Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee,
Thank you for the leadership that you offer as chair of the Staff/Parish Relations Committee. In this challenging time of the pandemic, your support of ministry has been crucial for effectively working alongside the pastor to ensure strength in ministry. Very soon the Charge Conference season will be here. We are grateful for the prayerful consideration your committee will give to the compensation of your pastor for 2023.
Announcements
Celebrating C4C at First UMC Graham
Thanks to the leadership and support of their pastor, Rev. Claire Clyburn, the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Graham (Corridor District) devoted both worship services on July 17, 2022, to a celebration of their C4C partnership with South Graham Elementary School, a Title 1 school with significant needs — and significant opportunities for church volunteers to contribute time, money, books, food, and school supplies to children in need.
Speakers at the services included members of the church’s C4C Leadership Team, the school’s social worker, and the NCCUMC C4C Director. The beautiful altar decorations depicted symbols of how they have served children at their partner school. The bulletin insert included an impressive list of some of their contributions to the lives of the school’s students and educators. Here are just a few highlights:
- 7,293 weekend food packs distributed since 2016
- Over 1,285 family food bags distributed since 2015
- Over $44,000 invested in food purchases for children and their families since 2016 through church donations and grant funding
- $127,000 raised through a church-led, community initiative to purchase and donate a food truck to the Alamance-Burlington School System to deliver food to children in need
- Thousands of school supplies and hundreds of clothing items donated to children in need
- Over 4,620 books donated to children since 2015
- 10 “Panda Buddies” per year mentored and tutored SGES students
- Over 30 male volunteers participated in the Watch D.O.G.S. Program (Dads of Great Students) in the school during the school day prior to the Covid shut down
Following this impressive data set was the “ask” – specific ways congregation members can get involved this year to expand the church’s partnership with the school.
First United Methodist Church in Graham has served as the hands and feet of Christ in their community for many years through C4C, and we celebrate their ministry!
Written by David Rockefeller, NCCUMC C4C Director
NFC June 2022 Newsletter
Every Church is a New Church Start
by Rev. Dr. Tim Catlett
My predecessor, Rev. Greg Moore, and our former bishop, Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, were fond of saying, in a pandemic-shaped world, “Every Church is a New Church Start.” Some of the
same values and methodologies common to the co-creation of new faith communities are also present in local churches across our connection. New innovations are emerging in the ways we
engage in liturgical worship, relational discipleship, holistic mission, and how we serve and lead our local congregations. As we reclaim historical practices and try new ways to connect people to God and one another, my hope is we will continue to learn with one another, and strive together to pay attention to where the Holy Spirit is moving.
And may we remember, that when we experiment and innovate, we will often fail. However, the good news of the gospel is we serve a God who redeems failure. We serve a God who brings life out of death. We serve a God who is always with us! Thanks be to God for the gift and privilege to serve your local church, in such a time as this.
In this newsletter, church servant leaders will share some of the ways they are seeking to innovate as they co-create new places for new people to gather in communion with Jesus.
As always, thank you for your support. To make a financial contribution for 2022, please visit us online, https://nccumc.org/new-faith-communities/.
New Small Group Studies for Fall 2022
What will your small group study in the Fall? We’ve got some brand new DVD and book studies for you to check out. We also recommend some other ways to discover the right study for your group.
See something you like? Go ahead and request to borrow it. You can preview it, reserve it for a later date, or compare multiple studies.
New Small Group Studies
Signs and Wonders: A Beginner’s Guide to the Miracles of Jesus
By Amy-Jill Levine
Professor of New Testament studies and Bible study author Amy-Jill Levine explores selected miracles of Jesus in historical and theological context. For each miracle, she discusses not only how past witnesses would have understood the events, but also how today’s readers can draw meaning from Jesus’s words and actions. Six sessions. DVD, leader guide, and a book are available. Learn more.
The Big Picture: Seeing God’s Dream for Your Life
By Jevon Caldwell-Gross and Nicole Caldwell-Gross
United Methodist Pastors Jevon and Nicole Caldwell-Gross take a closer look at the life of Joseph to discover God’s presence in moments of triumph and trauma. The story of Joseph in Genesis teaches us to look for the big picture in our lives. It shows us how God weaves together events that seem random into a beautiful image of joy, survival, purpose, and meaning. See God’s dream for your life as you begin connecting the dots of God’s grace, presence, and protection. Five sessions. DVD, leader guide, and a book are available. Learn more.
Jesus Revealed: The I Am Statements in the Gospel of John
By Matt Rawle
United Methodist Pastor Matt Rawle explores the “I Am” statements in John as works of art that resonate throughout the Gospel and all of Scripture. He shows how these words point beyond themselves to the deep mystery of Jesus Christ. Join Matt on this journey and experience the profound truth at the heart of the I Am statements: that Jesus is light and life, and he calls us to himself and offers us the hope of resurrection. Six sessions. DVD, leader guide, and a book are available. Learn more.
Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose, Rediscover Your Joy
By Bob Goff
Bestselling author Bob Goff shares some of the stories from his life that have helped him understand what it truly means to be joyful in every situation. The goal of this study is to provide a roadmap to defeat discouragement and regain joy in life by becoming captivated by something better. Joy will provide practical steps to help participants make that journey. Five sessions. DVD and a study guide are available. Learn more.
The Only Prayer You’ll Ever Need: Unleashing Your Best Life
By Douglas K. Fletcher
Often relegated to recitation and to ritual, the Lord’s Prayer is a treasure of ancient wisdom. It teaches us how to pray. It offers a path to growth as a human being, and a guide to building and deepening relationships. The prayer is structured as seven conversations with God. They are conversations that can build relationships with people very different from ourselves, in our own family or workplace or community. They can help us to build bridges and reach across divisions. This is a prayer we need. 7-10 sessions. A book is available for borrowing, and a study guide can be downloaded online. Learn more.
Who Can We Be Together? A Biblical Exploration of Luke 13
By Candace Simpson
Simpson brings participants deeper into Jesus’ teachings in this chapter of Luke to explore what it means to be in community. As the author notes, “For followers of Christ 2,000 years later, it’s important for us to sit with the range of emotions we have in response to these words. It’s not easy to build and sustain communities, especially when there are forces that drain us, exhaust us, and even push us to act uncharacteristically. And yet, we are called to act on the most ethical principles of our faith so we can witness the kin-dom of God on earth.” 8 sessions. This study only uses the book. Learn more.
Adult Bible Studies: Fall 2022: Freedom
By Mary Kate Myers, Amy Sigmon, and Brian Sigmon
This fall, our Bible lessons follow the theme “Freedom.” The lessons explore the concept of salvation and God’s gracious acts in redeeming us. They challenge we who have experienced God’s gracious salvation to work for freedom and justice on behalf of others. They acknowledge that as we do, we will encounter those whose beliefs and values are different from our own, so they encourage us in ways to remain faithful to our beliefs while we act as neighbors to others. Learn more.
Where Can I Find More Small Group Studies?
Check out our tips For Small Group Leaders on how to choose the right study, navigate our online catalog, and use online resources.
COVID Update – July 19, 2022
This COVID update comes to us from Dr. Wes Wallace. We appreciate Dr. Wallace’s continued collaboration with Conference leadership as we continue to navigate the COVID landscape.
We are having more new cases of COVID per day than we have ever had. The currently dominant COVID variant, BA.5, is the most transmissible disease ever. It’s time to fortify your approach to preventing serious disease.
Recall that R0 (or “R-naught”) represents the number of additional persons that one infected person will, in turn, infect.
- R0 for the 1918 pandemic flu was about 2.0
- R0 for the original or “Wuhan” COVID-19 was 3.3
- R0 for the first of the Omicron version (BA.1) is 9.5
- R0 for BA.5, the current dominant version of Omicron is about 18.6. This represents an unprecedented level of transmission.
It is difficult to know exactly how many new daily cases we are seeing in Orange County. Almost everyone is doing unreported rapid home tests. However, most epidemiologists believe the actual number of new daily cases is 5 to 10 times the reported number of cases. Currently, we are at 34 reported cases per 100,000 persons (up about 12% over the last two weeks).
That means the actual number of new cases is probably around 300 per 100,000 persons per day—a number that is equal to the highest rate of infection we have seen in the pandemic.
BA.5 does appear to be less life-threatening than previous variants. However, the very large number of cases will lead to rising death numbers, primarily among seniors—even seniors who are fully boosted. Nationally and statewide, deaths are trending upward. Nationwide, there are more daily deaths from COVID than from vehicle crashes. Our time for severe illness and grief is likely coming.
It appears there is a lower percentage of folks developing long COVID with BA.5, but there is little good data.
So there you have it – a fuzzy picture of where we are. Since quality mask wearing is not onerous and the potential for preventable bad outcomes is profound, please exhort your congregants to wear a mask.
Ventilate, vaccinate, boost and test. Take care, and wear a mask in large indoor gatherings.
Dr. Wes Wallace
For additional reading and information:
- Read this post from epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina. It is a great summary of where we are and what to do.
- Download this PowerPoint presentation (PDF) from Dr. Wes Wallace
Ten Tips for Healthier Communication
In conflict transformation, effective communication is key. Here are some tips that we share with congregations about healthier communication techniques and skills.
10. Decide in advance how long you want the interaction to be.
9. Choose an appropriate time and place.
8. Practice what you want to say in advance. You might want to write out a brief statement of the issue.
7. Ignore what “they”, “other people”, or “a lot of people” think.
6. Ignore anonymous communications.
5. Speak with the people directly involved in the issue or situation.
4. Listen more than you speak.
3. Introduce a difficult topic by saying, “Help me understand.”
2. Speak only from your own perspective. Do this by using “I” statements.
1. When you have something sensitive to discuss, face-to-face conversation is best. Phone calls or video calls are secondary options. PLEASE don’t email or text.