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Rev. Dr. Denise Smartt Sears, Superintendent
Rev. Dr. William G. Smartt, Assisting Elder | Mr. QuiShaun Hill, Administrative Asst.

Metropolitan District, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1922, New York, NY 10115
Phone: (212) 870-3090 | Fax: (212) 870-3091
METdistrict@nyac-umc.com
New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church

METNews - January 2017



Rev. Dr. Denise Smartt Sears

Happy New Year

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing!" (Issac Watts 1719, Arr. G. F. Handel, 1741)

I long to sing this song at the beginning of each year. The calamities or anxieties faced last year do not negate the joy the Lord gives. It is our responsibility to make room to embrace the joy of the Lord.

We cannot afford to sing favorite Christmas carols without paying attention to the words. The lyrics proclaim the newness of the Lord and remind us of the new life we have in Christ daily. We live as those who are forgiven and redeemed. We walk by faith, actively seeking a deeper relationship with Christ.

Sing to the Lord a new song because (God) has done wonderful things! (God’s) own strong hand and (God’s) own holy arm have won the victory! 

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth! 
Be happy! Rejoice out loud! Sing your praises! 

Let all the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains rejoice out loud altogether before the Lord because (God) is coming to establish justice on the earth! (God) will establish justice among all people fairly. Pslam 98: 1-2;7- 9 CEV

We may not have all the answers today but we will walk in faith. We are on the journey and we look to God for the new thing God is going to do with us and through us in 2017.

Be encouraged!


Denise A. Smartt Sears



 

REGISTER NOW:
https://ny-reg.brtapp.com/2017METDistrictLeadershipTraining



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You are cordially invited to participate in a health clinic at New York Methodist Hospital. Each year United Methodist ministers and/or their spouses come from the New York Conference to enjoy this experience with us. 


In the four days you are here you will receive a thorough physical examination and any follow-up tests that may be indicated. There will also be time to tour the hospital and participate in seminars on recent developments in health care. You will get a penetrating view of your mission hospital at work. In addition, you will be performing a unique function for us, for your presence here will remind the entire hospital family of our ties to the “People called Methodist,” which go back over 130 years.

Overnight accommodations and virtually all expenses beyond a $50 registration fee are covered by the hospital. Active pastors and/or their spouses from the New York Conference are eligible to participate, together or singly (once every five years). The details and registration form are included in the document linked below.

The dates for 2017 are:
February 6-10
April 24-28
October 23-27

For more information, please contact Rev. Elizabeth Braddon at 203-481-2789, 631-487-2292 (cell) or elizabeth.braddon@gmail.com.

pastors-clinic-brochure-reg-form-2017.pdf   


 

learning living being vital

 
 

Free Leadership Development Webinars

Register at www.umcdiscipleship.org/webinars

Contact: Jacqui King – Director, Leadership for Congregational Vitality

jking@umcdiscipleship.org              615.340.7295

 

Tues., January 17 @ 7:00 PM CST – Leadership Overview: Leading Congregations Effectively in a Global World – The world is dynamic.  Technology creates new avenues for leaders from around the world to meet, pray, study, connect, and serve God together in a global context.  This webinar will help leaders discover tools for reaching new people, praying for healing community, focusing on increasing spiritual practices, engaging in relevant outreach, and celebrating a culture of discipleship. 

Tues., January 24 @ 7:00 PM CST – Church Council: What’s My Role?  Begin the year for new and continuing leaders by connecting your leadership with an overview of the year ahead. The church council or leadership team will discover important support resources for building and overseeing a comprehensive plan for ministry and discipleship. Additional resources for discerning the feasibility of using a single-board leadership model, conducting community assessments, and evaluating decision-making practices are included.

Tues., January 31 @ 7:00 PM CST - SPRC: What’s My Role?  Understanding the roles and ongoing responsibilities of staff parish relations committee (SPRC) is crucial for creating a healthy work place for all staff. Since building effective and vital ministries is our focus, this webinar explores strategies for goal setting,  practices for increasing staff accountability to your congregation’s goals, benefit recommendations, and ideas on promoting positive relationship development.

Tues., February 7 @ 7:00 PM CST - Trustees – What’s My Role? – The trustees committee is elected by the congregation to lead in the stewardship of property. Participating in this webinar will help provide trustees with key tools for managing current and future property. This administrative leadership role involves implementing new ideas for effective property utilization, and managing property and assets. Whether you are a new trustee or a continuing trustee, consider this time of the year a good time to look at the big picture of your responsibility.


Archived Webinars: Maybe you missed the webinar for your leadership area or you want to share it with the team. Webinars are archived for future use.  Identify the webinar, click the link, enter the requested information, and the webinar will be immediately available for you to view or to share during your meeting, program, or training event.  Access the archived webinars at http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/leadership-resources/archived-webinars

These webinars are made possible by World Service Fund support!


 

Dear Treasurers and Finance Chairs (cc: to Pastors),

Happy New Year!  My very best wishes for a new year filled with peace, joy and good health.  

With the close of the calendar year I want to encourage you to do all you can to pay 2016 conference apportionments in full.  The cut-off date for receiving funds is Wednesday, January 11th  

If your church cannot pay apportionments in full, please consider exceeding your previous year's payment percentage. 

If you have any questions about the status of your payments please call Fran Collins at 914-615-2223.  She will be happy to speak with you.

Please know that any level of payment is greatly appreciated and that we take our responsibility to be good stewards of these funds very seriously.

I know how difficult fulfilling this obligation can be.  Many of our churches are challenged by deteriorating buildings, declining attendance, aging populations and members on fixed incomes.  Between costs for building upkeep and staffing it can be difficult to raise money for mission and ministry.  But mission and ministry is our calling and core to our Wesleyan faith.   

Apportionments are the vehicle through which our member churches help fund missions and ministries within our Conference, our nation and the world to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

The “connectional” structure of our denomination means that your apportionments go toward:

  • providing healthcare for retired pastors of our Conference
  • supporting ministries of social concern and justice for the poor and disenfranchised
  • supporting soup kitchens, feeding programs, food pantries, after-school programs and a variety of ministries in each of our six districts to help people through difficult times
  • underwriting age-level programs in our Conference such as the Council of Youth Ministries, Older Adult Ministries and Children’s Ministries
  • providing scholarships to students that feel called to ministry
  • and helping the Conference to run efficiently and effectively by providing leadership from our Bishop, our six District Superintendents and the Connectional Ministries and Finance offices

There are too many other uses of apportionments to list here, but you get the idea! 

Sincerely,  Ross


2 bishops rule on ordination questions

By Heather Hahn
Jan. 3, 2017 | UMNS

What is the role of conference boards of ordained ministry in determining whether clergy candidates meet United Methodist standards related to homosexuality and marriage?

Two bishops ruled on questions of church law stemming from that issue, meeting the Dec. 31 deadline set by the Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court.

Specifically, the church court required Bishop Sally Dyck, who leads the Northern Illinois Conference, and retired Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, who just completed leadership of the New York Conference, to answer two questions:

  1. Are conference boards of ordained ministry required to ascertain whether a clergy candidate is a “self-avowed practicing homosexual?”
  2. Can the boards legally recommend clergy candidates they believe to be in violation of denominational standards of celibacy in singleness or fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman?

In each of their rulings, both bishops took issue with the words “ascertain” and “believe.”

“Members of the Board of Ordained Ministry are not required to affirmatively initiate an investigation to ascertain the sexuality of candidates for ministry, nor can they base their votes on subjective beliefs and opinions about candidates not based on fact,” wrote Middleton in a decision sent to the Judicial Council on Dec. 20.

Similarly, Dyck wrote in a decision published Dec. 31: “To believe something doesn’t necessarily mean that one knows for certain. If someone on the Board of Ordained Ministry or in the clergy session believes they know something about a candidate, this is hearsay unless the candidate volunteers the information.”

The board’s responsibility and authority is “to be satisfied as to the ‘highest ideals’ of the candidates as they examine and discern their readiness and fitness for ministry,” Dyck wrote.

The rulings follow last year’s public announcements from the New York and Northern Illinois conference boards of ordained ministry that they would not consider sexual orientation and gender identity in the clergy candidacy process. Both conferences have long advocated for ending the denomination’s restrictions related to LGBTQ individuals.

In December, Dyck ruled her conference board’s statement out of order. In her order, Middleton said, “if a person being evaluated is known, by extrinsic evidence or self-admission, to be a self-avowed practicing homosexual, they cannot be commissioned or ordained under the rules of the Discipline.”              

The bishops’ rulings are the most recent development in the denomination’s intensifying debate, and the decisions are not the final word.

The Judicial Council must review all bishops’ rulings of law. The court next meets in April.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING


2016 -2017 Metropolitan District
Church Conference Schedule

(v. 1.3.2017) - PLEASE NOTE Changes in dates and times

DATE DAY CHURCH TIME
1/3/17 Tuesday Chinese 7pm
1/5/17 Thursday Bethel 7pm
1/17/17 Tuesday Tremont 7pm
1/22/17 Sunday Calvary after svc
1/29/17 Sunday John Street after svc
1/31/17 Tuesday Westchester 730 pm
 

  


The January meeting will take place:
Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 7pm
Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church
3757 White Plains Road, Bronx, NY 10467

 

BMCR Weekend
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017 - 10am - 2pm
BMCR Worship Service, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017
3:30pm at First United Methodist Church, Mt. Vernon


Employment Opportunities


COMING EVENTS


 



If you plan to attend, please RSVP at the telephone number or email address above.
Please be sure to include any dish you may bring, as it is a potluck style luncheon. 


RECURRING EVENTS



SAVE THE DATE



 

2017-bishops-convocation-flyer.pdf    2017layleadershiptrainingflyer.pdf    convocationforpastorsofblackchurches.jpg    lssdates.pdf    postedschedule10-final.docx    

Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.