ADVOCATE Upper New York
A publication of the Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church
Keeping connected WHEN WE CAN’T BE TOGETHER
A DVOCATE Upper New York
Vol. 12, Issue 3
Keeping connected TABLE of
CONTENTS
On the cover Connecting together
From livestreaming worship services to virtual youth group gatherings and accommodating those without internet, staying connected can be exhausting, but also rewarding. Lansing UMC showcases how much can be accomplished when you add teamwork. Read more on page 12.
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Turning “techy�
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNY Conference was forced to cancel training retreats that had been planned for the spring of 2020. Learn how this not-so-tech-saavy director found ways to stay connected with the participants and offer spiritual practices they could use for their own devotional time.
14 Play while paused
In order to help flatten the curve of the pandemic, the UNY Camp & Retreat Ministry needed to press pause on the traditional ministry methods and adapt to the new reality we are all facing. Learn how each site found clever new ways to connect with their summer campers and guests.
All photos appearing in the Advocate, a publication of the Upper New York Conference, have been printed with permission. Follow us online: www.unyumc.org, www.facebook.com/uppernewyork, www.twitter.com/uppernewyork, www.instagram.com/uppernewyork 2 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
18 Virtual VBS
At Virgil UMC, it became evident that COVID-19 would make it impossible to have Vacation Bible School (VBS) held in the traditional way. Find out how this small church partnered with a very large church in the Indiana United Methodist Conference, to put on a successful virtual Vacation Bible School.
20 Feeding Ministries
So many churches throughout the Upper New York Conference have thriving feeding ministries ranging from food pantries to community meals. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic force some to rethink how to continue these ministries safely, but also, it made them stronger. Read their stories of success.
32 Senior connections
The First United Methodist Church of East Greenbush decided early in the pandemic that a major target of their focus should be the elderly population, who would be adversely affected in the days and months ahead. Learn how they stayed connected with their senior population.
Office: 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., Liverpool, NY 13088. Telephone: (855) 424-7878. The Upper New York United Methodist Advocate is a publication of the Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church, whose mission is to be God’s love with all our neighbors in all places. It is published two times a year. Materials in the Advocate may not be reproduced unless the item is accompanied by a copyright notation. Periodicals postage paid at Utica, NewYork 13504; USPS 14025. Postmaster: send address changes to Upper New York United Methodist Advocate, 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., Liverpool, NY 13088. We reserve the right to edit or decline any items submitted for publication.
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“Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” - Isaiah 43.19
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xperiencing a global pandemic and living in the midst of it changes almost everything. Over the last few months we have seen life literally turned upside down for so many. We have witnessed the devastation of illness, the sorrow of death, the uncertainty of resources, economic consequences, and an emotional and spiritual toll that may not be fully identified for months, if not years. Yet, there is one thing that has not changed – one constant in the midst of the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. The mission of the Church of Jesus Christ HAS NOT CHANGED. Our invitation to offer the good news of Jesus Christ for all remains our call. While the mission has not changed, we have certainly experienced the ways in which we carry out that mission change in ways that many of us could never imagine. Over these past few months I have been inspired by the stories of laity, clergy, and congregations holding firm to our call as the Church while adapting in almost every way how that call is accomplished and lived. The words “thank you: seem too little. I have been blessed 4 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
by your faithfulness and appreciate the hard and at times seemingly impossible work done by every clergy and lay leader. THANK YOU! This edition of the Advocate is a testimonial of the faithfulness of the church in Upper New York in these last few months. As you look through these pages, you will be inspired by the countless ways in which God has been at work through sisters and brothers in Christ who have remained focused on the mission in a season unlike most of us, if not all of us, have ever seen. In conversations with clergy and laity over the past four months, I have shared that if I or a District Superintendent would have walked into your church in January and said we would like you to change how you do worship, or offer Bible studies, or change the ways in which you connect with and care for one another, for the most part, we would have been listened to, smiled at, and then told all the reasons why our request would be impossible. YET, look at what God has done! Stripped of every sense of normal, the Holy Spirit led the way and the church
of Jesus Christ experienced new power, new imagination, and a new impact upon the world. Before the pandemic, in the midst of the pandemic, and long after the pandemic is gone, there is another constant that we must recognize. Our world needs Jesus! Our world that is often driven by despair, division, injustice, violence, evil, and darkness needs the promise, hope and light that is only found in the good news of Jesus! While this has arguably been one of the most difficult seasons of ministry, it has been one filled with possibility and promise. I firmly believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is being raised up in a new way to usher in a new manner of living in the midst of our world - a way of living that has as its foundation the truth, hope, and life offered in person of Jesus Christ! The Gospel of Matthew reminds us “you are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? . . .You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand . . .” (Matthew 5.13-15) In the Gospel of Luke as Jesus appoints and sends 70 for ministry and mission, we read his words: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest.” (Luke 10.2) Romans 12.1-2 speaks to us through the voice of the Apostle Paul: “Therefore I urge you, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conVISIT US ON THE WEB
formed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Church, this is our time to be salt! This is our time to be light! This is not our time to mimic the world or be led and deceived by the world and its ways. This is our time to be transformed by the power of God and boldly, with urgency, flood the world with the hope of Jesus. This is our time to invite those around us to live the life that Jesus and Jesus alone offers. Celebrate what has been done in the Church over these last few months, as you read these pages – but more importantly ask the questions: • How can we build upon what God has started in this time? • How will we guarantee that we will not go back to what we did before, but rather push and press into the new things God has begun and the new things that God is yet to do? “Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43.19) Thanks for being faithful followers of Jesus! Thanks for being the Church! My prayers continue for each of you. Grace and Peace,
WWW.UNYUMC.ORG unyumc.org 5
digital age If I can become a techy...
so can you
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By the Rev. Nancy Dibelius, UNY Assistant Director of Vital Congregations for Spiritual Life
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s the director of an Upper New York (UNY) Conference training program, which was forced to cancel the training retreats that had been planned for the spring, I was looking for ways to stay connected with the participants. Since the program provides training in spiritual formation and direction, I thought it might be helpful to offer the participants a spiritual practice that they could use for their own devotional time. I wrote up a practice and sent it out to the community; at the same time, I shared it with staff in the UNY Conference Communications in the event they might have an occasion to use it. I received an email saying it was a great idea, but it would be better if I could lead people through the practice using a video. Could I make a video? Hmmm, I don’t know, how would I do that? You have a phone right? Umm, yes, again, how would I make a video? I did know how to use the camera on my phone and I even figured out how to take selfies, but I had never made a video. I could figure this out somehow. It turned out to be pretty simple; it was just a different button on the camera options. I knew that I couldn’t hold the phone so I propped it up against a candle on my desk, put my stapler in front of it so it wouldn’t slide and that actually worked pretty well. I also realized that writing a script worked best (I watched some videos on Facebook and got distracted counting how many times the person said “umm” in a minute); creating a video is not like being live in front of a group. So, although it is clear that I am reading the content, I find that it flows smoothly and is less distracting. I discovered fairly quickly that the lights in the ceiling over my desk were much too bright behind my head on the video, so I videoed with the lights turned off (I have one wall that is mostly window facing south
so had adequate ambient light). I then realized that I could put the phone in the charger stand and that worked better than propping it up. I still found that I ended up with a lot of ceiling in the videos. At this point, I began to receive “helpful” comments from friends…the lighting is poor, the background is messy (the bookshelves in my office), the angle is poor… you get the idea. As I began to consider ways to improve the quality of the video (and let’s be clear, I’m all about the content), I was limited by using a phone in my home office. In discussing this with my husband, he helped me attach
“ “ It turned out to be pretty simple
my phone to the tripod for his camera which offered significantly more flexibility. I also looked around my office and decided that a large photograph on one wall would make an acceptable background; I moved the furniture, positioned the chair, and played with the tripod until I was satisfied that I had improved the visual aspect of the video. I also discovered that if I placed my desk lamp on a small table to one side of the tripod and directed the light at the ceiling, I could improve the quality of the lighting without having a bright light directly behind me. If you’re wondering, this took me weeks to work out; if you watch the videos in order, you will get a sense for that. The point is, however, that in this strange time in which we find ourselves, you might be surprised what you can do. And making home videos is easier than you might think.
Check out all of Nancy’s Spiritual Practice videos on our vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/channels/spiritualpracticesnancyd unyumc.org 7
How Pastor Hoyt provides spiritual warmth digitally By Shannon Hodson, UNY Conference Writer/Editor
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efore the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Hoyt Brown, the pastor at Livonia UMC, wouldn’t consider himself tech-savvy. Learning that churches could not remain open during the pandemic, Pastor Hoyt (as he likes his congregation to refer to him as) decided to learn quickly! Not only did he attend every webinar he could find about how to engage digitally with his congregation, but also, Pastor Hoyt passionately researched what other churches all over the country were doing. On his Palm Sunday Facebook Live worship service, he told his congregation about a phrase that a church in Oklahoma had been using—"social distancing and spiritual warmth.” Pastor Hoyt then said to his congregation, “that is exactly what we have been doing.” 8 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
The platforms Pastor Hoyt learned, the response he got, and his consistent creativity is impressive. Like many churches, Pastor Hoyt made it a point to prerecord a worship service to post every Sunday; he had his small groups meeting on Zoom; and he sent a church update every Wednesday via email. But Pastor Hoyt has done so much more. Here are just a few of the creative ways that Pastor Hoyt engaged with his congregation: Metimeter Word Clouds
Pastor Hoyt said, “Early on in this crisis, Jason Moore (on a webinar) said a tool like Mentimeter is a fun way to get people involved.” Pastor Hoyt learned how to use the platform and sent out questions for his congregation to Livonia UMC answer, such as
“What is one thing you miss about attending church?” He would then post a word cloud of the answers on Facebook. Favorite Bible Verses
To help keep his congregation connected with each other, Pastor Hoyt asked them their favorite Bible verse and why, and then he posted a photo quote daily with a member’s favorite verse. For example, Anabelle Foos’s favorite passages was:
The favorite bible verse posts on Livonia UMC’s Facebook page prompted a lot of “likes,” “loves,” and “shares.” Praise Band Videos
Pastor Hoyt understands that praise and worship is a favorite part of worship among his members; he said, “I make it a point every Sunday to produce a video separate from
digital age Sunday’s message video that is of our Praise Band singing five or six different songs.” Bible Stories
Twice a week, Pastor Hoyt posted a video of himself on Facebook, telling a Bible story; he called these posts “Bible Stories with Pastor Hoyt.” He said, “I saw a pastor somewhere doing one every morning. I thought, ‘I don’t have the energy to do that!’ I did want to give it a try though with the intention of doing one a week. There was so much interest and the interest kept growing so I ended up posting two a week on Wednesdays and Sundays. I kept learning more tools to make these sessions enjoyable for kids like using sound effects with iMovie.” Pastor Hoyt’s desire to learn how to use technology to keep his congregation connected produced results he could have never imagined. He said, “Our Facebook followers have more than doubled; we are reaching many people from outside of our congregation as well; it’s really been quite amazing!”
As of the writing of this article, Livonia UMC members have started in-person worship following the New York State guidelines, but according to Pastor Hoyt, “the congregation is adamant that online services and engagement need to continue indefinitely.” unyumc.org 9
Amping Up Online Presence: Worship and Communications By: Laurel O’Connor, Director of Christian Education at Endicott: Central UMC
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hen the pandemic hit, we were one of the lucky churches: a church that had already been broadcasting services since the days of VHS, and that had the livestream technology via YouTube to quickly cement our online worship presence. We are privileged to have a congregation and a skilled tech team that has taken to technology changes quickly and in very real ways, and that has allowed us space to innovate.
Endicott: Central UMC
central Maggie and Tyler expanded their role to both spaces. “One of the things we’re all missing right now is personal connection. So we greet each person who participates in the chat by name. It’s a small gesture, but it’s important to welcome each person to worship, just as you would in person,” Maggie shares.
One thing that we quickly realized was that one-way online worship wasn’t enough. It didn’t seem authentic or engaging without some kind of interaction with our church family. Plus, hospitality and openness to visitors looks quite different with online worship than with in-person worship.
The first week we met for worship, Pastor Michelle Bogue-Tost and I knew we needed an extra set of hands behind the scenes. There is a live discussion feed on YouTube that happens during the livestream, and people were logging in and talking to each other. It was so exciting, but we couldn’t handle answering questions or fielding prayer concerns while leading worship. So, we asked two amazing parishioners, Maggie and Tyler Wolford, to become what we call our “Livestream Team.” Their job is to moderate comments, answer questions, acknowledge prayer requests (and send them to the worship team); and be a source of presence and comfort. As our worship offerings expanded to include our New Faith Community, hope@ 10 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
“There are people participating in our livestream that might not ever physically come in through the doors of Central (including some international participants), but they are part of it. They are part of the ministries of the church through their giving. And they keep coming back, so I think that speaks volumes about how hungry people are for this kind of connection and ministry,.” Maggie continued. “Pre-COVID, our livestream views of the service topped out at about 50. Now, we’re averaging 175-200 views, and those are households, not necessarily individuals.”
Tyler chimed in as well: “I’m used to seeing community in YouTube channels. Now, I don’t want to sound like I’m discounting or downplaying the isolation of this pandemic, but for me, even the simple job of moderating a church chat isn’t some placeholder for ’real’ worship. This is real worship, and it feels more like coming home. Also, my mom joins from Indiana, so that’s cool.” Once worship and hospitality were well in hand, we looked for other gaps in connection. The first thing that we noticed that a paper newsletter was almost impossible to put together. NYS regulations were changing so quickly; things would have changed before the mail went out. It was two months before things had settled for long enough for us to send paper updates to the congregation.
In the in-between, we decided to stay connected to the congregation via email. However, we were using Outlook, which was clunky and doesn’t have the capacity to email our whole list at once. We researched online email software to “up our game,” and settled on software called Mailerlite. Mailerlite has easy dragand-drop functionality, great reporting features, and is free up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. Central United Methodist Church is a larger congregation, and we barely use half of the available capacity (which gives us room to grow). We started by importing our existing email list and held our breaths that the “bounce rate” (the amount of emails that are out of date) wouldn’t trip the platform’s spam sensors. Luckily, we only had a 5% bounce rate (not bad for an old email list) and have had a steady flow of additions in the time that has
digital age passed. Pro tip: make sure you clean up your email list before you import it into any platform.
The email newsletter has been incredibly popular and has reduced our output of regular paper newsletters by at least half (which is money saved for the church, and is better for the environment). The weekly newsletter works in tandem with our paper newsletter (currently being sent out less frequently), helping us be more agile in communications but also keeping in mind people who may not have email. The weekly newsletter takes about a half hour to an hour a week to put together, depending on how much graphics we decide to include. Each week, we’re sure to include a button to give online, all the links for weekly Zoom meetings, and any other event or church updates that are needed. Plus, it makes us look really professional, hopefully drawing more online donations and connections.
The great thing about innovation in communication is that there’s always something new to learn. For instance, we hope to connect our emails to our welltrafficked Facebook and Instagram pages, and are currently looking into “segmenting populations” so we can send out specialized emails to targeted audiences. There is so much more to share about increasing your online presence, and so much we have learned from sister congregations along the way. Keep sharing your stories and best practices, so we can all continue to learn! We’re all #alonetogether during this pandemic and world-shifting social change movement.
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Lansing UMC’s teamworkapproach to reaching many demographics digitally By Shannon Hodson, UNY Conference Writer/Editor
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he Rev. Alison Schmied, pastor at Lansing UMC, refers to the process of keeping connected during the COVID-19 pandemic as “exhausting, ridiculously timeconsuming, and (on the good days) wonderfully rewarding.” Like many churches, Lansing UMC had to try ways of connecting that they never had done before. After reviewing all that they were doing, Rev. Schmied said, “we felt a little less guilty about being so exhausted.” Lansing UMC showcases how much can be accomplished with teamwork.
Lansing’s digital Sunday service is not a simple recording; it blends all the aspects that are familiar in an in-person service and does so digitally. LJ Yoest, the pastoral administrative assistant at Lansing, described all that is included in the Sunday digital service.
She said, “Sunday service is engineered by members and streamed via Facebook Live. Pre-service music is recorded to accompany a slideshow of production of personal photos submitted by members and friends of the congregation, and themed to match each Sunday, for example, Pentecost Sunday. Children are involved by recording candle lighting at home for inclusion in our livestream. Scripture is recorded at home by a different liturgist each week and then added to our livestream. A children's sermon is recorded over Zoom with child participation. Choir members record many separate voices 12 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
that get produced as one unified anthem every Sunday. Hymns are also recorded separately and engineered into a single video with lyrics displayed for viewer participation at home. There are personal sharing of prayer concerns and thanksgivings via online chat for each service. Post-service coffee hour is held over Zoom with our own cups of coffee at home. And past services are posted on Facebook and YouTube for later viewing by those who could not join us on Sunday.”
That is a lot of dedication! Diane Withiam, choir director at Lansing, delved into just one of the many elements involved in making the successful Sunday digital service, the choir anthem. She said, “It is not easy. The organist goes to the sanctuary by herself and records the accompaniments on her iPad. I go there later in the day and airdrop it to my computer. Then, I sing over it with a guide. Then, I send an email to the choir members with my guides and .pdfs of the music. Then, each individual records her or his part. These go to church member Bob Forties who uses software to align accompaniment with individual parts. He then puts up lyrics and song titles.”
Diane continued speaking of the Sunday service as a whole; she said, “It looks like a cohesive service; it’s pretty amazing. The whole is much more than the sum of its parts. It’s not the experience we all yearn for, but it works!” The successful Sunday digital service is just the tip of the iceberg when exploring all that Lansing has done to keep connected through the internet.
Before Covid-19, the Lansing youth group met at 7-7:30 a.m. on Mondays before school. But, Lansing youth leader, Krystal Cole, decided to change it up during the pandemic. She said, “Let’s do something later in the day so we don’t have to wake up before 7 a.m.” Of course, the 7th-12th graders agreed.
digital age Debbie shared an example of fun activity the children did; she said, “I had the kids make beaded bookmarks for Psalm 23. Each bead corresponded with a verse. When members of the congregation learned about these bookmarks, adults wanted to make them too.”
Lansing also succeeded at connecting with people intergenerationally. Debbie described something that Lansing started right at the beginning of the stay-at-home orders. She said, “We had the children’s parents record their kids giving a daily dose of encouragement. The kids could choose the bible verses they shared, and one girl sang. We posted them on our Facebook page and the response was amazing. These kids uplifted all generations of people from our congregation and beyond.”
And what about those without internet? No problem! Pastor Schmied said, “Church member Karen Veaner purchased six portable, self-contained DVD players (much to the chagrin of this pastor who balked at the unexpected $300 expenditure on our Visa bill) and distributes DVDs of the church service The youth group began meeting on Zoom weekly to church members who do not have Mondays at lunch time. Krystal called it access to Internet, and to a retirement com“Lunch bunch.” The teenagers would bring munity at which our church provided worship their lunches and catch up. But then, Krystal decided to add some fun to the meetings. For services once a quarter in Pre COVID-19 example, she gave them Chopped Challeng- days. es. If you are not familiar with Chopped; it’s Lansing UMC’s successa television show where you must pick four ful ways of connecting digitally ingredients and make a meal out of it. Krystal demonstrates the truth in the has the kids making an entrée and dessert.” bible verse Matthew 18:20, They had a fantastic time. “When two or three are gathered together in My Sunday school throughout the school year was kept alive digitally under Debbie Geise’s name, I am there leadership. While Lansing’s in-person Sunin the day School typically had 28-30 children in Lansing UMC midst of Pre-K to sixth grade; digital Sunday School them.” kept an impressive attendance record of around 20 children each Sunday via Zoom.
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UNY Camp & Retreat Ministries
connecting online By Matt Williams, Director of Sky Lake Camp & Retreat Center
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amp and Retreat Ministries certainly look a bit different from our roots in the camp meeting movement of the early 1800s, but at our core remains a commitment to providing sacred times and spaces in which people can deepen their connection with God, with each other, and with Creation. That core commitment has been a steady guide through the turbulent, uncharted waters of what some call “The Great Pause of 2020.”
Historians sometimes quibble over when and where the camp meeting concept originated— some say England, others Kentucky, some say it was Presbyterians, others Methodists. However, historians generally agree that the spread of Methodism across the United States was greatly buoyed by camp meetings and the experiences of grace these gatherings would provide.
By the late-1800s, Annual Conferences, Districts, and local churches across the United States—including our own predecessor conferences here in Upper New York—had acquired parcels of land to build permanent tabernacles and cottages for individuals who continued to flock to the Methodist camp meetings. In the mid-1900s, with the advancement of mass communications and the arrival of automobiles, camp meetings adapted to the times by offering the summer camp experience for children and youth and the retreat experience for adults and families. The Upper New York Camp and Retreat Centers that many of you know and love today— 14 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
Aldersgate, Asbury, Casowasco, Sky Lake, and Skye Farm—are the modern embodiment of the camp meeting movement.
As the new decade began, earlier this year, things were looking up for Upper New York Camp and Retreat Ministries. By the end of February, enrollment in summer camp and retreat programs was well ahead of previous years; amazing applicants for summer staff were being interviewed; and retreat guests were continuing to make good use of our programs and facilities. Then, March arrived and with COVID-19. We initially responded by increasing our commitment to carefully cleaning our facilities and consulting with our local Departments of Health to provide our guests with the safest possible experience. But it quickly became apparent that the need to flatten the curve would require us to press pause on our traditional ministry methods and adapt to the new reality we were facing.
After bidding a fond farewell to what would be Sky Lake’s last retreat group for a while on Sunday, March 15, I decided to do a pop-up Sunday Campfire livestream on the Sky Lake Facebook page that same evening. Singing around a campfire has always been one of my favorite experiences at camp. Sure, I love the singing, but what’s most meaningful for me is the hope that springs forth from sitting in a fire circle that just naturally embraces people of different ages, abilities, and life experiences. Not knowing what exactly we were facing in the days ahead, I wanted to offer a bit of that hope to our community that evening.
Before that initial livestream even concluded, viewers expressed their desire to make these campfires a regular occurrence and the weekly campfire tradition began. After talking with a group of moms that first week of remote schooling, Sky Lake also began offering live-streamed mini-hikes to help break up the day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The campfires and mini-hikes continued to pull in past, present, and future campers, families, and retreat guests from across the United States and even Europe. Inspired by Asbury, the Sky Lake bake sales have been a great way to continue serving families and retreat guests from the region.
Asbury responded to the Great Pause by inviting members of staff, friends of the ministry, and guest groups to record a spoken prayer or musical background, which then gets combined with a video of this sacred site to post to the Asbury Facebook and Instagram accounts weekly. They have also offered instructional crafting videos and showcased some of their beautiful quilts with the digital world. As the Asbury team evaluated how else they might be able to adapt to these times, they began offering weekly drivethrough meals. Not only were retreat participants from the region excited to come get a delicious home-cooked meal, so too were Asbury’s neighbors from the Perry community—many of whom have now become regulars. “One of our neighbors, Rose, lives alone, and expressed that it is hard to cook every day. She always tells us how much she appreciates what we are doing and has even posted a ‘Thank You Asbury’ sign in her window to show her appreciation,” said Sue Russell, director of the site.
As Easter was approaching, Casowasco partnered with Baldwinsville UMC to invite musicians to be a part of a virtual orchestra which played Charles Wesley’s “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” Some very talented musicians submitted videos of themselves playing the Easter hymn.
digital age The ensuing video was incredible and was made available to churches to use in their Easter celebrations. Soon after, Casowasco was also inspired by Asbury to begin offering homemade dinners for drive-through pickup, which have been well received by neighbors and the surrounding community. In early May, the tradition of “Lunch by the Fire” was started and now Tuesdays wouldn’t be the same without sitting down to watch this livestream while eating lunch. In June, “Casowasco Trivia Live!” was inaugurated, becoming a favorite Monday night activity!
Our two-seasonal sites, Aldersgate and Skye Farm, have also been busy connecting in the digital world. On May 24th, Aldersgate took to their Facebook page to celebrate the anniversary of John Wesley having his heart strangely warmed in a prayer service on Aldersgate Street in London, England. Skye Farm has regularly posted videos featuring their beautiful site as well as their team to the Skye Farm Instagram and Facebook accounts. Director of Skye Farm, Ryan Siver, also took on shepherding the project of a major re-design of all Upper New York Camp and Retreat Ministries websites, which premiered in early July. While the Great Pause has brought its challenges, Upper New York Camp and Retreat Ministries were able to continue creatively helping people connect with God, one another, and Creation. However, the entire team looks forward to the time when it will be safe to return to inperson ministry. Until then, continue to join us online.
Watch CRM’s video message regarding Covid-19 with a promise they made to all of their campers.
https://vimeo.com/uppernewyork/crmsummer2020 unyumc.org 15
Caring for children amidst COVID-19 and beyond By Deacon Carrie Wolfe, Olean: Christ UMC
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n Matthew 18:6 (GNT), Jesus says, “If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the deep sea.” In this scripture, Jesus makes it clear that he feels strongly about his disciples taking good care of children. This is why, now, in the midst of a global pandemic when children need extra care, it may be helpful to pause for a moment and ensure that we are not in jeopardy of being drowned.
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I offer you the following Cs of Caring for Children Amidst Covid-19…and they are good practices to continue when life returns to “normal.” Church, the Little Church to be exact, is a term borrowed from the Orthodox tradition where families are encouraged to make their homes little churches that create a reciprocity with the parish church where the responsibility and blessing of Christ formation in children finds cooperation and mutuality. In a time where we are unable to worship corporately, it is a wonderful time for families and churches to invest, together, in building Little Churches (see Joshua 24:15).
Code, as in code of conduct for scary times, is borrowed from Mr. Rogers whose favorite number was 143 (I = 1 letter, LOVE = 4 letters, and YOU = 3 letters). God’s Word teaches us that “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Children need to hear God’s, their famiy’s, and their church’s “I Love You” more than they hear about scary things.
Cozy is a favorite childlike word because when we are feeling cozy, we are usually most deeply feeling God’s Love. It may have something to do with 2 Corinthians 1: 3-5’s promise that God is the God of all comfort. Children need comfort right now; they need to feel cozy. So double up on whatever comforts your family/church family, remembering that the Corinthians were told of God’s comfort in troubling times for their own sakes AND because they would, in turn, be called on to comfort others. According to Romans 5:3-5, character is a product God’s love produces in us when, with God’s help, we persevere through suffering (like COVID-19) AND character is what God’s love uses to produce hope in our lives. In a way, character is the hinge between darkness and light and is therefore essential for families and churches to teach with words and probably more importantly, through example. The Book of Genesis reveals to us that God is creative or imaginative. God creates and God decided to make humankind in their image so we are created to be creative. Also, in Genesis, we realize that time is linked to creativity and Covid-19 has given us time. Not more time than we had before the pan-
digital age
Youth
demic but a different kind of time. A time seemingly riper for the mystery of transformation which requires families and churches to purposefully and diligently help children identify and exercise the creative Godprint left on them. Finally, let’s not forget to celebrate! Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, “there is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” The beauty of this passage is that it invites us to celebrate not only the times it feels natural to celebrate but it calls us to celebrate the dignity offered us by our gentle and good God who acknowledges our complexity of experiences and responses to those experiences. Children do not need to laugh and dance all the time. It is good for them to sometimes weep and mourn, especially when their families and churches have taught them that God is with them in the weeping and mourning as much as God is with them in the laughing and dancing. In the end, I pray that those who serve children have, themselves, built a Little Church; I pray they are assured of how loved they are; I pray they are comforted and cozy; I pray their character is producing hope; I pray they have located the creative Godprint left on them; and I pray they are able to celebrate the full range of all they have been feeling throughout this pandemic. I pray these prayers because I know from experience that we who are called to serve children cannot give them what we do not have (they identify a counterfeit almost immediately). So, go deep my friends; our children are Olean: thirsty. Christ UMC
unyumc.org 17
Vacation
Bible School
goes virtual By Gayle M. Kryger, PPRC & VBS Editor’s Note: The following article showcases how strong the United Methodist Connection can be. Virgil UMC, a very small church in the Upper New York Conference, partnered with a very large church, Zionsville UMC in the Indiana United Methodist Conference, to put on a successful virtual Vacation Bible School.
A
t Virgil United Methodist Church, during April, it became evident that COVID-19 would make it impossible to have our Vacation Bible School (VBS) held in the traditional way. No one knew how long the "Stay at Home" orders would be in place. We dis18 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
cussed several options; to delay it until fall, hold it outside with five or less in a group, or at a large venue which would likely not be using all their meeting rooms-any and all ideas done with social distancing. It became evident that the only way would be a virtual VBS which could be used for all age groups done on a shared basis. Many local churches were cancelling VBS this year all together; perhaps children from other congregations could join in on a virtual VBS? Our Pastor, Steph Brown, at Virgil UMC, had chosen Rocky Railway from Group Publishing for our program. I contacted Group Publishing, Inc to see if they had something in the works to provide for all of us. Time was getting very short. We were praying for help and you never know where God's path will go, but we do know He pulls everything Virgil UMC together for the Good!
digital age
Youth
to have this wonderful VBS reporting on the Good News of Jesus!
Working together gave us energy and ideas and wonderful ways to partner with other churches from South Carolina, Oklahoma, and New York State. Here in Upper New York specifically, the Upper New York Conference Communications Team quickly notified other churches in the Conference about this no-cost virtual program that was available to them. We also placed an ad in the local Cortland Standard newspaper. Children from all over and different denominations had the opportunity to attend this program! Working together helped other small churches offer the VBS Program that they would not have been able to provide for their children otherwise.
Ronnie Wade, our Music and Bible Games leader, researched online and found a very large United Methodist Church in Zionsille, “What a blessing it has been IN, that was doing Rocky Railway virtually! to partner with Virgil United I called Zionsville UMC and someone an Methodist Church in preparswered. The person who answered, Carol, ation for what we like to call said the church was closed but she had just ‘the best week of the summer.’ stopped by for a moment to get something We couldn't be more grate- ful that someone was in our from her office and she gave me Tracy office the day Gayle called Vermillion, Director of Children's Ministries, to inquire about our virtual contact information. Wow! God was right VBS. You see, back in March, our VBS team had there helping us all. a decision to make, cancel, postpone, or try our Zionsville UMC was happy to partner with us allowing Pastor Steph, Ronnie, and myself to attend their Zoom meetings. They have a great team! They created a story line using News Desk and used a reporter to tell the Bible Stories. The weatherman gave the kids the daily focus. Currently, when kids of any age are watching negative news across the country, how great it is
hands at a virtual VBS. We made a decision that has changed the way we reach families and point them towards Jesus and once we heard from Gayle, it was like a light bulb went off. Our vision for VBS grew. Gayle, Ronnie, and Pastor Stephanie became part of our team. Virgil UMC played an integral part in reaching out to other churches. We have heard from several that partnered with Virgil UMC during their VBS at the end of June (2020). Jesus' power pulls us through.” ” -Tracy Vermillion Director of Children’s Ministries, Zionsville United Methodist Church unyumc.org 19
By UNY Communications
Every church should have a digital presence. More and more people explore things online before making any sort of commitment even when it comes to selecting a church. It’s just like looking at a restaurant’s menu online before making a reservation or watching a movie trailer before investing the time and money into seeing a movie. A 2019 Digital Transformation video produced by Equalman Studios found people are doing more communicating online than having faceto-face interactions and there are more people on Facebook than those living in the United States. This was before the COVID-19 pandemic. 20 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
You don’t have to be computer savvy to create a Facebook page or website for your church. In fact, creating a web presence is easy. There are plenty of free or low-cost website templates out there; some are better than others depending on your needs. It’s important to have either a Facebook page or website that’s updated regularly. It’s ideal to have both as not everyone uses both platforms. Regardless of which type of web presence you have, make sure you have more than one administrator on the account. That means more than one person has the proper credentials and sign-in information to add or remove content and make changes at all times.
platforms you can use Creating a Facebook Page
In order to create a Facebook page, you'll need to have a personal Facebook account. Creating both is free. Visit https://bit.ly/UNY_FBpage_ instructions for easy step-by-step instructions on how to set up your account. Creating a Website
There are multiple website platforms including GoDaddy, Weebly, WordPress, Square Space, and Wix. Some of these platforms are free to create the simplest web page and others charge a small fee depending on your website needs. Each platform has different templates and steps to follow in order to create a website presence. They are all user-friendly. Check them out! Livestreaming
Livestreaming is a great tool that can be used in all cases. Many churches with large in-person audiences also livestream their services to reach others, due to illness, work, or travel restrictions. It’s even possible to reach an audience halfway around the world! Share your livestream or recording on your church’s website or Facebook page. There are several livestreaming services, including Boxcast, TruthCasting, DaCast, and many more. Each service charges its own fee to utilize the livestream service. Visit https://bit.ly/UNY_livestreaming to learn more about livestreaming, including licensing requirements.
Using Zoom
Zoom is a phone and video conferencing software that allows you to connect remotely without having to meet in person. All you need is an Internet connection for video conferencing or a phone to call-in and listen and take part in the conference call. A webcam is needed for video conferencing if you want to be seen during the scheduled meeting, and you have the ability to turn off your camera and microphone at any time.
Zoom is a great way to stay connected at all times. Churches and their pastors have the ability to hold Bible Study, church and worship services at a designated time and invite participants without anyone ever having to leave home. A lot of helpful resources, including video instructions about using Zoom are located here: https://bit.ly/UNY_zoom Online Giving
When you can’t meet in-person and accept physical donations, the next best alternative is online giving. There are a variety of online giving platforms that are geared towards not-forprofit organizations, including churches, so the giving never stops. Visit https://bit.ly/UNY_online_giving to research several online giving platforms.
To learn how to livestream your worship service legally, visit https://bit.ly/legal_worship To learn about livestreaming copyrights, visit https://bit.ly/UMC_livestream
unyumc.org 21
Being
the Church when t he c hu rc h is
CLOSED By Blenda Smith, Fairview, UMC
F
airview United Methodist Church is an urban church in the city of Binghamton. As a growing, thriving church, it is known for mission and outreach. However, the COVID-19 closure of all churches has been a great challenge to our opportunities to connect with church members as well as maintain our ministries in the community. All that we do include maintaining social distancing and wearing masks.
Keeping connected to our congregation was immediately clear to the Rev. Jan Clark. We divided the names in our directory and
Fairview UMC
various members called people offering (1) a personal greeting, (2) help to secure groceries and prescriptions, and (3) a phone number to request any prayers. Pastor Jan also calls people faithfully. Many church members commit to sending personal notes and calling people.
Prayer Messengers could no longer meet. This faithful group usually meets weekly to pray for all requests (from worship services, the food pantry, our Prayer Box at the bus stop and personal requests). We went to Plan B: we shifted to one person gathering all the requests and emailing them to the group on Wednesday mornings. Each prayer messenger commits to pray at that time.
Of course, we have weekly worship services online that are on Facebook and saved on our website. And through those, we reach several hundred people each week. Pastor Jan also collaborated with two other churches to create a very meaningful online Maundy Thursday service. In addition we have “Bedtime stories� on Facebook every Wednesday; each week a different Sunday School teacher 22 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
reads a story. Children are delighted to see their own teachers live! Pastor Jan does midweek email devotions as well frequent emails to those online. Weekly Bible studies on Zoom have become very popular and are appreciated by many. “Operation Cookies” involves people baking cookies and bringing them to various members. About 12 bakers delivered to 22 homes; the next wave of Operation Cookies is underway. As word gets out, more people want to participate! “Operation Helping Kids” collected diapers for those in Preventive Services; a car and trunk load were delivered to the delight of care givers.
Palm Sunday
Pilgrimage
Fairview UMC shared a deeply spiritual Palm Sunday pilgrimage. Members began their pilgrimage with a drive through the church parking lot where they received a prayer from the pastor and a set of traveling directions to various symbolic spots with relevant scripture readings. Here are some of the stops along the pilgrimage:
The Blessing Box we got from the UNY United Methodist Men had been secured on the corner of our church at a bus stop. It is stocked with imperishable food, personal items, masks, and gloves. We put a note on it saying “Take what you need; leave some for your neighbors.” We refill the box every other day.
Our Food Pantry has had to change to bringing pre-filled brown bags of food to one person at a time in the parking lot twice a month. Although we stopped our Community Dinners for a while, we again had to rethink how to make and serve meals; we are doing take-out dinners with minimal staff to cook and serve. Many mask makers continue to sew masks for the food pantry, community take-out dinner visitors, the Blessing Box, and church members who request them. We held a Pentecost parade to celebrate the “birthday” of the Church and mark the moment when people were given the gift of the Holy Spirit that came as tongues of fire. Members from our church combined with Centenary Chenango Street and Tabernacle UMCs decorated our cars, traveled through town, and drove by the homes of some of our shut ins. This is just one more way we take the Spirit of God with us into the community. Our church sign sums it up. "Our church has left the building. We are out spreading God's love."
Fairview UMC larking lot The Rev. Jan Clark blessed each car before the journey began.
Remembering the Last Supper Participants were asked to stay in their cars and read out loud Matthew 26: 26-29.
Remembering the crucifixion At this cemetery, participants read out loud Matthew 27: 32-55.
Ethel Rossi tomb
At this above ground tomb, participants read out loud Matthew 27 selected. unyumc.org 23
And we continued to feed... feed...
Many churches throughout the Upper New York Conference have thriving feeding ministries ranging from food pantries to community meals. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t hamper these ministries—it strengthened them! Here are just a few examples.
24 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
Feeding
Ministries
Massena First UMC expands community meal ministry By Pastor Rachael Jordan
T
he mission of Massena First UMC is to Serve Massena, Connect with Jesus, and Journey in Faith. We live this out in many ways, but perhaps none more prominent than with our community meal program. The Community Meal began over 25 years ago by the late Louise Matthews, serving a monthly free meal, which quickly moved to a weekly meal. Three years ago, the meal expanded to a Tuesday lunch in addition to the Thursday weekly dinner. They also added the Because We Care program, distributing personal care items, as well as additional food programs for children and families. Prior to COVID-19, the meal served between 160 and 200 meals per week.
On April 13, 2020, in their desire to love their neighbors, the community meal volunteer staff chose to open the meal five days a week, Monday through Friday, for takeout lunches. It began as a trial for a few weeks and the need grew exponentially. They began serving 60 meals and quickly rose to 150. Within just a couple weeks, they were serving over 200 meals per day, eventually reaching 260+ meals daily. This continued through the end of May! Beginning June, they returned to two days a week, but supplemented as necessary through other means and the best they can. Through the Food Bank of Central New York, and other organizations, they also gave cloth masks, hand sanitizer, and additional food boxes of meat, produce, and dairy. I am so thankful to have served a church that supports such a ministry, willing to take a risk and do what it takes to serve the community during this complicated time. They were safe, friendly, and compassionate. Above all, they sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit, exemplifying the words of Jesus to love God and love their neighbor. unyumc.org 25
Feeding
Ministries
Pine Grove UMC’s 24/7 food bank By Pastor Al Johnson
A
s Sue (church office manager and member) wrote recently, our "24/7 give/take food pantry is getting a lot of attention in both the giving and the taking. The picture below is as of this Saturday morning 5/2, its pleasantly full! However, later today the pantry might be bare. Both are fine! We are just doing our best to "love extravagantly” to show grace to those who need the food and those who give the food.
Some thoughts about this ministry: Our "food pantry" model of "outdoor 24/7" is confusing to some who want to give and some who need, yet it is really working! • It works for a family who unexpectedly found themselves placed in temporary motel housing near us!
• It works for residents of those motels who live "hand to mouth". • It works for the family to drive up and have moms get food while the little ones are in the car.
• It works for those who want to call and donate because they see the food pantry sign and then the phone number from the large church sign, as do those in need. Sure, it is not a "well regulated" precise operation but it is "extravagant love.”
26 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
Feeding
Ministries
Newfield UMC and Corning Grace UMC volunteer with the Southern Tier Food Bank
By Pastor Mike Kelly
“D
uring this pandemic there has been a substantial uptick in the need for food, with so many layoffs. I have always been a supporter of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and have done my best to help them distribute food, raise money, or do whatever they called upon for. When called upon to assemble a team of volunteers it was time to snap into action; we quickly assembled a few from Newfield United Methodist and Corning Grace United Methodist and set out to do the works that Isaiah 61 placed on our hearts: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. The Food
Bank has been distributing at special locations beginning in April. On our first distribution we distributed food to over 400 families in Schuyler County, and again in May, my team of volunteers and others distributed food for over 375 families of Schuyler County. Our team was also responsible for distributing food to the county's shut-ins. As Wesley put it, "My heart was strangely warmed." I can speak for my team, that we can all say, "Our hearts were strangely warmed."
unyumc.org 27
Feeding
Ministries Drive-through food banks By Shanon Hodson, UNY Conference Writer/Editor
M
any churches held drive-through food banks to help keep area families nourished. University UMC in Syracuse, for example, fed 180 households each week.
Churches teamed up with each other to help feed communities in need. Brown Memorial Church is in a very impoverished neighborhood in Syracuse. Kirkville UMC, a suburban church outside of Syracuse helped to support area shelters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They also stepped in to help Brown UMC’s food ministries. On June 7, 2020, they collected supplies and gathered to make the sandwiches and prepare the bags. The next day, they filled the bags and delivered 100 meals to Brown Memorial to be distributed = to the community. Amherst-Asbury United Methodist Church delivers blessing bags to truckers
Truck drivers have been deemed essential workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Amherst-Asbury UMC has delivered over 700 blessing bags to truckers during this time. In the bags are snacks, candy, drinks, prayer squares, handmade crosses, etc. They pass them out at truck stops where truckers stop to rest. It is a thank you to them for keeping us supplied and fed at risk to themselves. Some of them have told Asbury’s outreach team that they have trouble finding places to eat and the bag's contents has been their meal!!
Some of the truckers have reached out to Asbury to say thank you...and some have even donated to the cause! Many have renewed their faith in God. For example, one trucker got a flat tire and had to pull over and that's when he received the blessing bag. The blessing bag made him cry because he said he's not very religious but knows God is with him and getting the blessing bag proved it. He couldn't say thank you enough. 28 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
Feeding
Ministries
Moira United Methodist Church By Joanne Deno
M
oira New Hope Food Pantry is sponsored by the Moira United Methodist Church—it is in the church’s annex. The pantry is open the second and fourth Monday of every month with both morning and evening hours and is also open during emergencies.
The volunteers at Moira UMC continued to serve dozens of families and many new families during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking a different approach. Instead of having people come downstairs to select their choices of food, the boxes are now all packed. Families remain in their cars and volunteers, wearing
masks and gloves and keeping a safe distance, carry the boxes to the cars and load them into the trunks of the families’ vehicles.
Volunteers go to the church the day before pickup to load boxes or non-perishable goods and a couple hours before the food pantry pickup hours, they load boxes of meat, cheese, fresh fruits, vegetables, yogurts, and other fresh food.
unyumc.org 29
Reaching our seniors By Shawna Lambert and Jean Sheviak, East Greenbush FUMC
A
t the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost every religious organization began to ask the same question: How can we help? We at First United Methodist Church of East Greenbush (FUMCEG) decided early on that a major target of our focus should be the elderly population, who would surely be among those most adversely affected in the days and months ahead. Fortunately, we were well positioned to do this, as our congregation already had established longstanding relationships with several area facilities where many of our senior citizens reside. At Rosewood Rehabilitation and Nursing, for example, we have been conducting services every month for the last 30 years; and a similar monthly program was instituted at Riverside Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing five years ago. In 2018, Deb Samuel, who is the wife of our Pastor, Sundar Samuel, formed a weekly Bible study for church members living at Eddy Hawthorne Ridge senior living com30 UNY ADVOCATE 2020, Issue 3
East Greenbush UMC
munity. The program was well received and grew beyond church members. Participants soon began asking if we could provide a weekly worship service at that location as well, which we are pleased to have initiated two years ago.
So, in March of this year when it became essential to further address the needs of our senior communities, recruits were quickly found and teams were put into place at once. Currently, we are engaged every single week in reaching out, both by telephone and through handwritten notes, to over 100 area seniors, many of them in the adult facilities mentioned above. Working independently from their own homes, our volunteers maintain contact with individuals who are otherwise feeling the burden of extreme isolation. Note cards are collected and delivered by mail to the nursing/rehab centers. At Hawthorne Ridge, church bulletins and other
At Rosewood, residents acknowledged their appreciation and also gave us some lovely pictures they had drawn.
Deb Samuel, who composes her own weekly message to accompany the one written by Pastor Sundar, observed, “When we first came to live among you, it seemed that there were so many different groups within the church operating along parallel lines. Now, hearing so much about the warmth and connections that phone calls, notes, and livestreaming of Sunday services are making, has allowed me to witness these lines crossing and intersecting, instead of simply running parallel. It is such a joy to see how God is using this time to draw us toward Him and each other.” notices are sent directly to those who do not have access to e-mail.
In addition, thanks to some tech-savvy church members, we have been providing a livestream of our Sunday worship services through the FUMCEG Facebook group page. To our delight, many senior citizens have risen to the task of joining us via their computers, tablets, and smart phones.
Indeed, if anything positive can be said to result from the novel coronavirus experience, it may just be that having to be separated from one another has brought us all closer together!
The feedback we have received as a result of our various efforts has been especially heartwarming. Callers engaged in telephone communication reported that even if people didn’t have a particular need, they were just happy to have someone reach out to them. What’s more, they were anxious for word of how everyone else was faring, too. One person noted, “When I didn’t call on the usual day, people worried that I was sick.” Frank Fortino, former activities director at Riverside, told us, “Thank you so much for the note cards. The residents here love them because they are receiving something in the mail, and it is exciting when it is a friendly card!”
Ethel Center, a centenarian who lives at Hawthorne Ridge, wrote to us about the special messages Pastor Sundar sends each week, calling them “both inspirational and enjoyable.”
"B
eing able to stay connected with our church family through its various outreach programs has been a great source of comfort to us all during these stressful times."
-Lois Heyer
unyumc.org 31
7481 Henry Clay Blvd. Liverpool, NY 13088
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