Health Ministry mini-grants are designed to facilitate and encourage United Methodist congregations of the NC Conference in health ministry. These Health Ministry mini-grants are provided to help the church engage in health ministry that is transformative for the world and the church. Please read over the guidelines before submitting your application. A budget sheet is also required to complete your application and will be submitted at the same time you submit your application.
Pray with the NC Conference in October
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” – 1 Timothy 2:1
You are invited to join your hearts together across our North Carolina Conference connection as we share in daily prayer during October. You will see on the calendar below a prompt for each day – persons and situations here and worldwide. Consider setting aside a specific time each day to pray using these prompts, and we encourage you to invite others to join with you.
Download a printable PDF version (5.1 MB) or use the instructions below to save the image to your device.
Download Instructions
Desktop users: right-click and choose “Save Image As.”
Mobile users: tap and hold to save the image.
2021 Pilgrimage Registration
Last day to register for the early bird price for 2021 Pilgrimage is on September 30th! Starting October 1st until November 5th, the price will be $45 per person for In-person attendance and $25 for Virtual experience. Don’t miss out on the early bird registration! Please go to the Pilgrimage website for more details and to register. https://nccpilgrimage.org/2021/registering/
Faith and Lands Webinar
Join our partners to learn about faithfully using church property!
REGISTER NOW for our FREE Virtual Training! FAITH + LANDS 101 When: October 21, 2021Time: 10:00am – 11:30 am Who Should Attend? – Churches (pastors and lay members) How to Register? Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faith-lands-101-registration-170343311430 Registration Ends: October 15, 2021 Does your church have access to underutilized or unused land? Are you looking for ways to increase your partnerships in your community to promote health, conservation, or social justice? Faith + Lands 101 will provide participants with tools, resources, and examples of how churches can use their land to promote stewardship, partnerships, conservation, and more. Goal: Participants will learn a range of opportunities for churches to utilize their land for a variety of purposes. Participants will be emailed the link to Zoom prior to the training. For more information, contact Justine Post at jpost@conservationfund.org. |
Life and Land
Twice in Genesis 1, God looks at what has just been created and gives the commandment, “Be fruitful and multiply.” It has always been God’s intention for this earth to be the home of abundant life. With the introduction of sin in Genesis 3, death is also introduced, and we see throughout the Bible a constant conflict between death and abundant life. Even Jesus clarified, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10; NRSV)
In a recent article, Dr. Norman Wirzba wrote against the un-Christian notion, found in many Christian circles, that Earth is only a temporary home, that we are designed by our Creator to one day escape this doomed place for something better. The Bible offers a different perspective: that Christians are to serve and protect Creation in such a way that this Earth becomes as like Heaven as it can be. The abundant life that Jesus provides is not a life waiting for us upon death, but a life that begins in the here and now.
With this in mind, we must be mindful of the life lived in the place God has placed us. We must care about the land we live on, because this is where our lives and the lives of all of God’s creatures is rooted.
As we wrap up Season of Creation 2021, we have a few more opportunities to learn where, how and why God is working out our redemption in the venue of Creation.
The first is ReGenesis 2.15: Tools for Regenerating the Soil and Soul of Your Community. In this webinar, Rev. Keith Sexton and Rev. Jacob Dye will be introducing The Regenerative Agriculture Toolkit, a useful resource for Christians to understand how they, individually and as churches, can be involved in healing the land that they possess, as well as sustaining life in their community. This webinar is offered at 7:00 or Tuesday, September 28; register in advance here.
Two nights later, the chair of the NCC creation care committee, Rev. Jarrod Davis, will be joined by Duke professor Dr. Ellen Davis to discuss Living as Resident Aliens in God’s Land. This Bible study will focus on Leviticus 25, and explore the connection between land, God’s people, and the commandments for Sabbath and Jubilee. You might be surprised at how applicable Leviticus 25 is for us today. The webinar starts at 7:00 on Thursday, September 30; register here.
Finally, Dr. Steve Jurovics, author of Hospitable Planet: Faith, Action and Climate Change, will be leading us in the webinar, Climate Change: Where Religion and Science Meet on October 5 at 7:00. Dr. Jurovics will expertly guide us to understand how climate change is a spiritual, scientific and societal concern, and will focus on three effects of biblical teaching concerning climate change. Register for this webinar here.
We look forward to wrapping up Season of Creation 2021 with you over the next few days. If you have missed any of our events so far, you can find links for the videos below.
Season of Creation Worship Service
Coal Ash, BIPOC Farming, and Everything In Between: An Environmental Justice Panel
Called to a Life of Abundance
We have heard from many pastors and laity alike that these past 18 months have felt like wandering in the wilderness. Even more, as our communities of faith seek to envision the future, many are finding themselves stuck in a scarcity mindset, even though we know God has called us to a life of abundance.
If you are feeling the strain of these past 18 months and if your community is finding itself stuck in a cycle of scarcity, join us for a 2-hour workshop with Tom Berlin. Let it be a time for respite, renewal, and re-imagination, as we listen to Christ’s call and envision a future of possibility, choosing abundance.
Choosing Abundance
Presented by the Center for Leadership Excellence
with Tom Berlin
October 13, 2021, 10am-12pm ET
Zoom Meeting
$20/person*
*Groups of 3 or more receive a 20% discount.
About the Workshop: At times we find ourselves wandering in what feels like barren lands. Our inclination may be to default to a mindset of scarcity and choose to retreat and disengage. Yet as followers of Christ, we should follow in faith and respond in ways that express who we are as Christians. During this extended period of wilderness and uncertainty, how can we develop new patterns that are both life-giving and affirming for our congregations?
In this workshop, Tom Berlin will invite us to pause and reconsider:
- The essential nature of self-care as part of a church leadership strategy.
- Why we should be seeking new ways of ministry in this time of opportunity.
- Finding a model of abundance instead of scarcity by encouraging churches to think of their financial future with openness instead of with limitations.
Let’s listen to Christ’s call and envision a future of possibility, choosing abundance. Learn More and Register