Bishop Ward shares the hopes and plans for 2013
AC Bishop Ward speaks about the upcoming Annual Conference in this week’s Connections. Find more information about Annual Conference, including the agenda and reports, on the Annual Conference 2013 page.
Registration for Rural Church Convocation opens May 15
Online registration for Duke Divinity School’s 2013 Convocation on the Rural Church will begin Wednesday, May 15, at 9 a.m. Pastors of rural churches that are eligible for Duke Endowment grants are invited to register for the event, which will be held August 12-14 at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort and Conference Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Thanks to the generous funding of The Duke Endowment, costs will be kept to a minimum. For additional information, visit the event website.
Free AEDs and CPR Training deadline May 24
The NC Council of Churches, American Red Cross and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC are partnering to provide more Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and CPR training to places of worship in select North Carolina counties. To date, 183 congregations have received an award. To learn more or to complete an application, please click here. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 24.
Please complete AC registration for youth
Please let the Conference Secretary’s Office know if your church’s lay members to Annual Conference are between the ages of 12-18, or between 18-30. The East Carolina University housing authority requirements for the young representatives must be met, and Conference policy does not permit persons under the age of 18 to drive while attending a Conference event. Arrangements are being made for the housing, transportation and meals of all who are within these age groups, if we know to expect them. More information is on the the Annual Conference page. Send requested information to Shannon Medlin: smedlin@nccumc.org.
Children’s Ministry Conference in July
Registration is now open for the Conference on Ministry with Children July 22-26 in Greenville, SC. Sponsored by the General Board of Discipleship, the event is for teachers, leaders, pastors, children’s advocates, preschool teachers and directors, annual conference staff, and anyone who is committed to the faith formation of children. Please contact Robin Marley: salemumc@gmail.com, if you plan on attending. If enough people register from the NC Conference, there is a possibility of obtaining transportation to Greenville for the event.
Conference UM Men event
The NCC United Methodist Men;s Spring/Summer Event will be held Saturday, June 1 at Genesis UMC in Cary. David Ring will be the keynote speaker. David is a dynamic speaker and strong advocate for men’s ministry. Please check him out at www.davidring.org. The event will start at 5:30 with a worship/music celebration. David will deliver a message at 6:30 and the event will conclude by 7:30. There will be a love offering taken to cover David’s traveling expenses. Please note that no meal will be served, so make plans to eat before or after the event. This is a great opportunity to enjoy fellowship with UMM brethren from throughout the conference while experiencing an inspiring and uplifting message about men’s ministry. Don’t miss it!
Outreach Ministry calling for Key Taylor nominations
Rural church nominations for consideration of the Key Taylor Award are needed by May 17. The Rural Church Fund (Key Taylor Award) was created in 1958 as a permanent endowment fund with the United Methodist Foundation, Inc. as trustee. The idea for the Fund came from the Rev. Key W. Taylor and the Commission on Town and Country of the Conference Board of Missions. Congregations can nominate themselves. The purpose of the award is to call attention to the mission work of all rural churches by honoring the specific achievements of one rural church. To nominate a church, respond via email in narrative form on one page to the criteria by May 17 to Kathy Duncan: kduncan@nccumc.org .
Retiree Health Insurance Proposal to AC 2013
The Conference Board of Pension and the Insurance Committee are proposing changes to the retiree health care plan at Annual Conference in June. These changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2014. Informational sessions are being held in each district to provide opportunity to give an overview of the changes being proposed and to answer questions on the proposal. All clergy and lay members of annual conference are invited to attend one of these sessions, but retirees, widow/ers and clergy and lay employees approaching retirement age are specifically encouraged to attend. Visit the Insurance page for more details.
Change the World this weekend
On May 18-19, United Methodists around the globe will unite in service with their local communities for the fourth annual Change the World weekend. People in more than 1,500 locations internationally observed Change the World in 2012. United Methodist Communications has created several free planning resources including a sermon series and ideas for service projects. To locate an event in your area, go to RethinkChurch.org. Join the Change the World conversation online on Facebook, or on Twitter and Instagram using #changetheworld and #rethinkchurch.