Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
Dear Friends,
Several weeks ago, I found a postcard in my mail with a painting of a Native American woman with a red handprint on her back. The postcard was sent by CoNam, our Committe on Native American Ministries. They wrote that they were sending these postcards to let us know of the plight of our Native American sisters who are experiencing violence and murder at extremely high rates. CoNam states that 84% of Native women experience violence and that 86% of their sexual assaults are at the hands of non-Native men. They also write that Native women are murdered at a rate of 10% times the national average.
CoNam asserts that these victimized women are invisible to most of us. I have to admit that I was not aware of these statistics and I can't quite grasp why they are so vulnerable. Clearly, I have some research to do. While I repent of my ignorance, I take comfort knowing that God is quite aware and is perhaps using CoNam's efforts to help these vulnerable sisters.
Sadly, in our world, there are many hurting people and many of them are invisible to the majority of us. Unless we are intimately involved with these populations, we just do not know or understand. But thankfully, God uses folks who do see, to make the rest of us aware and once we are aware, God uses us to rectify the wrongs that we have been confronted with.
This is why I am so thankful that our Annual Conference theme this year is the Beloved Community. This reference to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's vision for a world where we are all given justice, equality and love regardless of race or creed, is so important in reminding us to look beyond our own lived experience to see those who may be vulnerable and invisible.
I know there has been much politization to the Black Lives Matter movement. I have heard from some of my white friends, that all lives matter to God. Indeed! God loves us all with the same tender care but sadly there are some groups of people, like our Native sisters, and black brothers and sisters, who do not receive that same care from our society at large. Thankfully, we are now being reminded of the injustice and can do something about it.
While it is difficult to put politics aside, I pray that each of us, God's representatives in our communities, will do our best to educate and advocate for all those who face oppression today. let us not grow weary in lifting each other up. may our God, the Redeemer, make all things new this day.
Blessings, Jackie
CALENDAR
Changes almost daily.
For questions please e-mail KADistrict@neumc.org or call the office at 862-8089.
Currently scheduled district Webex calls:
(The webex address is https://neumc.webex.com/meet/jbrannen. If you prefer to call in, the phone number is US Toll 1-415-655-0002 Toll Free 1-855-797-9485. The Access Code is 922 328 538# and Attendee number is 31#.
ALL Church Conference Material now due in to the District Office
Sep 30 Franklin Ch Conf 2:00pm with Rev Reeves, Brewer SPRC 5:00pm, Corinth SPRC 6:30pm, Brewer Ch Conf 7:00pm with Rev Chaffee
Oct 1 Old Town SPRC 5:00pm, Dover Foxcroft SPRC 6:30pm
Oct 3 Pre-Conference Briefing 9am - 11am
Oct 3 Pembroke SPRC 1:30pm, Cutler SPRC 3:00pm, Calais SPRC 6:00pm
Oct 4 Washburn SPRC 1:30pm, Limestone SPRC 3:00pm, Mapleton SPRC 6:00pm
Oct 5 Presque Isle SPRC 5:00pm, Caribou SPRC 6:30pm
Oct 6 Hodgdon 6:00pm Ch Conf with Rev Wilcox
Oct 7 Alton SPRC 5:00pm, Orono SPRC 6:30pm, Houlton 6:00pm Ch Conf with Rev Wilcox
Oct 8 Orrington SPRC & Ch Conf 3:00pm, Penobscot SPRC 6:30pm, Caribou 6:30pm Ch Conf with Rev Choi
Oct 10 District Resource Day 9am to noon, featuring Jeff McDonald, Via ZOOM. Celebrating Small Churches! Part Time Is Plenty!
Oct 10 Katahdin District UMW day, 9:00am - 2:15pm featuring Rev Grace Bartlett, “Losing Your Mind and Finding your Soul in Covid-Times: Nature and Spiritual Practice” See below for more information.
Oct 10 Vanceboro SPRC 1:00pm, Union & Searsmont SPRC & CC 3:00pm
Oct 11 Camden (John St) SPRC & CC 1:00pm, South Thomaston (People's) SPRC & CC 6:00pm
Oct 12 North Perry SPRC & CC 10:00am, Dixmont & Newport (People's) SPRC & CC 1:00pm, Howland SPRC & CC 6:30pm.
Oct 14 Mars Hill SPRC & CC 10:00am, Prospect Harbor SPRC 6:30pm, Winterport CC 7:00pm with Rev Sue Davenport
Oct 15 Hartland SPRC 5:00pm, Jacksonville SPRC 6:30pm
Oct 17 Annual Conference on-line gathering
Oct 18 Boothbay Cooperative SPRC & CC 1:00pm, Belfast SPRC & CC 6:00pm, Presque Isle 3:00pm Ch Conf with Rev Wilcox
Oct 19 New Harbor & Round Pond SPRC & CC 1:00pm, Corinna SPRC 6:30pm
Oct 21 Searsport & N. Searsport SPRC & CC 4:00pm
Oct 22 Friendship SPRC & CC 1:00pm
Oct 24 Rockland SPRC & CC 9:00am, Brownville SPRC & CC 1:00pm, Waldoboro SPRC & CC 6:00pm
Oct 25 Sheepscot SPRC & CC 1:00pm, Bath & N.Woolwich SPRC & CC 5:00pm
Oct 26 Brooksville SPRC 5:00pm, Bucksport SPRC 6:30pm
Oct 28 Orland SPRC 5:00pm, Orland Ch Conf 6:00pm with Rev Davenport, West Lubec SPRC 6:30pm
Oct 29 Calais 4:30pm Ch Conf with Rev Arrison, Penobscot 6:30pm Ch Conf, Hampden 6:30pm Ch Conf with Rev Chaffee
(more to be added next week...)
2021
Aug 29 - Sep 7 General Conference (postponed from May 2020)
Nov 10 - 12 Jurisdictional Conference (postponed from July 2020
Mandatory Clergy Training
All clergy need to make time during the month of October to complete the mandatory ethics training. It is required that clergy complete this course once each quadrennium. A class is offered (virtually, of course) through the New England Conference. You must complete it by October 31st
Click Here For More Information and to get started
Health Flex
Clergy Benefits are changing this year. Join the Health Flex Exchange Information Session Thursday, October 8th 2pm - 4pm
For More Information Click Here <<< this link will take you to where you can find information on different costs for different programs. Look for the comparisons link.
We are all dealing with tighter than usual budgets this year. What are your creative fundraising ideas? Please share with the district so we can share with others.
One of the terrific things of this pandemic is we can participate in workshops all across the conference right from our computers! You are invited to join the Vermont workshop featuring Jeffrey MacDonald. (Don't forget to register)
V V Check This Out V V
Celebrating Small Churches Zoom Workshop
Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register →
If you need more information contact:
Email
thessvt49@gmail.com
Contact
Tim Hess
Invited Speakers Plus Question & Answer Session
A Zoom Webinar
Most churches in northern New England are small, often characterized by having part-time pastors. In Vermont, for example, only about 15% of United Methodist churches today have full-time pastors. Despite this, pastor and author G. Jeffrey MacDonald affirms that a “part-time pastor,” along with lay leadership is more than adequate to accomplish “full-time ministry.” (Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving without Full-time Clergy© 2020)
Listen to Pastor MacDonald and three Vermont local pastors (Kerry Cameron, Michael Thorpe, and Ami Sawtelle) share the experiences and knowledge they have gained through service and observation of small churches with part-time clergy. They will cover topics such as:
- what do small churches do well?
- what advantages do small churches have over large ones?
- how can small churches manage both pastoral and lay needs and expectations?
Questions from Zoom attendees will be solicited and discussed by the panelists during the latter half of the workshop.
Register using the button elsewhere on this page.
Those who would like to read “Part-Time is Plenty” prior to the workshop can obtain it from Amazon, Cokesbury, and other local and online book stores.
Join the conversation! All are welcome.
Sponsored by the Green Mountain District Lay Ministry Group
Funded by the New England Conference Board of Laity and the District Resource Day Fund
