Welcome to The North Carolina Conference of The UMC

10/09/06

UMW Annual Meeting is October 14

Faith and Money Opportunities
Hear Ched Myers at Duke Chapel on Sunday, Oct. 15, 11 am. His sermon title is "The Kingdom of God as Discipleship Practice of Commonwealth." Also, you are invited to a conversation between Ched and the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NC NAACP on Monday, Oct 16, 7 p.m., at the Hayti Heritage Center, in Durham. On Tuesday, Oct 17, 7 p.m., at the Mad Hatter Cafe and Bakeshop, 1802 W. Main St., Durham, there will be a follow-up conversation on "How do we move forward with personal and institutional change to socially responsible investing and Sabbath economics practice?" There is no charge for any of these opportunities.

Participate in the Holy Land tour in February 2007
Bishop Al Gwinn will lead a tour to the Holy Land next February and would like to take a large group with him from the NC Conference. If you are interested in being a tour host for the trip (you would need recruit only four for a free trip) you are invited to attend a lunch at 12 noon at Jarvis Memorial UMC on Thursday, Oct. 19, or at 12 noon on Friday, Oct. 20, at Hayes Barton UMC in Raleigh. Ed Crump from Educational Opportunities and Doug Jessee who has just returned from Israel, will be prepared to talk about safety concerns. If you are interested in hosting a group, please call the New Bern District office (252-635-9704) by Monday, Oct. 16, to sign up for the lunch.

Interested in ministry with Latino neighbors?
LATINO 101, a "Bridge Building" workshop, is for congregations interested in ministry with Latino neighbors. Some of the topics include Who are Latinos, Why do they come here, and How can churches help minister to the needs of these new neighbors? The workshop will be held Saturday, Oct. 21, 10 am - 3 pm, St Paul's Episcopal Church, 218 S 2ns Street, Smithfield. Registration fee is $20 covers a catered lunch and materials. Register online at www.nccouncilofchurches.org or e-mail Denise Long at dlong@nccouncilofchurches.org or call the Council office at 919-828-6501

Soapstone UMC is planning a work team to D'Iberville, Mississippi
Soapstone UMC is planning a work team to D'Iberville, Mississippi Oct. 21-28. The team is open to anyone who would like to attend. The cost will be no more than $450, possibly less. Anyone interested should contact Susan Harrison at sharrison@soapstoneumc.org or 846-2212 ext 318.

Partners in Wholeness: Congregations and Health Care - Seminar
On Oct. 26 at Calvary United Methodist Church in Durham from 8:30 am to 3:45 pm, a health care seminar will feature speakers on topics such as mental health in your congregation, health disparities among racial and ethnic groups, church leadership in mobilizing healthy communities, and end-of-life issues. A complete program and registration is available on line at www.nccouncilofchurches.org , by fax at 919-828-9697, or by snail mail at NCCC, 1307 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 156, Raleigh, 27605. The $20 registration fee includes the entire days activities and lunch. Students pay $10. Please register by Oct. 19. For questions, e-mail nccofc@nccouncilofchurches.org or phone 919-828-6501.

Register now for UMM Conference Rally on October 28
Conference UMM President Barry Merrill is urging all UMM groups to register on-line to attend the UMM Rally on Saturday, Oct. 28, beginning at 10 am at St. Paul's UMC in Goldsboro so accurate plans can be made for the conference. The event will feature baseball great Clyde King. One coordinator from each church should register with the number of men who will be attending. Registration is $10, which will cover lunch and some special gifts. Please register at www.ncumm.org by Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Centering Prayer and Outreach Retreat - October 26-29
The ecumenical 4th Day Retreat Mission Group and the Greensboro Servant Leadership School are co-sponsoring the Centering Prayer and Outreach Retreat at the St. Francis Springs retreat center in Stoneville Oct. 26-29. For registration and more information, please see: http://www.4thdayjourney.org/2006.10_info.htm or call Call 866.797.0966 and leave a message.

Church and Community Grant Request are due October 31
Church and Community Grant requests are due to the Office of Missions no later than Oct. 31 to be considered for Year 2007. Fax copies are acceptable if followed with a hard copy. If grants are approved, funds will normally be distributed by the end March 2007. You can download the process and the appropriate request and reporting forms at: http://nccmission.org/church_and_community_grant.htm

Mental health conference on November 7
The Conference Committee on Disability Concerns is sponsoring a Mental Health Conference for Clergy and Laity on Nov. 7 from 10 am-3 pm at St. Mark's UMC in Raleigh. Registration is $5.00 which includes lunch. To find out more about more about the conference and registration: www.nccmentalhealth.org .

Is your local church website listed on nccumc.org?
Would you like to have your church website listed on the "Local Church Websites" page of the North Carolina Conference web (nccumc.org) but don't know how? It's easy. Send an e-mail to Linda Smith ( lsmith@nccumc.org ) with your website address (example:http://www.yourwebsitename.org), church name, and a request that it be added to the list. She will post the listing and send an e-mail message to you confirming the posting. All United Methodist Church websites in the NC Conference are eligible to be listed on the "Local Church Websites" page.

Robeson County Church and Community Center needs your support
RCC&CC is one of our National Advance missions. Each year, it serves approximately 10,000 of our poorest and must vulnerable neighbors in the second most diverse rural county in the U.S., a place where almost 30% of the children live in poverty. RCC&CC lives out the mandate of Christ to meet Jesus in the "least of these." Please support this critical ministry by making an offering through your local church noting on your check or offering envelope: Robeson County Church and Community Center, Advance #791742.