingburg & Bullville; Kingston, NY: St. James; Olivebridge & Samsonville; Stamford & Harpersfield; Ansonia; Ansonia & Derby; Ansonia; Plainville Elaine E. Welsh Children s Ministry; Christian Education, Bronx: Crawford Memorial Elizabeth Levant Williams Bellvale & Sugar Loaf; Staten Island: Faith Kenny Kang Yi Staten Island: Christ & Christ Korean; Staten Island: Christ Korean; Plainview; Plainview & Central Queens Korean; Superintendent, Long Island West District; Adjunct Faculty, Fiji Methodist Seminary, Fiji WORDS OF THANKS AND COMMENDATION Bishop Jane Allen Middleton PRAYER Let us pray. Eternal God, whose steadfast love for us is from everlasting to everlasting, we give you thanks for cherished memories and commend one another into your care as we move in new directions. Keep us one in your love forever, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *CLOSING HYMN Hymn of Retirement of Pastors Bless, O God, their new endeavors: Travel, family, leisure days, Time to read and time to ponder, Time to build and time to praise. Ministry with us is ending, Hear us sing with voices raised, (continued on following page) 29

32 Well done, good and faithful servants, Hear our blessing now to you, Go with God in all your journeys, Find God s peace in all you do. May God s love embrace, enfold you, Ever making all things new. Words: 2007, Paul Stott and Music: REGENTS SQUARE Public Domain Used by permission. CCLI# This service was adapted from An Order of Farewell to a Pastor in The United Methodist Book of Worship (Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1992) pgs :45 p.m. Report of the Conference Lay Leader: Ms. Renata Smith Report of Cabinet: Rev. James Moore Report of the Director of Church Development and Revitalization Rev. Derrick-Lewis Noble Archives Special Recognition: Ms. Beth Patkus, Archivist and Ms. Leslie Reyman, Commission on Archives, Chair 8:30 p.m. Celebration of the New York Annual Conference as a Means of Grace Special Guest: John Wesley 9:30 p.m. Closing Prayer FRIDAY, JUNE 12, :00 a.m. Blueprint for Wellness Screening Plaza Room West 6:15 a.m. Morning Worship and Communion Greenhouse Led by Class of 2015 Commissioned and Provisional Members 7:00 a.m. CONFERENCE BREAKFAST AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall Connecticut District Frontier Foundation Student Center Room 142 8:30 a.m. Opening Prayer/Commissioning of Missionary Opening Prayer and Commissioning of a New Missionary *SONG Holy Ground We are standing on holy ground and I know that there Are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now We are standing in His presence on holy ground Words and Music by: Geron Davis All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # * All are invited to stand as able.

33 CALL TO WORSHIP: Certified Lay Ministers of the NYAC Through the entire human story, the Spirit of God pours out grace to God s people through visions and voices, images and ideas, in all languages and all times, to all people in all places. Barbara Marks, Connecticut District The Dancing Spirit of the Living God invites the people of God to move out of apathy and to live in new ways revealed by God s Spirit throughout the ages. To Abram the Spirit came as a sign in the stars and the sand that he was chosen by God to father a great nation. Ross Topliff, New York/Connecticut District To Moses the Spirit gifted him to open his senses and to see that the entire earth was ablaze with God s glory. To Rahab the Spirit prompted the undeniable feeling that her enemies should become her friends. Barbara Marks, Connecticut District To Esther, the Spirit moving in her gave her the grace she needed to find the courage to speak, to act, to imagine and to risk. To Mary God s Spirit was dramatic, angelic, unbelievable a new understanding that came to her through her pondering which empowered her to recognize that neither she nor the world would ever be the same again. Ross Topliff, New York/Connecticut District To the disciples, and a blind man, and a bleeding woman. and a boy with seizures, and a woman caught in her guilt and shame. Mary Brevigleiri, Connecticut District and a dying thief and a Roman soldier. Debbie Vail, New York/Connecticut District and to many, many others it was the personal touch, the eyewitness experience of the healer-teacher-storyteller lover of us all the human/divine being called Jesus of Nazareth who, himself, danced in the Spirit as he grace-fully ministered, preached, and healed the people he met along the way. Mary Brevigleiri, Connecticut District To three women at the empty tomb the Spirit blessed them with a gift in return for their faith, an ecstasy no one else remained there to enjoy, a story no one else had the faith, at first, to believe or to tell. Empowered by the Living Spirit, the words and the life and the power of this Jesus have broken through the tomb and have flown through time and across cultures and continue to live in us today. Debbie Vail, New York/Connecticut District 31

34 And the same Spirit continues to speak, and move and dance through the visions and voices in images and ideas, among all languages and times, with all people and places Samuel Newman, Long Island East District through prophets and priests and educated leaders and peasants and through women and men whose names are forgotten but whose faith endures in the hearts of those they taught and nurtured, echoing in the songs they sang and passed on, moving, present, active and alive in the ideas and questions they shared and inspired. The blazing fire of the Holy Spirit has spoken through reformers in the ages: Luther and Calvin and Wesley, through Susan B. Anthony, Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, Oscar Romero, Chief Seattle, Philip Jaisohn, and other names we lift up now...lift up the names aloud or in our hearts of those who are reformers whom we respect and admire. Lisa Bosworth, Connecticut District And still the Holy Spirit comes to us today, inviting us to join in the dance of life with new voices and visions, new callings and commitments. Samuel Newman, Long Island East District Sometimes God s Spirit burns in our hearts like fire and at other times whispers to us in the silence as a still, small voice. God s Spirit may sing to us from the altar of the starlit sky or sneak up on us from within or embrace us in the touch of another child of God. Lisa Bosworth, Connecticut District But we are here today because the Holy Spirit of the Living God speaks to us inviting us to stand and step and move and shake and dance! And we answer, Here we are Lord! Here we are. We are Dancing! *SONG We are Singing (Dancing) Words & music: South Africa (20th cent.) adapt. by Hal H. Hobson All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI OPENING PRAYER AND PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Rev. Laurel Scott, UMC of Port Washington O most holy and generous God, this morning we celebrate your Spirit, so freely given and so powerfully active within your church and the world. As your Spirit moves in our midst, may you inspire us to respond generously to your call to us today. May you renew and fill us with the fire we need in our souls to serve you well in the world you entrust to our care. 32 * All are invited to stand as able.

35 Prayers of the People were collected Thursday evening and woven into this inclusive prayer presented by a representative group of lay and clergy persons. Delegates were asked to write prayers under the following headings: Resurrection, Restoration, Reconciliation, Regrowth, and Renewal. (After the prayers are read, the community responds:) We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus the Christ, whose promise to be with us always your Spirit fulfills. Amen. THE ORDER OF COMMISSIONING AND SENDING OF A UNITED METHODIST MISSIONARY INTRODUCTION Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie, NYAC Mission/Outreach Coordinator Today, we set aside a special time as part of the 216th Session of the New York Annual Conference to praise God and give thanks for continuously calling among us servant leaders for the mission and ministries of the Church of Jesus Christ for the redemption and transformation of the world. We do so today especially as we commission and recognize this missionary related to our annual conference. *HYMN Gather Us In Here in this place new light is streaming, now is the darkness vanished away; see in this space our fears and our dreamings brought here to you in the light of this day. Gather us in, the lost and forsaken, gather us in, the blind and the lame; call to us now, and we shall awaken, we shall arise at the sound of our name. We are the young, our lives are a mystery, we are the old who yearn for your face; we have been sung throughout all of history, called to be light to the whole human race. Gather us in, the rich and the haughty, gather us in, the proud and the strong; give us a heart, so meek and so lowly, give us the courage to enter the song. (continued on following page) 33

36 Not in the dark of buildings confining, not in some heaven, light years away here in this place the new light is shining, now is the kingdom, and now is the day. Gather us in and hold us forever, gather us in and make us your own; gather us in, all peoples together, fire of love in our flesh and our bone. Words & Music by Marty Haugen All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI RECOGNITION OF RETIRED MISSIONARY JOYCE HILL SCRIPTURE Acts 13:1-3 Rev. Timothy Riss, Poughkeepsie UMC & a Director of General Board of Global Ministries INTRODUCTION AND PRESENTATION OF THE CANDIDATE Ms. Rebecca Asedillo, Executive Secretary, Asia Pacific General Board of Global Ministries Elizabeth Tapia, Professor of the Bible, Theology and Mission, Philippines EXAMINATION OF THE CANDIDATE The bishop says to the Candidate: Elizabeth, we rejoice that you have chosen to devote this time in your life to Christian mission. The call of God is always profound, and our response can be no less extraordinary. In the varied ministries in which the Holy Spirit will lead you, you will testify to the infinite love of God in Christ Jesus. Such a vocation confers a great privilege; it also lays upon you a solemn responsibility. What you have pledged alone with God in consecrating your life to this service, we ask you to repeat publicly. Do you sincerely believe that you have been led by the Spirit of God to engage in this work and to assume its responsibilities? Candidate: I do so believe. Will you be diligent in prayer, in the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and in such studies as will increase your skills and abilities for this life in mission? Candidate: I will endeavor so to do. Will you earnestly seek to carry forward your ministry in sincerity and in love, cooperating willingly with your co- workers, under the direction of the church? Candidate: I will, the Lord being my helper. 34 * All are invited to stand as able.

37 Let us pray: Almighty God, source of all mercies, endow Elizabeth with your Holy Spirit s power, enrich her with your grace, and strengthen her for the tasks which lie ahead; that in all her works begun, continued, and ended in you, she may glorify your holy name, and advance the coming of your Kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. All audibly affirm the action, saying, Amen. COMMISSIONING BY LAYING ON OF HANDS The presiding bishop and other episcopal leaders lay hands on the head of the candidate. Other persons in significant relationship to the candidate s call to mission may be invited to participate by placing their hands on the candidate s shoulders. Bishop: Elizabeth, I commission you to take the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ into all the world, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All audibly affirm the action, saying, Amen. VESTING AND RESPONSE The anchor cross, a symbol in early Christian iconography, reminds us of the necessity to be firmly grounded in Christ as we engage in God s Mission. The bishop addresses the congregation. I commend to you, Elizabeth, whom we have commissioned on this day into a lifetime of Christ-like service under the authority of The United Methodist Church. In this holy moment, we too are called to a renewed consecration of our lives to Christ. As Elizabeth goes forth upon her ministries, let us assure her of our support by word, gift and deed. *Congregation (standing): We rejoice to recognize you as a missionary of The United Methodist Church. We will sustain you with our prayers; support your mission service; and together strive to minister to the needs of all of creation. Bishop: To the church gathered here and around the world, I present our new missionary, Elizabeth Tapia, commissioned to service on behalf of The United Methodist Church. Thanks be to God! Amen! *SUNG RESPONSE Wonderful in Me God is doing something wonderful in them God is doing something wonderful through us. Something awesome and incredible that only God will get the glory, God is doing something wonderful, incredible and awesome. God is doing something wonderful in them. Words and Music by: David All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI #

38 *SENDING FORTH WITH BLESSING Ms. Rebecca Asedillo, GBGM *HYMN OF COMMITMENT The Voice of God is Calling The voice of God is calling its summons in our day; Isaiah heard in Zion, and we now hear God say: Whom shall I send to succor my people in their need? Whom shall I send to loosen the bonds of shame and greed? From ease and plenty save us; From pride of place absolve; Purge us of low desire; Lift us to high resolve; Take us, and make us holy; Teach us your will and way. Speak, and behold! we answer; Command, and we obey! Words and Music by: John Haynes Holmes & William Lloyd All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI :20 a.m. Reading of Appointments: New York/Connecticut District Rev. Betsy Ott Metropolitan District Rev. Denise Smartt Sears 9:35 a.m. Corporate Session: Report of Trustees, Elections: Rev. Virginia Carle 10:10 a.m. Nominating Report Ms. Melodye Merola 10:40 a.m. Break 10:55 a.m. Act of Repentance for the Healing of Relationships with Indigenous People Act of Repentance Service NEW YORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE ACT OF REPENTANCE For the Healing of Relationships and Repentance with Indigenous People **The purpose and intent of today s Act of Repentance is to come face to face with an untruth that has been perpetuated for over 500 years. We were taught that in 1492 a man named Columbus discovered America, but we never stopped to ask, How could someone discover a new world when there were people already living in it? What Columbus encountered was a settled land and a developed culture. With his arrival the violent history of conquering and destroying the Indigenous people began. Invaders brought diseases and other weapons of mass destruction; and what was not given to them was taken by force. We are here to confront the violent history of peoples whose families, communities and sovereign nations were destroyed by aggressive powers lusting for land and riches, seeking domination at the expense of others, and more importantly, we are here to repent the United Methodist Church s role in cooperating with, and entering into those relationships with political forces that resulted in the killing of indigenous men, women, and children. In just a few moments we will sing out songs and utter our prayers, but let us not forget that until we confess in our hearts our deep anguish over our participation in the events of history, our words and our songs will have little or no meaning. When we acknowledge our manifold sins and wickedness in sincerity and truth, then we will find repentance. 36 * All are invited to stand as able.

39 GATHERING MUSIC Native Drum Kevin Tarrant, Hopi/Ho Chunk OPENING REMARKS Bishop Jane Allen Middleton WELCOME FROM THE SHINNECOCK NATION Elder Elizabeth Thunder Bird Haile, Shinnecock JOURNEY TO ACT OF REPENTANCE Video Presentation PRAYER IN SONG Come Now, O Prince of Peace (in English) Reprinted under OneLicense.net E ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE We can no longer claim that we are not involved. Repentance means to turn around, to leave the path that we are on, and to choose a different path. As we seek healing, it s important that we go beyond just saying we are sorry. We need, as non-indigenous people, to understand the real beginning of our history as people of the United States and Methodists and the horrible acts that have been committed in the name of the church and in our nation-building, like the Sand Creek Massacre, the Wounded Knee Massacre, Carlisle Indian Industrial School program, and many, many more near and far from the New York Annual Conference that we are not even aware of because we have erased them from the historical narrative of our nation and of our church. Rev. Stephen Bauman, Christ UMC, Manhattan And perhaps just as important, we need to understand some of the ongoing injustices happening to indigenous peoples here in our midst and around the world today, while we, the non-natives, continue to benefit disproportionately from the legacies of the sins of our ancestors. It is only as we begin educating ourselves and others about what it means to be reconciled to each other and to God that we can begin to experience the beloved community. Repentance is possible only if we acknowledge the people we have hurt and then embark on a different path of personal and collective commitment. This journey won t start and end today, but will take time as we work to connect our heads and our hearts that we might experience true repentance. Rev. Karen Monk, Kaaterstill and East Jewett Charge THE PROCESS OF CONQUEST AND GENOCIDE Video Presentation CENTERING PRAYER One: The Lord be with you Many: And also with you. One: Let us pray. Many: O Holy God, we come before you seeking forgiveness for the heartbreaking atrocities committed by our ancestors against native peoples through colonialism and imperial ambitions in the church and the world. 37

40 One: Through genocidal policies and massacres, the destruction of traditional forms of relationship to the earth, through the decimation of native culture and language, Many: Neither our government nor our church are without fault. One: Through the transfer and consumption of massive tracts of territories for roads, railways, mining, and timber for the privilege of non-native people, Many: Neither our government, nor our church are without fault. We pray that you set us on a path of reconciliation with our indigenous sisters and brothers and that we will one day be able to express your love with open hearts. One: Forgiving God, we come to you with heavy hearts, aware of the participation of the church in the sin of the oppression of indigenous peoples. We acknowledge the sins of our ancestors, and of our continued sin of not working toward reconciling communities. We pray that through your grace and mercy we may be forgiven from the bondage that comes from enslaving and oppressing others. Many: Jesus Christ, the head of the church, freed people and asked us, his followers, to do as he did. Yet, in the name of that same church, we have bound and suppressed your people. We are sorry that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Help us, O God, to love our neighbors, our indigenous and native brothers and sisters as you love us. Let this service be a significant turning point in our relationship with indigenous and native people in and around the New York Annual Conference and throughout the world. We pray that your grace and mercy be like a stream of flowing water between our church and indigenous communities. Thank you, O Redeeming God, for the opportunity to begin again. Amen. PRAYER IN SONG Heleluyan (sung twice) Kevin Tarrant, Hopi/Ho Chunk Words & music Trad. Muscogee (Creek) Indian All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # SCRIPTURE Psalm 85 Ms. Elaine Winward & Ms. Myrna Clinton SERMON What Does It Mean to Turn Around? Ms. Cynthia Kent Ms. Kent is the Chair of the NEJ Native American Ministries Committee, the Native American International Caucus (NAIC), and a current member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. PRAYER IN SONG 38 Who Is My Mother, Who Is My Brother verses 1 & 4 Words: Shirley Erena Murray and Music: Jack Schader All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # * All are invited to stand as able.

41 *THE ACT OF REPENTANCE: Non-Native People to the Native People: We are here to pledge ourselves to addressing the wrong that has been committed in the name of God by our ancestors who went before us and to ask for the forgiveness of all those of you who have been wronged. We have failed you and God profoundly. We confess to God, acknowledging our guilt, resolving to cease the harm, pledging ourselves to live differently, reversing the damage that has been done through our participation in violence, maltreatment and neglect of native and indigenous peoples so that we may bring healing and restoration to all. All who are able, will bow deeply in the act of contrition and new commitment. A profound silence of sufficient length is maintained. Native People to the Non-Native People: In God s holy name and in a spirit of forgiveness, we accept your expression of regret and your pledge to move forward into a future that heals the hurt that has been done, and paves the way for all people to live together in harmony and balance that welcomes the marvelous diversity of Creation. In silence, baptismal water is stirred and lifted up in a Christian act of a cleansing of our sins. Non-Native People: We are grateful for your acceptance of forgiveness and give thanks to God for God s grace in bringing us to this place of repentance and forgiveness. As we look towards a time of the reign of God, we pledge ourselves to kingdom building where all are invited to be seated at the table and where all are respected and valued, and we live in harmony and balance with all God s creation. A DRUM CALL FOR A NEW BEGINNING Kevin Tarrant, Hopi/Ho Chunk A NEW COVENANT AN EPISCOPAL REMARK Bishop Jane Allen Middleton *OUR COMMITMENT IN FIVE CONCRETE ACTIONS 1) As part of our continuing repentance, we in the New York Annual Conference will commit ourselves to be educated about the full history of our Nation and our Church in relation to the Native Americans, name and own up all the suffering that was inflicted by us on our Native brothers and sisters, and work diligently to heal and repair the wrongs, and specifically to correct and overcome the Doctrine of Discovery currently taught and assumed on all levels of education and national life in the USA. 2) As part of our continuing repentance, we in the New York Annual Conference will make intentional connections with the Native American Nations in our annual conference area of New York and Connecticut including but not limited to the Shinnecock, Mohegan, and Mashantucket Pequot. We will listen to their stories and concerns, and initiate ministries related to Native 39

42 Americans in consultation with the New York Annual Conference Committee on Native American Ministries. 3) As part of our continuing repentance, we in the New York Annual Conference will research and learn of the places of pain and suffering that Native people suffered in the region around New York Annual Conference, and organize intentional pilgrimages to these sites to deepen our awareness and connection to the indigenous people, and bind ourselves with the commitment, Never Again! 4) As part of our continuing repentance, we in the New York Annual Conference will support the ministries of the Conference Committee on Native American Ministries and ensure that their members are represented meaningfully at the Connectional Ministries Vision Table, Commission on Conference Sessions and Annual Conference Worship Team, so that their gifts and concerns can be organically reflected in the mission and ministries of the New York Annual Conference. 5) As part of our continuing repentance, we in the New York Annual Conference will ensure that every congregation in the conference observes the Native American Ministry Sunday, and will make available all the needed resources from the annual conference and the general church, and help each congregation implement the spirit of this covenant. *A SEAL OF COVENANT As a symbolic act of this new covenant, please assist your neighbor in tying the grey ribbon to his/her wrist as a sign of today s Act of Repentance. Please keep the ribbon on at least until sundown. (You may keep it on for a longer period.) When you cut it off, ask someone for help and explain to him/her why you have been wearing this ribbon. As the ribbon is cut, together say, Never Again! *HYMN Make Us One Words & music Carol Cymbala All Rights Reserved..Reprinted under CCLI # *BLESSINGS An Elder of Shinnecock Nation & Bishop Jane Allen Middleton *HYMN OF GOING FORTH Heleluyan Words & music Trad. Muscogee (Creek) Indian All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # :55 a.m. Announcements Rev. Fred Jackson Grace NYAC Commission on Native American Ministry (CoNAM) Ms. Elaine Winward 40 * All are invited to stand as able.

43 12:00 p.m. CONFERENCE LUNCHEON AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall Black Methodists for Church Renewal Greenhouse Clergy Mates Multipurpose Room West Drew University Theological School Multipurpose Room East Hispanic Council Student Center, Room 142 Korean Council Multipurpose Room West Methodists in New Directions Hofstra USA Union Theological Seminary Multipurpose Room East 1:30 p.m. Reading of Appointments: Rev. Kenneth Kieffer, Connecticut District Rev. Sungchan Kim, Long Island West District 1:45 p.m. Legislative Section Reports 3:00 p.m. Break 3:15 p.m. Reading of Appointments: Rev. Jim Moore, Catskill Hudson District Rev. Adrienne Brewington, Long Island East District 3:45 p.m. Legislative Section Reports Continues 4:45 p.m. Clergy Spouse Presentation and Grace 5:00 p.m. Conference Choir Rehearsal Arena 5:00 p.m. CONFERENCE DINNER AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall Church and Society Hofstra USA Volunteers in Mission Greenhouse 6:45 p.m. Anchor House Presentation/Offering Make checks to NYAC, Memo: Anchor House Anchor House is a UMC sponsored drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Anchor House s motto is Offering hope where there was none. We thank the residents of Anchor House for their gift of music this evening. 7:15 p.m. Scholarship and Award Presentations New York Education Society: Rev. Sandy Mantz Conference Merit Award: Rev. Sandy Mantz Gloster Current Scholarship: Rev. Sandy Mantz Youth Service Fund Grant: Conference Council on Youth Ministries Francis Asbury: Rev. Sandy Mantz UM Frontier Foundation Local Church Ministry Grants: Mr. Joe Andreana Rev. Dr. William M. James Family Fund Scholarship: Ms. Jade Sharp- James Shirley Parris Award: Ms. Renata Smith UM City Society Urban Ministries Scholarship: Rev. Bill Shillady Harry Denman Evangelism Award: Rev. Sandy Mantz 41

44 7:45 p.m. Mission Presentation: Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie 100% Africa University UMCOR Presentation Celebration of Commitment: Imagine No Malaria Ms. Lynda Gomi 8:15 p.m. Legislative Section Reports Continue Healing Service Begins following Business Session Service of Anointing *GATHERING MUSIC Holy Ground We are standing on holy ground And I know that there Are angels all around Let us praise Jesus now We are standing in His presence on holy ground Words and Music by: Geron Davis All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI # SCRIPTURE READINGS Greg Higgins, Cooperative Parish of Pine Plains, Bangall, Millerton, Rowe and Elizaville Luke 9:1-6, 10, 11 John 14:12-13 REFLECTION ON ANOINTING Pastor Debbi Mygatt, Jesse Lee Memorial UMC Ridgefield, CT BLESSING OF THE OIL Bishop Jane Allen Middleton O God, the giver of health and salvation, we give thanks to you for the gift of oil. As your holy apostles anointed many who were sick and healed them, so pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on this gift, that those who in faith and repentance receive this anointing may be made whole; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (from the UM Book of Worship p. 620, Healing Services and Prayers) ANOINTING OF PRAYER TEAMS Bishop Jane Allen Middleton The anointing team will be stationed around the arena. Come as the Spirit guides you to receive the anointing and prayer. You may leave the worship area at any time. Anointing Team: Cherie Phillips, Jeff Hooker, Roy Grubbs, Shirley Bollin, Lisa Bosworth, Ximena A. Varas, Scharlise Dorsey, Sandra Mantz, Greg Higgins, Iwy Patel-Yatri, Warren Whitlock, Anne Bracket, Marjorie Nunes, Mike Barry, Marie Bell, Karen Eiler, Heather Sinclair, Martha Epstein, Ross Topliff, Elaine Winward, Bob Thompson-Gee, Julia Winward, Kathleen Reynolds, Michael Jenkins, Marion Hubbard, Curtis Horton, Harriet Mahoney, Debbi Mygatt 42 * All are invited to stand as able.

45 HYMNS DURING ANOINTING Spirit Song Words and Music by John Wimber 1979 Mercy Publishing All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI-# At the Cross Words and Music by HILLSONG. Reprinted under CCLI-# Anointing Fall on Me Words and Music by Donn C. Thomas All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI-# Mi Shebeirach (Hebrew Prayer for Healing) Words by Debbie Friedman and Music by Drorah Setel: 1963 All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI-# I Give Myself Away Words and Music by William Murphy All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI-# *THE BENEDICTION SONG May The Peace of the Lord May the peace of the Lord, May the peace of the Lord go with you. The peace of the Lord go with you. May his spirit rest within you to comfort and befriend you. God is right beside you to constantly remind you You re a child of the Lord Words and Music by: Babbie Mason and John Madgett 1977 Word Music All Rights Reserved. Reprinted under CCLI For those interested in additional Healing Services and Prayers, they may be found on pages in The United Methodist Book of Worship. SATURDAY, JUNE 13, :00 a.m. CONFERENCE BREAKFAST AND FELLOWSHIP Student Dining Hall 9:00 a.m. Conference Choir Rehearsal 9:15 a.m. Photo Session with all Ordinands/Commissioners 9:30 a.m. Procession Line-up 10:00 a.m. Ordination/Commissioning Service Bishop Ernest S. Lyght, preaching Offering: Imagine No Malaria Make checks to NYAC, Memo: Imagine No Malaria We joyously welcome Bishop Ernest S. Lyght back to the New York Annual Conference. In 1996, the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference elected him to the episcopacy and assigned him to the New York Area. In 2004 he was assigned to the West Virginia Area. Bishop Lyght has served on a variety of conference, community and general church agencies and boards, including the United Methodist Men s Commission, the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Global Ministries, the General Council on Finance and Administration, and two terms as secretary of the Council of Bishops. We are also very grateful to Bishop Lyght for his service as Resident Interim Bishop in :30 p.m. Close of Conference 43

46 Thanks be to God for ALL who shared their gifts with the NYAC New York Annual Conference Worship Team Sheila M. Beckford, Dance Coordinator Kathryn Dickinson Lynda Gomi Alfred E. Hanson Peggy Hanson Won Tack Lee, Technology Coordinator Michelle Lewis Dorlimar Lebron Malave Debbi Mygatt Betsy Ott Stephanie Parsons Ann Pearson, Connectional Ministries Consultant Charles Ryu, Co-chair Laurel Scott Heather Sinclair, Co-chair Raymond Trapp, Music Director Ian J. Wharton Shannon Whitt Ximena Varas Dramatic Arts Team Michelle Lewis, Director Jinwoo Kim Alex Souto Matthew Querns Wendy Paige Darlene Kelley John June Music Team Raymond Trapp, Director of Music Ian J. Wharton, Coordinator Steve Brown, Guitar Marianna Czeisel, Horn Joseph Roberts, Raymond Trapp: Keyboard Raymond Trapp, Organ Eli Asher, Ben Holmes, Alicia Rau: Trumpet David White, Trombone Jennifer Axelson, Violin 44 * All are invited to stand as able.

47 Vocals Gareth Daley Nikita Hill Shani Boxill Amiyra Mason Sharon Palatucci Shardenay Palmer Ashley Reid Louise Samerson Dwain Walcott Kyle Watson Spirit Builders Conference Dance Team Rev. Leslie Duroseau Melvin Blak Martha Chapman Roy Garzon Rev. Sheila M. Beckford, Coordinator Anna Bates Celebration of the New York Annual Conference as a Means of Grace Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, Host Rev. Jim Moore, John Wesley, Praise & Worship Team: Harriman UMC Pastor Wendy Paige, Director Jermaine Paul, Music Director Spirit Builders Conference Dance Team Won Tack Lee, Visuals A Special Thank You District Superintendents James W. Moore, Catskill Hudson Kenneth Kieffer, Connecticut Adrienne Brewington, Long Island East Sungchan Kim, Long Island West Denise Smartt Sears, Metropolitan Elizabeth Ott, New York/Connecticut Office of Connectional Ministries Rev. Ann A. Pearson, Consultant,Connectional Ministries Lynda Gomi, Asst. to the Director, Connectional Ministries Carol Merante, Administrative Asst. Connectional Ministries Barbara Eastman, Information and Technology Manager 45

48 Introducing our Guests from Native American Ministries Elizabeth Thunderbird Haile is an Elder of the Shinnecock Nation. As a life-long educator, she holds a B.S. from Oneonta, a M.A. from NYU and a DHL from Long Island University. She is currently the Vice President of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum. Elizabeth lives on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation with her husband of 57 years, Dick Haile, and are blessed with four children, ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Kevin Tarrant (Hopi/Ho Chunk), was brought up in the traditional way and has been dancing since the age of two and singing since the age of ten, with the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers. For the past ten years he has been the lead singer of the Silvercloud Singers, which was formed in 1991 with his brother Michael Tarrant, and friends Randy Whitehead and Lance Richmond. With the group he has performed at most major venues in NYC including the theater at Madison Square Garden, the Ritz, and the Apollo Theater. Solo, he has performed with Ulali, David Amaran, and has sung in the plays Winterman and Rez Sisters. He has sung at the UN, as well as various other venues such as Trinity Church, the Beacon Theater, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He has also sung with the Wisconsin Dells Singers, the Cedar Tree Singers, and the Brooklyn Drum. Silvercloud Singers are famous throughout Indian Country as well as internationally. Kevin is currently the Executive Director of the American Indian Community House, 254 West 29th Street, 2nd Floor, NY, NY The Rev. Holly Haile Davis, D.D., from the Shinnecock Indian Nation, has the distinction having been the first Native American Woman to be ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament in the history of the Presbyterian Church (USA). She was graduated from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in 1985, and after teaching Presbyterian Polity at Cook College and Theological School served the Ute Mountain Presbyterian Church as Pastor, in Towaoc, CO. She served in Southampton, Sag Harbor, East Moriches and Remsenburg and was Honorably Retired in Cynthia Kent lives in Belleville, NJ and attends Fairfield UMC. She is the Chair of the Conference Board of Church and Society, the Chair of the Conference Committee of Native American Ministries, member of the Racial Ethnic Ministries Committee and a member of the Connectional Table of the Greater New Jersey Conference of the United Methodist Church. She is also the Chair of the NEJ Native American Ministries Committee, the Native American International Caucus (NAIC) and sits on the National Connectional Table. She was just elected to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. Cynthia was the Executive Director for the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs and worked for the General Board of Global Ministries as the Executive Secretary for Native American and Indigenous Ministries. She was also the Education Director for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of Colorado. She lives in Belleville with her sister, three nieces and one nephew. She received her B.A. Degree in Adolescent Development from Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, TN. She is a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of Colorado. She is very active in Native American, women, social justice and community issues. 46 * All are invited to stand as able.

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52 The company that INVENTED the digital organ! All sizes All prices! New York City and Long Island s ONLY Church Organ Showroom Allen Organ Studios, Inc. 200 Jericho Turnpike, Mineola, NY The Allen organ CF-30DK being used for this event is for sale at a special price for attendees of this conference in NYC or Long Island. Please contact Steve Frank for more information. * All are invited to stand as able.