Thank you to everyone who finished strong in 2020–ACH rewards are on the way. Amazing Pace 4th quarter rewards should be in participants’ accounts by Wednesday, February 3rd. Check rewards are also in processing and will begin to be delivered the week of February 8th. Keep walking with us through the first quarter of 2021!
Announcements
YSF Grant Application
The Youth Service Fund is delighted to announce the formal opening of applications for grants! Through the financial peaks and troughs of the last year, the Youth Service Fund is prepared to offer grants of up to $1,000 to missions that will directly make an impact on youth and build a foundation in Christ for the church members of tomorrow. The Youth Service Fund is a committee of youth leaders who create and sell merchandise in order to donate the profits to deserving causes that benefit youth. This merchandise was sold solely online last year which has had an impact on the date on which dates will be given this year. The members of the Youth Service Fund are passionate about serving other youth in these times of trouble and request that applications be sent in by March 5th, 2021. These grants will be distributed late March/early April. Thank you so very much for the support over the last year, and the Youth Service Fund hopes to continue the giving tradition! Form more information and 2021 Grant Application please click here.
-YSF Treasurer Will Rouse
Black History Month Resources
![Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery's Ninety Years Birthday Celebration](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/Lowery1.jpg)
February is Black History Month. The Media Center has books and DVDs for adults and children related to black history in the United Methodist Church and in our larger culture. Engaging with these resources helps us to understand more about where we came from and what work there is still to do to improve our connection.
Request These Resources
You may borrow any of these resources for use at your church or at home. We can mail them to you! Simply fill out the Resource Request Form, or contact the Media Center with any questions. The NC Conference Media Center is open to anyone involved with the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, free of charge.
Devotional
![african american history book cover](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/01/african-american-history-book.jpg)
Abingdon Press published this 28-day devotional on African American history. It includes scripture, readings, prayers, and activities for individuals, families, and groups.
DVDs
![](https://old.nccumc.org/mediacenter/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/weve-come-this-far.png)
![black methodism dvd cover](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/01/black-methodism-1.jpg)
![cover](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2010/10/Blood-Done-Sign-My-Name-poster-25.jpg)
![cover](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/Briars_In_The_Cotton-Patch_cover.jpg)
We’ve Come This Far By Faith: A History of Black Methodism in the Southeastern Jurisdiction
A 30-minute documentary from the African American Methodist Heritage Center that tells the history of Black Methodism in our jurisdiction.
Black Methodism: Legacy of Faith Revival
This 30-minute documentary focuses on several related and pivotal events in the life and history of the Methodist church: the end of the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction in 1967; the founding of Black Methodists for Church Renewal in 1967; the birth through merger of The United Methodist Church in 1968; and the establishment of the General Commission on Religion and Race in 1968.
Blood Done Sign My Name
This 2-hour film brings to life the book of the same name by Timothy B. Tyson, son of Rev. Vernon Tyson. They tell the true story of a racially-motivated murder in Oxford, NC and the efforts of Rev. Tyson and a local teacher to seek justice for this crime.
Briars in the Cottonpatch: The Story of Koinonia Farm
This hour-long movie tells the nearly forgotten story of Koinonia Farm, a small Christian community in Southwest Georgia where whites and blacks chose to live and work together as equals despite the brutal and frightening consequences.
Lenten Studies
Lent begins on February 17th. Use one of these studies to experience Lent through the lens of African American spirituals.
![reflect reclaim rejoice cover](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/01/reflect-reclaim-1.jpg)
![](https://old.nccumc.org/mediacenter/files/plenty-good-room-new.jpg)
![](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/on-ma-journey.jpg)
![](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/fro-preparation-to-passion.jpg)
Reflect Reclaim Rejoice: Preserving the Gift of Black Sacred Music
This study uses a companion DVD and is divided into three sections, “Ring Shout, Prayer Band”, “Negro Spirituals”, and “Long-Metered.” This small-group study is part of the Africana Hymnal Project of The United Methodist Church.
Plenty Good Room: A Lenten Bible Study Based on African American Spirituals
This book study combines an in-depth look at Scripture, American history, and the music and lyrics of six African American spirituals. The six-session study provides biblical, social, and historical analyses of the spirituals: ‘Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit,” “This Lonesome Valley,” “Bow Down on Your Knees,” “Plenty Good Room,” “Ain’t Dat Good News,” and “Were You There?”
On Ma Journey Now: A Lenten Study Based on African-American Spirituals
This six-session book study has an accompanying CD with recordings of “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me,” “Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley,” “A City Called Heaven,” “Po’ Mou’ner’s Got a Home at Last,” “I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray,” “On Ma Journey Now, Mt. Zine (Zion),” and “Were You There?”
From Preparation to Passion: Devotional and Reflective Meditations Celebrating the Lenten Season Based on the Lectionary and Celebrated African American Sacred Songs and Hymnody
This devotional book includes meditations highlighting sacred songs such as: “My Tribute,” “God Is,” “O Didn’t It Rain,” “I Love Thy Kingdom Lord,” and more.
Books
![breaking barriers](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/02/breaking-barriers-1.jpg)
![sojourner truth](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/02/sojourner-truth.jpg)
![](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/singing-the-lords-song.jpg)
![](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/preacher-king.jpg)
Breaking Barriers: An African American Family & the Methodist Story
On July 19, 1984, Leontine Current Kelly was elected bishop of The United Methodist Church, making her the first African-American woman to become a bishop within a major American religious denomination. Breaking the Barriers recounts the story of her journey and that historic achievement.
Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol
Eminent black historian Nell Irvin Painter goes beyond the myths, words, and photographs to uncover the life of a complex woman who was born into slavery and died a legend.
The Past Matters: A Chronology of African Americans in the United Methodist Church
A chronology of African Americans in the United Methodist Church compiled and with a forward written by Marilyn Magee Talbert.
Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land by Joseph E. Lowery
In this book are Dr. Lowery’s most enduring speeches and messages from the past fifty years including Coretta Scott King’s funeral and the benediction given at President Obama’s inauguration. This book, however, is not simply a collection of words. It is the heart of a movement and a call to a new generation to carry the mantle–for all people.
The Preacher King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Word That Moved America
This book chronicles Martin Luther King, Jr.’s religious development from his childhood as a “preacher’s kid” in segregated Atlanta to the most influential American orator of the twentieth century.
Children’s Resources
![Beatitudes Slavery book cover](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/01/Beatitudes-Slavery-2.jpg)
![](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/harriet-tubman-dvd.jpg)
![](https://nccumc.org/media-center/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/01/Gods-trombones.jpg)
The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights
This hardcover picture book for children ages 8 and up uses the Beatitudes as a backdrop for Carole Boston Weatherford’s powerful free-verse poem that traces the African American journey from slavery to civil rights.
The Harriet Tubman Story
This animated 30-minute DVD from the Torchlighters series tells the story of Harriet Tubman for children ages 8-12.
God’s Trombones: A Trilogy of African American Poems
This 30-minute claymation DVD animates three poems by James Weldon Johnson, “The Creation,” “The Prodigal Son,” and ” Go Down Death.”
More Resources
View our African American Resources and Anti-Racism pathfinders for additional resources that may be of use to you during Black History Month or any other time of the year.
United Methodist Communications is also offering free social media graphics to share during Black History Month.
Pray with the NC Conference in February
“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 together in daily prayer during the month of February. You will see on the calendar below a prompt for each day – persons and situations here and around the world. 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 (5.2MB) or use the instructions below to save the image to your device.
![](https://nccumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/february-prayer-calendar.png)
Download Instructions
Desktop users: right-click and choose “Save Image As.”
Mobile users: tap and hold to save the image.
From the Bishop: Celebrate Black History Month in the spirit of Sankofa
![Bishop's Crest](https://nccumc.org/bishop/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/ncc-bishop-crest.jpg)
Dear United Methodist friends,
Grace and peace on this first day of February. As Black History Month unfolds, we honor the active and retired Black clergy who serve among us. Their strength, wisdom, and leadership continue to gift our conference, our churches, and our global connection.
We are deeply grateful for your leadership toward God’s beloved community in the North Carolina Conference. A central priority in our shared life is the deeply spiritual work of affirming humanity’s beautiful diversity, welcoming all people, and creating a world free from racism.
We celebrate Black History Month in the spirit of Sankofa. Sankofa is the rich, beautiful Ghanaian practice of looking back to pull the past into the present wisely.
We invite conference-wide commitment in this spirit throughout February and into the months to come. We are learning from one another, gathering up ideas and initiatives in local places. Classes and groups are reading and discussing books, your church websites contain excellent resources, District anti-racism teams offer creative leadership, and the conference staff offers vigilant guidance. We are demonstrating that we yearn for the abundant life in community that God dreams for the human family.
We announce today the launch of a new podcast, Deep Reckonings, featuring the witness of lay and clergy as they share personal journeys, struggles, and hopes.
During February, let us all extend ourselves in new ways. Let us celebrate what we know and be enriched by learning more as we explore the intertwining history of all people.
- Read a book that expands your understanding of the breadth and depth of Black history
- Watch a movie that centers Black history, leaders, and movements and discuss it with others
- Support a Black-owned business
- Amplify Black voices who are reshaping history by following Black creators, writers, and artists on social media platforms
- Look for historical markers in your community that center Black lives
- Research the Black history of your community, town, or county
- Write a note of thanks to HBCU presidents and encourage students in these colleges and universities
- Support Black farmers
- Work to support policies that increase voting rights for Black people
- Work against policies that disenfranchise Black voting
- Send a note of thanks to your Black clergy colleagues
In February, the North Carolina Conference will offer resources for beloved community and anti-racism, including a new anti-racism web page.
Thank you for all the ways we will live and learn together, encouraging one another to faithfulness in this essential aspect of discipleship.
With gratitude to God for all our life together,
Hope Morgan Ward
Bishop
Lisa Yebuah
Cabinet Spiritual Director and Advisor for Inclusion and Equity
Deep Beginnings with Steve Taylor
In Episode 1, we hear the first of two seemingly different stories that converge into one powerful narrative. As we begin a three-episode series, Steve Taylor shares his experience of becoming an anti-racist.
![Episode 1: Steve Taylor](https://nccumc.org/fm/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/02/ncc-pod-deep-reckonings-1-web.jpg)