Register now for Financial and Retirement Planning Worship
There are spaces still available for registration for the 2006 Financial and Retirement Planning Workshop. This one day Financial and Retirement Planning Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23, at Hayes Barton UMC in Raleigh. The workshop will include vital financial and retirement planning information for any pastor. If you will be considering retirement in the next 10-20 years, this event will include essential facts for you. Encourage your spouse to attend. If you are younger and/or new to the United Methodist ministry, this workshop will help you prepare with accurate, current, and practical information for that “distant” event. Additional information and download of the brochure are available from the Conference Pension website, OR contact Sharon Saige in the Conference Treasurer’s office (ext. 316) for more information.
Award of Excellence in Youth Ministry
The deadline for applications from local churches for the award of excellence in youth ministry is August 31. The application is available at the website: www.nccumc.org/youthministry. The award will be presented to the recipient group at Pilgrimage on Saturday morning, November 11.
Is your congregation ready to welcome visitors?
Back to School time is when people visit congregations looking for a church home. Igniting Ministry will have “welcoming” spots running on cable television nationally. The NC Conference Communications Commission will have additional “welcome” broadcast spots on most of the ABC, CBS, NBC affiliates in the conference, as well as additional cable and radio buys in some districts. Congregations should plan to welcome visitors and helping them feel at home, especially during late August and most of September. The NC Conference TV spots run the week of September 4 and 18. For assistance with welcoming: Connecting Worship and Back to School: http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=1770&loc_id=9,10,32,54 and Igniting Ministry: http://www.ignitingministry.org/
Dr. Tony Campolo to speak for ZOE
Dr. Tony Campolo will speak for ZOE on September 15, 7:30 pm, Edenton Street UMC, Raleigh. Tickets are $40. For the purchase of a ticket, ZOE will buy the equivalent of one new outfit and 100 servings of food for a child. Download the order form for tickets at: http://zoeministry.org/tc/. For more information about Dr. Campolo’s ministry: http://www.tonycampolo.org
Colleague Forum for Pastors
Colleague Forum for Pastors is now accepting applications for Colleague Forum #3. The start up date for Forum #3 has been changed to November 2006 and will run through August of 2008, meeting once a quarter --- three days and nights at beautiful Avila Retreat Center in Durham, for a total of eight sessions. The Forum is a two-year experience of spiritual formation, focusing on worship, study, and spiritual community. Applications will now be taken through September 15. For applications, and/or information, contact Robin Harry (rharry@nccumc.org), 919-832-9560, or Jimmy Weaver (j234weaver@yahoo.com), 252-747-3723.
Love God, Honor the Land, Celebrate Community
Theology and Medicine at Duke Divinity School and The Duke Endowment are hosting Love God, Honor the Land, Celebrate Community as a gathering to celebrate rural communities and the ministry of rural churches on Friday and Saturday, September 22-23 at Cedar Grove United Methodist Church in Cedar Grove. This two day gathering is to honor the faithfulness of rural churches in sustaining a vision for thriving rural communities throughout North Carolina. If you plan to attend, please reply by email to: theomed@div.duke.edu There is no registration fee, but a ticket is required for your attendance. You may also call for your ticket: (919) 383-0615, ext. 105. For more information and to download the flyer, please see: www.theomed.divinity.duke.edu
Youth gathering for Camp Song Sing-a-Long “Come Together”
”Come Together” to sing your favorite praise and worship songs and fellowship with other United Methodist youth on Saturday, September 23, Edenton Street UMC in Raleigh, 4-7 pm. This is a great time to see old friends from Conference youth events and to make new ones. All United Methodist Youth are welcome! Price of admission is a box of cereal or a plastic jar of peanut butter to be donated to the Food Bank of NC. Snacks will be provided. What better way to get ready for Pilgrimage? Please RSVP to the design team at camp_song_sing_a_long@yahoo.com. Endorsed by Conference Youth Ministry.
Two health ministries continuing education programs
Theology and Medicine at Duke Divinity School is offering two health ministries continuing education programs in October: 1) A one-day overview of health ministries and congregational nursing on Saturday, Oct. 14 . 2) A six-day basic preparation course on Friday-Wednesday, Oct 13-18. For details and application forms: http://www.divinity.duke.edu/programs/theomed/hnm/
Faith and Money – with Ched Myers
On October 14, beginning at 9:00 A.M., at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Durham, educator and theologian Ched Myers will talk about “Sabbath Economics,” the biblical call for all to use resources and assets so there is enough for all--otherwise known as “the kingdom” and “the beloved community.” Learn practical ways and practices to effectively answer the questions of how can investments provide return, while at the same time finance homes and businesses for struggling families. Cost of the day for materials and a meal is only $15. Ched will preach at Duke Chapel on the morning of October 15. More to follow. Please set aside these dates.
Mental health conference
A mental health conference will be held at St. Mark’s UMC in Raleigh on November 7. For more information and to register click on link: http://www.nccmentalhealth.org The main speaker is the Reverend Susan Gregg-Schroeder. She is a nationally recognized leader, speaker, and author in connecting congregations and mental health ministries. Susan is the mental health coordinator for the California-Pacific Conference of the UMC.
Support PAT & Walt EBERT, our missioners to Haiti
Patricia (#13152Z) & Walter (#13151Z) Ebert are NC missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church assigned to the United Methodist Committee on Relief Guest House in Port au Prince, Haiti. Pat & Walt are co-coordinators of the United Methodist Volunteer in Mission Program in Haiti. Support Walt & Pat through Advance Giving by making an offering through an individual church (check made out to the church) with the designation to support Advance numbers - #13152Z and #13151Z. One hundred percent of your gift will go toward their support. For more information also see our missionaries page: http://nccmission.org/our_missionaries.htm Connect with Walt & Pat through their web page at: http://prayerpartnerx2.faithweb.com/ For Pat & Walt’s biographies, please see: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries/biographies/index.cfm?action=details&id=146&Submit=Go
Missionary covenant relationship
Experience the ministry of presence through face-to-face encounters with mission personnel during their scheduled periods of itineration. Learn how to become a 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-umc.org/who_we_are/mp/covenant.cfm#acceptform
Grants for Older Adult Ministries
In an effort to support ministries by, with, and for older adults, the United Methodist Committee on Older Adult Ministries has a limited amount of grant money available for older adult ministries. The purpose of the grants is to help local United Methodist congregations, districts, annual conference, central conference, and UM chaplains and UM-related institutions develop intentional, innovative, and creative ministries with older adults. In order to request funding, grant applications must be completed and submitted with a postmark no later than January 15, 2007. The grant application is available on line at www.aging-umc.org or by contacting our office.
Mission Team to Cuba is Fined
A National Council of Churches USA member communion has been fined $34,000 by a U.S. government agency for allegedly engaging in tourist activities during recent mission visits to churches in Cuba. Stan Hastey, executive director of the Alliance of Baptists, said the Treasury. Department misinterpreted some mission activities as tourism—in one case because the religious work took place in a beach town near Havana. The department’s fine for the Alliance came shortly after administration officials issued a report calling for further restrictions on religious groups in Cuba with which U.S. groups could work. For the full article, please see: http://www.ncccusa.org/news/060809alliancecuba.html For the United Methodist resolution calling for an end to the Cuban Embargo, please see: http://nccmission.org/cuban_embargo.htm For the United Methodist resolution calling for free speech in Cuba, please see: http://nccmission.org/free_speech_in_cuba.htm
