Mid Maine District E-News

January 15, 2020

In a sermon shared with clergy colleagues last week I spoke of how powerful it is to look back and name what God has helped us to do and become. Effective non -profits and businesses do this well. Here’s an example from North Carolina that might get us thinking about how to assess and communicate something similar in our churches.

At the close of one year and the start of another many personal inventories are offered to us. This year seems to be amplified by the turn in decades! We can take stock of what fills our homes, of our work goals, of our relationships, of our health. John Wesley’s “means of grace” offers an inventory of our journey with Jesus. How engaged are we? What discipleship practices were most meaningful last decade? What practices might God be calling us to renew now? (And is your relationship with God through Christ as important to you as other aspects of your life?) read more…..

MME Resource Day Just Around the Corner

Register NOW

No matter how you figure it...
[JESUS] is our center
[GIVING JESUS] is our mission
[JESUS GENEROSITY] is our lifestyle

The goal of this resource day is to empower laity to become leaders in the practice of individual and
communal generosity as a spiritual discipline. Bring a team from your congregation to learn the biblical,
personal, and practical perspectives of stewardship and generosity and how to apply it to the life of your
faith community. Share together in this learning and interactive process AND bring your pastor as well!

TOPICS TO INCLUDE:
What’s the Formula?
Theology of Giving
Why Do I Give As I Do?
Best Practices – Group Conversation
A Lifestyle of Generosity

PRESENTERS: Gary Melville / David Abbott / and YOU!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT!

UMFNE will also be offering a free copy of

“The Stewardship of Fundraising” by Henri Nouwen to all who register.

ONLINE REGISTRATION

Please below for additional Mid Maine Events

The EarthKeepers Corner
with Michael Leonard

A Future Filled with Hope

“God’s creation is in crisis. We, the Bishops of The United Methodist Church, cannot remain silent while God’s people and God’s planet suffer.” This is the opening statement of the 2009 Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church Pastoral Letter God’s Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action.

            Creation is another way of saying earth, the world, our home, Eden. Most of us have seen only a tiny part of it. We have turned our backs on our responsibilities through neglect, selfishness and pride. It is hard to comprehend the consequences of human actions: global climate change, environmental degradation, pandemic poverty and disease, and the proliferation of weapons and violence. Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!!!
            Despite these interconnected threats to life on our planet, there is hope. In Jeremiah 29:11 we read “I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.” With this hope, we must begin the work of renewing creation by renewing our hearts and minds. We cannot change the world until we change our own way of being in it. By living as if creation matters.
            Perhaps the largest impact Methodists can make is by reducing energy use, thereby lowering the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. Energy Star, a division of the EPA, estimates that if each of the more than 300,000 houses of worship in the United States cut energy consumption by just 10 percent, congregations would save $200 million and would eliminate greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 400,000 cars!  Furthermore, Energy Star estimates that the average church building could easily reduce energy consumption by as much as 30 percent! Imagine the positive impact a 30 percent energy reduction would make on the average congregation’s annual budget.
Beginning a program in your church is a start of renewing creation by renewing our hearts and minds. It creates hope. Energy reduction is a great start, it is a large step towards living as if creation matters.

Michael

Extending the Table Workshop

When: Sunday, January 26, 2018, 3:30 to 5:30 pm.
Where: Union Church of Belgrade Lakes, United Methodist Church
Who: ANY ACTIVE Lay person (pastors welcome)

After a lifetime of sharing the Sacrament regularly at worship with one’s church family, imagine the feeling of being isolated from that family table by illness or infirmity. Homebound and Nursing Home residents CAN continue to participate in this life-giving sacrament, however if the “table” is taken to them!

Rev. Linda Campbell-Marshall and Pastor Jen Curran are sponsoring a training event for persons called to the significant ministry of carrying Holy Communion to those unable to leave their homes. The event will include:
•           Brief study of the place of the sacrament in Christian life.
•           Practice of caring for the homebound and ill.
•           Procedure for serving the sacrament by lay persons.
•           Procedures for recruitment, training and support of services.
•           Assessment of benefits to the church, the homebound, and the server!

ONLINE REGISTRATION

NEW lay servant courses are being offered.

Lay Servant Ministries Advanced Course
Leading Worship
This Lay Servant Ministries course focuses on the ministry of those who either regularly or occasionally lead groups or congregations in worship. Grounded in the classic patterns of Christian worship and practice, participants will grow in their understanding of Christian worship and gain confidence in leading various parts of worship. Opportunities to practice leading worship in a variety of formats will be offered throughout the course.

Instructor: Rev. Michelle M. Wiley, pastor People’s UMC, So. Thomaston / John St. UMC, Camden
Dates: Five Thursdays beginning February 6 through March 5, 2020 (snow make-ups if needed)
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm (The first class will be 5:00 – 7:30. Soup will be provided – please bring your own sandwich, etc. The class will decide whether to continue allowing extra time for soup at the remaining meetings.)
Location: People’s UMC 13 Chapel Rd, South Thomaston, ME 04858
Registration deadline: Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Please purchase the textbook beforehand. Assignment before 1^st class: read Chapters 1-5

Worshipping With the United Methodists (Revised Edition) by Hoyt L. Hickman. ISBN 978-0-68733-526-8 available from The Upper Room Bookstore, or Cokesbury. Participant is responsible for purchasing text. Check with your church for possible scholarships.

There is a $10 registration fee, payable to Mid-Maine District Office, PO Box 89, E. Winthrop ME 04343. On the memo line write: LSM Couse – Leading Worship. If cost is prohibitive, check with your church, some churches and districts haves scholarships available.

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, January 29, 2020
ONLINE REGISTRATION HERE!

From the Conference:

Local Churches can now add their local events directly to the New England Conference website! For a tutorial, please click here: See a video on how to add your event

2020 Intended Appointment Changes will be announced at the end of every month when all required paperwork has been submitted and approved.

Statistical reports are due February 14th. Joy Mueller sent an email about it the week of Christmas, but suspects it might have been overlooked because many of us were busy finishing bulletins and writing sermons.

Vital Conversations: Racism and the U.S. Church will be held on February 21st at Bucksport UMC 9:00-3:00 with lunch served and also on Feb 22nd at Lincoln UMC 9am to 3pm. This is mandatory quadrennial training for everyone with an appointment. Laity in leadership are encouraged to attend. If you missed the Mid Maine Training, clergy under appointment will need to attend EITHER February 21st or 22nd (not both). You must register with NME District AA, Kelly Santiago at nmedistrict@neumc.org. BOOM has approved 0.5 CEU’s for this training.

GC2020: Proposed plans

A Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation is the newest proposal for the reorganization of The United Methodist Church. It will be offered to delegates to General Conference 2020. Authors of most of the other plans below were part of the group developing the compromise proposal.

Use the links to read each of the major proposals as well as a downloadable comparison chart. Plans shown here – other than the Protocol – are listed in alphabetical order and do not include proposals from individuals. All proposals will be open for amendments during the May 5-15 General Conference and may be subject to Judicial Council review.

LINK HERE

MID MAINE DISTRICT CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February 1, 2020 Giving Jesus Generosity- Mid Maine Resource Day 9:00-2:00 at Brunswick UMC, see article above. Register HERE!

February 13 Mid Maine Ministry Day Program: Everyone Has a Story – What’s Yours?
A Storytelling Workshop led by Dr. Daniel Robinson Ministry Day AT OAKLAND SIDNEY UMC 8:30 bible study, 9:00-12:00. Worship and Program. Laity welcome to attend this free event !
“We are storytelling animals. Our ancestors sat around the fire cooking, eating blackberries, and telling stories which in time were woven into a tapestry of myth and legend. Stories told the people of a tribe who they are, where they had been, where they are going, and how to stay friendly with the spirits. Our modern myths hide like outlaws in the backwoods of the unconscious. With a little imagination each person can find within himself a replacement for our lost myths and stories. Find a listener for your untold tales, and you will discover that you are already on a mythic journey.”- Your Mythic Journey by Same Keenan and Anne Valley-Fox

For the past year the Kennebec River United Methodist Churches have been on a journey of discovering the power and grace of storytelling. We began with a series of outdoor campfires in each of our six communities during which people shared stories many of which, they had never told before and we were all blessed by their stories. Then, we hosted a two-session storytelling workshop at the Gardiner Public Library led by Dr. Daniel Robinson a storytelling mentor to those who would discover the story inside of them, just waiting to be told. It was a profound experience. Now, we would like to share Daniel’s gifts at the Mid Maine District Ministry Day on February 13^th. Daniel will lead our program that day and materials will be provided in advance for “pre-reading.” We promise you won’t want to miss this soul-centered experience.

February 14: NEAC Statistics Due

February 24 5:30-8:30: Pre-Lenten Gathering with Barb Lemmel Location: Brunswick UMC

March 8: Open Spirit Task Force meeting 2:00-4:00 at Green Street UMC.

March 12 Mid Maine Ministry Day: Anne Robertson- program MA Bible Society: It's Time to Explore Justice! Volume One - Priorities - is Now Available. Ministry Day at Camp Mechuwana 8:30 bible study, 9:00-12:00. Worship and Program. No other gods. No graven images. Don't take God's name in vain. Those are the commandments that focus this first volume of our new series - Exploring Justice: The Ten Commandments. Do you think idols are merely statues from a false religion? Think again. In this first volume, you'll think about the primary values of your faith and learn the history behind some of today's difficult issues: When did the Pledge of Allegiance change and why? How did Charles Lindbergh taint the original "America First" movement? Who was the first monarch in history to grant the full freedom of religion and which Christian minister made it happen? read more

March 12: Invitation to the MME Clergy and Lay Supply for a Luncheon with Rev. Karen Munson, DS at Camp Mechuwana. 12:00-1:30 (after Ministry Day), Conversation regarding redistricting. Please RSVP to Lori

March 14: MME Resource Day with Anne Robertson Exploring Justice: The Ten Commandments with Anne Roberston, MA Bible Society. Location and time TBD

March 21 9:30-2:30: Livestream “Asset Based Community Outreach” with Rev. Mike Mather, pastor of Broadway UMC, Indianapolis, IN. Livestream link: TBD

March 29 2:00-4:00: MME Transition Workshop (for churches and clergy receiving a new appointment, July 1, 2020). At Cox Memorial UMC, Hallowell ME

May 14 Ministry Day at Camp Mechuwana 8:30 bible study, 9:00-12:00. Worship and Program Celebrating the MME District of the New England Annual Conference

May 17 2:00-4:00: MME Pre-Conference Briefing at Brunswick UMC, Brunswick ME

MID MAINE DISTRICT WEBINARS IN JANUARY

Etiquette for attending a WEBINAR

Log in 5 minutes before the meeting.
Turn off your webcam during the presentation. Nothing is more likely to illicit giggles than to have the presenter turn off their PowerPoint presentation and the software defaults to someone watching (or worse – not watching), unaware that his or her webcam running. Even if you are in listening mode, check that your webcam is off or cover the lens with a post-it note.
When you are not speaking, please use the MUTE function on the webinar task bar located near the bottom of your screen and also located beside your name of the right side of the screen. If you are calling via phone, use the mute button. This alleviates all the background noise so the webinar flows. You can still hear conversation.
Wait your turn. In webinar, especially when not everyone is on webcam, you may need to rely on cues such as hand-raising icons or questions posted in the chat bubble. There is a 'hand-raising icon beside your name on the right side. You can use this if you would like to speak. When the host calls on you, please unmute your microphone to speak. When done speaking, please mute it.
Ask questions concisely. If you have a question you may type it out and the presenter can answer it. To do this, there is a text bubble at the bottom of the screen. Type out your question or comment and everyone can see it. The presenter or facilitator will respond when appropriate.
for more etiquette tips, please go to https://www.business.com/articles/video-conferencing-etiquette-tips/

January 15, 7:00-8:00 pm WEBINAR with Rev. Dr. Karen Munson for all Church Lay Leaders

Lay Leader Meeting Information, Guidelines and Handbook- click here

January 22, 7:00-8:00 pm WEBINAR with Rev. Dr. Karen Munson for all Church SPRC Chairs

SPRC Chairperson Meeting Information - click here

January 29, 7:00-8:00 pm WEBINAR with Rev. Dr. Karen Munson for all Church Trustee Chairs

Trustee Meeting Information - click here

Please pray for the following...

Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar

Rev. Dr. Karen Munson, DS

January 19 Fairfield Center UMC, Fairfield UMC, First UMC, Friendship UMC, Green Street UMC

January 26 Highland Ave UMC, John Street UMC, Kingfield UMC, Lisbon UMC, Mercer UMC

February 2 Monmouth United Church, New Harbor UMC, New Sharon UMC, North Pownal UMC, North Searsport UMC

February 9 North Sebago UMC, North Vienna UMC, North Woolwich UMC, Oakland-Sidney UMC, People's UMC, Union.

February 16 People's UMC, South Thomaston, Pleasant St UMC, Randolph UMC, Readfield UMC, Round Pond UMC

District Office Hours

AA Office Hours: M-TH 7:00-3:00 (or by appointment)

2020 NEAC Holiday dates office is closed: January 20, February 17, April 10, May 25, July 3, September 7, October 12, November 26-27, December 24-25

NEW information, events, and ministry opportunities below .
Please check the MME Facebook page or the MME website for current updates

To have a notice included in an Update, email mmedist@neumc.org.

Previous District Updates are available on the website.