Cut-off for 2009 Apportionments & Advance Specials
Please be advised that the deadline for 2009 Apportionment and Advance Special receipts to be received by the Treasurer’s Office is 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Final reports must be made by our office to GCFA by Jan. 22. Final mailings to the Charlotte Lockbox should be sent no later than Tuesday, Jan. 12 to be received in the Treasurer’s Office on time. All remittances after that date should be mailed to the Treasurer’s Office, P.O. Box 10955, Raleigh, NC 27605 or delivered to the Methodist Building, 1307 Glenwood Avenue, Suite #116, Raleigh, NC 27605.
Confirmation Celebration
The Conference Confirmation Celebration will be Saturday, March 6 at Methodist University in Fayetteville from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required by Monday, Feb. 22. The cost per person is $15 and includes lunch as well as a contribution to Stop Hunger Now for the service project. Leadership by confirmation groups is still needed for a presentation on gifts and for serving communion. If your confirmation group would like to help give leadership to the Confirmation Celebration, please contact Sue Ellen Nicholson at senicholson@nccumc.org by Friday, Jan. 8. More information about the Confirmation Celebration and the registration form may be found at www.nccumc.org/youth.
Global Vision
The deadline to register high school students for Global Vision, March 16-21, is Jan. 19. The registration form is included in the 2010 Youth Events brochure and is available on the “events” page of the website: www.nccumc.org/youth.
Human Relations Day Jan. 17 – United Methodist Special Sunday
Sunday, Jan. 17 is Human Relations Day, one of the six church-wide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church. Human Relations Day is celebrated on the Sunday before the national observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The United Methodist Book of Discipline describes the purpose of Human Relations Day as a call to “the Church to recognize the right of all God’s children in realizing their potential as human beings in relationship with each other.” Please ensure this opportunity for giving is made available for our local congregations. For more information and resources for this important day, please see: Human Relations Day Resources.
January is Project AGAPE Month
Please remember that January is Project AGAPE month, a time to reflect on and respond to the deep needs of the people of Armenia. Since an offering for Project AGAPE was not taken at Annual Conference, this time of giving is critically important. Armenia remains one of the world’s poorest countries, particularly in the disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Please continue to pray for the deep needs of this ministry and consider an offering on some Sunday in January. A copy of the bulletin insert is available for download at Project AGAPE bulletin insert.
GBCS Peace with Justice Day grants due Feb 15
Feb. 15 is the deadline to apply for a Peace with Justice grant from the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS). Funding for this program is generated through the Peace with Justice Special Sunday of The United Methodist Church. One of six Special Sundays in the denomination, Peace with Justice “witnesses to God’s demands for a faithful, just, disarmed and secure world.” Peace with Justice Sunday is May 30 in 2010. Peace with Justice grants are awarded annually. Grant applicants must be either a United Methodist or other affiliated organization, or an ecumenical group working with and through at least one United Methodist agency or organization. For more information, please see GBCS Peace with Justice Grants.
MHC Sunday – February 21
Help make a difference in the world…one child at a time. Throughout the month of February, we invite you to participate in MHC Sunday, by inviting a MHC representative to speak to your congregation and help support our services to children, youth and families through a special offering. Your contribution will help clothe, feed and provide for children in our care as well as provide support to our foster and adoptive parents who offer safe and loving homes for children all over North Carolina. For more information on how you can get your church involved, please contact Jennifer Cooper at (919) 754-3625 or email: jcooper@mhfc.org.
Support Butch Huffman, NC Conference Missionary
Butch Huffman, retired clergy from the North Carolina Conference, is now serving as a conference missionary, engaging, resourcing, and encouraging local congregations for mission work team participation. He works with local churches to equip them with the “how-tos” of doing local and foreign mission work teams. Support Butch as a missionary by giving to Missionary Butch Huffman, Advance S00192. Gifts can be placed in local church offering plates, noting on the memo: Butch Huffman – Advance #S00192 or mailed to NC Conference/Raleigh Area, The United Methodist Church, PO Box 60053, Charlotte, NC 28260-005. Mark on envelope and check: Butch Huffman, Advance S00192 and include the name of the church and district on the envelope. 100% of all gifts go to Butch as a missionary.
Duke Endowment Scholarship Aid for Confirmation Weekends
The Duke Endowment has given permission to The Intentional Growth Center to provide scholarship aid to churches identified as “North Carolina Rural” for Confirmation Retreat Weekends at 50% of the program fee. To apply, download the brochure, brochure for 2010, which contains the registration form, and the scholarship application, Scholarship Application. Please enclose the program fee of $32 per person. These funds will be awarded on a first come, first served basis until the funds are depleted. For more information, go to Intentional Growth Center.