Welcome to The North Carolina Conference of The UMC

04/10/06

Many Easter Sunday services begin with Wesley hymn

http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=16104&loc_i

Wesley Foundation has Open House

www.nccumc.org/youthministry

Earth Day Sunday (April 23) Resources

http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=13896

Clergy and lay persons should attend a pension plan session
Pastors, lay conference members, local church Staff Parish Relations members and financial officers should attend one of the remaining training sessions to learn about proposed changes to the clergy pension plan. January 1 is the effective date. Locations, times and dates of the remaining training sessions are: April 23, 3:00 PM, BU/DU/RA Districts, Trinity UMC (Downtown Durham); and April 30, 4:00 PM, WI/GO/NB Districts, New Bern-Centenary UMC. If you missed an earlier session, call the Durham or New Bern District offices to find out if there is space for you to attend. For more information, contact your district office or the Conference Treasurer’s office (1-800-849-4433).

Advance registration not needed to attend Youth Rally Day on April 23
Conference Youth Rally Day will be Sunday, April 23, at NC Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. The Rally Day will begin with recreational fellowship activities at 3 pm and conclude by 6 pm with a worship service. Youth groups do not have to register to attend. Other than an offering for Youth Service Fund and refreshments for purchase there is no cost to the event.

Three days of discounts at Cokesbury in late April
You are invited to Cokesbury Celebration Days on Thursday, April 27th, Friday, April 28th, & Saturday, April 29th. Save 25% on books, Bibles, gifts, greeting cards, and more! In the Raleigh Store on Friday, April 28th from 11:00 – 1:00, Reverend Dr. Michael Green will be autographing his books. He has published over 40 books including, The Books of the Church Suppressed, I’d Like to Believe BUT…, and After Alpha.

Observe Native American Sunday, April 30, with special offering
Native American Ministries Sunday is April 30. It is designed to recognize the contributions of Native Americans. A special offering that day helps fund Native American ministries, the Urban Initiative, and seminary scholarships. Background and worship resources: http://umcgiving.org/content/sundays/NAMS_nav/native.asp. Music resources: http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=2584

Restroom Accessibility Grants are Available
Due to a generous grant by the Duke Endowment, restroom accessibility grant requests for rural churches are now being accepted. Grant applications must be received by April 30. Applications and guidelines are available online at: http://nccmission.org/restroom_grant.htm

Two Sexual Ethics training events remain, make-up session announced
Remember the dates of the remaining two tri-district Sexual Ethics training events: Tuesday, May 2, Aldersgate UMC in Durham and Wednesday, May 3, at Jonesboro Church in Sanford. Both events begin at 9:30 am and conclude at 4 pm. If there was or is an emergency preventing attendance, a make-up session will be held on Saturday, June 3, at Westover UMC in Raleigh, 9:30 am-4 pm. Anyone planning to attend the makeup session must register by calling 1-877-603-8816. Remember, those attending pay for their noon meal.

Curriculum resources available for Children’s March
NC United Methodist Children’s March on the State Capitol is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20 beginning at 1pm at the Youth Center of Edenton St UMC. The website has registration information and curriculum resources for use with adults and children. The website is www.umchildrenmarch.org. The registration deadline is May 19.

Individual, groups wanting to be on Pilgrimage stage should apply by August 31
Pilgrimage 2006: Registration brochures are now available and will be mailed in mid-April. Youth groups wanting to offer an act of worship on stage and youth wanting to offer a testimony must contact the Office of Youth Ministry (senicholson@nccumc.org) by August 31. Youth desiring to be considered as part of house band must complete an application by August 31.

Missionary Covenant Relationship
You can experience the ministry of presence through face-to-face encounters with mission personnel during their scheduled periods of itineration. You will learn how you are part of their ministry, making it possible to share the love of Christ in some of the world’s most demanding and difficult circumstances. To covenant with a missionary or learn more, please see: http://gbgm-
http://gbgm-umc.org/who_we_are/mp/covenant.cfm#acceptform

WIL BAILEY, one of our SEJ/Conference Missioners
Wil is serving at San Isidro,Costa Rica and is responsible for working with local pastors in the southern zone of Costa Rica and will organize the projects at the Methodist churches in that area for U.S. work teams. If you would like to contact Wil to do a mission work team, please email him at: wil@costaricamissionprojects.com . For more about Wil’s service, please see: http://www.costaricamissionprojects.com/pages/1/index.htm . He is an extension of our hands, our feet, and our hearts. You can support Wil through the Rainbow Covenant: http://www.nccmission.org/rainbow_covenant.htm

Missioner needs your Support
Vickie Sigmon, is one of our NC Conference sponsored missionaries serving as a Church and Community Worker in Winston-Salem, NC (#982916). Vickie works in a high risk community developing Christian community, promoting social justice and proclaiming God’s loving presence. Vickie needs your support. If you don’t currently support a United Methodist missionary, please consider a covenant relationship with Vickie. Together, you will be bringing hope and life to the least, the lost, and the last. Together, you will touch the face of Christ. For information on our conference missionaries, please see: http://www.nccmission.org/our_missionaries.htm. Please consider supporting Vickie through the Rainbow Covenant. Even a one-time gift does make a difference!