TO: District Credentialed Personnel
RE: Annual Church Year-end Reports - 2016
It was English poet Geoffrey Chaucer who reminded us that, “Time and tide wait for no man”. I guess the same could be said for our year-end district and denominational reports. With Easter being so early this year (March 27th), everything seems to be hurried along by this pivotal event!
The District Conference Year will end April 30, 2016 and District Conference will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2015. Please open your calendar now and capture the details of this letter so you can forget about it until your calendar reminds you. This letter can also be found on the district website (www.enynewesleyan.org > Resourcing Ministry Tab > District Secretary).
General Information and The Portal
☐ District Conference 2016 - the date is June 11, 2016. It will be held at Fusion Community Church, 375 North Grand Street in Cobleskill, NY. Ordination will be held in the same location on Friday evening, June 10th at 6:30 p.m. Both of these events are “all-hands-on-deck” events in the life of our district and are worthy of 100% participation by our cadre of leaders.
☐ Local Church Conference - reserve the date of your annual Local Church Conference now for as soon after April 30th as possible. Connect with your treasurer (and whoever else needs to know) so they can do their advanced planning and give you the information you’ll need for your reports.
☐ Special Reports - Please review the following reports and give attention to caring for them:
· Salary & Benefits Guidelines – find this report on our website (Resourcing Ministry Tab > Pastor Downloads) and email it to .
· Conference Delegate Allotment Guide – This can found on the district website (Resourcing Ministry Tab > District Secretary) after April 1 and is for your information only.
· Conference Delegate Form – This will be emailed to you in March and is due following your Local Church Conference. You can also find it on the district website. It should be emailed to me at or mailed to 543 Ridge Road, Queensbury, NY 12804.
· Local Church Statistical Report – Immediately following your Local Church Conference, go to www.wesleyan.org/stats and log onto the Pastor Portal to fill out and submit your statistical report. These are due by May 20. District Statistician, Rev. David Norman can be reached at should you have questions.
· Annual Service Report - The completion of your Annual Service Report is vital to safeguarding your standing as a Wesleyan minister. As you may know, the Discipline requirement that anyone who has not turned in an Annual Service Report two years in a row will receive a warning. If no report is received for three years in a row, the conference is to require the minister in question to surrender their credentials (See Discipline 3059:4c; 3089:3; 3460; 3470). Exceptions can be made for medical reasons. So, to remain in good standing with The Wesleyan Church, file your Annual Service Report each and every year.
All reporting is done online through the Wesleyan Portal. To access the Pastor & Student Portals, go to www.wesleyan.org/stats. Enter the appropriate Portal and log in. When you select'Fill out your ASR', the report that is applicable to you will automatically open. Fill it out and submit. Unlike other years, you do not have to print and submit to the district office. The reports can be accessed by the district office at any time. All service reports are due by May 15.
Should you need further assistance, please contact me at or by phone at (518) 812-3787, or contact the district office at or (518) 793-4565.
These reports are a written reflection of the work of the Holy Spirit and the combined efforts of you and your people to win souls, disciple believers, and advance the Master’s Kingdom in your church and community. What you and your people have done this year is worthy of celebrating and reporting!
With appreciation,
Dean
Rev. Dean C. Brown
District Secretary