The Courier. Catskill Hudson District New York Annual Conference. March-April Table of Contents

Transcription

1 March-April 2013 The Courier Catskill Hudson District New York Annual Conference Bishop: Martin D. McLee Pastor and District Superintendent: Rev. James Moore Administrative Assistant: Holly Moore Phone: Van Dale Rd., Woodstock, NY FAX (call first) Table of Contents p.2 From Your D.S.: New Parishes Being Formed p.3 Bishop McLee Meeting with District Pastors p.3 Lexington-Westkill UMC Sanctuary Restored p.4 Fat Sunday Celebrations p.9 Save the Date for District Conference p.10 District UMW p.11 Save Candles for Kingswood p.12 District Lay Servant Ministries p.13 Adult Camps at Kingswood p.16 Shirley Parris Service Award p.16 Harry Denman Evangelism Award p.17 Conference Journals p.17 Conference United Methodist Men Luncheon p.18 Round and About the District p.18 District Calendar 1

2 A Word from Your DS: New Parishes Being Created Some exciting things are happening in the northwestern part of our district as two new parishes are being created, effective with this new appointment year, each of them bringing four churches into a new network of ministry for the sake of more effective service in each of the communities involved. One of these parishes which I hope might be called The Delaware Headwaters Parish, though the members have yet to discuss and choose a name will bring Bloomville, Stamford, Hobart and Township together under the leadership of two pastors, one full-time and one part-time. Bishop McLee has approved the appointment of a clergy couple, David Collins and Romana (Romi) Abelova, to serve these churches. They will reside in the Hobart parsonage, and share the ministerial duties with David being the primary pastoral leader for Hobart and Stamford, and Romi being primarily responsible for Bloomville and Township. Once a month there will be a pulpit exchange, so that both pastors will be known in all four congregations. Some church activities will be shared when it is in the interest of the churches to be collaborating youth ministry and confirmation class might be logical choices for this - but each church will continue its own worship and ministries for the sake of their immediate community. The four churches will share in the compensation and housing costs for both pastors, and in this new structure each church will realize some savings over their current situation, freeing up money for other church needs or ministries. The administrative structures of each church will continue, but a parish council will be formed to oversee the shared ministry of the parish. Members of the four congregations were introduced to their new pastors at a meeting on February 12 th, in a spirit of great enthusiasm and a sense that God is making possible some wonderful new beginnings. As DS I am especially grateful to Rev. Lorraine Coscia-Ackerman and Rev. Mark Del Giudice for their long and faithful ministries in Hobart/Township and Bloomville. Both are retiring as of July, and both have been supportive and encouraging as their congregations move into this new way of organizing ministry. The other new parish, also involving four congregations and two pastors, will be called The Western Catskills Parish. With a similar intention and similar structure as the parish noted above, it will bring together the churches in Walton (First UMC), Downsville (Colchester Community Church), East Branch/Harvard UMC and the Roscoe United Church. Dale Ashby, currently serving the Colchester and East Branch churches, will be the lead pastor in the parish, but his primary pastoral leadership will now be for Walton and Colchester. Another pastor (as yet not appointed) will be appointed to live in Roscoe and serve Roscoe and East Branch on a half-time basis. As in the first parish mentioned, the churches of this Western Catskill Parish will realize some financial benefit from this arrangement, but there will be other benefits as well, such as the benefit of having pastors supporting each other and serving in partnership and the benefit of the encouragement, fellowship and creativity that can flourish when laity from several churches work together. As with the Delaware Headwaters Parish (or whatever it will ultimately be called) the purpose of this parish is not to limit or restrict any of the local churches, but to give them more realistic financial parameters and a chance to be more vital in every way as they serve the communities where God has planted them. 2

3 A gathering of leaders from these four churches met on Sunday, March 3 rd and enthusiastically affirmed this new parish. Some administrative details will be worked out this spring, but we trust that it is the Lord, not the devil, that is in these details, and that God is doing a wonderful new thing in these churches of the Catskill Hudson District. How very good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 Bishop McLee Meeting with District Pastors, April 24 th Bishop McLee will be meeting with the pastors of Catskill Hudson District on April 24 th. All pastors should save the date, and your DS is requesting that those with secular jobs make take time from work (if possible) so as to be able to participate in this gathering. We will be meeting at the Reservoir UMC in Shokan from 10 am until around 2 pm. We will worship together in the morning, with Bishop McLee preaching and celebrating Holy Communion, and after lunch we will have time for dialogue about our ministries, about appointment-making, visions for the annual conference, and other matters. Lexington Sanctuary Restored! The people of Lexington-Westkill church, whose building had been inundated by Hurricane Irene, have completed their renovations and repairs and are once again worshiping in their beautiful sanctuary. Volunteer teams from the district and annual conference contributed some of the labor, and some of the 3

4 necessary financing was provided via the special offering initiated by Bishop Park, but at the center of this restoration has been a determined and hard-working group of Christians who love their church. Like their brothers and sisters in Prattsville and South Cairo, two other Catskill Hudson churches damaged by Irene, the Lexington people have rallied together and accomplished a wonderful restoration. In some ways the restored sanctuary is an improvement over the one visited by Irene in August of The ceiling has been lowered, insulation has been installed, the pews were re-finished, sheetrock was gutted and replaced, and everything has been given a bright new coat of paint. It truly is a beautiful a beautiful place to worship God. A few minor repairs are still needed in other parts of the church, but the Lexington-Westkill church is near the finish line of their long road to recovery. Our congratulations to them for their perseverance, and our thanks to God for sustaining them. Fat Sunday : Twelve Joyful Celebrations of God s Love and our Connection to Each Other February 10 th was the last Sunday before Lent, and at my request our congregations gathered in twelve different locations for one last joyful celebration of God s love, one last chance to sing alleluias before the solemnity of Lent, and for a time of connecting with United Methodists in nearby congregations. Meeting at Highland New Paltz, Lloyd, Milton & Marlboro, Modena I attended the service held in Highland, a service that was entitled The Feast Before the Fast. Because this sanctuary has no pews we were seated around dinner tables, with a beautifully decorated communion table at the center. The service had joyful music of various kinds, dramatic readings, and a beautiful liturgical dancer, all lifting up the Transfiguration Sunday theme and the removal of our veils when we are in Christ. Young people used nets to gather up the anti-malaria offering. After the sharing of communion around the dinner tables we went through the buffet line and shared a delicious potluck meal. It was a wonderful afternoon in church, and the 100 or so folks who were there stayed around for long conversations and good fellowship. I felt blessed to have been a part of the celebration. JWM Here are some comments and photos from other Fat Sunday observances. Meeting at Delhi On Sunday, February 10 th, we gathered together with other Methodist congregations in the area for a time of worship and celebration together. Our theme was "Joy in the Journey" and not only focused on the "up" parts of our journey but also recognized that the journey has bumps in the road and down times, but we can always find joy in it nonetheless, thanks be to God. With us were members of the Colchester Community and East Branch/Harvard UM Churches, with Rev. Dale Ashby; First United Methodist Church, Walton, and the Bloomville United Methodist Church, with Rev. Mark J. Del Giudice; and the Hobart and Stamford United Methodist churches. We began the gathering at 4 pm downstairs in McIntosh Hall and followed our worship with a Covered Dish Supper. We were asked to bring foods for the journey and/or comfort foods (and/or fat foods ). The turn-out was pretty good and everyone enjoyed the fellowship, music, and worship. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! 4

5 Rev. Mark Del Guidice was the techie for the afternoon. Laura Ashby, Pastor Martha, and Rev. Dale Ashby Laura Ashby played drums. Fat Sunday beads Bill Seneschal, from Walton UMC provided special music. People gathered from our many United Methodist churches on Sunday, February 10 th for a Fat Sunday event. Gideon & Liz Frisbee, and Jim Jacksto enjoying fellowship, along with many others from neighboring UM Churches. 5

6 Meeting at North Blenheim The churches in the Upper Catskills had a wonderful Celebration of Bountiful Blessing service on Feb. 10 th. The churches of North Blenheim, West Fulton, Jefferson, Summit, Grand Gorge, Gilboa and Harpersfield came together to celebrate, honor our Boy Scouts, and contribute to our food pantries. With special music provided by Pastor Dot Morris and the praise group Making a Joyful Noise, the church was filled with praise for our generous God and Savior. Pastors Elliot Oakes and Neil Irwin had inspiring messages for us to fill our hearts and give us pause for thought. And afterwards, we filled our bodies with a great pancake supper provided by volunteers from the different churches. A great day, indeed, and one that will be repeated next year! Meeting at Woodstock Shady, Olivebridge and Samsonville, Centerville and Plutarch, Reservoir, Phoenicia We held our cluster worship at the Overlook church. Even though the snowstorm had snowed in one of our performers in Connecticut, the worship went very well. We had planned three vignettes based on Luke chapter 9. The lectionary Gospel for the day was the transfiguration and we chose the title "The Jesus Journey - From Transfiguration to Transformation." The three vignettes were to include a liturgical dancer and drummer, however they were snowed in. The clowns did a skit based on Jesus' feeding of the five thousand, there was a dramatic reading of Peter's declaration, "You are the Christ!" And where our dancer was to be we had a second reading of the transfiguration with music and special effects (fog machine and draped with translucent material backlit by spotlights). This was a good representation of the transfiguration; in many ways, it let the congregation image the transfiguration in their own way. We shared a communion of cornbread and pomegranate juice, this was to emphasize the study we chose for the cluster's Lenten study "A Place At The Table" which seeks to build awareness and solidarity with the poor by fasting and eating as the poor for forty days. Our Pot Luck after service focused on this as well with simple foods shared as well as tables decorated with baskets of plantains, corn and beans. Every church in the cluster participated and people attended from every church as well. Everyone we spoke with after the service thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great experience to plan it and work together on it as well. 6

7 Meeting at Fleischmanns Andes, Roxbury, Halcott Center, Shandaken and Lanesville. The service was held at the Fleischmanns United Methodist Church with about 40 people attending. Of the seven churches, six were represented. The service was preceded by a meal that was prepared mostly by people from Fleischmanns, assisted by a few from Shandaken. The food was excellent. We had pancakes and sausages, homemade biscuits with sausage gravy, home fries, applesauce and desserts. The service was led by Pastor Adrian Todd, with help from Rev.Ralph Darmstadt and Pastor Gerald Norris. A combined church choir provided an excellent anthem. After the service a number of people from different churches asked if it could become an annual event. Meeting at Napanoch Ulster Heights, Grahamsville and Sundown, Kerhonkson, Kripplebush, Ellenville Our service in Napanoch was wonderful. The participants were very interactive and encouraging about the service and pot luck. We also raised about $238 for the No More Malaria" campaign. The service was based on scripture that points to the Kingdom of God as a feast or party and that this celebration was looking toward the great feast of Easter, which celebrates the mystery of our salvation. We had good participation from each church and a few participants from the community. Our order of worship included blue grass guitar and New Orleans style jazz. Many thanks and blessing to Larry, Bob and John and all our church members who came together as one body of Christ in celebration of our salvation in Christ. Meeting at Middletown Bullville and Walden, Mountain View, Maybrook, Westbrookville Meeting at Trinity UMC, Hudson Philmont, Chatham and East Chatham, Hillsdale and North Hillsdale, Copake and Craryville, Elizaville, West Taghkanic and Glenco Mills This service encompassed all of the United Methodist churches of the NY Annual Conference that are located in Columbia County. The service began with some very uplifting praise music. We then had a traditional worship service, with Lay Servant Judy Bathrick providing a very inspiring message on Transfiguration and Transformation. After hearing the Word, we celebrated Communion. The service concluded with the congregation singing Soon and Very Soon and When the Saints Go Marching In. The closing of the service was given the feel of Mardi Gras, with everyone attending receiving several strands of beads. After our time of worship, we all headed into the social hall for a time of food and fellowship. As is the case in most Methodist Churches, there was an abundant variety of items on the menu. Methodists are truly good cooks. The time of fellowship capped off a great time of worship. Meeting at Liberty Monticello, Roscoe and Callicoon, Hankins, North Branch, White Sulphur Springs, Livingston Manor and Parksville, Woodridge and Hurleyville, Rock Hill, Mamakating, Kauneonga Lake, Mongaup Valley, Fosterdale, Jeffersonville and Kenoza Lake, Narrowsburg The Eastern Sullivan County Clergy came together on Fat Sunday at the Liberty UMC to provide a Lenten preparation program. The event was led by the Rev. Bridgette LeConey, Coordinator, Rev. Francis Waite, Rev. John Thomason, Pastor David Collins, Pastor Romana Abelova, Pastor Randy Yerkes, Pastor Susan Woodworth, Pastor Paul Minton, and Bud LeConey, Lay Speaker. The scripture-based program entitled, In His Steps, Journeying with Christ, was read by the leaders and included provocative 7

8 responsive prayers which connected Christ s journey to the cross and resurrection, with our own contemporary spiritual journeys. At least six churches were represented with many expressing a desire for more such events in the future. As always, an abundant meal was enjoyed by all. Meeting at Kingston: St. James O What a Great Day! I am hearing from so many and they are hearing from so many that this past Sunday s Cluster-wide Worship Service was so appreciated, was so joyful, wonderful and of course worshipful. Joining together were either laity, clergy or most often both from the following United Methodist Churches: Clinton Avenue, Town of Esopus, Malden, Palenville, Quarryville, Rondout Valley, Saugerties, and St. James. There was so much to celebrate: the singing- by A Combined Adult Choir, Glory Road, and the not always ready for prime time Combined Children s Choir and Children s Bell Choir (We did not have many of the children one might normally think of,- but someone yelled out, Hey aren t we all children? So one might look at the pictures and say, My, how the children have grown! and so our impromptu Children s Choir had a uniquely high average age.) To say that we worshiped with exceptional music is an understatement- the walls are still singing the echoes. Special thanks to our many musical leaders and soloist: you each had such a very small amount of time to share your talents and gifts but did so as true disciples keeping the eyes on Jesus by giving and helping others to give their best. Rev. Darlene Kelley in her homily entitled Happy Hour inspired us to celebrate the ways that churches and bars can both focus well on developing and building community by the positive aspects of the practice of hearing and learning people s names and lives. We grow as we celebrate what makes us the same and what makes us different and by knowing that our strength comes from both. Clearly that message had another level of meaning for a newly formed cluster of churches that have similarities and diversity to celebrate both within their own walls and within the new cluster. We were blessed to hear a small portion of how each of the clergy present come to the Table of Holy Communion, how each one blesses, offers, and shares the holy meal. Thanks to each of our clergy present and to those who could not come but who still helped to encourage their people to come. Each of the churches came with gifts of food and the fellowship meal lived up to everything that the homily had spoken to. One person reflected to me during the meal, Isn t it wonderful how loud the conversations are right now! So in all, we worshipped together, ate together, and the Lord was sure smiling as much as we all were. THE TRUTH IS THIS- EVERY PERSON PRESENT MADE THIS EVENT SUCH A JOY! One thought is being heard again and again- When and where can we do this again? So on behalf of all- thanks to all Dave Jolly, Pastor St. James- host of the first cluster worship 8

9 Save the Date: District Conference, May 11 th at Camp Epworth Specific plans are still to be worked out, but our District Conference for 2013 will be held on Saturday May 11 th beginning at 1:00 and concluding with a barbecue dinner. All pastors are expected to come to this annual meeting of the district and all laity are invited. Inspiring worship will again be a central part of the conference, and a youth event will be planned, paralleling the activities for adults that day. Please avoid scheduling local church events for that day, and keep watch for more details in the coming months. 9

10 Catskill Hudson District United Methodist Women News Women of the Bible will be the theme of the programs at the two major gatherings of United Methodist Women this year. Women of the New Testament will be the focus of our Spring Meeting and Day Apart on Saturday, May 4. A dramatic presentation of Mary & Martha, Bible Study, devotions and activities will be provided. In the autumn, the District will host the theatrical presentation In the Voices of Our Mothers produced by Miriam s Well. As always, ALL women and teenaged girls are invited to ALL United Methodist Women activities. Look for more details in the Lifeline newsletter from District United Methodist Women, or ask your local UMW member or District team officer. Coming up soon: We will soon have a meeting in each of the four areas of the Catskill-Hudson District for the following UMW officers: Presidents, Treasurers, and Membership/Nurture/Outreach Coordinators. The meetings are mandatory so that your District officers can share new information and update what you need to know to keep your women s units legal. Additionally, this will be a great time to network with women from nearby churches and share what works for you. Coxsackie UMC has kindly offered to provide the first meeting site. Your UMW officers will soon be contacted please, please please plan to join us!! CATSKILL HUDSON DISTRICT OFFICERS President Barbara Sanborn 68 Rt. 32A Saugerties, NY Mmbe68@verizon.net Vice President OPEN Secretary Joan Robinson P.O. Box 652 Glasco, NY jrobinson@hvc.rr.com Treasurer Margaret Howe 142 Main St. New Paltz, NY howemarg@aol.com Mission Coordinators Spiritual Growth Donna Jolly 1315 Lucas Ave. Ext Kingston, NY jolly_donna@hotmail.com Social Action Carol Roper 6 Holland Lane New Paltz, NY roperc@hvi.net Education & Interpretation Karen Reynolds 55 East Bridge St. #119 Saugerties, NY Treynolds9@hvc.rr.com

11 Membership, Nurture & Outreach Carolyn Savery 19 Country Sq. Lane Greenville, NY Program Resources Kim Zirilli 75 Ridge Rd., Montgomery, NY Communications Coordinator Sharon Snider 24 Aquetuck Rd. Ravena, NY Nominations Committee Chair OPEN Board Member At Large Kath Lambert 1181 Dahlia Rd. Livingston Manor, NY Retreat Coordinator Rita Ford 11 W. Bridge St. Saugerties, NY SAVE THE DATE: MAY 4, District UMC Spring Meeting Please save old candles, wax, and wicking for candle making at Kingswood Campsite next summer. Give to Jim or Holly Moore. or ) Thanks for your help! WANTED! 11

12 Catskill Hudson District Lay Servant Ministries Margaret Howe, Co-Director Gene Knoth, Co-Director March 2013 Greetings: It is March and spring is just around the corner!!!!! At this writing we are in the middle of our Lenten Lay Servant Classes. We have approximately 30 people involved in courses in Hudson, New Paltz and Margaretville this is wonderful. This opportunity for teaching the specific classes Go Preach, Leading in Prayer, From Your Heart to Theirs, and Growing Spiritually through Daily Discipline also allows for people from neighboring churches to network. I am teaching the Go Preach course in Hudson and I see this happening every week..these folks know one another and now they are talking about how they might work together in their churches connectionalism at work. All of the 2012 Charge Conferences have been completed which means that all Lay Servants should have submitted Annual Reports and your local churches should have approved your continuing as a Lay Servant. We on the Lay Servant Ministries Committee will be reviewing these reports to be sure that all of you are up to date in our course completion. If you have not submitted your report, please send it to the District Office as soon as possible. There are several Lay Servants who are eligible to become Certified Lay Servants. There is a short Commissioning Worship for this event. The Committee is looking at some dates and places to have this service(s) in the District this spring. It is wonderful that many of you are asking for courses and we are joyfully finding ourselves offering courses throughout the year! As you know the Lay Servant Ministries is going through some changes in titles and requirements. Gene attended the National Association of Lay Servant Ministries Annual Meeting in January. We will both be involved in the implementation of these changes in the NYAC as we meet with the other District Coordinators. This is an exciting time for Lay Servants! As March moves quickly, may you all have a meaningful Lenten Journey into Holy Week and Easter. Blessings, Margaret Howe For Lay Servant District Directors Margaret Howe and Gene Knoth 12

13 Adult Camp Events at Kingswood Campsite Kingswood is excited to be offering four adult camps this summer. One of them is sure to be right for you! Visit kingswoodcampsite.org for updates. SPIRITUALITY CAMP: SABBATH AT KINGSWOOD Thursday, June 27 Sunday, June 30, 2013 EXPERIENCE THE GIFT OF SABBATH TIME Come to Kingswood to help restore the rhythm of life to rediscover the balance between work and rest to experience an oasis of sacred time to delight in God s creation to give yourself the gift of nourishing rest to make space to notice and reflect on times of God s grace in your life and in our world. The schedule will include: A balance between structured sessions and free time for rest and renewal Time to refresh our bodies and souls Time for solitude and time in community Worship Presentations about the meaning of Sabbath in the scriptures and in tradition, ways of practicing Sabbath, and planning how to integrate Sabbath into our lives at home Praying the Divine Office Opportunities for creative expression Free time for swimming, boating, hiking, doing jigsaw puzzles, and wandering Kingswood s 760 acres Campfire program Prayer Trail An optional individual spiritual direction session 13

14 WELDING: The Basics and More Wednesday, June 26 Sunday, June 30, 2013 *** Really! This event is for novices and experienced welders. If you re an artist, express yourself and create a beautiful welded sculpture! The 4½ day program includes instructions and hands- on experience in welding your own metal sculpture or project. The event is led by Jim Dolan, New Jersey Chairman for the American Welding Society, a Certified Welder and Welding Inspector, with degrees in Metallurgy and Material Science, and 50 years experience. His company has been chosen to certify the welders who will create the World Trade Center Memorial. LIFEGUARD CERTIFICATION CAMP Thursday, June 13 Sunday, June 16, 2013 Here s your chance to become a certified lifeguard in three days! This weekend course will be an intensive class. Upon successful completion you will have an American Red Cross certification in Waterfront lifeguarding, first aid, and CPR for the professional rescuer with AED. Be prepared to swim two times a day and take notes. Course requirements include a 550- yard swim, a brick retrieval in about nine feet of water and a twenty- yard swim with the brick, finding three objects in five feet of water, two-minutes tread of water. A waterfront lifeguard can work at a pool, lakefront, or pond. Led by Joel Freeman certified Red Cross instructor for lifeguarding, first aid and CPR teaching for over 15 years (phlightman@verizon.net ) ***** 14

15 WOODWORKING CAMP Monday, June 24 Thursday, June 27, 2013 This is a woodworking camp geared towards campers with little or no woodworking experience. Build your own Adirondack chair! Learn to read and understand project plans Study kinds of wood and wood qualities Be introduced to woodworking hand tools and power tools Cover the Lowe s & Home Depot aisle shopping Layout and construct an Adirondack chair to take home Go over the finishing process Led by Bob Porter 46 years in the technical field of education as an industrial arts teacher, coach of several sports, professor of the applied sciences at the post-secondary level, 35+ years as project manager and site committee member of Kingswood To view complete flyers click here: _AdultCampFlyers13_V3_MPPDKNDF.pdf WEBMASTER NEEDED for our Catskill Hudson District website. Please contact Rev. James Moore at cathudnyac@aol.com or

16 The New York Annual Conference Announces the Annual SHIRLEY PARRIS SERVICE AWARD For Exceptional, Uncompensated Service to the United Methodist Connection Nominees should exemplify the selfless and loving example of Ms. Shirley Parris, whose lifelong devotion to Jesus Christ was expressed through her service to the local church, the New York Annual Conference and the Jurisdictional and General Conferences of the United Methodist Church. A resolution recommending this award was unanimously passed at the 2011 NYAC Annual Conference. Nominations for the 2013 Award are to be received no later than May 1, Nominees may be either lay or clergy persons who have demonstrated a consistent pattern of faithful, uncompensated service and tireless devotion to Jesus Christ and the United Methodist connection. Each nomination should include a descriptive resume of that individual s service to his or her local church, the district, annual conference, jurisdiction and the general church. The nomination form is available on-line at the Conference website Completed nominations should be forwarded to: Renata Smith, Conference Lay Leader renata10553@yahoo.com EVANGELISM Harry Denman Evangelism Award for 2013 For more than thirty years, The Foundation for Evangelism has been privileged to work with each Annual Conference in celebrating the outstanding personal evangelism and commitment to Offer Them Christ of United Methodist Clergy, Laity and Youth by sponsoring the prestigious Harry Denman Evangelism Award. In fact, 2,532 individuals have been honored since Think of the multiplying impact on the lives of others these folks have made through their outstanding efforts to help people experience God's transforming love through Jesus Christ! We are appreciative of your efforts as Annual Conference leaders to select exceptional people who possess a passion to help bring others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you for helping us to enable The United Methodist Church to fulfill its mission "to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world" by lifting up these successful ministries. The Foundation for Evangelism recognizes that the demands to prepare for Annual Conference grow each year and presentation time may be limited. We strive to make the Harry Denman Evangelism Award process streamlined for your use. All nomination materials for the Harry Denman Evangelism Award nomination material may be downloaded from or you may call (800) to receive information by mail. The nomination information must be sent to: Ann Pearson, Director of Connectional Ministries, New York Annual Conference, 20 Soundview Avenue, White Plains, NY The due date for the nominations is April 15,

17 Conference Journals As approved by the 2012 annual conference, this year, only the Journal has been produced as a printed book. The Directory has been produced on a CD. The Table of Contents of the Journal meets the requirements of The Book of Discipline, thus the Pastoral Service Records that were previously printed in the Directory appear in the Journal. The 2012 Journal is available online at The Conference will send one printed Journal and one Directory on CD to each church, each retiree, as well as clergy in extension ministries, plus copies for the general agencies, conference center and staff use. Fourteenth Annual NYAC- UMM Our Bishops Luncheon is held to honor Bishop Martin D. McLee Inside Out Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 12:00-3:30pm This Year s Luncheon will be held at; New Rochelle, United Methodist Church 1200 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY Join Men from around this conference & bring your pastor For more information, please contact Royston Bailey <caph27@yahoo.com 17

18 Round and About the District A member of the UMC of Monticello has made 125 bookmarks for the hymnals in the sanctuary to be used to mark all the hymns which will be used during worship. The United Ministry Church in Delhi is hosting a lending closet for EVN (Enlightening Views of Autism Now). The lending closet will have therapeutic equipment that children with disabilities, including autism, can borrow so that their therapists can determine if they will benefit from the equipment. It gives families some time to secure funding, whether through their insurance, grants, or personally save their own money, without losing valuable time for their children to benefit from such equipment. The lending closet is also a place where families can donate therapeutic equipment when their children outgrow it. Twelve members of the Lexington-Westkill UMC visited the Brudehoff Community in Elka Park for their yearly Christmas festivities. Colchester Community UMC is offering a new ministry to those who are homebound in their community. They have enhanced their church s sound system with the ability to record church services on CD and then quickly make duplicate CD s so that they can be distributed to those who are homebound who would like to hear the weekly church service. District Calendar Mar. 20: District Council on Ministries, 6:00, Reservoir UMC April 3: Local Pastors and District Hires Group, 5:30, Quarryville UMC April 24: Bishop McLee meeting with Catskill Hudson Pastors, 10:00-2:00, Reservoir UMC May 4: District UMW Spring Day Apart May 11: District Conference, Epworth, 1 p.m. through dinner May 22: Local Pastors and District Hires Group, 5:30, Quarryville UMC May 23: District Committee on Ministry, 9:00, New Paltz UMC June 5 8: Annual Conference, Hofstra University Sept. 28: District UMW Fall Meeting 18