Nominations Committee seeking more applications
The Conference Committee on Nominations met recently and invites lay and clergy to submit completed Nomination Forms by May 5. The goal is to create a broader and deeper pool of talent for leadership positions within Conference organizations over the next four years. Applications should be returned by e-mail ( leeharris@nccumc.org ) , FAX (919-834-7989) or through the US Postal Service (Nominations, Connectional Ministries, PO Box 10955, Raleigh, NC 27605. The form can be downloaded and completed in MS Word: Nominations Form .
General Conference news to be available in several ways
United Methodist Communications will provide multimedia coverage of General Conference when the denomination's top legislative assembly meets April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, TX. United Methodist News Service, a unit of the communications agency, will post stories, UMTV video reports, radio-ready audio reports and photographs throughout the assembly. The news team will offer content in English, Spanish and Korean, as well as provide material specifically for Native American and African-American audiences. The ongoing coverage will be available both online and by e-mail. All of the news team's content will be accessible at www.gc2008.umc.org/news .
A conference on Hearing Accessibility to be held
The conference Committee on Disability Concerns will sponsor a conference for clergy and laity about hearing accessibility on May 31 from 10am-3pm at Garner UMC in Garner. Registration is required by May 23. An early bird registration fee of $15 until May 1. After May 1, the registration fee goes up to $20. Lunch is included in the registration fee. Call John Crowe at (919) 759-2146 to learn more about this event and find out how to sign up. Click on NCC Mental Health for more information.
School of Christian Mission to be in July
The North Carolina School of Christian Mission will be held July 23-26 at Methodist University in Fayetteville. This year's mission studies will be Israel and Palestine, Native Americans: Giving our Hearts Away, and I Believe in Jesus . A registration form is available at School mof Christian Mission .
Conference Youth Rally Day
Conference Youth Rally Day will be Sunday, April 27 at NC Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount from 3-6pm. There will be recreational activities and a worship service. In the event of inclement weather the Rally Day will move into the gym on campus. There is no need to pre-register to attend and no cost to participate (although there will be refreshments for purchase and an offering for YSF taken). More information is available at Youth Ministry
United Methodist Campus Ministries
Please make your students headed off to college this summer aware of the United Methodist Campus Ministries at their prospective university and please let the campus ministry unit know of students headed to that school from your church so that information about our United Methodist campus ministry might be sent to them. United Methodist campus ministries provide a faith home away from home for students and provide continued nurture in the Christian faith as well as avenues for discipleship and leadership in the larger church during this significant time in a young adult's life. Check out these websites for more information and to contact these campus ministries: Young Adults and Campus-Contact .
Gathering of the Fellowship of Local Pastors
The fellowship of local pastors will meet with Bishop Gwinn at Nashville UMC on May 22. The gathering will begin at 9:30am and last until noon. NOTE: there will be no lunch served since the event ends at noon. Please contact Ray Pearce if you plan to attend or if you have any questions, rpearce@nccumc.org .
Disciple Bible Outreach Training for 2008
This year's DBOM DISCIPLE Bible Study training initiative continues in the NC Conference. The next events will be May 10: Rocky Mount District - Nashville UMC; May 17: Durham District - McMannen UMC; and May 24: Elizabeth City District - First UMC: EC.
Training in all four levels of DISCIPLE Bible Study and the RINGS OF FELLOWSHIP youth study will be provided at these events. The event is free to all lay and clergy persons. Lunch will be provided for a small fee. Registration is required. For more details and to register, click on DBOM .
ITEMS FROM THE OFFICE OF MISSIONS AND SOCIAL MINISTRIES
Key Taylor Award nominations
Rural church nominations for consideration of the Key Taylor Award are needed by May 9. For 2008, $1,541.84 will be awarded. The award purpose 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 in narrative form on one page to the criteria below by May 9 to Becky Biegger ( beckybiegger@nccumc.org ) at the Office of Missions. Include the names of the church and district.
! The church is in a community of less than 1,500 people.
! The church has 250 members or less.
! The church is significantly involved in community mission.
! The church shows faithfulness in its stewardship of the mission and service commitments (apportionments) and supports Advance Specials.
! The church displays commitment towards growth in ministry and perseverance toward accomplishing their vision of ministry.
Project AGAPE Vehicle Need
Several congregations through our Conference have joined in an effort to provide Project AGAPE with a new vehicle for the very important work of refugee relief. We have a very generous donor willing to match a large portion of the vehicle cost. If you wish to join this important facet of the AGAPE Advance, please send your donations to: Missions Office, 1307 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC, 27605. Please note on your check - AGAPE Vehicle. One hundred percent of your offering will go to this effort.
Faithful Eating for All People
Join a discussion about food, health, faith, and community. What barriers keep us from eating fresh, healthy, local food? How can we overcome them? Come share your stories and your ideas, then join Asbury Temple UMC in Durham for a community meal on Saturday, June 14. The discussion will begin at 10AM. The event is sponsored by Come to the Table, a project of the Rural Life Committee of the NC Council of Churches with support from The Duke Endowment. For more information, see: www.cometothetablenc.org .
Statewide conference on immigration and people of faith
The NC Council of Churches is sponsoring the 2008 Critical Issues Seminar: From Hostility to Hospitality: Immigration and People of Faith , May 13, 8:30am - 3pm at Greensboro College. Designed for both pastors and lay-people, this conference will provide timely, relevant information and thought-provoking, in-depth theological perspectives on immigration. A registration fee of $23, which covers snacks and lunch, is due Wednesday, May 7. For details and registration, click on NCCofChurches
Mission Trip to Russia
A mission trip to Oryol, Russia (approximately 250 miles south of Moscow) is tentatively planned for July 17 - Aug. 1. For more information, contact Donna Fowler-Marchant at (910) 488-8789 or Scott Marchant at (910) 489-9749 or e-mail them at revdlf@aol.com . Scott's blog has pictures and an idea of day to day activities. Click here: Russian Missions in Orphanages .
Missionary to be itinerating in the North Carolina Conference
Frido Kinkolenge, one of the conference missionaries working in Liberia, will be in North Carolina for a short time, May 6-16. Frido has been asked to be a translator during the legislative sessions of General Conference in Fort Worth. He will be travelling to a church in Missouri for a few days before his arrival in the NC Conference on May 5. Frido's work in Liberia includes ministry with children and youth. He is now a consecrated missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries and wants to spend time with churches that have supported his ministry and churches that might be interested in forming a covenant relationship with him. To schedule a visit from Frido, contact the Reverend Bill Haddock, the Conference Secretary for Global Ministries at revbillh@nccumc.org or 910-762-2583.
Robeson County Church and Community Center needs assistance
The Church and Community Center serves the nation's second most diverse rural county and the third most impoverished county of its size in the U.S. Grant funding is down, leaving the Center in very difficult financial times. Consider making a donation through the local church offering. Please note on the check: Robeson County Church and Community Center - Advance #7917428.
Join in feeding your hungry neighbor with Society of St. Andrew
Join a great hands-on ministry that can be done with families of churches with members aged from 3 to 93 in a field in N.C. Contact Society of St. Andrew at: sosanc@endhunger.org or call (866) 453-2662. See their web site at: Society of St. Andrew . Please give to NC Advance, (#S-00081) and see the Rainbow Covenant for more information. Rainbow Covenant.
