05/01/06

MERCI Day Celebration this Saturday
MERCI Day Celebration on Saturday May 6 from 10 am to 2 pm. Please join us for hot dogs, games for children and youth, music and information on what the MERCI Center is all about. There will also be information on the Extension Ministries for the North Carolina Conference and how MERCI Center functions as a distribution center.

Connections Through the Ages older adult event opportunity
April 20 was the early registration deadline for the Older Adult Day-A-Part Days May 23 or May 25.Spaces are still available. West Market Street UMC in Greensboro and the committees for Older Adult Ministries in Western Conference and our very own committee are working hard to provide a great day for fellowship, inspiration, music and lunch. There will be a drop off area for buses and passengers; plenty of free and close parking will be available. Send someone or a whole group to represent your church! A brochure is available online. http://www.nccumc.org/OlderAdultMinistries/dayaprtmay06.pdf Richard Genztler and F. Belton Joyner, Jr. will be our speakers. Please direct any questions to: Laura Bailey llbailey@nccumc.org or 800-849-4433 ext264 Registrations must be post marked by May 13.

Older Adult Ministry training
On May 25 Dr. Richard Genzlter will be leading a workshop for clergy and laity working in the in area of Older Adult Ministries. Spaces are still available. Continuing Education Units (.5) will be available at no additional cost. Cost for the training is $18.00. This will include lunch and materials. It will be held at Market Street United Methodist Church in Greensboro. A brochure with registration form is available online: http://www.nccumc.org/OlderAdultMinistries/oldradulttrain06.pdf . Or contact Laura Bailey, llbailey@nccumc.org or 800-849-4433 ext 264 Registrations must be post marked by May 13.

Celebration open to all, complete reservations as soon as possible
Come join the celebration banquet honoring the 50th Anniversary of full clergy rights for women in the UMC. The banquet, open to all, will be held Wednesday, June 14, 5:15-6 pm at Jarvis UMC in Greenville. Transportation to Jarvis from the Convention Center and back to the Convention Center will be provided. The banquet cost is $15. Reservation payment should be sent to the Rev. Carol Goehring, 610 S. Washington Street, Greenville, NC 27858 (252) 752-3101. Register now. More information about the celebration: http://www.nccumc.org/ac2006/clergywomenr.doc

Registration deadline for Trail Hike is soon
Senior high youth who wish to participate in the Appalachian Trail Hike, June 24 to July 1, must register by May 15. A few spaces remain available. The Trail Hike involves hiking just over 40 miles along the Appalachian Trail in the southern mountains of Virginia, backpacking and camping out at night along the way over the course of the week. Youth must have completed grades 9, 10, 11 or 12 to register. A confirmation packet with further information is mailed to youth registering upon processing their registration. The brochure with more information and registration form is available under “Events” on the Conference youth ministry website: www.nccumc.org/youthministry.

N.C. Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation
We will be offering the fifth Five-Day Academy in North Carolina at the Trinity Center in Salter Path beginning Sunday, October 1, and ending Friday, October 6. The cost is $650. The faculty for 2006 will be: Kathryn Damiaco and Glandion Carney. For more information or a registration form, please contact Robin Harry, Registrar rharry@nccumc.org or 919-832-9560, ext. 252.

Colleague Forum for Pastors
Colleague Forum for Pastors is now accepting applications for Colleague Forum #3. The forum is a two-year experience of spiritual formation, focusing on worship, study, and spiritual community. Forum #3 runs July 2006 through May of 2008, meeting once a quarter — three days and nights at Avila Retreat Center in Durham, for a total of eight sessions. For applications, and/or information, contact Robin Harry (rharry@nccumc.org), 919-832-9560, or Jimmy Weaver (j234weaver@yahoo.com), 252-747-3723.

Submit EIN for churches to be listed as tax-exempt
The General Council on Finance and Administration is working with the Internal Revenue Service to list all churches individually on the list of approved charitable organizations on the IRS website. This will allow donors and government agencies to find your church when searching for tax-exempt, charitable organizations. In order to list your church, you must provide your Federal employer identification number (EIN) on the On-line Data Collection System so that it can be provided to GCFA. Your EIN is the number used to submit your payroll reports. All pastors are requested to log onto the On-line Data Collection System, choose Employer Identification Number on the Main Menu and enter the number used by your church. If you have any questions, please email them to helpdesk@nccumc.org. If you need to apply for a Federal EIN, information is available on the IRS website.

Pension presentation available over Internet
Video Stream of the Tri-District Pension Education Event held on April 23 in Durham is available on the NC Conference website in the Video Room. The Conference Board of Pensions requests that local church leadership (including Staff Parish Relations members, finance officers, Annual Conference members and attendees, and pastors) view this meeting over the Internet if they were unable to attend one of the four tri-district events in order to be informed of issues coming to the 2006 Annual Conference from the Board of Pensions.

Children’s March registration deadline
Any groups from churches planning to attend and participate in the United Methodists of NC Children’s March on the State Capitol on Tuesday, June 20 must pre-register their group by May 19. Registration may be done online or a registration form printed to mail in at the website: www.umchildrenmarch.org. There are also curriculum resources available for use with adult and children’s groups. The program for the march begins at the Youth Center of Edenton St UMC in downtown Raleigh at 1pm. The march should be concluded about 3pm. After registration confirmation materials will be sent to group leaders with further details.

Annual Conference Session for Youth
ACS (the Annual Conference Session for Youth) will be July 17-22 at Methodist College in Fayetteville. Youth in high school (completed grades 9-12) are eligible to register and attend ACS. The registration deadline is July 1 but spaces are limited so youth are advised to register early. At ACS youth will participate in small groups, worship, interest groups, special programs each evening and legislative affairs sessions. They will elect and select their Conference youth leadership for the coming year. A description of ACS and registration form may be found in the 2006 Youth Events brochure under “Events” at www.nccumc.org/youthministry.

Youth participation on stage at Pilgrimage
Participation on stage is invited at Pilgrimage for the following: youth in the house band, youth giving testimonies and youth groups offering an act of worship such as dance, drama or song. The deadline for all these is August 31. Youth desiring to be considered for the house band must complete and turn in an application – available from Sue Ellen Nicholson by request at senicholson@nccumc.org. Youth desiring to be considered for giving a testimony must submit their testimony in writing – also to Sue Ellen. Youth groups may express their willingness to offer an act of worship specifying what act of worship they would offer to Sue Ellen as well. Please note – first opportunity will be given to those youth groups NOT having been on stage in a previous Pilgrimage event. The PIlgirmage planning team meets in mid-September. Pilgrimage brochures with registration and other information were mailed out earlier in April. The Pilgrimage brochure is available for download at www.nccumc.org/youthministry.

Through the Eyes of a Child: Weekday Ministries with Children Workshop
The annual Weekday Ministries with Children Workshop will be held Saturday, August 19 at Highland UMC in Raleigh. Further details will be forthcoming and a brochure will be available later in May. This workshop is designed for persons involved in preschool, afterschool and other weekday ministries for children. The conference children’s ministry website will be updated with this brochure and information once available.

Wedding conflict: Battle of the Brides
Weddings. A celebration of love, fidelity, and commitment. Couples seeking God’s blessing on their future together. Friends and family coming together in support and witness. But also tensions between the in-laws. Far-flung members of dysfunctional families suddenly brought together once again. Domineering mothers. Fathers consumed by debt. Groomsmen still under the influence of the bachelor party. And then there’s the matter of conflict between bride and church, usually over music selection. Does The United Methodist Church provide any help or guidelines? Is there any official denominational policy to appeal to in such conflicts? The answer is yes. This article explains what our United Methodist Book of Worship says about weddings in the church. (from GBOD): http://www.gbod.org/worship/default_body.asp?act=reader&item_id=14429

Richard Bryant – NC Conference – Newest Missionary to Russia
Rev. Richard L. Bryant is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, the mission agency of the United Methodist Church, serving as Area Financial Executive (AFE) with the United Methodist Church in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Rev. Bryant’s main focus is sharing in the life and ministry of the people of Russia and Eurasia. His responsibilities include the administration of all Advance projects, serving as treasurer of each Advance project, and oversight of the distribution of the Russia initiative funds. To support Richard please see: http://nccmission.org/missionary_support.htm For Richard’s web site: http://www.richardbryant.org

Project AGAPE Shipment
A Project AGAPE (Armenia) shipment is scheduled for June 10 at 10:00 AM at the MERCI Center in Goldsboro. Volunteers for loading and packing are needed! Please contact Becky Biegger at beckybiegger@nccumc.org or 800-849-4433 ext 256 if you can assist in this life-giving work. Also, the following items are great needs of the refugees in the Lachin area. Children’s clothing (ages 5 – 17), shoes, new underwear, and canned foods. Please remember – NO MEDICATIONS!!! For more information see: http://nccmission.org/agape_shipment.htm

Destruction of Diecke UMC in Guinea
A heavy down pour of rain on Thursday night destroyed the Diecke Church building presently under construction. This church is to be the first indigenous United Methodist Church building in Guinea, an area with little Christian presence. The building of the church is a ministry of the Liberian Annual Conference. Your support is needed. To make a gift for this critical project in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our United Methodist Church, please see: http://nccmission.org/diecke_umc_-_guinea.htm

Dr. Tony Campolo to speak for ZOE
Dr. Tony Campolo will speak for ZOE on September 15, 7 pm, Edenton Street UMC, Raleigh. Tickets are $40. The purchase of a ticket will ZOE buy the equivalent of one new outfit and 100 servings of food for a child. More information will soon follow. Please set this date on your calendar. For more information about Dr. Campolo’s ministry: http://www.tonycampolo.org

No Hungry Neighbors – There is still hunger in NC
365,000 children right here in North Carolina are at risk of being food insecure. Please continue to remember our efforts for our Advance Special, No Hungry Neighbors, an outreach to provide funds to feed those who are hungry. Please prayerfully consider a gift to feed a child. For more information, please see: http://nccmission.org/no_hungry_neighbors.htm

Society of St. Andrew – Meeting Jesus in the “least of these.”
Did you know that 11% of our elderly neighbors are food-insecure? Everyday, they are making decisions about whether to purchase medication or food. Everyday, they feel as if they are alone, forgotten, and with little hope. This is happening right here in North Carolina in the most affluent country in the history of the world. You can respond to this need, you can make a difference. Please contact Society of St. Andrew to see how you can be involved in this wonderful ministry of food provision for the most vulnerable of our neighbors. For more information, please see: http://www.endhunger.org/north_carolina.htm To support this Conference Advance Special ministry simply drop a donation in your local church offering plate, marked: SOCIETY OF ST. ANDREW POTATO PROJECT (#S-00081) Lhttp://nccmission.org/nc_conference.htm#HUNGER_HUMANITARIAN_RELIEF/MEDICAL