upper new york: january/february 2015

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

A publication of the Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church

ADVOCATEUpper New York

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

A publication of the Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church

ADVOCATEUpper New York

A preview of whatsto come in 2015

Looking ahead!

2 UNY ADVOCATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

Table of contents Volume 7, Issue 1

Kids day out in SchuylervilleThe Schuylerville United Method-

ist Church and the Quaker Springs United Methodist Church provided our neighbors with a Kids Day Out. Some 35 children, many of whom we didnt know, and parents came for free pancakes, pictures with Santa pictures, crafts, movies and pizza. We also served our neighbors at The Way a gently used clothing store for the community (see ribbon cutting photo below).

Parents and kids enjoyed breakfast and lunch, then parents were offered a Christmas day out while we pro-vided games and crafts for the kids.

I am so pleased to be part of a group of Jesus followers that really knows what it means to love their neighbors and the roughly 20 volun-teers from our churches.

Photos and story courtesy of Pastor Albert W. Johnson, who serves both churches.

A dose ofinspirationNEW TOOLS The Conferences Communications Ministry Area has new and updated communications coming in 2015. Read a preview from Communications Director Stephen J. Hustedt about

these new ministry tools.

LOST & FOUND In the Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fieldings desk is a long-ago scribbled note: What is job one for an an-nual conference? Read his thoughts about leadership development and its importance to the Conference.

IRADICATING MALARIA Upper New Yorks Imagine No Malaria Field Coordinator Laurel OConnor shares an update on Imagine No Malaria, one half of the Conferences $2 million Africa 360 campaign.

NURTURE A PLANTING CULTURE Learn how over the remaining winter months and into this spring the Upper New York Conference will provide its members a number of opportunities for current and future planters to be supported and trained.

DREAM BIGGER The Rev. John Martin has written a six-part series about his experience as part of a small group of young clergy the Young Pastors Network and mentoring under the Rev. Mike Slaughter and the Rev. Adam Hamilton.

FRESH APPROACH In a piece about his experience at the Illuminate Preaching Acad-emy, the Rev. Andrew Sperry says preaching is a lot like broccoli, but the fresh approach of the academy has been a welcomed respite from other teaching styles.

MISSIONS TO NICARAGUA Nearly 10 percent of Nicaraguans live in extreme poverty, but what really makes missionar-ies have a heart for this Central American country is the loving and sharing spirit of its people.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN Conference staff members will again hit the road in March for two stops as part of the Road T.R.I.P.

CCYM EXCITEMENT The Conference Council on Youth Ministries has several exciting programs in the works for 2015. UP!WORD is coming in April; be a youth representative to the 2015 Annual Conference Session; or apply for next years Mission of Peace to China there are lots of opportunities for youth to be a part of UNY Conference-wide ministries.

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18 This story first appeared in the Weekly Digest, Upper New Yorks weekly roundup of infor-mation from the Conference. To get these stories and all the latest Conference news right in your inbox, subscribe to the Weekly Digest (its free) by visiting the Conference website at www.unyumc.org.

Cover image by Maria Vu (Shutterstock)

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Happy New Year! Moving from the old into the new brings with it many responses and emotions. For some, looking back on the past brings joy and fulfillment, for others it holds disappointment and pain. As we look to the future, there are some who experi-ence great anticipa-tion and hope, while others respond with fear and hopeless-ness.

The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God has been in our past, is in our present and is already in our future waiting for us with faithfulness. I have always loved the words of Jeremiah 29:11: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

That is a promise given to us individually as well as corporately. God has plans for us! God has plans for the Church that will move us forward with hope. I believe with all of my heart that the best days for the Church of Jesus Christ are ahead of us IF we will claim the one to whom we belong, and trust the promises that our God offers.

I celebrate the ministry of Jesus Christ that is happening through the

churches of the Upper New York Conference. We have been faithful in the past and the present, and I know that our faithfulness will continue into the future. Our boldness in pro-claiming the good news of Jesus will continue and even increase. Our ef-fectiveness in partnering with God as God calls others to a life of following Jesus will bear even greater fruit than we have seen in days past.

As we enter 2015 together, I have

great hope and great excitement for our ministry together. Some of the things that give me that hope and excitement are the things that we are attempting to do together:

1. Our commitment to the main thing more disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

2. Our focus on increasing the leadership capacity of both clergy and lay leaders who will be radical disciples of Jesus Christ and transfor-mational leaders.

3. Our foundational understanding that the mission of Jesus Christ is ac-complished through the local church

and our quest to be effective and fruitful in equipping one another to faithfully live that purpose.

4. Our continued holy conversa-tions about the things we hold in common and the things about which we find ourselves divided.

5. Our desire to deeply love God, one another and the world around us.

The new year will have its chal-lenges; there will be times when we

will bump into one another as we attempt to live together. Yet, even amid the challenges, we claim hope! We claim the hope of abundant life in Jesus Christ. We claim the hope of our calling through Jesus Christ! We claim the promise of Gods plan to move us into a future that is beyond anything we dare imagine or dream.

May we live boldly into 2015, meeting God where God is, joining God in the work of the Spirit that is already happening, and watching as God continues to transform our lives and the lives of our neighbors in all places!

Hope and excitement in store for 2015

Editor/Publisher: STEVE HUSTEDTUNY Director of Communications

(315) 424-7878 [email protected]

Graphic Designer: CHRISTIAN VISCHICommunications Associate(315) 424-7878 x313

[email protected]

Social Media/Web: ASHLEY RIDDELLMultimedia/Web Coordinator


Weekly Digest: KAREN CAMPOLIETOAdministrative Assistant to the Director


THE UPPER NEW YORK UNITED METHODIST ADVOCATE IS A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE UPPER NEW YORK CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, WHOSE MISSION IS TO BE GODS LOVE WITH ALL OUR NEIGHBORS IN ALL PLACES. MATERIALS IN THE ADVOCATE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED UNLESS THE ITEM IS ACCOMPANIED BY A COPYRIGHT NOTATION. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT UTICA, NEW YORK 13504; USPS 14025. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 PER YEAR PAID IN ADVANCE TO 324 UNIVERSITY AVE., 3RD FLOOR, SYRACUSE, NY 13210; OR CALL (855) 424-7878; OR VISIT WWW.UNYUMC.ORG. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO UPPER NEW YORK UNITED METH-ODIST ADVOCATE, 324 UNIVERSITY AVE., 3RD FLOOR, SYRACUSE, NY 13210. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR DECLINE ANY ITEMS SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION.

From the desk of Bishop Mark J. Webb

[ ]I believe with all of my heart that the best days for the Church of Jesus Christ are ahead of us ...

UPPER NEW YORKADVOCATE

STAFF


Telling the story in new waysNew and updated communications tools coming in 2015

In 2015, the Upper New York Conference will see how the listening and research that has been done around the topic of how we tell the story our faith has resulted in exciting changes and new ideas being enacted.

The launch of the new Conference website means much more than just having a website that is aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate and cross platform proficient. This new communications tool provides a new online home for the Conference, where people can easily find information about their districts, specific ministry areas and stories of missions and ministry. Of course, there will still be a place for forms, calendar items, and other important informational pieces, too.

However, the website is not the only major overhaul taking place in 2015. The Advocate will also see very sig-nificant changes that are the result of continually asking the questions: How do you use the Advocate? and How do you wish you could use the Advocate?

All too often the answer to the first question was that people didnt know how to use the Advocate. In 2015, the Advocate will have the clear purpose of being a ministry magazine. Following the January/February issue, it will be printed on glossy paper and each issue will have a central theme. It will feature more voices from across the Con-ference, but most importantly the stories will be inspiring and share who we are as the Upper New York Confer-ence.

The new ministry magazine format will be designed so that churches can share the publication with visitors to help explain who we are as United Methodists in Upper New York or it can be shared with church members who could use some inspiration. The hope is that church lead-ership will be intentional about giving out their copies. Rather than simply setting them on a table for people to take, you are encouraged to put them in visitor packets or hand deliver them to someone.

The Advocate will also be published on a different schedule. It will now come out every other month, but this does not mean there will be less frequent communi-cation for local churches.

A new Communication tool will soon launch that will work in conjunction with the new format of the Advocate. The Conference Communications team will produce a bulletin insert every two weeks that churches can print and copy to keep members of the congregation connect-ed on a regular basis.

The bulletin insert will be available in both color and grayscale but will be designed to simply run off on a photo copier on a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper. If churches are unable to make the copies themselves they can request copies to distribute from the Communica-

tions Ministry Area. These changes are only the beginning of what is ahead

in 2015 as we strive to tell the story of what it means to be United Methodist in Upper New York.

If you have questions or ideas for the future of Com-munications ministry in Upper New York, contact me at [email protected]. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Together we will do amazing things and share the sto-ries of our ministry in ways we have never imagined.

By Stephen J. Hustedt, Director of Communications [email protected]

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Over the years ...

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Main work of the Conference in two words:

Leadership Development

To get ready for the New Year, I decided to tidy up my desk. Opening my not sure I need this but not ready to chuck it drawer, I found a note Id scribbled over four years ago musing on the question: Whats job number one for an Annual Confer-ence not a local church, but an Annual Conference?

Its always been clear to me the main work of a local church is making disciples; but what about an Annual Conference? On the note Id writ-ten (and underlined twice) the main work of an Annual Conference is leadership development. Job number one for us as an Annual Conference is to call, train, and support local church laity and clergy who, with Gods help, make disciples.

Im not sure what prompted me to write that note, but I was encouraged by finding it. The conclusion it names still rings very true for me. In fact, it sounds even more right today than it did four years ago.

This past year, members of the Conference Leadership Team and the Extended Cabinet worked on a Mission-Map or mission statement to clarify the purpose and primary tasks of the Conference.

At the same time, the Conference invited a team of consultants from the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, the General Board of Discipleship and the General Council on Finance and Administra-tion to examine our financial issues and challenges (a process known as

the Financial Advisory Consultation Team or FACT).

Back in November these two tracks (the Mission-Map conversation and the FACT process) came to a similar conclusion: of the many things our Conference could be doing, nothing is more needed than call-ing, training, and supporting leaders leadership development, in other words.

Thinking about this learning jour-ney, this stanza of T.S. Eliots poem Little Gidding V came to mind:

We shall not cease from explorationAnd the end of all our exploringWill be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time.

When it comes to identifying the main work of an Annual Conference, the place I started and have arrived at again is leadership development: to equip leaders who lead congregations who make disciples who transform neighborhoods. As I think of the programs and initiatives that will be offered by the Conference 2015, its clear were focused on developing and supporting leaders. (See the list at the right.)

This is all good; based on this list, 2015 will be great. But Im going to print out a copy of this article and stick it in my need to remember be-cause its important drawer, because lots of things will wind up on my desk in 2015, but none will deserve my attention more than calling, training and supporting leaders like you.

Illuminate Preaching Academy

Hand to Plow peer learning groups

Lay Servant Ministries

Council on Youth Ministries events

Camp and Retreat Ministries offerings

Road T.R.I.P.

District Training Days

Bishops Retreat

Bishops Confirmation Retreat

Annual Conference workshops

Tending the Soul

Tending the Fire

EQ-Human Relations workshop

The work of the Board of Ordained Ministries

By the Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Director of Connnectional [email protected]


Imagine No Malaria;or, the story of how UNY is working to iradicate the disease in 2015

Members at the 2014 Upper New York Annual Con-ference session voted to support The United Meth-odist Churchs Imagine No Malaria initiative, through a commitment to raise $1 million. This commitment joins the Conferences previous commit-ment of $1 million to fund scholar-ships at Africa University. Both of these goals come together through our Africa 360 campaign.

Now is the opportunity to kick off the Imagine No Malaria part of our campaign right: starting off the new year by saving a life! Your financial contribution of $10 provides two rounds of malaria medication that will save one life.

Upper New Yorks goal is to raise enough money in 2015 to save at least 100,000 lives. Every church and every United Methodist in the Conference are urged to take part.

With our commitment to Africa University, by saving 100,000 lives malaria affects the most vulnerable: chil-dren under the age of 5 and pregnant women you will be giving children and adults a far better chance to thrive, attend AU and follow their dreams.

How you can giveYou can text Malaria UNY to 27722 to make a $10

donation and save a life. (Note: Be sure to put a space between Malaria and UNY.) Contributions may be sent to the Conference Treasurers Office, Upper New York Conference, 324 University Ave., 3rd Floor, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210. Designate Imagine No Malaria on your check or at the bottom of your apportionment state-ment. If the check is from a church, be sure to indicate the church GCFA number on the check. To use a credit

card, contact Mike Weaver at (855) 424-7878 ext. 315. You can also be a part of the Africa 360 campaign (see the article on page 8) with your gift being equally divided between Imag-ine No Malaria and Africa University.

About Imagine No Malaria

Visit www.imaginenomalaria.org for more infor-mation about Imagine No Malaria, an extraordinary effort by the people of The United Methodist Church to put their faith into action to end preventable deaths by malar-ia in Africa. Over 4.6 million lives have been affected, and the number is growing each year as more lives are saved.

You can find resources that will help your church participate in this initiative at www.imaginenomalaria.org/resources.

Laurel OConnor is the field coordinator for the Confer-ences Imagine No Malaria initiative, a part of our Africa 360 campaign, for the next year. She can be contacted by email at [email protected] or [email protected].

By Laurel OConnor, INM Field [email protected]

Laurel OConnor, born and raised in Upstate New York, graduated from SUNY Cortland with a degree in Spanish. Before attending seminary, she spent time as an inter-preter at The Spanish Action League in Syracuse and later in Syracuse as a workers rights advocate.

In late 2014, OConnor completed the majority of her coursework for her Master of Divinity from Drew University in New Jersey.

She considers the Imagine No Ma-laria initiative as part of her journey home, to return and be a part of the Conference she knows and loves.

She is a certified candidate for Deacon in the Up-per New York Conference and will be continuing on the path toward ordination in the near future. She is married to Pastor Ben OConnor, who also at-tends Drew University, and the couple resides in the Crossroads District with Pastor OConnors daughter,

Olivia, who is five years old. He currently serves the Lycoming UMC.

The energy of having a kindergartener in the house gives her all the more impetus to help with Imagine No Malaria, OConnor said, as she sees the faces of the children that can be saved in the face of her step-daughter, full of life and gusto.

OConnor has a passion for bringing resources together that can change peoples lives, and is hoping her excitement and determination can start a chain reaction that gets Conference members excited about this initiative. As part of her responsibilities with the Imagine No Malaria initiative, she is available as a resource to congregations and districts in the Confer-ence, and said she looks forward to seeing all corners of the Conference over the next year.

Though shes excited at the possibility of saving 100,000 lives, she said that only with the help of the entire Conference can that goal be reached or even exceeded.

Meet Imagine No Malaria Field Coordinator Laurel OConnor

OConnor

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We dig into Our little book of BIG ideas to help you and your congregation find creative ways to be in-volved in these life-giving and life-saving opportuni-ties. Here are a few ideas to help your church reach the goal of raising $1,000:

Create a special offering one Sunday a month until the 2015 An-nual Conference Session

Challenge your Sunday School classes or small groups to come up with creative ways of receiving gifts

Invite your youth group or childrens ministry to get involved in raising funds

Commit to taking a special Good Friday or Easter Sunday offering with all gifts being designated for these efforts

Designate funds from your mis-sion budget

Hold a car wash or silent auction Hold a unique foods sale

similar to a bake sale, but your chefs only use recipes inspired by Africa; you can find recipe ideas at www.pinterest.com/prb928/african-recipes

Hold a special Africa-themed Vacation Bible School during the week that your school has off around Easter and take a special offering

Several chain restaurants will offer you a percentage of an evenings receipts as a fundraiser night; partner with one of them and you can engage

your community Host a community

event (like an indoor ga-rage sale, model railroad show, antique show), with the proceeds from an entrance fee going toward your goal

Find more resources at www.imagineno malaria.org/resources and review the re-sources that the Africa University Task Force has developed at www.unyumc.org. Do you have a creative way to raise funds for Africa

360? Share your ideas with the Com-munications Ministry Area at [email protected].

If you dont want to wait until the 2015 Annual Conference session to present your gifts, you can mail them anytime by check to Upper New York Conference, 324 University Ave., 3rd Floor, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210 Attn: Africa 360. Checks should be made payable to the Conference with Africa 360 in the memo line.

What is the Challenge?In 2011, members of the Upper New York Annual Conference pledged to raise $1 million for Africa University (AU) to fund eight scholarships. At the 2014 An-nual Conference Session, members voted to contribute $1 million to the Imagine No Malaria campaign of The United Methodist Church. Both of these priorities have been placed in a campaign that we are calling Africa 360.

AU, a United Methodist-related institution, aims to provide quality education within a Pan-African context through which persons can acquire general and profes-sional knowledge and skills, grow in spiritual maturity, and develop sound moral values, ethics and leadership quali-ties. More than 1,200 students from 22 African countries attend AU.

Malaria is the leading killer of children in Africa, with estimates of a life being taken every 60 seconds by this

preventable disease. In 2008, The United Methodist Church as a de-nomination committed to join the

global fight against malaria, embarking upon a $75 million Imagine No Malaria fundraising cam-paign.

Of Upper New Yorks combined $2 million commit-ment, approximately $300,000 has been raised to date. To help Upper New York reach that $2 million goal, Bishop Mark J. Webb issued the Africa 360 Challenge.

The challenge is that every congregation in Upper New York would raise at least $1,000 between now and the time we gather for Annual Conference in 2015, Bishop Webb said when he issued the challenge in Au-gust 2014. If every local congregation would take up this challenge, we would exceed $1 million of our $2 million commitment.

Thinking outside the box, and in


One of the Upper New York Conferences five areas of focus is to nurture a planting culture in Upper New York, where everyone feels freed up to plant a new faith community in their neighborhood.

The great news is that Gods spirit is helping our Conferences New Faith Community ministry realize that vision! As of Jan. 1, 2015, there were 40 new faith communities being actively planted in the Conference and 16 others in various stages of planning. The Cabinet is currently working on making strategic appoint-ments that will enable eight to 10 new plants to get started on July 1!

God is calling and gifting many people for planting. These people are being trained and are working to develop their plans and their teams.

Once formed, the teams are apply-ing for and receiving grant funding to seed their work. As teams are being deployed in diverse contexts across the state, they are building relation-ships. Hundreds of new, unchurched, or de-churched people are being in-vited to join us in knowing, loving and following Jesus in the world. By Gods grace, new disciples are being made.

This winter and the coming spring will provide a number of opportuni-ties for current or future planters to be supported and trained. We will offer planter peer-group retreats to provide our planters with spiritual growth and support.

Our fourth annual New Faith Communities event will be held Fri-day and Saturday, April 24-25, at the Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center

Opportunities coming for current and future plantersBy the Rev. David Masland, Conference Director of New Faith Communities

[email protected]

in Moravia. This years event will fea-ture a training conducted by Pastor Tom Arthur, who planted Church in a Diner in Lansing, Mich., as well as various workshops by some of our own most gifted planters.

There will be a new training op-portunity for coaches as well. This will be for those people who want to support planters in the future as certified coaches.

And there will be two new Vir-tual Planning Groups, idea crucibles within which new plans can begin to develop and planters can learn from each other.

For more information on these and other learning and support op-portunities provided through the Upper New York New Faith Com-munity ministry, please check out our website at www.unynfc.com.

And ask yourself: Is God calling you to join the movement?

New Faith Community Process

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This past year, I was a part of a small group of young clergy gath-ered from across the United States to spend some time in community and mentoring along-side the Rev. Mike Slaughter and the Rev. Adam Hamil-ton. This opportu-nity included trips to both the Ging-hamsburg United Methodist Church (Rev. Slaughters church) and the Church of the Resur-rection (Rev. Hamiltons church). This was an incredible opportunity to learn from two of the leading pastors within our denomination, and while only approximately 40 of us were a part of the Young Pastors Network, I thought some of the insights I learned might be worth sharing with all of you! I invite you to look for this column in your Advocate for the next several issues as I try to share a little of what I learned.

The first and biggest take away I

Young Pastors Network:

Dream biggerBy the Rev. John Martin

[email protected]

Part one of a six-part series

left this program with was to dream bigger! Living in the Northeast, specifically in the Upper New York Conference, few of us have had a lot experience with vibrant, growing and healthy congregations, especially not big ones. For many of us, the good old days were long ago, and what we consider success actually isnt all that successful. Revs. Hamilton and Slaughter encouraged all of us to not limit Gods vision and plan in our own lives and within our congrega-tions.

Our first trip was to the Ging-hamsburg UMC, located in Tipp City, Ohio. Tipp City has a population of roughly 9,500 people (or roughly equivalent to Upper New Yorks communities of Corning, Hamburg, Ogdensburg and Watervliet); Rev. Slaughters church runs right around 5,000 people each Sunday! When he made this point to us it was not to brag, or compare his church to any of ours, but rather to say that God can do great things in places we might least expect!

This encouragement to dream bigger wasnt simply about attendance numbers, budgets or statistical re-

Rev. Martin

ports. Over and over again, we were told stories of people who had a dream for this ministry or that, who were given permission to dream big-ger and then to follow their dreams! One of these ministries entailed the group going to an auto garage, where one person had a dream of fixing up old and broken down cars and then donating them to people in need. The ministry has become a huge part of Ginghamsburgs outreach into the surrounding communities and has grown to include several mechanics and dozens of cars given away each year!

Friends, hear these words as encouragement and permission to dream bigger! As youre looking to your plans, your upcoming ministries and out into your communities this year, dont limit God. Dont allow past success, old expectations and current standards to limit how God can use you and the people you are called to be in ministry with and alongside. DREAM BIGGER!

The Rev. John Martin is pastor at the Adirondack Community Church in Lake Placid. This article is part one of a six-part series.

The Young Pastors Network is a partnership between the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (online at www.cor.org) and the Ginghamsburg Church (www.ginghamsburg.org).

The YPN is designed specifically for high capacity clergy within The United Methodist Church who are under the age of 35. It is designed to provide a large church leadership development school for young United Methodist clergy while also providing an ongoing online community featuring mentoring, networking, spiritual growth and peer sharing opportunities.

Network candidates must be nominated by their bishops based on each candidates potential and drive to serve as a future leader of a large membership church within the Conference.

You can learn more about the program at its website at www.youngpastorsnetwork.org.


As the page has turned from 2014 to 2015 there are many things to celebrate about the ministry of Vital Congregations in the Upper New York Conference.

The Hand to Plow process continues to have a positive impact on local con-gregations and their leaders. The fall of 2014 welcomed a new cohort of con-gregations ready to roll up their sleeves and further their journey to being a vital congrega-tion. This coming fall a new group of congregations will begin the process, perhaps yours will be one of them. Be watching for details in the near

future.The Illuminate Preaching Acad-

emy kicked off its inaugural group in January, working to move from being good preachers to being great preachers (read below about the Rev. Andrew Sperrys experience at the academy.) This year will bring with it two cohorts of the Illuminate Preach-ing Academy, the one that started in January and another in August. Coupled with Illuminate, be watching for other opportunities for clergy and laity to develop their ability as preachers throughout 2015.

All of these vital congregations require transformative leaders. In order to continue the growth of leaders the Vital Congregations ministry will be partnering with

More Vital ministries coming in 2015

Editors Note: The Upper New York Confer-ence held its f irst Illuminate Preaching Acad-emy Jan. 13-14, 2015. Eleven participants took part in that f irst event. The Rev. Andrew Sperry, pastor at the Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church and one of the participants, agreed to share his experience.

Preaching is a lot like broccoli, or at least it has been for me. Preaching was not my favorite part of my call to ministry. It has been more of an acquired taste (like broccoli).

In the early stages of my ministry, I have served in sev-eral roles: Christian Education Director, Hospital Chaplain, and Associate Pas-tor. None of these have required me to preach extensively. Yet, I believe preach-ing is a sacred part of what occurs in worship and is the main vehicle through which pastors relate to their congregations. It is vital to the work of pastors helping

people be in relationship with God. So when Upper New York Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb announced at the bishops retreat this past October that the Conference would be host-ing a preaching academy, I jumped at the opportunity to develop my skills and a taste for preaching.

What drew me to participate in the Illuminate Preaching Academy was its fresh approach. The idea of being a part of something new excited me and, lets face it, fresh broccoli is al-ways better than frozen! Many other opportunities for enhancing ones preaching are like frozen broccoli: tired hermeneutical schemes, seem-ingly ancient texts, and ailing teaching styles. But this was something new, with new ideas for sermon writing, new contemporary source materials, and new, modern ways of engaging the participants.

One aspect of this new approach that has been helpful for me is a hyper-personalized teaching model. Throughout the process, participants are offered one-on-one advice from

By the Rev. Andrew Sperry [email protected]

Experiencing the Illuminate Preaching Academy

By the Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens, Conference Director of Vital [email protected]

various groups in the Conference to offer leadership development. The development opportunities will come in various forms and be targeted to unique contexts in order to help as many people as possible become transformational leaders. Be watch-ing for an event, class or opportunity near you.

Coming very soon to Upper New York will be Coach Approach Skill Training or CAST. This coach train-ing is offered by Chris Holmes, a former district superintendent in the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

CAST prepares people to be leadership coaches for a wide variety of situations and contexts. The Vital Congregations Ministry is partner-ing with the New Faith Communities Ministry; by offering this training we can provide more coaches to more leaders who are developing vital

Rev. Bouwens

mentors in addition to class work. This model helps each participant enhance his or her unique voice and excel in his or her gifts for ministry. This is extremely important for mod-ern ministry.

Authenticity is the key to develop-ing relationships with people, espe-cially in worship. I have found that a lot preachers try to be something they arent while they stand in front of their congregations. This program does not tell me how to be a better preacher using a prescribed model, instead it teaches me to more fully develop the skills I already have.

Rev. Sperry

Bishop Mark J. Webb (left) addressesthe participants at the IlluminatePreaching Academy. Photo by StephenJ. Hustedt

Bishop Mark J. Webb (left) addressesthe participants at the IlluminatePreaching Academy. Photo by StephenJ. Hustedt

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How would you like to harness your inner abil-ity to lead with a coach approach in your ministry context, or be more effective as a lay member in peer coaching?

Clergy and laity have a unique opportunity this March to participate in Coach Approach Skill Training (CAST).

CAST is a series of trainings developed specifically to teach the coach approach in ministry to denomi-national leaders, pastors and lay persons. This train-ing, which is highly participatory with heavy emphasis on the integration and practice of each skill, prepares participants for certification in the field of coaching.

The local CAST event will be held March 16-20, 2015 at the Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center in Moravia. The cost ranges from $500 to $1,750 per person depending on your level of commitment to coach a certain number of hours each month for up to three years. All lodging, materials and meals are included in that registration fee.

The CAST Fast Track training series spreads out 60 hours of International Coach Federation-approved coach-specific training over four months rather than the traditional 12 months.

Phase one of the series is a guided independent study based on the best coaching text book available. Phase two, which accounts for more than half of the training, is the event that will take place at Casowasco. Phase three consists of eight two-hour live online conference calls.

We are finding a lot of interest in this accelerated path because it is concentrated enough that partici-pants can really focus on their learning for a season, but is spread out enough to allow participants to integrate significant learning from the experience of coaching clients as they improve their skills through the training, said the Rev. Dr. Aaron M. Bouwens, Conference Director of Vital Congregations.

This training counts toward credentialing through the International Coach Federation; participants who would like to move forward after the Fast Track series for credentialing by the ICF would additionally need 10 hours of mentor coaching (at an additional cost), 100 hours of logged coaching of clients (no cost), and they would need to pass the ICF entrance exam adminis-tered at the time of the ICF application ($500).

You can register online at http://tinyurl.com/CASTMAR15. You can find more information about the training at http://tinyurl.com/ABOUTCAST, but the pricing should be ignored.

Coach Approach Skill Training

comes to UNY

congregations that are developing more disciples of Jesus Christ.

CAST is done in three modules: first an independent study time; then a week long intensive learning environ-ment (which will be March 16-20, 2015 at the Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center in Moravia); and finally with a multiple week online learning interaction. (Read more about CAST at right.)

Not to be left out of the year to come is the con-tinuing work of coming alongside local congregations to enhance the ways disciples are being developed. This includes having an intentional process in place to help people grow in their faith and to help invite others in to the journey of following Jesus. As 2015 gets going teams in the Vital Congregations Ministry will be finding ways to best help local congregations discover, dream, design and implement systems and processes to develop dis-ciples of Jesus Christ.

Through all of the opportunities and activities of the Vital Congregations Ministry, the goal is to develop transformational leaders, who provide leadership with vital congregations, so that there can me more and more disciples of Jesus Christ.

If you have thoughts about how this critical mission can be done, please contact me at [email protected] or (315) 424-7878 ext. 338.

Thus, making my preaching more authentic to who I am. Being a part of a program like this is thrilling.

Since attending the Illuminate Preaching Academy I have sensed personal growth in myself. I can feel Gods pres-ence within me, igniting a passion for preaching. At the academy worship and mindfulness to Gods presence are valued parts of learning. I realized that in my sermon preparation and preaching sometimes I would forget about Gods presence. I would not forget to include God in the sermons, but I would forget to rely on the Holy Spirits partnership with me in the act of preparation and delivering a message. However, as we continually en-gaged in prayer, worship, and sacrament together at the academy I was reminded of this important component to sharing Gods message. After all, for it to truly be Gods message shouldnt God be a part of the work?

Just as I have grown to like broccoli I know my experi-ences in the Illuminate Preaching Academy will lead me to love preaching. In the months ahead I will work closely

with my mentor and the acad-emy participants to become a better preacher. I hope to become a more effective speaker, listener and relation-ship builder in the preaching moment. I want to be able to engage the people I serve in a manner that lights them on fire with a burning passion for Christ. I want everyone, including myself, to leave the worship space filled with the Spirit, ready to serve the world and spread Gods love.


By the Camp & Retreat Ministries A moment lasts a second but the memory lives

on forever! Are you ready to come and join Camp & Retreat Ministries for a year of fun, excitement, and outdoor adventure? CRM is thrilled to share that this past fall and winter the team has been busy creating 32 exciting new summer programs for children, youth and adults that will empower, develop independence and self-esteem, and create life-long friendships.

During the second phase of the grant-funded Young Clergy Initiative (YCI) young adults will participate in internships and mission experiences throughout 2015. This initiative has helped many begin to identify their individual call to ministry.

CRM is in the process of identifying locations within the Upper New York Conference to develop a new

Day Camp Program.The CRM staff is scheduling strategic church visits

over the next four to five months and will specifically be visiting churches that sent the highest number of youth to summer camp in 2014. While its impossible to visit every church in the Conference, CRM can offer a packet of information for churches who wish to high-light camp during a special Sunday.

Look for the 2015 summer camp brochure as well as information on CRMs popular retreat offerings, coming soon to a mailbox (or email box!) near you.

Additional information will also be forthcoming in subsequent issues of the Advocate and can be found on CRMs website at www.campsandretreats.org.

Join us in the count down for 2015.

CRM gearing up for busy 2015

unyumc.org 13


The number of Nicaraguans living in extreme poverty defined as less than $1 a day increased from 7.6 percent to 9.5 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to a survey pub-lished in November 2013 by the Ma-nagua-based Fundacin Internacional para el Desafo Econmico Global, a nongovernmental foundation.

Thats the factual reason Upper New York United Methodists have a heart for mission in Nicaragua.

Here are some other reasons:The people are a very loving and

sharing people, said Mary Anderson, who with her husband, Genesee Val-ley District Superintendent Rev. Ted Anderson, has been to Nicaragua some 15 times. They dont have a lot of material goods, but they are warm and welcoming; they open up to visi-tors. Its very compelling.

Its just a wonderful opportu-nity to give back and to be Gods hands and feet, said Carole Gehrig, a member of New Hartford United Methodist Church, who has been on medical missions to Nicaragua seven times. We are all His people ... not that we dont do things in this coun-try, but there is a special calling to go and help people in less-fortunate countries also.

From Feb. 14-22, 2015, the An-dersons will be among the 19 people going on the Genesee Valley District mission trip to Project Chacocente (www.outofthedump.org) in Nica-ragua. A Central New York Medical Mission, which Gehrig has been on in the past, will take place from March 16-26. Its organized by Greg Wright of the United Church of Canastota.

Project Chacocente began in 2003, inspired by United Methodist youth on a Northeastern Jurisdiction Mission of Peace trip to the Managua dump where they saw people living off the dump scavenging food and stuff to sell like ball bearings and oth-

Missions to Nicaragua: Rich experiences in a poor nationBy Beth DiCocco

[email protected]

er metal. Its a pretty hardscrabble life, and these high school students were touched, shocked, horrified, said Anderson, and then they asked: What can we do to help?

What they did was donate $5,000 to create Project Chacocente, which started as a way to move people who were living in the dump into their own homes.

It was about more than land and house, Anderson said. It was about building a Christian community that was working toward self sustainabil-ity; thats how it all began.

It took 10 years to get the original families the deeds to their land, she said, but now those families are do-ing well and are mentoring the next generation.

The dump has been covered over, although there are still families living in and around it. Now Project Chaco-cente operates a school, which in December 2014, graduated its first class.

The volunteers on this mission trip will tackle work that needs to be done at the school, but the rela-tionship building is just as essential, Anderson said.

You learn from people down there and share Christ, she said. Its a week and a half-long com-munion of saints. You realize God is there and has been there.

Their faith is so strong and some-how more essential to their lives, Anderson said. Here, were under the illusion that we can provided for ourselves.

The medical mission will bring routine medical care as well as basics to people in rural Nicaragua, where its difficult if not impossible to access medical care. Gehrigs role has been to help distribute clothing and toys to the families who come to the clinic.

Gehrig said that shes moved by the Nicaraguans patience waiting in the hot sun for hours at the clinic and their deep gratitude. Its a lesson

Students in art class at the Project Chacocente school. Photo courtesy of The Friends of Project Chacocente

unyumc.org 15

she wanted her grandchildren Nicole and Andrew to learn.

Its strengthened my faith, Gehrig said. I am so grateful for what I am blessed with. Ive taken my grandchildren with me so they see what a third world country looks like and how grateful the people are and how little they have.

Our kids have so much, and they want more. They dont realize the difference between want and need. That was the lesson I hoped my grandchildren would get, and they did.

Gehrig cautions that the days are long and things dont always go as you plan something Ander-son remarked on as well. But its a

wonderful experience, Gehrig said of mission work in Nicaragua. ... we are so blessed and dont appreciate it. We need to be more open to people that dont have anything.

Learn moreLearn more about Project Chaco-

cente at outofthedump.org. To learn about other opportunities for mis-sions, visit the following resource pages:

Volunteers in Mission (VIM) are United Methodists who offer their skills and talents for Christian service at home or abroad on short-term as-signments in areas affected by disas-ters and hardships.

Haiti Partnership (www.haiti-

partnership.com) is a joint mission experience between the Susquehanna and Upper New York conferences that sends mission teams to Haiti to build schools and churches, to provide humanitarian aid, and to do Gods work alongside the Haitian people.

The General Board of Global Ministries website (http://tinyurl.com/GBGMVIMProjects) lists national and international VIM proj-ects for teams, individual volunteers opportunities, and VIM project for youth teams.

You can also contact local churches and districts for mission opportunities within the Conference whenever they arise.

Q&AsessionOne United Methodist in Upper New

York with a heart for mission in Nicara-gua is Sarah Muder. The 18-year-old is a member at the New Hartford First United Methodist Church. On the pre-med track at Vassar college, she hopes to one day be an OB/GYN. She is making her first trip to Nicaragua as part of the medical mission organized by Canastota United Methodist Church. Heres what she had to say about why shes drawn to serve in Nicaragua.

What inspired you to join this mission trip?Ive always firmly believed that medical care is a basic

human right that everyone deserves. Currently Im on the pre-medical track in college and administering hands-on care to people that have difficulty accessing it is some-thing that Im passionate about.

What do you hope to learn and experience?I hope to have a glimpse at what my future career

could be like, but other than that, I believe that God knows way more about what He wants me to learn than I do. Visiting another country always results in pearls of wisdom that I never couldve expected or predicted.

You have done mission work outside the U.S. before; talk a little about what those experiences

have been like and how they have affected your faith journey:

I spent a month in Cambodia in 2012, which really just opened my eyes to how diversely beautiful God has made the world and His people. Further, it also gave me a huge reality check on the many blessings that we have in America that are not commonly present in other devel-oping nations. Without healthcare, women and children often perish in childbirth, kids often arent healthy enough to get an education, which affects the rest of their lives. It really gave me a clear picture of how adequate public health and clinical care can easily change the world.

Feel free to add anything else youd like say that I havent asked about.

Thanks to the New Hartford First UMC, for always supporting me, financially and in prayer!

Muder

Young adults (ages 19-35, and families are welcome) are invited to participate in the Revive overnight retreat March 13-14, 2015 at the Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center in Moravia. For more information, contact Ashley Riddell at [email protected] or register at: http://tinyurl.com/Revive2015


By Stephen J. Hustedt, Director of Communications [email protected]

The Upper New York Conference staff will again be taking a Road T.R.I.P. across the Conference to offer a series of workshops for clergy and lay leaders.

The next two stops will be at: Liverpool UMC (604 Oswego

St., Liverpool) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 7

New Beginnings UMC (300 E. Miller St., Elmira) from 2-7 p.m. on Sunday, March 8

The previous Road T.R.I.P. training sessions took place at United Meth-odist churches in Potsdam, Saratoga Springs, Batavia and Bemus Point.

The feedback we received from participants at early Road T.R.I.P. stops indicated it was a great suc-cess, said the Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Conference Director of Connectional Ministries. People appreciated Conference staff com-ing to them and providing learning experiences which could help their local church to be more effective in ministry. Staff also learned a lot from participants about what local church folks are struggling with. The Road T.R.I.P. is a definitely a two-way street.

The Road TRIP training opportuni-ties are designed to be:

Transformative Focused on

equipping leaders and congregations for life-changing, disciple-making ministries

Relevant Congregation-cen-tered, needs-based with practical information

Innovative Creating something new and challenging, with elements of both wonder and risk

Personal Sharing ideas, expe-riences and possibilities that train-ers are personally and passionately invested in

These five-hour programs include a meal. The registration deadline for the next two stops is March 2; to register to attend the event at the Liverpool UMC visit http://tinyurl.com/RT15Liverpool, to register to attend the event at the New Begin-nings UMC visit http://tinyurl.com/RT15NB.

Conference staff will be presenting on the following topics:

From the Wading Pool to the Deep End How to Move People

into Deeper DiscipleshipPresenter: The Rev. Bill

Gottschalk-Fielding, Director of Connectional Ministries

This workshop will help par-ticipants assess their congregations current disciple-making system to

Road T.R.I.P. makes two stops this March

identify its strengths and weaknesses. Participants will learn multiple ways that a churchs disciple-making min-istries can be improved and encour-aged to return home and try at least one new thing.

They Have Us Surrounded But Who Are They?

Presenter: The Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens, Director of Vital

CongregationsEvery community has people in

it that are not participating in the life of a congregation. Often we are convinced the people surrounding a congregation are just like the people in the congregation. A key first step to reaching the people who surround our congregations is to know who they are. This workshop will offer concrete steps that any congregation can use to learn who has them sur-rounded.

Why Cant Church Be More Like Camp?

Presenter: Mike Huber, Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries

In this workshop well focus on the characteristics of camp that are particularly faith formative and highly sought in the spiritual journey of many. Our Camp & Retreat Centers desire to work with our local congre-gations on how to engage new gen-erations of faith seekers, integrating many of the practices of camp into congregational life. By adopting and adapting the practices of camp, youll walk away with great ideas for help-ing your local congregation become more relevant.

Your Conference Finance OfficePresenter: Kevin Domanico,

Conference TreasurerA wide range of financial top-

ics will be covered. You will be able to ask questions and get informa-tion to empower and support local church treasurers, finance committee

unyumc.org 17

members and clergy. It will be a time to get to know each other and get a sense of the resources the Confer-ence has available. Ministry Share allocations, statistical reporting, financial controls and annual church audits will all be discussed.

Wired for WorshipPresenter: Clyde Wolford, Director

of Information TechnologyAudio, slides, video, lighting ...

these elements can serve to engage worshipers if installed and used prop-erly; if not, they can be a significant distraction. Join this discussion about best practices in the selection, instal-lation and use of these resources. Those who have already enriched their worship space are encouraged to attend and share their stories with those considering a move in this direction.

Childrens Ministry in an Ever-Changing World

Presenter: Diane Miner, Director of the Conference Resource Center

This will be an interactive work-shop on teaching children in a way that relates to each of them as individuals and in community. Ideas will be shared for one room and multiclass settings in how to offer options for the way children learn. Experience praying in color, ideas for church/home connection, creative ideas for rotational, conventional and unique settings, and of course the many resources that are available to help you plan.

How to do Facebook WellPresenter: Steve J. Hustedt, Director

of CommunicationsThis workshop will focus on

how to write, use graphics, manage people/content, and general best practices for using Facebook. Basic information will be addressed though handouts so that the focus at the workshop can be on each individual leaving with a personalized strategy for attracting visitors and fully engag-ing church members in the most widely used Social Media website.

How to do a Website WellPresenter: Steve J. Hustedt, Director

of CommunicationsThis workshop will focus on how

to write, use graphics, organize,

create content, and update a local church website. Basic information will be addressed though handouts so that the focus at the workshop can be on each individual leaving with a vision of what their churchs current or future website should feature/look like, and how it should be managed.

Creating New Places for New People: How to Start a

New Faith Community in Your Own Neighborhood

Presenter: The Rev. David Masland, Director of New Faith CommunitiesWe know that the purpose of the

local church is to grow new disciples of Jesus Christ. But, it often seems like pulling teeth to get new people

to walk through the doors of our churches! Because of this, many la-ity and clergy are planting new faith communities in public spaces, and building relationships with lots of unchurched people. We will learn about a variety of these New Faith Communities growing all over the Upper New York Conference and country, in rural, urban and suburban settings. And, we will explore some of the early steps you can take to-ward building one that fits your own unique context. If you believe God might be calling you to plant a new faith community in your own region, or you are simply curious about this movement of the Spirit in our Con-ference, please join us!

Get the devotional FREE at:http://tinyurl.com/UMCORDEVO


By Maya Smith

There are lots of things coming up in the United Methodist youth world!

Searching God at the Fall Gatherings in November 2014 was very fun and fulfilling. Luckily there is another chance for youth to search God with other youth.

UP!WORD, the Conference Council on Youth Ministrys big-gest event of the year, will be held April 24-26 in Syracuse. This event is packed with exciting search results workshops, fun late night searching games and activities, and worship that will help you search God! There is always lots of excitement when youth get together and worship.

One exciting surprise at this years UP!WORD is guest performer Wayne Kerr, who will be perform-ing a special Friday night concert! Kerr was at UP!WORD a few years ago and we are very excited for his return.

Online registration will again be available this year check the CCYM page of the Conference website at www.unyumc.org.

UP!WORD will also feature an art gallery, planned by the Gathering Organization (GO) team. If you have art that symbolizes this years theme, Searching God, and want it to be displayed, send it in! You can contact the Rev. Ted Anderson, Genesee Val-ley District Superintendent, at [email protected] or (585) 340-9525. Please include your name, age, and church with your artwork so we can display it and can return it to you at the end of the event!

In the last issue of the Advocate, it was made known that those travel-ing on the Mission of Peace (MOP) left on Dec. 28, 2014 for India. MOP is a mission trip that involves all the conferences in the Northeastern Ju-risdiction. If you would like to know more about MOP there is informa-

CCYM gearing up for an exciting 2015tion on the Conference website and on the Jurisdictions webpage at http://www.nejumc.org/mop.html.

Next years Mission of Peace team will travel to China. If you would like to apply to go on MOP, applications are due by March 1. This three week journey to shalom is extraordinary;

youth who are in grades 9-12 are eligible to apply. Applications are available on the Conference website at www.unyumc.org on the CCYM page. Interviews for the MOP will be held during UP!WORD in April.

Along with MOP applications, ap-plications for CCYM and the Annual Conference Session are also due

unyumc.org 19

CCYM members offered the following reflections on this years theme Searching God and on one of the Scripture passages on which it is based (Matthew 7:8)

I interpret the theme, Searching... God as a way to find Him in everything and everyone. It could also possibly mean that people who dont know that there is a God or who want to connect more with Him are search-ing how to. It can also be interpreted as God trying to find a way for us to be closer to Him. I personally believe that its more of a way to find God in everyone and ev-erything. Anonymous

When you go to Google, its usually to find answers or guidance. Likewise, when you go to God, you can look for guidance, like a search engine. Once you find your answer, you gain knowledge, just as once you find answers from God, you gain knowledge about yourself. Johnny Church

I think the best part about the theme Searching... God is that because it can be interpreted in so many ways, it can be applied to every person. People from all walks of life can relate to searching for God in all parts of their lives as they grow closer to Him. Just like

when you type the word God into a search engine and there are practically infinite results, as we grow closer to God we realize that if we search for Him, we find Him everywhere. That is why the theme verse Everyone who searches, finds is so appropriate. Anyone can simply ask about God and He will be there to show them what they need. In our secular world, many people search for a deeper meaning in life. Since God is in everything, ultimately if they search for anything in the metaphori-cal search bar of life, they will find God. Not only are we searching for God and seeking to know Him more, but God is searching for us and calling us to Him. God is everywhere looking for us, and when we find Him we are able to experience the results. Emily Allen

To me, this Scripture gives me security. When I read this, it reminds me that God is always there and always will be. I may need to search for Him at times, look for Him in the people I meet and the places I go, but He is always there. Hes in the beauty, the kindness, the laughter. Gods there in the comfort of another, the love of your parents. Sometimes, it may be hard to see God in the people, places, and situations around you, but Every-one who searches, finds. Rachel Lake

REFLECTIONS ON CCYMS THEME:

SEARCHING... GOD

Wayne Kerr will be a guest performer at this years UP!WORD in April. The Christian musician will take the stage for a special Friday night concert.

March 1.If you would like to be on CCYM

to help plan exciting events for youth to worship God, apply to be a repre-sentative from your district. Now is a great time to talk to your district youth leaders if you want to get involved in CCYM next year. Every district has its own process for join-ing, so its important to check with your district leaders.

Upon joining, you will par-ticipate in a training session during UP!WORD 15. The training session, with the whole CCYM, will take place during the day on April 25. If you are unaware who to contact, visit the CCYM page on the Confer-ence website!

This is also a great year to think about being a youth representative to Annual Conference. The dates of this years Annual Conference are May 27-30. As you may have noticed, this years session is a whole day longer than in past years because of the balloting for General Conference! This year we will be electing both lay

leader and clergy delegates for the General Conference which will take place May 10-20, 2016, in Portland, Ore. If you would like to be a del-egate at Annual Conference this May, now is the time to talk to your pastor or district coordinator.

Youth are also able to apply to attend the General Conference as a voting delegate; the application infor-mation, including deadlines, is on the Conferences main webpage.

If you want to stay in the know about UP!WORD and other youth events, like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/UNY Youth). You can also follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/UNYYouth) and Instagram (http://instagram.com/UNYYouth), and dont forget to hashtag your posts with #UNYYouth!

Maya Smith is on the PowerPoint and Publicity Team.


Remembrances ... ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:15-16

Roma Marie Gould, 88, died on Jan. 27, 2015. She was the wife of the late Rev. Ardell Gould, who most recently served at the Albion United Methodist Church before retiring in 1992. Read the obituary at http:// tinyurl.com/Gould012715.

Rev. Jane T. Borden, 86, died on Jan. 15, 2015. She served the Round Lake, Calvary: Latham and Saratoga Springs United Methodist churches before retiring in 1994. Her husband was the late Rev. James Borden. Condolences can be sent to her son, Erich Borden, at the Sara-toga Springs UMC, 175 Fifth Ave., Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Borden011515.

Rev. Claude Corbett, 93, died on Jan. 14, 2015. He served the Theresa, Plessis, North Shore Parish, Rushville, Elmira: River-side and Cicero United Methodist churches before retiring in 1987. Cards of condolence can be sent to his wife Zella at P.O. Box 236, Penney Farms, FL 32079.

Juanita Spence, 89, died on Jan. 6, 2015. She was the mother of the Rev. Lynn Spence, who serves the Clifton Springs United Methodist Church. Condolences can be sent to Rev. Spence at 13 Pleasant St., Clifton Springs, N.Y. 14432. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Spence010615.

Betty Lou Furman, 86, died on Jan. 1, 2015. She was the wife of the Rev. Edward K. Furman, a retired el-der in the Susquehanna Conference who served churches in Lake Como and Jermyn in the former Wyoming Conference. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Furman010115.

Barbara Vollmer, 82, died on Dec. 30, 2014. Her husband, the Rev. Stanley Vollmer, passed away on Jan. 14, 2014. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Vollmer123014.

(Ashton) Bruce Cornell, 83, died on Dec. 26, 2014. He was the husband of the Rev. Virginia Cornell, who serves in retirement at the Easton and Stump (North Cambridge) United Methodist churches. Cards can be sent to Rev. Cornell at P.O. Box 265, Victory Mills, N.Y. 12884. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Cornell 122614.

Iris I. Civalier, 92, died on Dec. 22, 2014. She served in several roles for the former Troy Annual Conference, including president of the

conference United Methodist Women and chairper-son of the conference Council on Finance and Adminis-tration. She also served on the General Board of Global Ministries. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Civalier122214.

This spring the Northeastern Jurisdiction will host its first United Methodist Committee on Relief (UM-COR) Training Academy in more than 10 years.

The training academy, hosted by the NEJ United Meth-odist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) will be held March 18-21, 2015 at the West River Camp & Retreat Center in West River, Md.

United Methodists from the 10 conferences and 15 states that make up the NEJ will gather to share in learn-ing, ministry planning, prayer and fellowship.

These academies offer high-caliber training and educa-tion on mission and disaster response from the UMCOR staff. You will learn about how those in crisis from natural or human disasters are served, said the Rev. Paul Nick Nicholas, NEJ UMVIM Coordinator.

(You will get to) learn, share, and prepare so that the Church in your region can be ready to respond when disaster and crisis come to those in your community. As people of faith, we recognize that relief and recovery require attention to the physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational needs of survivors and that we can point to Gods healing presence and hope simply by being there when the storms of life have hit, Rev. Nicholas said.

The training will expand the skills and education of those who already have a basic understanding as well as

UMCOR Training Academy comes to the NEJ

unyumc.org 21

Wilma J. Burt, 79, died on Dec. 20, 2014. She was the wife of the Rev. Guy Burt, retired. Condo-lences can be sent to their son, P. Christopher Burt, 305 Adams Ave., Endicott, N.Y. 13760.

Rev. L. Alden Smith, 96, died on Dec. 19, 2014. He served churches in northern and western New York before retiring as pastor emeritus at the Hamburg United Methodist Church. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Smith121914.

Margaret Brockway, 98, died on Dec. 18, 2014. She was the grandmother of Jodi Webb, wife of Upper New York Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb. Condolences can be sent to Bishop and Mrs. Webb in care of the Up-per New York Conference Office at 324 University Ave., Third Floor, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210.

Patricia S. Arnold, 88, died on Dec. 17, 2014. She was the wife of the Rev. Neil Arnold, retired. Cards can be sent to Rev. Arnold at 15010 Shell Point Blvd., Ft. Myers, FL 33908-1666. Read the obituary at http://tiny url.com/Arnold121714.

Edward J. Sprenger, 38, died on Dec. 14, 2014. He was the son of the Rev. James Sprenger, retired. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Sprenger121414.

Rev. Malcolm A. Howard, 81, died on Dec. 13, 2014. He served a number of churches including Perryville, Clockville, Middlesex, Freeville and DeRuyter before retiring in 1989. Spring interment will take place in Cor-tland Rural Cemetery. Condolences can be sent to his wife, Joan, in care of the Wright-Beard Funeral Home, 9

Lincoln Ave., Cortland, N.Y. 13045. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Howard121314.

Loretta Jones, 82, died on Dec. 13, 2014. She was the mother of Mark Jones, who is husband of Pastor Sue Jones. Mark is President of the Mohawk District and Up-per New York Conference United Methodist Men. Pastor Jones serves the Asbury United Methodist Church in Utica. Condolences may be sent to Mark and Sue Jones, 475 Shortlots Road, Frankfort, N.Y. 13340. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Jones121314.

Rev. Marion M. Thomas, 106, died on Dec. 12, 2014. She served the Tyrone, Caton, Wayne and South Corning United Methodist churches. Cards can be sent to her son Jeremy Thomas at 4918 E. Swamp Road, Stanley, N.Y. 14561. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Thomas121214.

William Bill Clay Childress, Sr., 80, died on Dec. 8, 2014. He was the father of the Rev. Doug-las Childress, who serves the Alexander United Method-ist Church. Condolences can be sent to Rev. Childress, 10540 Main St., Alexander, N.Y. 14005. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Childress120814.

Rev. Alice M. Hobbs, 79, died on Dec. 2, 2014. Be-fore retiring in 2001, she served churches in Rexford, Port Henry, Moriah and Crown Point. From 2011 to 2012, she served as coordinating pastor at the Crown Point UMC. Cards can be sent to David Hobbs, 13 Fourth St., Apt. A, Amsterdam, N.Y. 12010. Read the obituary at http://tinyurl.com/Hobbs120214.

:provide an introduction to this type of mission service, so even those with no prior experience are wel-come to attend.

Sessions will include a look at UMCORs 75 years and the founda-tions of disaster ministry. Participants will be asked to choose one elective track from the following for the rest of their courses:

Emotional and Spiritual Care Team

Ready Congregations & Con-necting Neighbors

Emergency Response Team: Train the Trainer (there are pre-requisites for this track and space is limited)

Volunteer ExcellenceThe cost is $225, which covers

three nights of lodging plus meals from dinner on Wednesday to lunch on Saturday. Event participation is capped at 140 people, and the first 85 registrants have the option of

The UMCOR Training Academy prepares volunteers to serve those in crisis from natural or human disasters. Pictured above, Sid Riddick mixes concrete for a footing to repair the damage from Hurricane Sandy at a home in Atlantic City, N.J. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose

requesting a lower bunk bed.For more information, contact

Upper New Yorks VIM co-coordi-nators Roger and Donna Cullen at [email protected].

Register for the event at http://tinyurl.com/UMCORNEJMAR18.

Find a link to the 40-day Lenten de-votional celebrating UMCORs 75 years on page 17.


How to reach usBISHOPS OFFICEUpper New York Area Episcopal Office of The United Methodist Church324 University Ave., 3rd Floor, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210Phone: (315) 422-5027 Fax: (315) 422-5304

CONFERENCE OFFICEUpper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church324 University Ave., 3rd Floor, Syracuse, N.Y. 13210Phone: (315) 424-7878; toll free: (855) 424-7878Fax: (315) 424-0975

Adirondack DistrictDistrict Superintendent William MudgePO Box 590 54 Bay St. Glens Falls, N.Y. 12801 (518) 480-4866 Email: [email protected]

Albany DistrictDistrict Superintendent Richard Weihing568 Loudon Road Latham, NY 12110FOR MAIL: PO Box 511Newtonville, N.Y. 12128(518) 608-1246 Email: [email protected]

Binghamton DistrictDistrict Superintendent Dr. David Kofahl53 McKinley Ave. Endicott, N.Y. 13760 (607) 748-0662 Fax: (607) 748-0549 Email: [email protected]

Cornerstone DistrictDistrict Superintendent Dr. Sherri Rood663 Lakeview Ave. Jamestown, N.Y. 14701 (716) 665-2423 Fax: (716) 665-3763 Email: [email protected]

Crossroads DistrictDistrict Superintendent Darryl R. Barrow324 University Ave.,3rd FloorSyracuse, N.Y. 13210(315) 422-2288 Fax: (315) 424-0975Email: [email protected]

Finger Lakes DistrictDistrict Superintendent Jeffrey McDowell1 Franklin Square, Suite 213Geneva, N.Y. 14456(315) 781-0188Fax: (315) 781-0199 Email: [email protected]

Genesee Valley DistrictDistrict Superintendent Ted Anderson1100 South Goodman St. Rochester, N.Y. 14620(585) 340-9525Fax: (585) 340-9526 Email: [email protected]

Mohawk DistrictDistrict Superintendent Dr. Sung Ho Lee105 Genesee St. New Hartford, N.Y. 13413 (315) 797-1777Fax: (315) 797-5702 Email: [email protected]

Mountain View District District Superintendent Nancy Adams65 E. First St. Corning, N.Y. 14830 (607) 962-8047Fax: (607) 962-8045 Email: [email protected]

Niagara Frontier DistrictDistrict Superintendent K. Wayne Butler247 Cayuga Road, Suite 70 Cheektowaga, N.Y. 14225 (716) 276-8631Fax: (716) 276-8632 Email: [email protected]

Northern Flow DistrictDistrict Superintendent Rebekah SweetPO Box 208 93 E. Main St.Gouverneur, N.Y. 13642 (315) 535-5149Fax: (315) 535-5151 Email: [email protected]

Oneonta DistrictDistrict Superintendent Jan McClary RowellPO Box 668 66 Chestnut St.Oneonta, N.Y. 13820 (607) 441-5102Fax: (607) 441-5102 Email: [email protected]

unyumc.org 23

Upcoming datesMarch 2

Final day to get Pre-Conference reports to the Conference office

March 2AC Session registration opens

March 7 & 8Road T.R.I.P.: Liverpool UMC &The New Beginnings (in Elmira)

(See pages 16-17 for details)

March 13-14Revive Young Adult Retreat

(See page 19 for details)

March 16-20Coach Approach Skill Training

April 6Anticipated publication date for the

Pre-Conference Booklet

May 1AC Session Registration ends

May - Date TBAPre-Conference Briefings

Rev. Nola Anderson assigned to Crossroads District

Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev. Nola Anderson as a Confer-ence Superintendent assigned to the Crossroads District.

Rev. Anderson, pastor at the Grace and West Avenue United Methodist churches in Rochester, cur-rently sits on the UNY Board of Ordained Ministry and has been active in Black Method-ists for Church Renewal, the Northeastern Jurisdiction Clergy Women Consultation Plan-ning Team, and Aldersgate Renewal Ministries.

In 2003, Rev. Anderson began serving in the former Wyoming Con-ference as an elder from the Method-ist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas Conference.

She and her husband, Pastor Andy Anderson, have one son Asriel.

Rev. Anderson is first and fore-most a disciple of Jesus Christ, who passionately lives out the mission of the Church, Bishop Webb said. Her rich and varied experiences in the local church, including her understanding of ministry in mul-tiple settings, including the urban area, will bring tremendous gifts to the work of the Cabinet and to the context of the Crossroads District. I am excited about her leadership and

commitment to our task as an annual conference, as well as her experi-ence throughout the connectional church. Please join me in praying for the Anderson family, the congrega-tions at Grace and West Avenue, the Crossroads District and the Upper New York Conference in this time of transition.

Rev. Abel Roy assigned to the Mohawk District

Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev. Abel Roy as a Conference Su-perintendent assigned to the Mohawk District effective July 1, 2015.

Rev. Roy currently serves the Springville First United Method-ist Church in the Niagara Frontier District. Born in Sri Lanka, Rev. Roy received his Master of Theol-ogy and Master of Divinity from Asbury Theo-logical Seminary in Kentucky and was ordained in The United Method-ist Church in 1990.

He served three quadrennium on the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and was nominated as a delegate to the World Methodist Conference.

Rev. Roy and his wife, Rebecca, have two daughters, Abigail and Priscilla.

Rev. Roy is a person of deep spirituality who has a commitment

and passion for the Church, Bishop Webb said. Throughout his ministry, he has led congregations to live the great commandment, as well as the great commission. Abels pastoral heart for the least, the last and the lost, his boldness in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and his desire to equip others to be who God has called them to be, will greatly add to the work of the Cabinet and the varied ministries within the Mo-hawk District. I am excited to work alongside him. I ask you to join with me in prayer for the Roy family, the Springville congregation, the Mohawk District and the Upper New York Conference in this time of new begin-nings.

Bishop Webb names new district superintendents

Rev. Anderson

Rev. Roy

Rev. Lee

Sharing knowledgeThe Rev. Darryl Barrow, Cross-

roads District Superintendent, and the Rev. Dr. Sung Ho Lee, Mohawk District Superintendent, share what they have learned as Conference superintendents. Read the article on the Conference website at www.unyumc.org.

Rev. Barrow

unyumc.org 24

324 University Ave., 3rd FloorSyracuse, NY 13210

World Malaria Day is just around the corner.

Upper New York has God-sized dreams, to save 100,000 lives

this year.

How many liveswill you save?

Save the Date:

April 25You can save a life today, ten dollars at a time:

ImagineNoMalaria.org/#Donate

God100,000

you

April 25

upper new york: january/february 2015

Documents

upper new york conference

conference council

new ministry tools

conference staff members

annual conference session

uny conferencewide ministries

kids day

youth ministries