Nov. 29, 2023
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NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Next week: Bishop Prays for Commonwealth East District
Vision Forward Team seeks input from NEAC members
NEAC staff undergoing changes, realignment
East Greenwich UMC earns accessibility badge
United Way features church’s ministry
Learn more about grants available from COSROW
The UM Foundation staff wants to support your book study this winter
Twitter to X: What churches and church leaders need to consider
Extending the Table Online Communion
OBITUARIES
DON’T FORGET
EVENTS
CLASSIFIEDS
UMC News
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Next week: Bishop Prays for Commonwealth East District
Vision Forward Team seeks input from NEAC members
How are you valued, empowered, and equipped by the people who lead the New England Annual Conference: your bishop, district superintendents, pastors and additional resource leaders?
The Vision Forward Team, commissioned in 2020 by the Annual Conference, wants to know more about the effectiveness of our Annual Conference resources. Together we have put together a brief survey that we believe will give all the churches an opportunity to provide feedback about your experiences.
The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, but it will offer us invaluable insight into the needs of our local churches. Please take the time to complete and return it.
Thank you in advance for your willingness to make our churches stronger.
In Christ, The Vision Forward Team
Take the survey
NEAC staff undergoing changes, realignment
Clare J. Chapman, Conference Treasurer/Director of Administrative Services, shares information about administrative systems and staffing changes taking place in the New England Conference.
Read more
From left, Rev. Dr. Thom Blackstone, Trustee John Vitko, and Bishop Johnson
East Greenwich UMC earns accessibility badge
The East Greenwich (RI) UMC received has earned a Gold Level Accessibility badge. The UMC’s Accessible and Disability-Friendly Badge program uses the Annual Accessibility Audit to assess the level of a church’s ease of access and disability hospitality. Bishop Peggy A. Johnson presented the badge during worship on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Every church that completes the Accessibility Audit is eligible for a bronze, silver or gold badge.
Learn more about the badge system
“Every church can improve its score by striving to accomplish more of the items on the audit each year,” Bishop Johnson said. “It is a wonderful way to become a more welcoming congregation.”
United Way features church’s ministry
Centenary UMC/Common Unity Place (CUP) in Skowhegan, ME, was selected by Heart of Maine United Way as a representative United Way funded project in Somerset County. Learn more about this ministry in this short video created by United Way.
Have a ministry story to share? We want to hear it. Send the info to communicate@neumc.org
Learn more about grants available from COSROW
The Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW) grants are now live. Click here to find links to each grant’s online application form. Questions? Contact COSROW grant team representative: Rev. Virg Fryer (she/her) at virg.fryer@gmail.com
Over the next few weeks, we will share descriptions and details about each of the grants. This week: Seminary Grant
Seminary is hard and can be isolating, especially for women and non-binary persons of color. These funds are meant to connect students with opportunities that nourish and care for them. This grant is intended to fund and support things and activities that bring you rest, renewal, energy, and or refreshment.
These grants are available to all students pursuing MDiv/ MTS and are candidates for ordination or local licensed pastoring in the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church.?Consideration will be weighted towards students who are persons of color, women and or non-binary persons, and or LGBTQIA+ persons, and?first-time grant applicants.
Grants will be awarded between $500-750. Grant application assessment will begin Jan. 15, 2024.
The UM Foundation staff wants to support your book study this winter
The staff of the United Methodist Foundation of New England recently completed a study of The 1619 Project by Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones. Published in August 2019, the book explores various facets of the history of racial inequity in the U.S. Each holiday season, the UMFNE team identifies a project to personally support with a Christmas donation. This year, we feel so strongly about the impact of The 1619 Project that we want to offer free copies of the book to NEAC churches for small-group studies.
Learn more
Twitter to X: What churches and church leaders need to consider
If you’re still trying to make sense of Twitter’s rebranding to X, you’re not alone. The little blue bird with its 140-character tweets is undergoing a bit of a transformation. With all of the changes that have been made and are still forthcoming, it may be time for churches and church leaders to determine if X is still a “thunder bird” on the crowded social media highway.
Learn more
Extending the Table Online Communion
Extending the Table is an online Communion Service led by members of the Extended Cabinet held at 8 am on the first Sunday of each month. Participants do not need to register in advance. The Zoom link for the Dec. 3 service and more information, including the year’s schedule, can be found at www.neumc.org/communion
OBITUARIES
Nov. 17, 2023
DON’T FORGET
2023 New England Conference Journal now available from lulu.com or free PDFs
EVENTS
April 18-21, 2024
CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTS / DONATIONS NEEDED!
Haven UMC in East Providence, RI operates the Community Music Project which consists of two parts: the Free Music School and Healing Through Music Project. The Free Music School, offering free music lessons (violin, viola, cello, piano) and free instrument rentals (except piano) to ALL, currently has 41 students and is growing. We have no instruments left for potential new students.
Finance Manager - Upper NY Conference
The Finance Manager is responsible for overseeing the daily functions of the Finance Department for the Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church. This includes reviewing reports and journal entries of the Finance department and supervision of finance staff. The Finance Manager will be responsible for communicating with internal and external groups regarding documents, audits, and any questions that arise.
Church Secretary Old Town UMC, Old Town, ME
Job Description: Overall responsibility of the church secretary is to facilitate basic church operations and functions, and provide professional assistance to the pastor, church members, and the community. The church secretary is responsible for the smooth and professional operation of the church office, providing effective incoming and outgoing communications and providing administrative assistance to the church pastor as to relieve him/her of administrative burdens.
UMC News
Churches partner to abolish medical debt
OKLAHOMA CITY — Five million dollars of medical debt has been abolished for the western half of the state of Oklahoma thanks to Oklahoma Conference congregations. The Rev. Jennifer Long, pastor of Kingfisher First United Methodist Church, led the campaign after seeing an article about RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that helps to relieve debt for thousands of individuals. Crown Heights United Methodist Church saw a post about the “Do All the Good You Can” campaign and jumped in to help. Conference staff have the story.
Read story
United Methodist church opens in displaced camp
KANANGA, Congo (UM News) — The atmosphere was festive in the Nkonko camp for internally displaced people as hundreds crowded around a new United Methodist church built by a local missionary couple. Church leaders said the new church is a symbol of hope for thousands of Congolese families living in the camp who were expelled from Angola. Cédrick Okandjo has the story
Read story
