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.
Grants
Conference Connectional Table: Meeting Updates from 5-18-2021
The Conference Connectional Table (CCT) met May 18 by Zoom for the second of its quarterly meetings in 2021. A meeting summary follows.
STRUCTURAL UPDATES
- Bishop Leonard Fairley will come among us as episcopal leader in September.
- At Annual Conference, we will report the following shifts through the structure review process. Beth Hood will become the Assistant to the Bishop for Clergy Life, supporting clergy throughout their life in the church, from call to post-retirement. Gray Southern will become the Assistant to the Bishop, working with Bishop Fairley directly. He will take up some of the work that Bishop Hope currently does and that Bishop Fairley will do.
- CHRISTIAN UNITY & INTERRELIGIOUS CONCERNS (CUIC): Because the Bishop is the chief ecumenical officer and the UMC Office of Christian Unity & Interreligious Concerns is housed in the Council of Bishops, the conference Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns will now sit within the Bishop’s Office, moving out of Connectional Ministries.
- BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION & CAMPUS MINISTRIES (BHECM): Because of the connection with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the call of the students, and theological education work, the conference Higher Education and Ministry will sit within the Office of Clergy Life, moving out of Connectional Ministries.
PROGRAM UPDATES
- FINANCIAL STATUS: Currently, our apportionments are up by a few percent, compared to this time last year. So far, finances are in good shape, so we are proceeding with caution. Staff are saving money where they can, but are also trying to begin to put things back into place and get things going again in a different way. The new position of Assistant to the Bishop and the change of Assistant to the Bishop for Clergy Life was planned for in the 2021 operating budget through the supplemental process. We had around $1.3 million that was not spent in 2020, so those funds were rolled back into the reserves and used by CFA for some of those supplements. We project some similar savings into 2021.
- COVID ASSISTANCE GRANTS: These grants remain available to churches through the Cabinet.
- METHODIST BUILDING OPENING: We expect a partial opening July 1st when staff will return to work around two days a week and the building will open to committee meetings. After Labor Day, we plan to open the building fully.
- USING ZOOM FOR MEETINGS: Utilizing Zoom over the past 1.5 years has realized great savings and, in some regards, enabled us to reach farther than we could do in-person. Moving forward, conference committees report that they are looking at a mix of in-person and Zoom meetings when the conference building opens again. The agenda may be the best indicator of what kinds of meetings can be facilitated through Zoom. Although Zoom can bring in people from further away with ease, that impersonal screen-to-screen can impact engagement levels.
- CONFERENCE COUNCIL ON YOUTH MINISTRY (CCYM): After decades of faithful service in conference youth ministries, Suzanne Cobb stepped down from the role of CCYM chairperson. The conference is taking this opportunity to step back and re-evaluate the entirety of youth ministry in the Annual Conference. Jay Locklear has agreed to lead that task, along with Jason Villegas and another person to be determined. Many groups will be involved, including youth leadership, district coordinators, youth operations team, and Cabinet. Chris Harman will work with them to begin that overview, developing long-term strategies and recommendations. We’ve had a strong system for a lot of years, and we want to ensure that we maintain that strength and make it even stronger.
- CDC RECOMMENDATIONS / CONFERENCE WEBSITE: We have updated our website with the latest information from the governor and the CDC. We still suggest that folks meet virtually or outdoors, especially if there are a number of people in the congregation who are not vaccinated. Robeson County, for example, only has 24% of its population fully vaccinated, so decisions about meeting together would best be contextualized. To see the latest numbers in your area, see covidactnow.org. We continue to have weekly conversations with Wes Wallace and a number of pastors around Chapel Hill. Wes has suggested and affirmed what we’ve posted on the website.
- ANTI-RACISM EFFORTS: After a few months, about 180 people within our conference have taken the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), representing all eight districts. Additional anti-racism training dates offered by Changing the Lens have been added for early fall: September 7 (Optics – Implicit Bias) and September 20-21 (History of Racism).
- HOUSE BILL 324: CCT members read and made editing suggestions to the letter from Church and Society, Congregations for Children, and the Bishop, written in opposition to Ensuring Dignity & Nondiscrimination/Schools (House Bill 324).
- LEADING DURING LIMINAL TIMES: In May, Susan Beaumont led a series of three webinars around her book How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going: Leading in a Liminal Season. Beaumont says that these liminal seasons – times when we are in-between two different stages – are the breeding ground for dysfunction and disorientation. During these liminal times, Beaumont suggests setting aside expectations of what a leader should be and, instead of claiming to know all the answers and giving directions, to admit that we don’t know it all. This approach gives space for creativity in others and a time to see what’s next. One leadership stance that Beaumont suggests is to stand in awe of what wants to emerge.
- THE COLOSSIANS WAY: The conference has been awarded a grant from the Intentional Growth Center to support 40 churches in their participation in The Colossians Way. The program’s focus is relationship building, using Bible stories and personal stories in a structured way to have productive conversation on difficult topics. Training will happen over the summer and groups will roll out in the fall.
- C4C / UPMAPS: UMAPS will be the fourth priority of Congregations for Children, and no longer sit as a separate entity.
- Fall CCT Retreat: In preparation for a CCT retreat in early fall, members considered core ministries that need to be carried forward as well as new ways of leading over the next two years. Discussion questions included: How do we help re-energize committee work to lead, create, and support the connectional and local church ministry as we emerge from the pandemic? Where do you see the most passionate response in our work of discipleship and transformation? How might we lead in new ways, and renew and reinvent our work? What should be the core points for new visioning? What do you want to explore more fully?
The next CCT meeting is scheduled for early fall. Exact date is under consideration.
Under the structure of the North Carolina Conference, the Connectional Table provides a forum for the understanding, casting forth, and implementation for the vision of the conference. It is the place where ministry and money come to the same table to coordinate the mission, ministries, and resources of the conference.
Seminary Debt Endowment Repayment Program Open for Applicants
This Annual Conference year initiates the sixth year of the North Carolina Conference’s commitment to assisting clergy with reducing seminary debt. With gratitude to the Council on Finance and Administration Committee establishing an endowment in 2015, the NCC Endowment Team continues to accept ordained elders and deacons into the program. Over the past five years, the Seminary Debt Endowment paid almost $175,000 in matching payments to lenders. Of the 21 participants of the program, nearly 1/3 of these individuals already completely paid off loans received toward seminary education.
Upon review of the financial statements demonstrating intentional and regular payments toward their lenders, a check is issued that matches the total annual payment of that clergyperson up to the upper limit of the award granted.
We celebrate the faithfulness of congregations that give to the ministries of the church and of the United Methodist Church that affords such generous gifts such as these. Knowing of the immense financial commitment of an individual to a seminary education, and the hardship of prolonged debt for clergy and their families after graduation and ordination, the NC Conference is grateful this program continues to grow in awareness and participation.
Beginning on May 15th, the application will be available to all ordained elders and deacons – members in Full Connection within the NC Conference – open through July 15th. For questions, please contact the Office of Ministerial Relations.
For more information, visit this link.
Applications Open for The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
The Gary Locklear Mission Endowment continues to support the creation of new ministries in eastern North Carolina to respond to the ever-changing human need around us.
The Missions Endowment Team will accept applications for mission investments beginning April 27 through May 31.
The mission focus will be on emerging needs related to:
- health, wellness, and abundant life
- economic resources for the fullness of life
- education
- spiritual vitality found in Jesus Christ.
Previous distributions have been for Hurricane Matthew disaster recovery response, Hurricane Florence disaster recovery response, the Youth Storm Fund, the Church at Spring Forest (a new faith community), and the COVID Response Fund for local church assistance.
The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment promotes Biblical justice, following The United Methodist Social Principles. The endowment ensures resources into perpetuity so that people will experience Jesus Christ and grow in discipleship.
If you have questions, please contact Kathy Duncan at kduncan@nccumc.org.
The Pause Made Us Better – NCCU Wesley Fellowship
All the best laid plans may have been disrupted by a pandemic, but the NC Central University Wesley Campus Ministry Fellowship has continued mission and ministry in the past year thanks to a remarkable grant of $90,000 from The Duke Endowment (TDE).
“This was a powerful opportunity to showcase who we are and what God is doing and also how God is making a way… We were really excited to know that as one of the first Wesley Campus at an historically-black college, in this conference, they [TDE] felt this was a good investment. They really wanted to hear our story and hear how these funds would impact leadership among the campus, but also the leadership within The United Methodist Church because currently in our (NC) conference, there is no other Wesley Campus Ministry at an historically-black college or university. So we’re the first and this funding really helps to make sure our students get the training and support, but also organizationally, we are able to do a lot,” said the Rev. Gloria Winston, campus minister at NCCU.
Rev. Winston said that actually the COVID-19 pandemic has led to deeper discussions with students about how faith might affect these new and uncharted experiences in their lives – voting, social justice, racism, isolation, and grief. While in-person worship was not available, Rev. Winston says the students were struggling with where to go to find spiritual answers to situations they were experiencing and found a refuge in the Wesley Campus Ministry Fellowship.
In applying for the grant, the program knew they had a good number of participants and good programs, but were lacking in leadership development so a huge focus of the grant is training and equipping six Wesley Fellows to be ambassadors of hope. The intent is for Wesley Fellows to also train others on campus in different areas – not to just receive training but to pass it on to others. Wesley Fellows began study in summer 2020 so they would be prepared when classes began. The Wesley Fellows, using a program from the General Board of Higher Education Ministries and Discipleship Ministries titled “The Awakened Life,” delved into their own spiritual practices and did a deep evaluation of themselves in self-discovery including their call and social justice.
NCCU Voices of Faith in Action on Election Day
Although opportunities to travel and participate in summer learning and service projects had to be canceled because of pandemic restrictions, the Wesley Fellows were prepared at the beginning of the academic year to lead worship services, prayer groups, and Bible studies – all through Zoom, thanks to the offering of Zoom accounts from the NC Conference. One large part of the Fellowship’s ministry is Voices of Faith in Action Initiative which helps students stand on their faith and address issues in the world with action steps. 2020 brought many issues and experiences that the ministry would focus on – the election, racial trauma, domestic violence, suicide prevention, breast cancer, and grief. There have also been opportunities for Christian service including doing public service announcements about why students should vote, being at the campus polling location to share bottled water, masks, and snacks to those in line, and collecting over 500 food and personal care items which were delivered to Honduras in response to Hurricane Eta.
The ministry has seen a great number of students needing to find a spiritual connection as they have had to adjust to pandemic restrictions, online learning, and many incidences of grief including the deaths of George Floyd, Beonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and even two of their NCCU classmates. Since students were not allowed to go home or attend face-to-face church, they migrated to the Fellowship for a connection with people who were struggling with the same issues and questions. They needed a place to talk about their grief and trauma, their stress and fear, and their interest in trying to be instruments of change. The daily prayer times of 6:30 a.m. and noon extended longer as more people came online for prayer and to offer prayers. The Fellowship has also seen parents joining some of the online worship offerings to be spiritually closer to their children who were not traveling home.
There are plans for the spring semester, including opportunities to engage in ministry with other Wesley Campus Ministries at NC State University, Duke University, and the UNC in socially-safe ways.
“The pause we had to take this year [because of COVID] made us be a better campus ministry, made us be better leaders, thoughtful leaders, generous leaders with our whole heart,” Winston said.
All the campus Wesley Fellowships, including NC Central University are conference Advance specials and welcome your financial support. The list with Advance numbers can be found in the 2021 Mission & Service book, page 22.
NCCU Wesley Fellows preparing donations to be sent to Honduras
A Message from Conference Youth Treasurer
Conference Youth Treasurer, Will Rouse, shares an important announcement about the YSF Grant Applications.