Children’s Ministry Forum is time of learning and renewing
Pastors, Christian educators, and volunteers who work with children will find the Children’s Ministry Forum a dynamic resource for local church ministry. The Forum, Feb. 21-23 in Nashville, TN, will bring together engaging speakers in high-quality workshops to provide an opportunity for learning new ways of reaching the youngest members of our congregations and children who are not yet part of a church with the gospel. This conference will challenge participants to learn, worship and share ideas as they explore together how to help children grow as disciples. For more information on this Forum, go to Children’s Ministry Forum.
Deadline for Nominations is Feb. 10
The deadline is drawing near for receiving Nominations from lay and clergy members of our local churches to participate on conference boards and agencies. Please look at the many opportunities for leadership and involvement in the ministries of the North Carolina Conference, and submit an application online. The Nominations Committee prefers self-nominations to assure the nominee’s interest and availability for service and to have accurate contact information. Persons who have not served the eight-year limit on one committee and wish to continue in service must complete the continuation form. In most cases, persons nominated and then elected at Annual Conference, serve for four years, and this quadrennium begins in late 2012 and continues through 2016. To learn more and complete the self-nomination form or the continuation form, go to www.nccumc.org/nominations. For descriptions of the many areas of service, scroll down to find Ministry Descriptions.
Cokesbury VBS Preview Event Saturday, Feb. 4
Cokesbury will be holding a Vacation Bible School Preview event this Saturday, Feb. 4, from 10 a.m. to noon at the United Methodist Building in Garner. A Christian Educator will give a ten- minute overview of each of the VBS programs and then there will be time for questions to the presenters. All VBS materials will be on sale Jan. 23 – Feb. 12, so Cokesbury can offer those attending up to 20% off their VBS materials and $3.95 shipping rate. No pre-registration is required. For questions or more information, you may contact Lou Jennings at: ljennings@cokesbury.com.
NC Conference Handbell Festival registrations due Feb. 16
This is a reminder that the Feb. 16 deadline to register for the 2012 NC United Methodist Handbell Festival is coming up! If you haven’t done so, please be sure to get your registration in to work under David Harris, guest conductor. The brochure and registration form are located at Handbell Festival. Please contact Mark Gourley at 919-920-3305 (cell), 919-778-3885 (home) or email: markgourley1984@gmail.com if you have questions.
DBOM’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Cary In 2011
Disciple Bible Outreach Ministries began the process of expanding into five states where the DBOM ministry model is being used to offer God’s word to the incarcerated. Five more expansions are planned for this year. While expanding in other states, it is vital to keep DBOM in North Carolina strong! To help support the ministry in NC, a very important fundraising event is planned for March 17 at First UMC in Cary. This fun-filled event will be a celebration of the DBOM ministry and will include a hot dog supper with live music, a presentation from some very special guests including UMM General Secretary Gil Hanke, an exciting live auction and a silent auction to raise funds for DBOM. More information about the schedule for the day and also who to donate an item or service to the auctions can be found at https://nccumc.org/dbom-fundraiser/.
More webinars scheduled to educate local church leaders
The following upcoming webinars from UMPact on Safety and Procedures in the United Methodist commitment may be of interest to persons in various local church positions. Please share this information with leaders and teachers: * Feb. 9 4 p.m. EST “Safe Sanctuaries: Tips, Trends, and Issues in Background Screening” Presenters will be Joy Melton and Chad Stair. Login in for the visual portion at Safe Sanctuary. Call in for the audio portion at 1-800-598-7441, code: 5596370. Participants are encouraged to join in twenty minutes early. * Feb. 29 4 p.m. EST “Record Keeping: Basic Procedures for Judicial Complaints” Presenters Rev. Darryl Stephens, GCSROW, and Joy Melton. Login for the visual portion at Record Keeping. Call in for the audio portion at 1-800-598-7441, code: 5596370. Participants are encouraged to join in twenty minutes early. * March 8 4 p.m. EST “Crisis Communications Planning: The Church and the Media” Presenters will be Joy Melton and Lee Brogden-Culberson. Login for the visual portion at Crisis Communications. Call in for the audio portion at 1-800-598-7441, code: 5596370. Participants are encouraged to join in twenty minutes early.
2012 Clergy Partners’ Day Apart – Save the Date
March 24 – 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (registration & refreshments at 9:30 a.m.) Clergy Partners will meet at Westminster UMC in Kinston for an exciting day together with guest speaker and musician, Catherine Ritch Guess. The registration fee is $15.00. Register by emailing Tanya Edwards at: tanyaedwards@embarqmail.com no later than March 12.
The Singing Church: Practices and Emerging Trends
March 19–21, Cannon Chapel, Emory University A renowned group of ecumenical scholars and musicians will lead this exploration of the emerging practices, leadership skills, and repertories of congregational song. The conference will include worship, a hymn festival and workshops about topics such as reinterpreting traditional worship-song, planning worship for multicultural communities and writing hymns for modern congregations. Popular hymn-writer and song leader John Bell, of the Iona Community in Scotland, will make a special appearance on the evening of March 20. To register, visit Singing Church.
An Evening with John Bell
March 20 • 7:30–9:00 p.m. Cannon Chapel, Emory University John Bell is an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland and a member of the Iona Community. As a member of Iona’s Wild Goose Resource Group, Bell works to enable and equip congregations and clergy in the shaping and creation of new forms of relevant, participative worship. He has produced many collections of original hymns and songs. Admission to the event is included for registered attendees of “The Singing Church” conference; individual tickets for the general public are $20 and are available at John Bell.