Announcements

Watermelons from down east farmers will be available at MERCI on Thursday, August 19, 2021 from 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. These are supplied by the Society of St. Andrew and the NC Conference Mission Team. There are about 44,000 lbs. of melons and they will be in bins. There is no limit and reservations are not necessary, but if you want to reserve a bin, please contact Rev. Bill Haddock, 910-262-3831. MERCI is located at 674 Community Drive, Goldsboro, NC 27530

Youth Participation Deadline Is Today

The deadline to complete an interest form for Youth Participation is today, August 15, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Youth are encouraged to submit the form if they have an interest in participating in the Pilgrimage 2021 event: 

• Share Your Story
• Creative Arts
• Scripture Reading 
• Countdown

For more information about each of the above participation opportunities, visit the Pilgrimage 2021 website.

Event Registration Opens In Two Weeks 

Registration for Pilgrimage 2021 opens in two weeks on September 1, 2021. As you know from our earlier announcement, Pilgrimage 2021 will be offered in two formats: 

• In-person with restrictions 
• Virtually

Seats to attend in-person at the Rocky Mount Event Center will be limited and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to attend in-person, you’ll want to move quickly to be able to guarantee seats. Once all seats have been filled, groups will be able to register to attend virtually. 

More information on registering and attending can be found on the Pilgrimage 2021 website. 

Vendor Information Now Available 

Information for brands and ministries that wish to engage with attendees at Pilgrimage 2021 is now available on the Pilgrimage 2021 website. Multiple packages are available for in-person exhibiting, as well as virtual promotional opportunities. 

Need volunteers? 

Studies show that the pandemic has inspired an increased desire to get involved and volunteer (read article).

How can our congregations capitalize on this desire to get involved? As a people whose mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, how can we cultivate opportunities of discipleship for our church and community?

Join the Center for Leadership Excellence and Karen Tripp for a webinar…

Re-Engaging Volunteers: One Solution for Church Growth
Presented by the Center for Leadership Excellence
with Karen Tripp
August 17, 12pm-1pm (Eastern Time Zone)

In the past year, our communities have experienced many challenges. All of us have suffered isolation and adapted to shifts in our interactions with our fellow brothers and sisters. Some of us have experienced unimaginable pain from the loss of a loved one. 

Due to the ever-changing landscape of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and our priority of keeping members of the NC Conference community healthy and safe, Pilgrimage 2021 will be offered in two formats: in-person (with restrictions) and virtually. The decision to provide the Pilgrimage 2021 experience in this way was driven by: 

• Recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and
• A commitment of the NC Conference and members of the church of Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

Learn more about the Pilgrimage 2021 experience: 

Pilgrimage 2021 will follow a similar schedule to previous Pilgrimage weekends. Four general sessions will take place throughout the weekend: one on Friday Evening, one on Saturday Morning, one on Saturday Evening, and one on Sunday Morning. Opportunities for missions and service will be offered on Saturday afternoon, as well. 

For groups that are interested in attending Pilgrimage 2021 in-person at the Rocky Mount Event Center, here are some key considerations to take into account as you plan: 

• Limited seats will be available and registration will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. To adhere to current — and plan for future — large-group gathering restrictions as established by the CDC and NCDHHS, a limited amount of in-person seats will be made available. While the final number of seats is still being determined, groups will be able to monitor how many seats are available at any given time once registration opens. As groups register to attend in person, updates will be provided on the number of seats remaining. 
• In-person attendees are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated prior to the Pilgrimage 2021 event. Attendees eligible to receive a full vaccination prior to the Pilgrimage 2021 event are highly encouraged to do so. An individual is considered fully vaccinated once two weeks have passed following both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination. For more information on how to receive a vaccine, visit the NC COVID-19 Information Hub. 
• In-person attendees and a parent or legal guardian will be required to sign a waiver. This waiver is a recognition that, even with social distancing and other restrictions, an attendee may be exposed to COVID-19 while attending Pilgrimage 2021. 
• In-person attendees will be required to wear a face covering that comfortably covers both the nose and mouth despite vaccination status. All attendees will be required to wear a face covering while attending Pilgrimage 2021, even if they have been vaccinated. The face covering must fit snugly on the face, with one end under the chin and the other on the bridge of the nose. Bandanas, gaiters, and other non-form-fitting face coverings are not permitted. The NC Conference will provide acceptable face coverings to any in-person attendees that do not have one upon entry to the Rocky Mount Event Center. In-person attendees that have a pre-existing medical condition that restricts their ability to wear a face covering will not be required to do so. 
• Attendees will be asked to leave if they do not adhere to the community standards and guidelines established for in-person attendance. If an attendee does not adhere to the requirements established above, they will be asked to leave the event by a representative of the NC Conference.  

In addition to the above guidelines for attendees, all Pilgrimage staff (ministry team, volunteers, etc.) and any external vendors exhibiting at Pilgrimage 2021 are required to be fully vaccinated prior to the Pilgrimage 2021 event. 

For groups that prefer to attend Pilgrimage 2021 virtually, each general session will be livestreamed so that attendees can participate in the event from a physical location that they find comfortable and safe. Discounted pricing will be offered for groups that prefer to attend the event virtually via livestream.

A core value of the NC Conference Youth Ministry is to create meaningful and Christ-centered learning, mission, and worship experiences for youth of the NC Conference. It is with our desire to uphold this value — while also protecting members of our community from the adapting coronavirus disease — that Pilgrimage will be held in a dual format and with the in-person attendance limitations as listed above. 

Additional information regarding registration and pricing will be provided in the coming weeks at nccpilgrimage.org/2021.

Together in Christ,

The Pilgrimage Ministry Team
The Cabinet of the NC Conference of the United Methodist Church 
The Office of Bishop Hope Morgan Ward

As summer winds down and our children return to school, we renew our commitment to the children, teachers, staff, and administrators in public schools.

Join us on August 15 at 10 am for the Education Celebration worship service hosted by Congregations for Children (C4C).

Bishop Ward:
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus.

This is a season in which we renew our commitment to children who are learning in public schools, teachers who are teaching in public schools, and to those who administer our public schools. We offer to you a video that you can use in your classes in your church to encourage continued advocacy and continued engagement with all God’s children.

David Rockefeller:
We will hear from witnesses who are serving God in their communities by supporting students and advocating for public education in our state. We will hear from children reading scripture that highlights Jesus’s care for children, and the role of wisdom in our discipleship, and we will pray together for the promise of learning and for hope for students in our conference and across our state as we begin another school year.

Bishop Ward:
May Christ be with you as you experience the joy of walking alongside children, teachers, and administrators in our public schools. Christ be with you.

A New Faith Community

The Garden at Spring Forest is a not for profit Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), project of The Church at Spring Forest in Hillsborough, NC, that enables the church to support the local community through donations to area food banks and boxes of fresh produce for community members.

The garden welcomes and supports new global neighbors who come to the United States as immigrants. They provide space for people to volunteer, receive mentoring from farmers, as well as hospitality and friendship. Nancy, a regular volunteer shared, “I am an eternal learner when it comes to gardening. I love being around faithful people and being able to discuss how God guides people’s lives.  From starting new crops, harvesting mature crops, pulling weeds, weighing produce, talking to goats and chickens, wiping the sweat from my forehead, I encourage you
to come and experience the fellowship and joy.”

To subscribe to the Community Supported Agriculture project, or volunteer in the gardens to help address food insecurity in the Corridor District, please email  CSA@SpringForest.org or sign up to to pick up a weekly portion of fresh produce.