Niagara Frontier District E-Connection

February 1, 2017 www.NiagaraFrontierUNY.org

247 Cayuga Rd., Suite 70

Cheektowaga, NY 14225-1900

716-276-8631 fax: 716-276-8632

Rev. K. Wayne Butler, Superintendent

Jessica White, District Lay Leader

The E-Connection! is sent out near the 1st & 15th of each month.

(The next edition will go out February 15)

We are part of the Upper New York Annual Conference (12 Districts) – 168,000 members – 915 churches in 49 of New York State’s 62 counties!

The E-Connection can now also be found on the District webpage

~ Attachments ~ Catch the Spirit Workshops CTS Registration CONAM Help Wanted

Please note that all attachments may be accessed by a link in the e-mail message.

Calendar of Events
February 4 / 9:00 am – 3:30 pm / Informed to Transform 8 Training Day
Genesee Valley District / Webster UMC
February 4 / 9:00 am – 3:30 pm / 3rd Annual District Training Day
Cornerstone District / Bemus Point UMC
February 15 / DEADLINE FOR EZRA REPORTS
TO BE SUBMITTED
February 17-18 / Transforming Conflict in Our Faith Communities – Clergy Professional Development Retreat / Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center
Moravia
February 25 / 9:00 am – 3:00 pm / Catch the Spirit
District Discipleship Training Day / Clarence UMC
10205 Greiner Rd., Clarence
March 11 / 2:00 – 4:00 pm / CFA District “Listening” Session / Pendleton Center UMC
6864 Campbell Blvd., N. Tonawanda
March 26 / 11:30 am – 2:00 pm / Safe Sanctuary Training / Kenmore UMC
32 Landers Rd., Kenmore
March 31-April 2 / UP!WORD ’17 God Is
Conference Youth Gathering / Holiday Inn & Suites
441 Electronics Pkwy., Liverpool
April 28-29 / Lay Servant Training
Basic & Advanced Courses / Christ UMC
633 Linwood Ave., Olean
May 12-14 / 2017 CONAM Conference / North Eastern Jurisdiction
TBD
May 21 / 4:00 pm / District Laity Banquet / Samuel’s Grande Manor
Main St., Clarence
June 1-3 / Upper New York Annual Conference / OnCenter
Syracuse, NY

~ Prayer Concerns and Celebrations ~

Please keep the family of the Rev. Susan Nowicki in your prayers. Rev. Nowicki, 60, died on Friday, Jan. 6. She had been on incapacity leave since 2002. Her appointments included Colden, Orchard Park: Emmanuel and W. Seneca: New Hope UMC. Arrangements are incomplete, but a memorial service is planned for the late spring in the Niagara Frontier District.

Please keep the family of The Rev. C. Gordon Bloomberg in your prayers. Rev. Bloomberg, 92, passed away on Jan. 21; he was a retired associate member of the Upper New York Conference. Rev. Bloomberg is survived by seven children, 15 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. The funeral service was held at Christ First United Methodist Church, Jamestown. Read the obituary.


Alma C. Vogel, mother of Sally (Jim) Pollard and Dianne (Richard) Caldwell, passed away on January 20 at the age of 96. Rev. Jim Pollard is retired and currently appointed at Amherst: Christ UMC. Rev. Dick Caldwell is also a retired clergy whose charge conference is Hamburg UMC. A service to celebrate her life was held at St. Paul Lutheran in Elma. Condolences may be sent to Sally & Jim at 64 Charlestown Rd., Amherst NY 14226-4606 or to Dianne & Dick at 7 Woodland Pkwy, Angola NY 14006.

Condolences are extended to the family and friends of Russell Wickins. He was the father of Rev. David Wickins (Akron:First UMC). A graveside service will be held on Friday, February 3 at 1pm in Somerset Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Saturday, February 4 at the County Line UMC, 1385 County Line Rd. Lyndonville from 10-11am where a memorial service will be held at 11am. In lieu of flowers the family as asked for donations to Alzheimer's Association, www.ALZ.org. Click here to read the full obituary.

Please pray for the community and congregations of Hartland, Holland and Hope of Niagara County and clergy Richard Kempton, Tom Kraft, Jim Laun and Sung Ho Lee.

~ Local Church News ~

Buffalo: Central Park UMC (216 Beard Ave., Buffalo) will be hosting a Super Bowl Chili, Cornbread and Baked Goods Sale on Sunday, February 5 from Noon-3:00PM. $6 for your choice of either vegetarian or meat chili & cornbread; desserts sold separately. Take out or eat in.

Barker: Faith UMC (1449 Quaker Rd., Barker) HYMN & HERS hymn sing, led by Paul Ferington on pipe organ on Sunday, February 5 at 3pm. Please join us for a fun filled time as we not only sing, but learn about the history behind the hymns we sing.

(New) Buffalo: South Park UMC (73 Ashton Pl., Buffalo) South Park UMC will host the music and ministry of George Miller on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 10:30 A.M. A free-will offering will be taken and fellowship time will follow.

~ District and Conference News ~

(New) (2/1) 2016 Ministry Shares update – The Upper New York Conference celebrates the achievement of the 621congregations that as of Jan. 17 have paid 100% of their 2016 Ministry Shares. Because of their faithfulness, the people of the Upper New York Conference are making disciples of Jesus Christ and transforming the world. To see a list of congregations that have paid 100% of their 2016 Ministry Share, click here. This list will continue to be updated as needed. Questions regarding your church's Ministry Shares may be directed to Mike Weaver at (855) 424-7878 ext. 315 or . In Niagara Frontier District, 47 of our 76 churches paid 100% of their Ministry Shares! Thank you!!

We Have A Winner (or two…)!

Congratulations to Harris Hill UMC. They were the first church in the Niagara Frontier District to complete their year-end EZRA statistical reports. As a reward, the church will receive a $50 gift certificate for Paula’s Donuts to be used toward a coffee hour or other church event. So far eight churches in our district have completed reports and several have entered some data in one or more tables, but there are still quite a number of local churches who haven’t begun to enter data in the tables. Remember that the deadline for submission of your statistical reports is February 15. All reports need to be completed and submitted by that time!

Congratulations also go out to Orchard Park: Emmanuel UMC! Emmanuel was the first church in the district to complete and submit a copy of their 2016 audit to the district office – almost two months ahead of time. They also will receive a Paula’s gift certificate. The deadline for all audits is March 15. This is important as it affects our conference payments to the General Church – which in turn affects your shared ministries. So please contact someone who will be completing your church’s audit and help them with the information they need to get started on it.

Thanks to these congregations and their leadership for working together to complete these yearly tasks in such a timely manner!

(New) (2/1) UP!WORD '17 God Is. Our theme this year is short and to the point. UP!WORD '17 is an opportunity for youth from all over the conference to experience community and grow in their spiritual journey through worship experiences, workshops, late night activities and fun interactions. It will take place in Liverpool from Friday, March 31-Sunday, April 2. Click here to go to the registration site.


(Time Change!) (1/17) 2018 narrative budget draft available – An initial draft of the 2018 narrative budget is now available on the Upper New York Conference website. Click here to download. This draft is being made available two weeks before the first deadline for petitions and resolutions as a result of the action of the 2016 Annual Conference Session. Click here for details of the action taken at the 2016 Annual Conference Session regarding the 2018 budget.

Please be mindful that this is a very early draft of the 2018 budget that is being released to aid in the dialog around how we do ministry together. Please send questions, concerns, and potential edits to .

The dialogue around the 2018 budget will continue through the development of an FAQ on the Conference website, one-on-one interactions, and local listening sessions that are being organized by the Conference Council on Finance and Administration. This dialogue will culminate in an informed discussion of the 2018 budget at the 2017 Annual Conference Session when it is put forward for approval. Niagara Frontier District’s listening session is scheduled for Saturday, March 11 at Pendleton Center UMC from 2-4pm. (Time Change!)

(New) (2/1) Assigning a Camp and Retreat Ministries agent at your church – During the 2016 Upper New York Annual Conference, Bill Mudge brought forth a motion to require every UNY congregation to appoint a Camp & Retreat Agent with their leadership selection in 2016 to begin serving in 2017. This motion was supported. Now that it is 2017, Camp & Retreat Ministries would like to connect with the local church to be sure to get information about summer camp and other events into the hands of the appropriate person at each church.

Camp and Retreat Ministries is a partner of and resource to the local church in its faith formation and spiritual development goals. The Camp & Retreat Agents act as advocates and liaisons between the local church and Camp & Retreat Ministries, providing information to the church about events scheduled at the camp and retreat centers, helping to recruit campers, and assisting the local church in raising funds for camperships along with a variety of other tasks. They also provide CRM with valuable information about what the church needs from CRM. The CRM Staff act as resources and support to the Agents. Please be sure that you notify your District Office of the Camp & Retreat Agent at your church and his or her contact information.

From Niagara Frontier City Ministries

(1/17) NFCM Loan Fund – NFCM’s Mission is to: “engage, encourage and empower Niagara Frontier UM churches in their ministries with urban churches.” As part of our Mission the NFCM Board has authorized the creation of a small loan fund designed to assist our churches in need.

Urban churches are eligible to apply for a loan. The amount cannot exceed $10,000 per urban church and an interest rate of 2% will be applied. Term cannot exceed ten years for repayment. Finally, because this fund is intended to help a church as a last resort, churches should apply to the Conference loan fund whenever possible.

If you would like more information please contact Beth Buckley at NFCM (716) 913-5010 or .

(1/17) VBS “Pantry” – Despite the cold, despite the fact that Christmas seems like yesterday (and some of us haven’t yet finished putting away the decorations) this is the time of year we start thinking about Vacation Bible School. Each year NFCM receives requests from urban churches for funding for programming for VBS and other summer programs. As United Methodists we all have fond memories of VBS either as children participants or adult leaders and organizers. VBS is great for all of us.

But it is expensive. The curricula, the projects, the posters and innumerable items that make VBS so special cost a lot.

Can you help? Did your church host a VBS last summer? Do you have materials left over that you can share with an urban church? NFCM’s goal is to create a “pantry” for VBS materials. There is no sense inventing – and paying for – a new VBS “wheel” each year. NFCM will pick up and store your materials in order to cut costs for our urban churches. If you can help, please contact Beth Buckley at NFCM (716) 913-5010 or .

Catch the Spirit 2017 is scheduled for Saturday, February 25 at Clarence UMC from 9am-3pm. This is our annual district workshop day and there are a variety of workshops available, lunch and a time of worship. Take a look at the Catch the Spirit Workshops and CTS Registration attachments for more information. The information is also available on our district web page.


(New) (2/1) 2017 CONAM Conference will take place Friday-Sunday, May 12-14 at a location to be announced shortly, but it will be in the Northeastern Jurisdiction. At the beginning of every new quadrennium, the Native American Comprehensive Plan sponsors a gathering for annual conference Committees on Native American Ministries (CONAMs) and conference staff who work with them. This conference will offer workshops for both new and experienced CONAM members, annual conference staff, and plenary sessions of interest to everyone. Registration Fee is $100 and provides 2 nights in a double sleeping room, 6 meals, refreshments during breaks and workshop materials. A limited number of single rooms are available for an additional cost. 2017 CONAM Conference is sponsored by the Native American Comprehensive Plan. See the CONAM attachment for more details.

(New) Lay Servant Training in Olean! Register now for the Lay Servant Ministries Training School, scheduled for Friday-Saturday, April 28-29 at Christ UMC in Olean. Click here for the brochure, which also is available on the Cornerstone website, www.cornerstonedistrict.com. An online registration form also is available on the website. In addition to the Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course, taught by District Lay Leader Richard Preston, Advanced Course offerings include: Polity, taught by the Rev. Suzanne Block, pastor at Christ UMC in Olean; From Your Heart to Theirs: Delivering an Effective Sermon, taught by District Superintendent Rev. Sherri Rood; and Afire With God: Becoming Spirited Stewards, taught by Ernie Warren, chair of Cornerstone's Committee on Lay Servant Ministries. Deadline for registration is Monday, April 17. Payment should be mailed to the Cornerstone District office, 663 Lakeview Ave., Jamestown, NY, 14701. Checks should be made payable to UNYAC.

The Finger Lakes District of the United Methodist Church would like to extend an invitation to all the United Methodist clergy of our Conference to gather for a professional development retreat, Transforming Conflict in Our Faith Communities, on February 17-18 at Camp Casowasco. This highly engaging and interactive professional development opportunity! Lead by Jeff Shepardson,* United Methodist Elder and Fellow with the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, the retreat will focus on both theoretical and theological foundations of conflict transformation, as well as concrete intervention skills & strategies that can be used to support individuals and communities in conflict. This is an acceptable course for continuing education credits. (1 CEU or 10 contact hours) Registration will be through the Finger Lakes District Office; see the Transform Conflict Retreat attachment. *For more information on the presenter, visit www.cdrc.org / services / training / meet the trainer.