Butler District

BUCKET LIST

E-news January 5, 2017 Volume VI Issue1

District calendar

Jan 4-5Cabinet Meeting

Jan 12FINAL DAY TO SUBMIT CONNECTIONAL APPORTINMENTS

Jan 16Martin Luther King Day

Jan 17-19Cabinet Meeting

Jan 20-22SPARK

Jan25Order of Elder – Grove City 10 AM

Jan 30Year end Statistic Report due. Login to Erza

Feb 16DCOOM

Mar6(Date change) Local Pastors meeting with Joel

at the Conference Center 10 AM – 1:00 PM

Mar 24District Spring Party - Monaca UMC

May 7DistrictConference details to follow.

May 11DCOOM

June 15DCOOM – reorganizational meeting

Clergy Family Birthdays

January

1Melanie Gillgrist

2William LaVelle

7Anne Phipps

8Harriet Hutton

Dan Owen

11Sheelagh Bonomo

15 Denise Myers

16 Kate McIlwain

21 Bishop George Bashore

23 Debra Flint

25 Chuck Adkins

30 Mary Grey Emmett

31 Janice Hall

IT’S TIME! Charge Conferences have all been completed, so it’s time to update your leadership information on the church dashboard. If you need help logging in – please call the district office. 724-252-3198.

The Conference Center will begin using this updated information for 2017 mailings

Confirmation Class Visits: Registration is open for 2017 Confirmation Class visits to the United Methodist Center. The students will spend time with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and learn about ministries and mission from staff members. See dates and details.

prayer concerns and joys

  • Please remember to keep in prayer:
  • Continued prayer for Pastor Jan Davis as she recovers from an auto accident. Jan has been moved to
  • Continued prayer for Rev Chance & Chelsea Kelosky and their infant daughter.
  • Prayer for the New Year: The annual Prayer for the New Year offered by the WPAUMC-East German Partnership may be used in churches anytime in January. See prayer.

ORIENTATION TO MINISTRY

An Orientation to Ministry, sponsored by the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, will be held on Saturday, Jan.7 at Kittanning First UMC. It’s open to anyone interested in learning more about the various types of set-apart ministry in the UMC.Get details. Reservation must be made by January 5.

DiSTRICT BULLETIN BOARD

LAST DAY!!!!Your 2016 Connectional Apportionment

must be received at the UM Center by

Thursday, January 12, 2017

ALL payments must be physically received by the Conference Center by the close of business on January 12, 2017. Any payment received by the Conference Center after January 12, 2017 will be applied to 2017. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Roger White 724-776-2300 ext. 239 or Holly Sawyer 724-776-2300 ext. 261 directly.

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STATISTIC REPORTS – Again this year arrangements have been made with the General Council on Finance & Administration to use for reporting the 2016 Statistical Tables.
You can find the link to the forms by typing the URL address or on our website home page by clicking on Districts and then find Statistical Forms under Important Links.

Please refer to recent emails send by John Wilson, and the Butler District Office, for your login information.
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Scam Alert: Some Western PA Conference churches recently have been targets of a scam in which a request for wire transfers of significant amounts of money come from what appears to be the senior pastor’s email address. Learn more.

Concord UM Church in North Sewickley (Beaver Falls) is seeking a full time Director of Youth Ministry. Copies of the Job Description can be obtained at the church office or on Concord’s Web Site – celebrateconcord.com. (Information is on the front page of our site.) If you would like to be considered for this position, either mail your resume to Pastor John Phipps at Concord UM Church – 285 Concord Church Rd. – Beaver Falls, PA 15010 or e-mail it to him at

Volant UMC, 1100 Main St, Volant, PA

Pianist wanted for Volant United Methodist Church.For the 11:00 service. If interested call Pastor Loren McQueen at 724-766-6754.

Human Relations Day: On Jan. 15, 2017, United Methodists will celebrate God's call to empower people who struggle and equip change agents to transform the world. Download resources from the Human Relations Day leader and pastor's kit.

Clergy Corner

Clergy Communities of Practice
Will be gearing up all around the Western Pennsylvania Conference beginning inJanuary, 2017. Keep your eyes and ears open for more information about how you can participate in a Clergy Community of Practice. Invitations and applications will go out in November. For more information about this opportunity, .


WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
ECUMENICAL MINISTERIAL
EUCHARIST
HOSTED BY THE SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SYNOD EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA THURSDAY
JANUARY 19, 2017
OAK GROVE LUTHERAN CHURCH
432 HARKINS MILL RD.
ZELIENOPLE, PA 16063
LITURGY AT 11:00 AM + LUNCH AT 12:00 PM Suggested Lunch Donation: $7
THE ELCA IS PLEASED TO BE IN FULL COMMUNION WITH: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) + Episcopal Church (U.S.A.) United Church of Christ + United Methodist Church +
The Reformed Church in America + Moravian Church in North America THE ELCA CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS REJOICES IN THE COMMON
STATEMENT OF MISSION WITH THE BOARD OF BISHOPS OF THE African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church RSVP to Sandy DeLorenze, Executive Assistant to Bishop Kurt Kusserow
(412) 367-8222 - or - Please reply by Thursday, January 12 (including dietary restrictions)
Young Clergy Forum: Young clergy serving full time in a local church are invited to the General Board of Church and Society’s January 24-27gathering in Washington, DC. Contact Rev. Kelly Smith, chair of the WPAUMC Board of Church and Society, at for info and/or financial assistance. Get details.
Clergy Wellness:To encourage clergy to care for themselves, the Conference Health as Wholeness team offers information and a self-care covenant in this Clergy Wellness brochure.
Find additional resources and information at Wespath’s Center for Health.

YOUTH

New Ministry Coordinator: Amanda Gilligan officially starts work Dec. 1 as our Conference’s new part-time coordinator of Young People’s Ministry. Get details.
SPARK 2017is scheduled for Friday, January 20, 2017 to Sunday, January 22, 2017at Sheraton Station Square, 300 W Station Square Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Details to be announced.
Youth Leaders: Last Chance to Register for SPARK is Friday, January 6! The weekend begins Friday evening, Jan. 20. Get details.
Register for SPARK Now! The annual Conference Youth Weekend at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh is Jan. 20-22, 2017. But the deadline to register at the early bird rate is Nov. 4!Don’t miss the chance to get a significant discount. Get details.
Getting Comfortable with Discomfort: Youth from Western Pennsylvania experienced some discomfort about 10 days ago while watching the documentaryI’m Not a Racist...Am I? But they gotto look at things from otherperspectives -- and talk about it. Learn more.
Youth Zim Camp: Applications are now available for the 2017 Youth Zim Camp.
The dates are June 20- July 5. Get details and application.

YOUTH 2019

The next national gathering of United Methodist youth will be July 10-14, 2019, in Kansas City, Missouri. Young People’s Ministries, a division of Discipleship Ministries, is announcing details of the event to give churches time to plan for their youth to attend. The national gathering for United Methodist youth takes place every four years. Read press release

Upcoming Events

Professional Association of UM Church Secretaries: Registration is open for theassociation’s annual gathering for church secretaries. It’s May 4-6, 2017in Chicago. Encourage your church secretary to attend. Get details.

Healing Communities: Rev. Sandy Strauss, director of public advocacy for the PA Council of Churches will lead a Healing Communities training on Saturday January 7from 1-6 p.m. at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. It will provide resources to equip congregations to build ministries of healing, redemption and reconciliation in families/communities impacted by crime and incarceration. Get flyer with details.

Thrive - Ministry on the Edge

April 30 – May 2, 2017

Double Tree by Hilton, Pittsburgh, PA,15205

Cutting Edge Speakers

Interactive Breakouts

Travel/Lodging - Book Room now

Registration opens November 1st Western PA Scholarship Form

EUMA Extravaganza

The new date is Friday, February 24, 2017. The event will be held at the Bel-Aire Hotel and Conference Center, 2800 W 8th St, Erie, PA 16505. The date change will follow a complete renovation of the hotel and convention center and give the EUMA board and staff an opportunity to complete a strategic planning process – the outcomes of which will be announced at the banquet. We are honored to announce that Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and members of her cabinet are planning to participate. Additional details will follow and thank you for saving the date. Visit our website at

Save the Date!Mark your calendars for March 23, 2017, when the Conference will sponsor a workshop in conjunction with the Albright-Deering Lecture at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Dr. Paul W. Chilcote, Professor of Historical Theology & Wesleyan Studies at Ashland Theological Seminary, will speak. He describes the workshop as a time for “participants to immerse themselves in the time-honored practices of prayer, scripture, and Eucharist, not only talking about but experiencing God’s lavish grace.”

Washington District Lay Servant School 2017

First UM Church, Washington, at 29 North College St, Washington, PA 15301

Courses:

  • Spirit Gifts
  • Living Our Beliefs: The UM Way
  • Go Preach
  • Lay Servants lead in Conflict Resolution

March 5,12,19,26 & April 2 2:00 PM—4:30 PM

Opening Worship Service with Our New Bishop!

Sunday, March 5th

2:00 PM Opening worship service with Bishop Cynthia

3:00 PM Meet & greet Bishop Cynthia

3:30 PM Start of classes

What a great way to start this year’s school off!

Snacks and drinks.

Child care provided.

Come for a great time of fellowship and learning!

Pastors' Academy at Olmsted Manor May 22-24, 2017with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi.Come gather with your peers as you learn and dig deeper into the ministry of serving a church.This event is in coordination with the Continuing Education efforts of the WPA Conference and is intended to help clergy meet their education requirements and fulfill their spiritual needs.​Continuing Education Units: 1

The 5th Annual Faith Night will be held on Thursday, August 17, 2017. Enjoy discounted tickets for the Pirates-Cardinals game at 7:05 pm and stay after the game to hear from Manager Clint Hurdle and many more Pirates Players and Coaches discuss how faith has impacted their lives, both on and off the field.The Faith Night presentation will last approximately 45 minutes.Early bird pricing for groups of 15 or more. Contact Chad Glover at (412) 325-4756 or or Ryan Vizzini at (412) 325-4777 or .

Resources

Sharing Church:The Church of the Resurrection has developed a website to share resources aimed at helping to renew local churches and expand ministries.Resources include sermon series, curriculum for small groups, tips for preparing for mission trips and more. Read story

Equipping Leaders: New guidebooks from UMC Discipleship Resources are available for training your church’s laity in leadership, key staff and pastor. Learn more at TeamWorksUMC.org.

Webinars

See full list of upcoming webinars atgbod.org/webinars

Disaster Response

US & PA Flooding

Give monetary donations to WPA Disaster Response (Advance Special #DR0000911) for the response, including supplies, administration and volunteer support, and direct assistance to survivors of the Connellsville area.

We are still collecting Cleaning Buckets, Health Kits, and Bedding Kits as well as monetary donations through Advanced Special #wv2016 (West Virginia Flooding). We will continue to receive these at the Conference Center andthe Eastbrook Mission Barn and its satellites for the next few months. Items may be dropped off at any time, even after hours, at the UM Conference Center or Eastbrook Mission Barn at your convenience.

UMCOR KitsCleaning buckets, health kit, and bedding kitingredients can be gathered by local communities and congregations.UMCOR kits can bereceived at Eastbrook Mission Barn,at the Conference Center or at one of theofficial Mission Barn sub-depots.Eastbrook Mission Barn is on call to deploy their kits through the UMCOR Relief Supply Network through their national system. Kits collected in UMCOR's nameare UMCOR property and unverified kits cannot be given out in UMCOR's name by localgroups.

WPA/Zimbabwe Partnership -Butler/Mutare Districts

To learn more about the Zimbabwe Partnership, contact Sandra Matoushaya


Zimbabwe Partnership – Butler District/Mutare District

For more information, contact: Sandra Matoushaya, Zimbabwe Partnership Coordinator 724.776.2300 x249

To learn more about the Zimbabwe Partnership, contact Sandra Matoushaya at or 724.776.2300 ext. 249.

•Butler Mutare District Parsonage and Gwese Orphanage Trust

Improving Health in Zimbabwe: In a community so rural that elephants frequently wander through and the only access to a mobile phone network is under a single tree,UMC facilities are providing quality medical care. With the help of United Methodists in Western PA, the Nyadire Mission Hospital’s satellite clinics in six remote Zimbabwe communities are being expanded and upgraded. Read Eveline Chikwanah’s report from Zimbabwe.

UMCOR has a four-star rating, the highest, on Charity Navigator, with 92 percent of its income going to programs/projects and just 7 percent on administrative expenses. Most administrative costs are funded by the denomination through One Great Hour of Sharing offerings. See Charity Navigator report.

UMCOR Hotline is on hiatus as it moves to the new General Board of Global Ministries headquarters in Atlanta. In the meantime, you can stay connected with UMCOR through Facebook.

UMCOR Kit Update:A moratorium has been issued on collection of birthing kits and cleaning buckets. There's an oversupply of both.Health kits and sewing kits and school bags are needed. Rev.Nelson Thayer reports that the Eastbrook Mission Barnparticularly needsbags for school kits. "Ingredients"are on hand.

If donors wish to contribute to Eastbrook Mission Barn shipments or kit creation through an Advance Specialplease use the WPA Advance special #MS002009B. Any money given through Advance #901440 goes to UMCOR at Sager Brown or Salt Lake City.,

Get Kit Instructions. UMCOR website click here.

Click here to access the latest Mission News publication.

UMVIM/UMCOR Training Academy: Registration is open for the Northeast Jurisdiction’s 2017 Academy, set for March 26-29 at Pocono Plateau Camp and Retreat Center in Cresco, PA. Get details

Mission VIMpossible?What’s that? Watch video
2017 Conference VIM Teams

Find out how to apply for a team and see new teams as they are announced at wpaumc.org/opportunities.

Costs include travel, housing, most meals and VIM insurance.

Contact Rev. Stephanie Gottschalk for more information, .

Early Response Team training, for those interested in specialized Disaster Response VIM teams, will be held Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ingomar UMC. Cost is $20. Clearances are required. Get details and register.

2017 VIM Brochures are available in any amount upon request. We will mail print copies to you or you can download the inner portion yourself. It is not too early to start praying, planning, and fundraising now! Contact Rev. Stephanie Gottschalk, Missions/VIM Coordinator by Email or call 724.776.23000 ext. 241.

Bahamas Young Adult Team – January 8-14, 2017: The high cost of imported goods, tropical storms and low unemployment on the outer islands mean many Bahamians struggle with sub-par living and health conditions. Join with Bahamas Methodist habitat in their work to change the future. Ages 18-35. Estimated cost: $1450.

Texas Disaster Recovery Team – February 2017: In 2015 and 2016, areas of Texas had massive flood damage from repeated storms which made the cleanup and ongoing recovery a struggle. Staying in as local church, this team will continue the recovery work and strengthen the UMC in Texas. Age 16+. Estimated cost: $500.

Mission VIMpossible Pilgrimage to Germany: Western PA UMs are invited to join a spiritual pilgrimage, On the Trail of Martin Luther, in Germany from April 19 – May 1, 2017. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and a major turning point in the Protestant Reformation. Collette Tour Company, will support WPA Volunteer-in-Mission Scholarships to help make VIM service possible for all God's people. Cost: 3,990. Luther Trail Webinar:Get details

House of the Carpenter Team – June 18-24, 2017 in Wheeling, West Virginia. Join House of the Carpenter in holistic approach to mission and community development. Volunteers engage the community for mercy, justice and spiritual formation. This team will focus on home repair and other tasks. Age 14 - Adult. Cost $375.

Red Bird Family Team – July 9-15, 2017: In Eastern Kentucky, chronic poverty makes life a struggle for people in this mountainous area of Appalachia. Volunteers enable Red Bird Mission to builds up the community and witness to Christ. Kids age 7-12 with adult, Youth (age 13+) and Adults. Estimated cost: $600 for Youth and Adults. Kids: $450.

UMCOR Sager Brown Team – July 30-August 5, 2017: Join the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in the work of disaster response and fighting poverty at Sager Brown, their main warehouse and shopping depot. Volunteers engage in local outreach and in preparing relief supply kits as signs of comfort and hop to a community in distress. Age 16+. Estimated cost $2,500.