Recorded AC Briefing Session available over Internet
If you did not participate in the Annual Conference Briefing Session over the Internet on May 21 and are not planning to attend one of the upcoming district meetings, please view the recorded video stream on the conference website at http://www.nccumc.org.org/videoroom/briefing.htm . Some of the topics covered include the 2008 conference budget, 2007 health insurance premiums, local church property and casualty insurance, Connectional Table structure, and special offerings.
June 4 is National Hunger Awareness Day
National Hunger Awareness Day gives us the opportunity to focus the nation's attention on one of the most solvable problems facing every community in America. Right now 38 million Americans aren't even sure where they will get their next meal. Please pray about your gift to feed the hungry. On June 4th, please support No Hungry Neighbors where 60% of your gift goes to the food bank serving your area and 40% of your gift goes to Society of St. Andrew of NC. Simply place your gift in your local church offering plate.
Please denote on the check or envelope: Your church, district, and No Hungry Neighbors. You can also send your gift to NC Conference/Raleigh Area, The United Methodist Church, PO Box 60053, Charlotte, NC 28260-0053. Mark on envelope and check: Attn: No Hungry Neighbors. For more information, please see http://nccmission.org/no_hungry_neighbors.htm . You can also participate through partnering with Society of St. Andrew - National, Advance Gift #801600. You can give online at: http://gbgm-umc.org/advance/donate/donate.cfm?code=801600&id=3017783 . For more information and liturgical material, please see: http://www.endhunger.org/nhad/index.htm . If your congregation cannot observe this special day on June 4, please observe it on another appropriate Sunday.
Children's March deadline extended to June 5
The registration deadline for the Children's March on the State Capitol has been extended to June 5. Please register via the online registration form or by sending in the registration form that is available for download at the website: www.umchildrenmarch.org . Upon processing your registration, a confirmation will be sent of additional materials to assist your group in preparation for participation. Please note - at this website you may register to participate in the march in Raleigh as well as in the march at the satellite locations (for the NC Conference - First UMC Elizabeth City).
Assistance needed with Project AGAPE shipment
A Project AGAPE (Armenia) shipment is scheduled for June 10 at 10AM at the MERCI Center in Goldsboro. Volunteers are needed for loading and packing. 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 of great need for refugees in the Lachin area: Children's clothing (ages 5 - 17), shoes, new underware, and canned foods. Very Important for customs reasons in Armenia -- Please remember - No Medications and No Out-Dated Food Items. For more information see: http://nccmission.org/agape_shipment.htm
Peace with Justice Sunday is June 11
Peace with Justice Sunday, one of the six special Sundays with offerings authorized by the General Conference, should be observed June 11. For resource assistance: http://www.umcgiving.org/content/sundays/PWJS_nav/peace.asp .
Volunteers needed for Upper Room Prayer Center during conference
Volunteers are needed to help answer the Upper Room Living Prayer Center June 15 and 16 during Annual Conference. The lost and the hurting request prayer 24/7, and members of the North Carolina Conference can be His Hands and Feet 12-4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday of Annual Conference, lifting their requests and needs up to the Father.
Volunteers are asked to sign up for a 30-minute time, when they will alternate with another volunteer answering calls. A 15-minute training session on how to answer the line, how to handle particular kinds of prayer requests, and appropriate scriptures will be covered, along with prayer to the Holy Spirit to give us the proper words. To sign up for a time slot, call Phil Platter, NC Conference Prayer Advocate at (910) 270-8463 or you can sign up by visiting the MERCI camper behind the Convention Center. The national toll-free Upper Room Prayer Line is sponsored by the NC Conference United Methodist Men.
Resource materials at Annual Conference Thursday evening
Be sure to be present at the special program on Thursday night (June 15) of Annual Conference. That evening will be a celebration of conference ministry with college students through UM-related colleges and campus ministries. Everyone in attendance Thursday evening will receive a special DVD to share with local churches the story of ministry to and with college students and ways United Methodist people and churches can support and be a part of that ministry.
What is Rule #6, Zander has the answer
What is Rule #6? Attend the Friday evening Laity Event and hear Benjamin Zander, internationally recognized conductor and speaker on leadership to organizations, provide the answer. His dynamic presentation will motivate and inspire. If you don't attend the 7:30 pm presentation, you will regret it later.
UMM Luncheon during Annual Conference
NC Conference United Methodist Men will host a luncheon on Friday, June 16, at Annual Conference highlighting successful men's ministry going on in the North Carolina Conference. All pastors and lay leaders who are interested in invigorating men's ministry at their church are invited to attend. The luncheon will be held at St. James UMC-Greenville, 15 minutes or less from the convention center. Directions to the church are available on a flyer included with the resolutions mailings, and will be available at the UMM display at the convention center. Space is limited. Reservations should be made with Lanie Shive, church secretary, at 252-752-6154. The UMM of St. James will be preparing barbecue chicken and the fixin's.
A complete list of all special dinners being held during Annual Conference is available in mailings to conference members and is available in the Annual Conference 2006 information on the conference web site, www.nccumc.org .
Learn about Holy Land tour during luncheon in Greenville on June 16
Anyone interested in accompanying Bishop Al Gwinn on a trip to the Holy Land next February, and perhaps serving as a tour host, is invited to a free luncheon at the Beef Barn in Greenville on June l6, the Friday of annual conference, as soon as the morning session concludes. A tour host needs to recruit only five others to earn a free trip, and five more for a spouse. If you have any questions please call Doug Jessee at 252-259-2625 or Jerry Lowry at 919-775-7041.
Annual Conference Offerings
Zoe Ministry will be the recipient of the Thursday morning offering during the first Bible Study at Annual Conference. The first offering, for the SEJ Lake Junaluska Dam Repair Project, will be taken Wednesday afternoon during the worship service. . The Thursday evening offering is for Higher Education and Campus Ministry and the Friday evening offering will be split between AGAPE and the Peru Covenant. These are changes from what is in the 2006 Book of Reports and Recommendations. Keep the ministries in mind as the offering plate is passed. Remember, 100% of your offering goes directly to these wondrous ministries.
Potato Drop at Annual Conference will be Saturday morning, June 17
A Potato Drop, sponsored by NC Conference United Methodist Men, will be held Saturday morning of Annual Conference. All conference members and members of local churches are invited to participate in this effort to help feed the hungry of eastern North Carolina. 40,000 lbs. of sweet potatoes will be dumped on the grassy area behind the Greenville Convention Center. Bad potatoes will be culled, and the good potatoes will be bagged in ten pound bags for distribution. Many willing hands are needed to help bag the potatoes. Even 15 minutes will help. If you are interested in helping distribute potatoes and have a food distribution or feeding program that could use the potatoes, please contact Barry Merrill, NC Conference UMM president, and he will make sure there are potatoes for you to pick up. His contact telephone number is (919) 922-1499, or e-mail him at newsbeary@excite.com . If men from local churches, particularly within a 45 minute radius of Greenville, can help, they can get started around 7 a.m. Orange juice, coffee, and donuts will be available. Women and youth are welcome to participate in the hands-on project.
Register High School Youth for ACS
The registration deadline for ACS is July 1 however it is wise to turn in registrations early because spaces are limited. The registration form for senior high youth to use to participate in ACS may be found in the 2006 Youth Events brochure. This brochure is available via download at the website - www.nccumc.org/youthministry . Confirmations of registrations will begin in early June. ACS will be July 17-22 at Methodist College in Fayetteville and is open to high school youth having completed grades 9-12. The cost for ACS is $200.
Program manager at MERCI
The Marion Edwards Recovery Center is seeking a full-time Program Manager for its Goldsboro office. The position will be responsible for program development and implementation for all MERCI ministry programs. This position is also responsible for funds development and working with other relief agencies to coordinate with existing programs. Creativity, flexibility and leadership skills are necessary. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Email resume to helpdesk@nccumc.org for consideration.
Duke conducting clergy and lay workers health study
Participation is requested in a health study being conducted by Duke University. The Denominational Health Task Force of the UMC is joining other Church Benefits Association members in a survey about health, well-being, spirituality and job characteristics of active clergy and laity. This landmark study can help bring better understanding of the complex influences on the health status of church workers.
Beginning in May, through June, active clergy and lay workers will receive a copy of the 40-question Duke University "Your Health, Well-Being, Spirituality and Job Characteristics" survey. It will be sent directly from Duke to participants and all responses will be returned directly to Duke to assure confidentiality, in accordance with HIPAA regulations. Results of the survey will be compiled before the end of the year.
MERCI seeks Warehouse Manger/Construction Coordinator
The Marion Edwards Recovery Center MERCI) is seeking a full-time Warehouse Manager/Construction Coordinator for its Goldsboro office. The position will be responsible for all aspects of warehouse management including inventory control and reporting and will oversee construction jobs ranging from home repairs to new home construction. Organizational skills, attention to detail, general construction knowledge, and NC General Contractor License or willingness to seek license required. Salary will be commensurate with experience. E-mail resume to helpdesk@nccumc.org for consideration.
"Living into Safe Sanctuaries Workshop" offered October 27 and 28
Joy Melton (author of Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church and Safe Sanctuaries for Youth ) and staff from Prevent Child Abuse of NC will lead a follow-up workshop to the basic orientation sessions for safe sanctuaries held across the Conference earlier this year. One workshop will be offered on Friday, October 27, at Garner UMC in Garner. The same workshop will also be offered on Saturday, October 28, at Queen St UMC in Kinston. Each workshop will start at 10am and conclude at 4pm. Lunch will be provided and pre-registration will be required. The workshops are being designed for pastors, church staff and safe sanctuaries committee members from local churches to resource living into safe sanctuaries policy and procedures. Please mark these dates on your calendar and watch for further details later this summer. The workshop is being provided by the Conference Safe Sanctuaries Committee.
International Disaster Response, Indonesia Earthquake, UMCOR Advance #982450
A major earthquake shook Yogyakarta, on the Indonesian island of Java, in the dawn hours of Saturday, May 27. More than 4,000 people were killed in the 6.2 quake with hundreds of thousands injured and many more left homeless. Eighty percent of the nearby town of Bantul was destroyed by the quake and its multiple aftershocks. UMCOR is working with partners already in the region to provide immediate assistance and long term relief for survivors. Please uphold this region in prayer. Please give to UMCOR Advance #982450, International Disaster Response, Indonesia Earthquake to support this relief effort. You can give my simply placing your gift in your church offering plate - please denote on your check or envelope - Advance #982450 - Indonesia Earthquake. For more information, please see: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/newsroom/releases/archives06/20060528/ .
New England Flood - UMCOR Response
The clean-up continues in New England after record breaking rains caused flooding throughout the region in recent weeks. Many homes that were inundated with water are now being mucked out with the help of a fresh shipment of flood buckets. UMCOR has sent an emergency grant to the New England Annual Conference to help with the initial recovery and continues to provide assistance as needed. Your gift allows UMCOR to respond immediately to floods, fires, tornadoes, and other disasters within our borders. You can give my simply placing your gift in your church offering plate. Please mark on your check or envelope, UMCOR Advance #901670, Domestic Disaster Response. Remember, 100% of your gift goes for this relief activity.
Refugee Day is June 20th
Buley Dure and her husband, Hassan Dayow, were born in Somalia, where they and other Bantu people were denied basic rights and were terrorized by militia groups. In 1991, they fled with their daughter to a refugee camp in Kenya, where food rations and firewood were meager. There, three more daughters were born. Now, the family lives in peace and safety in South Carolina. Take time on or near June 20, World Refugee Day, to learn more about the plight of refugees and how you can help. Use UMCOR's latest church bulletin insert to help you. You can also give to UMCOR's refugee program to show your support, UMCOR Advance #3901779, New Hope for Newcomers.
Care for ex-combatant children in Liberia
Frido Kinkolenge is a NC supported missioner who is working with ex-combatant children. These violated children, some as young as 10, were forced to fight and kill during the civil war in Liberia. Frido's work on their (and our) behalf, his sharing of Christ, is transforming their reality and giving them hope. You can be a partner in this ministry simply by making an Advance Gift to: NC Conference UMC - Liberia - Bright Future Children's Ministry. You can place your gift in your offering plate or send it through the Conference treasurer. To mail: NC Conference/Raleigh Area, The United Methodist Church, PO Box 60053, Charlotte, NC 28260-0053. Mark on envelope and check: Attn: Liberia: Bright Future Children's Ministry. One hundred percent of the gift will go to the Advance. Be sure to place your church and district name on the check and your church will receive Advance credit.
