Concert to raise funds for construction of children’s home in Haiti
A concert to raise funds to purchase materials for constructing the next phase of the Ryan Epps Home for Children (REHC) in Michaud, Haiti will be held Friday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m. at Garner UMC, 201 Methodist Dr. The home benefits children without parents and other children signed over to REHC because of the inability of parents to provide support. Bishop Al Gwinn and the Conference Cabinet will travel to Haiti in November to construct the next phase at the REHC. They will use materials provided from concert funds. Each Cabinet member will be paying their own way to Haiti and 100% of the raised funds will be used in the construction. Included in the construction will be dormitories, kitchen/fellowship area and living quarters for the director and staff. Anyone unable to attend the concert can forward a donation directly to the North Carolina Conference, P.O. Box 60053, Charlotte, NC 28260-0053. Please make checks payable to “NC Conference/Raleigh Area” and place “Advance #S00245” on the memo line.
Faith and Tech Blog offers tips and ideas to enhance ministry
The Communications Committee and the Information Technology Committee of the NC Conference are teaming up to provide the clergy and laity of the Conference with the new Faith and Tech, designed to make church ministries more effective and church leaders and employees more comfortable with new technology. The focus will be particularly on tools that are free and easy to use. Contributors come from conference committees and others with technology expertise. Please subscribe and feel free to contribute by commenting in the blog. New articles will be posted on Mondays and Thursdays.
Bishop Gwinn to lead trip to Holy Land
Travel with Bishop Gwinn on a 10-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land in January, 2011. Depart on Jan. 24 and visit all the holy sites, worship together, experience the teachings of Bishop Gwinn, and walk where Jesus walked. Contact Harold Salmon, Conference Director of Tour Ministries at 919-377-2950.
Youth to plunge into hands-on missions
Registration is open for Co-Mission, Oct. 1-3. This is a mission engagement weekend for youth, young adults, and youth workers sponsored by St. Paul UMC, Rocky Mount, the Rocky Mount District, and the Conference Office of Outreach Ministry. The weekend will include worship featuring the Rev. Laura Early and Dr. Marty Cauley, tool and skill training, a day of mission work with low-income homeowners sponsored by Habitat for Humanity, and lots of fun. Registration is $69 per person for two nights lodging, all meals on Saturday, breakfast on Sunday, worship, and more. For additional information, details, or to register, visit the CO+Mission website. Register by Sept. 1 and your entire team will get free CO+Mission t-shirts! Registration is limited.
Notes concerning Pilgrimage – November 12-14
1) Pilgrimage is a time and place to discover that faith and discipleship can be fun! The Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville will host group sessions. The key speaker will be Rev. Bart Campolo and the theme is “With One Voice.” Jesus calls each person to go into the world and spread the Gospel. At Pilgrimage, thousands of youth come together for that holy purpose and highest cause, speak one language from a heart of worship – with one voice. Cost: $20 per person (excludes meals and lodging). Registration deadline is Oct. 25. A brochure and registration form can be found at Pilgrimage.
2) Pilgrimage House Band Application Forms
Youth desiring to be a part of the Pilgrimage House Band should download an application form from https://nccumc.org/youth. Applications must be submitted by Aug. 31, and the date for auditions will be announced shortly thereafter.
3) The Award of Excellence in Youth Ministry is presented to a local church youth group each year at Pilgrimage. The application deadline is Friday, Sept. 3. Applications are available at www.nccumc.org/youth. The Conference Council on Youth Ministries will make the selection of the recipient, and the award will be presented during the Saturday morning session at Pilgrimage at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville.
Workshop on best employment practices for churches
The Rev. Joy T. Melton, author of “Safe Sanctuaries for Ministers “ will present a day-long presentation on a variety of employment practice issues and topics important for every church to understand. This opportunity will take place on Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Pfeiffer University’s Charlotte campus. The cost is $30 per person which includes lunch and registration deadline is Sept. 27. Learn key statutory provisions applicable to churches, topics to include in a church employee/staff handbook, best practices for hiring and supervising staff members, and best practices for handling employee complaints. By the conclusion of the day, participants will have received tools that are current, cost effective, and simple to implement.
Rev. Melton is the chief resource officer of the UM Property and Casualty Trust, the non-profit property insurance company for United Methodist ministries. She consults with local churches, districts, and annual conferences, on a wide variety of employment issues and provides training for church leaders on these issues as well as on insurance issues, Safe Sanctuaries, and the complaint procedures found in the Book of Discipline. To obtain a registration form and more information, go to Employment Practices.
Immigrants’ Reality and the Church event at Camp Chestnut Ridge
An Immigrants’ Reality and the Mission of the Church event will take place Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 at Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center in Efland. The event, while bi-lingual, is directed towards English speakers and Hispanic/Latino leaders doing ministry in the North Carolina and the Western North Carolina conferences. Team facilitation is from the National Plan of Hispanic/Latino Ministries of the United Methodist Church and co-sponsored by the General Board of Church and Society. A registration form is available online at Immigrants reality. Registration deadline is Sept. 20 and spaces are limited.
Gathering of the Order of Elders to be Sept. 14 at Nashville UMC
Dr. William J. Abraham will address the Order of Elders of the NC Conference on Tuesday, Sept.14 at Nashville UMC in Nashville. A box lunch will be available for $5.00. The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. with refreshments, continue with a Service of Holy Communion, with Dr. Abraham preaching, and move to a lecture by Dr. Abraham on the content of his sermon, lunch, a Q/A with Dr. Abraham, and concluding comments. Dr. Abraham is the Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX.
Order of Deacons to gather Sept 30 in Cary
A Gathering of the Order of Deacons will be held on Thursday, Sept. 30 at St. Francis UMC in Cary. The day will begin with a gathering at 9:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided with a suggested donation of $5 per person. The day will conclude by 3 p.m.
Retreat at Lake Tahoe for Worship and Music leaders
Come spend Oct. 24-27 on the shores of Lake Tahoe in the company of other people who are passionate about planning meaningful and memorable worship guided by Dr. Marcia McFee. Over the course of the retreat, participants will move through the seasons of the liturgical year with music, visuals, texts, ideas and inspiration. By the end of the gathering, participants will have thematic plans for the entire 2010-2011 year. Online registration is now open. This retreat is affordable, unique and popular and attendance is limited to 15 worship teams and a few individuals coming on their own. Register now and start to make plans for an exciting, creative year of worship! Get more information about registration by clicking Worship and Arts. Registration fee is $500 per team of 2-6 people or $250 per individual without a team. Housing and meals are paid separately.