2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
June 7 through 10, 2017 at Hofstra University
Request to be Excused from Annual Conference
It is Bishop Bickerton’s expectation that all clergy and elected laity will be in attendance at the 2017 Annual Conference Session.
If an absence is necessary – the individual – clergy, laity, provisional members and local pastors – must report by letter (written – email acceptable) to the Conference Secretary (confsecy@nyac.com) the reason for the absence. Book of Discipline ¶602.8.
The request must be submitted by May 26, 2017.
Reports, Petitions, Resolutions
All reports, petitions and corporate resolutions to be considered by the annual conference shall be in the hands of the conference secretary six weeks before the beginning date of the annual conference in order to be included in the pre-conference reports booklet. The 2017 due date is April 26. Please email your document to Margaret Howe, conference secretary, at confsecy@nyac.com.
Please see the Conference Rules in the 2015 Journal for exceptions to these deadlines (www.nyac.com/2015journal - Section X, Rule 27)
The pre-conference report documents will be posted here beginning in early April.
More Information
Annual Conference Choir
All are invited to sing God's praise with this year’s choir on Saturday, June 10th. Saturday’s rehearsal time is 8:45 a.m.; Ordination Service begins at 10 a.m.
For any additional information please contact Raymond Trapp, Director of Music or Ian Wharton, Coordinator at music.worshipnyac@gmail.com.
Babysitting & Children’s Programming
The conference is offering Safe Sanctuaries-certified babysitting (infants and pre-schoolers) and children’s programming (school aged) free of charge. You will be able to request babysitting during the registration. If you sign up for this option, Cassandra Negri, NYAC children’s ministries consultant, will be in touch with you with more information as we move closer to the conference.
Day of Dance Conference
All are invited to participate in the 3rd Annual Day of Dance Conference to be held from Saturday, April 8 to Sunday, April 9th. All are welcome. No experience is needed. Some dance pieces will be used to minister throughout the conference. However, all are welcome to participate in the Day of Dance Conference.
Please contact Rev. Sheila M. Beckford at Sheila.Beckford@nyac-umc.com for more information.
Display Tables
Ministry display tables on the upper level of the arena are available with reservations through Rev. Matt Curry. Please email your request to mcurry@nyac.com or in writing to: Rev. Matt Curry, NYAC, 20 Soundview Ave, White Plains, NY 10606-3302. Space is offered to conference and church agencies on a first-come, first-served basis.
Directions to Hofstra University
Click here for detailed directions.
Health Kits
Health kits provide basic necessities to people who have been forced to leave their homes because of human conflict or natural disaster.
These kits will be collected on Wednesday and Thursday in the arena. For information about building a health kit, go to: www.umcor.org/UMCOR/Relief-Supplies/Relief-Supply-Kits/Health
Live Streaming
All events in the arena (where the worship and plenary sessions take place) will be lived streamed and include captioning for the hearing impaired. Live streaming begins with Opening Worship on Wednesday, June 7. The link to the live stream will be posted here.
Shirley Parris Award
Please visit the Laity Resources page for more information about the Shirley Parris Award.
Volunteers Needed!
Please consider signing up to volunteer.
Ushers
You are invited to sign up to be an usher at the Annual Conference Session. Once we have the list of volunteers we will send an email outlining the types of ushers: communion, offering, voting, general. Please sign up during registration.
There will be a set of instructions for each type of usher. Because there will be changes to the “way we have always done things,” there will be a required “walk through” for Communion Ushers, prior to Opening Worship.
Your responsibilities and performance as an Usher are critical to making our events at conference run smoothly.
Worship Team Assistants
The Worship Team invites all clergy and laity with gifts and passion for creative and inspiring worship to join us in planning various services for annual conference. If you are interested, please contact co-chairs Rev. Heather Sinclair (heather.sinclair@nyac-umc.com) or Rev. Alex da Silva Souto (alex.souto@nyac-umc.com).
Other Opportunities
During registration there is an opportunity to sign up for other assistance: Hospitality/greeter, stage hand and assistance with “Telling Your Story.” Your help will be greatly appreciated!
Workshops
Workshops are back by popular demand! After the success of last year’s ministry workshops, we will be offering new opportunities for members of Annual Conference to experience meaningful and relevant ideas to take back to their local churches. Descriptions of the workshops and presenters will be available here soon.
Topics for 2017 will follow our conference emphasis on Disciple-making and may include: The Church and People with Disabilities; Developing Men’s Ministry; Making Disciples through Local Missions; Preaching in Contentious and Uncertain Times; 21st Century Disciple-making, and Small Group Development/Implementation.