Registration Deadline for Annual Conference Session for Youth is July 1
The registration for high school students to attend ACS (Annual Conference Session for Youth) is July 1. ACS will be held July 20-25 at Methodist University in Fayetteville. High school students having completed grades 9-12 are eligible to attend. The total cost is $225. ACS is very important as district and conference leadership positions are elected/selected at that time. As with Annual Conference for pastors and laity – each church is expected to send at least one youth representative from their church to ACS. The registration form can be found in the 2009 Youth Events brochure which is available for download on the website at www.nccumc.org/youth on the “Events” page.
Clergy, update addresses
Pastors should go to the On-line Data Collection System and make any appropriate changes to personal information, such as addresses, telephone numbers, etc. These changes should be made as soon as possible to be included in the 2009-2010 Conference Directory. If assistance is needed to make appropriate updates, write Shannon Medlin at smedlin@nccumc.org in the Conference Secretary’s Office call her at 1-800-849-4433.
Clergy have until July 30 to have photos taken for directory
Clergy not photographed at the 2009 Annual Conference by Olan Mills for the conference directory can still have a photograph taken for the book. Call Laura Bailey or Robin Harry at 1-800-849-4433 for details. The absolute deadline for having photos taken is July 30. The spouse can be included in the photo but several photos of the clergy only must be taken. There is no charge to have photographs taken.
DVD orders for Annual Conference sessions
Orders for selected sessions of the NC Annual Conference are available on DVD. All orders, with payment must be received by Linda Smith no later than June 30. If there are questions, call Linda Smith, (ext. 238) at 800-849-4433. Download the form here: PDF | DOC
Programs for you from the Office of Missions and Justice Ministries:
“Missions – A Journey of Spirit and Justice” – 8 to 10 weekly sessions, 1 ½ hours each, journeying in the life of Jesus, considering how this same journey is available today moving beyond pews into Risk-Taking Ministry and Radical Hospitality. A one session, 1 ½ hour introduction is also available. All teaching and learning events use adult education methodology and are highly interactive. For further information e-mail Kathy Reavis – kreavis@nccumc.org or Steve Taylor – staylor@nccumc.org or call them at 1-800-849-4433.
Assist Help Golden Cross help layperson medical expenses
August 16 is the designated Sunday for an offering for Golden Cross. Golden Cross is a ministry that reaches out to laity in the Conference who are dealing with financial hardships brought on by medical expenses. Golden Cross Sunday on August 16 has been selected as the date to reach out to laity through an offering. If August 16 is not an appropriate date for a congregation, another Sunday can be selected. Richard C. Vaughan, conference director of Golden Cross, is available to answer questions or to provide additional information (910 754-4840, rvaughan@nccumc.org
Peace with Justice Sunday – Opportunity remains
Peace with Justice Sunday, one of the six United Methodist church wide Special, Peace with Justice Sunday supports programs that advocate peace and justice at home and around the world. If the offering was not taken on the June 7 date, remember the offering can be taken anytime during the year. For bulletin resources, children’s sermon, talking points, and more information, please see: Peace with Justice
Jerusalem Ark – Kids of Hope – Christian Formation for Palestinian Children
The Rev. Harold Salmon is leading a team to Palestine to provide a forum for Christian education and fellowship for Palestinian Christian children. Living behind and separated by walls and blockades, these children rarely have opportunity for such experience. Jerusalem Ark is a NC Conference Advance project. To help support this ministry, please simply place a financial gift into the Sunday offering, noting on the gift: NC Conference – Jerusalem Ark. Donations can also be mailed to: NC Conference/Raleigh Area, The United Methodist Church, PO Box 60053, Charlotte, NC 28260-005. Mark on envelope and check: Attn: Jerusalem Ark . Please ensure that your church name & District are listed on your check or envelope. 100% of your gift goes to the ministry.
Mission Team to Jamaica
The Rev. Butch Huffman, NC Conference individual mission volunteer, will lead a Conference mission work team to Content Gap, Jamaica, Nov. 3-12 to work on the roof which was blown off during a hurricane in 2007. Orientation for the team will be Sept 25 (7 p.m.) – Sept. 26 (3 p.m.) at Oak Island UMC. The total cost of the trip is $1,000/person. Those interested in being on this team or wanting more information should contact Butch Huffman, 919-931-4304 cell or butchhuffman@bydasea.net
Zimbabwe: Food Relief for Students and Teachers – ZOE Ministry Outreach
In response to the current food shortages and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is providing two grants to ZOE Ministry to provide one meal a day for three months to 10,000 students and teachers in Zimbabwe. Please support ZOE in prayer with this ministry. Prayer points:
Pray for the people of Zimbabwe as they continue to struggle.
Pray for UMCOR in the work that they do.
Pray for UMCOR staff and ZOE staff in Africa serving children in need in Zimbabwe.
Pray for more partnerships between ministries offering relief to suffering children.
Read more about ZOE’s ministries of Relief, Empowerment, and Love.
June is Torture Awareness Month – United Methodists Reject Torture
June has been designated as Torture Awareness Month. To learn about the United Methodist Response, please see UM Response. To learn more about the work of NRCAT, please see National Religious Campaign Against Torture. To join with other United Methodists against the use of torture, please see: United Methodists Do Not Torture
National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths – Oct. 16-18
The “National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths” will be held Oct. 16-18. Thousands of churches, synagogues, mosques and temples across the United States will hold special worship services, education programs, and advocacy activities to engage people of faith in the lives of children and their families. Sponsored by the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), the Children’s Sabbaths celebration is a way for faith communities to celebrate children as sacred gifts. It provides the opportunity for houses of worship to renew and live out their moral responsibility to care, protect and advocate for all children. For more information and downloadable promotional packets, please see: General Board of Church and Society Children Sabbath
Criminal and Restorative Justice
There are more than 2,300,000 people incarcerated in the United States prison system. The tough-on-crime policies of the 1980s and 90s that included trying juveniles as adults, eliminating parole, truth in sentencing, the privatization of building prisons, the expansion of mandatory minimum sentencing, three strikes laws and incarcerating low-level drug offenders rather than providing drug abuse treatment, have all led to an ever-increasing prison population. The United Methodist Church has a long history of ministry to prisoners and advocacy for restorative justice. To learn how you can respond, please see: Church and Society – Restorative Justice Knowledge Center