Meeting of the Unity Dialogue October 24
There will be a meeting of the Unity Dialogue at Benson Chapel, Louisburg College on Saturday, Oct. 24. The chapel will be open at 10 a.m. and the meeting should end about 12:30 p.m. All interested persons are invited to come join in this conversation.
Local Pastors and Associate Members to meet with Bishop Gwinn
The second gathering of the Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members with Bishop Gwinn takes place Oct. 31 at Newland UMC in Elizabeth City. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. This will be a time of discussion and fellowship. If you plan to attend, please contact Toni Wood at twood@nccumc.org.
NC Conference Mission Seed Fund applications due October 31
For those interested in applying for 2010 Mission Seed Funds, applications are due to the Office of Mission and Justice Ministries no later than Oct. 31. Please send applications, budgets, and cover letters electronically to Kathy at kreavis@nccumc.org. Materials can be downloaded at: Mission Seed Funds. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Mission and Justice Ministries, 800-849-4433 ext 256 or kreavis@nccumc.org or staylor@nccumc.org.
DBOM’s Annual Great Pumpkin Run Halloween Day
It’s time once again for Disciple Bible Outreach Ministries’ 3rd Annual Great Pumpkin Run. The event will be held on Halloween Day, Oct. 31 in Jamestown NC. The 5K Run and 1 Mile Walk will start at 10 a.m. beside the Pumpkin Patch at Jamestown UMC. Registration begins at 9 a.m. An awards ceremony will follow with winners named in each age category. Junior runners and first-time runners are always welcome at the Pumpkin Run! We will also have relay races for our youngest runners. Registrants will receive a Pumpkin Run T-Shirt. Proceeds will benefit the work of Disciple Bible Outreach Ministries in the North Carolina prisons and youth development centers.
Pilgrimage registration deadline
The deadline to register groups for Pilgrimage (Nov.13-15 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville) without incurring the late fee is Monday, Oct. 26. This deadline applies to the postmark date of the registration. Registration forms and checks in payment of $15 per person must be mailed in. The brochure with registration form is available from the website at www.nccumc.org/youth/events/pilgrimage/. Upon processing the registration, further information and confirmation packets will be sent out.
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
Every October, United Methodists have the opportunity to improve the lives of children around the world through a long-standing collaboration between the General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the United Nation’s Children’s Fund. This collaboration, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, has helped UNICEF save more children’s lives than any other organization, according to Caryl Stern, U.S. Fund president. Last year, United Methodists raised more than $154,000 for UNICEF. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF empowers children to show the world that the rights of every child must be upheld and respected. For more information about United Methodist participation in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, call its United Nations & International Affairs office, (212) 682-3633, ext. 3106, or visit the GBCS – UNICEF
Worldwide UMCOR Response to Ongoing Disasters
As relief workers determine the long term effects of the West Sumatra earthquake which killed 704 people, and as thousands of people in the Philippines learn to cope in overcrowded and unsanitary evacuation centers, UMCOR is hard at work helping survivors affected by disasters in the Philippines, the South Pacific, and Indonesia by providing them with the most basic needs. UMCOR’s field offices are bringing relief to affected communities, and are working to develop long-term recovery plans to assist in rebuilding. Gifts to these disaster-hit areas are needed. Please give to Pacific Earthquakes & Tsunamis UMCOR Advance #982450; Indonesia Emergency UMCOR Advance #217400; and Philippines Emergency , UMCOR Advance #240235.
Inviting Young Adults
The Conference Young Adult Ministries Team will be meeting on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Methodist Building in Raleigh. Any young adults (age 18-30) are welcome to attend. An emphasis of the meeting will be finding out what local churches are doing in young adult ministries across the Conference and developing ways that information can be shared.
Children’s Ministry Forum
The general church sponsored Children’s Ministry Forum will be hosted by Edenton St UMC in Raleigh, Feb. 23-25, 2010. This is the closest any such opportunity for children’s ministry leaders in local churches will ever be to the North Carolina Conference. For details about this opportunity and to registration, visit www.gbod.org/cmf.
Robeson County Church and Community Center needs your urgent support
The Church and Community Center, serving the one of the most impoverished counties in our state, deeply needs your support. During the fall of each year, due to the structure of many of the grants under which the RCC&CC runs, the Center enters a period of a funds flow shortfall. Because the Center moves such a great percentage of its resource into the community, the RCC&CC relies on your generous partnership to operate through this period of shortfall. Thus, RCC&CC urgently needs generous gifts at this moment. Due to generous support, the Center has improved its fiscal standing over the past year. Please continue to support this critical ministry and if possible, make a gift now. Please mail your check directly to the Church and Community Center at: Robeson County Church and Community Center, 600 West 5th Street, Lumberton, NC 28358 or you can make a donation through your local church offering. Please note on the check: Robeson County Church and Community Center – Advance #791742. For more information please contact 910-738-5204 or email: rccccdir@ncrrbiz.com.
Mini-Conferences on Immigration to be held
The North Carolina Council of Churches will be sponsoring free informative mini-conferences about how immigration is affecting North Carolina. You are invited to attend one of the following: Oct. 24, 9:30 a.m. – noon at Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter in Burlington; Nov. 7, 9:30 a.m. – noon at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greenville; or Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m. – noon at Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro. For more information and to RSVP, go to http://www.welcometheimmigrant.org.
Sudan Emergency – UMCOR Continues to Respond
UMCOR continues to work in Sudan, named as the worse humanitarian disaster of the 21st century. Over 400,000 people are estimated to have been killed in fighting and over 2 million people are displaced. UMCOR works in Darfur and other areas bringing agriculture extension, emergency supply distribution, and small-scale livelihoods. UMCOR also works with a coalition of other humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to Sudanese refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. Please consider a gift to this important ministry which can be given through the local church Sunday offering by denoting on the gift: Sudan Emergency Advance # 184385. For more information and online giving, go to Sudan Emergency.
October is Domestic Violence Month – 10 steps to address pandemic
The 2008 United Methodist General Conference re-adopted a resolution entitled “Violence Against Women and Children (#3423)” that is worth resurrecting this time of year. October is typically the month in which the world draws attention to the domestic violence. For more information and steps for action, please see Domestic Violence.
National gambling prevention conference – Nov 9-10, San Antonio
Stop Predatory Gambling Now will hold a national conference Nov. 9 – 10. The theme of the conference is “The American Resilience.” Persons will convene from across the United States at the Drury Plaza Hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX to get latest information, share stories, plan strategy, and network on how to thwart gambling’s expansion. Register for the conference online at The American Resilience. Registration is also available by calling (202) 567-6996. Special rates have been arranged with the Drury Plaza Hotel for conference attendees. Check Stop Gambling website for updates about the conference. For more information, please see the General Board of Stop Gambling Conference.
Finding Jesus on Facebook Workshop
The Conference Safe Sanctuaries Committee is sponsoring a workshop this fall for leaders with children and youth ministries titled Finding Jesus on Facebook. This workshop will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Haymount UMC in Fayetteville and on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Soapstone UMC in Raleigh. The workshops run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and there is no cost to attend. Persons planning to attend should register their plans by emailing rharry@nccumc.org indicating the location they plan to attend and their name.
Building the Team around “You”
Dynamic speaker Mark Beeson and his senior leadership team from Granger Church (Indiana) will be sharing their secrets to success during an upcoming Day of Learning offered by the Academy for Leadership Excellence on Nov. 10. Building the Team around “You” is primarily designed for pastors and other individuals building a leadership team. Granger Community Church, a UMC congregation with over 6,000 attendees, is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 “Most Influential” churches in the country. For more information regarding the event, please visit https://nccumc.org/academy/days-of-learning/building-the-team-around-you/