Blessings and Farewell to the Reverend Jeannette L. Bassinger-Ishii
November 19, 2012
It is with gratitude and thanksgiving that I offer appreciation for Jeannette's ministry. She has officially transitioned to the retired status. Click title to read more...
Hurricane Sandy Response - What to Expect
November 16, 2012
The Conference Disaster Response office now has sites set up on Long Island ready to receive ERT teams and volunteers to help with relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy. The process for registering as an individual or as a team is pretty straightforward and can be accomplished online by going to the following link: http://nyac.com/registrations/register/87 Click title to read more...
A Letter from Our Bishop Regarding the Response to Hurricane Sandy
November 15, 2012
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Last week, I visited Staten Island to share with the survivors and relief workers responding to Hurricane Sandy. Friends, the view on the ground revealed a level of devastation that has created a wide swath of wreckage. While it is tempting to remain in the grief that is a natural consequence of disaster, God calls us to a different response. There are signs of hope in the midst of the storm's aftermath. Click title to read more...
Flood Buckets
November 12, 2012
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has already shipped more than 5,000 buckets to the New York area. More flood buckets are needed. Individuals and organizations may deliver additional buckets to the sites listed below. How to assemble a flood bucket>>
• Massapequa Community United Methodist Church on Long Island
• Freeport United Methodist Church on Long Island
• Bethel United Methodist Church on Staten Island
Packing List for LI Disaster Recovery Team
November 10, 2012
Cassandra Broadus-Garcia, CT District Disaster Response Coordinator, offers her packing list to the team heading to Long Island. Ask your team leader for their packing suggestions. Click title to read more...
Interview with Joseph Ewoodzie
November 09, 2012
Arthur McClanahan, of the Iowa Annual Conference and formerly from the NYAC, interviewed Joseph Ewoodzie who described the support needed and about when volunteers from outside the area will be invited to come and help. Listen to the interview>>
Photos from the recovery effort
November 09, 2012
Rev. Joanne Utley, Bridgehampton UMC and editor of The Vision, compiled some snapshots of cleanup, comfort and recovery around the New York Annual (regional) Conference. Featured are the UM churches in Massapequa, Lindenhurst, and the Church of the Village in Manhattan. See them>>
Staten Island Report - by Pastor Matt Schaeffer
November 09, 2012
Pastor Schaeffer reports on the activies for November 9, 10 and 11 on Staten Island. Click title to read more...
Tackle Misconceptions About Aging
Jim Stinson, Consultant on Older Adult Ministries
November 01, 2012
I attended a symposium entitled “Embracing the Aging Experience.” All the participants were United Methodists engaged in one ministry or another to older adults. There were a great variety of approaches to such ministry. There were both subtle and not so subtle differences surrounding our common work. What struck me, despite the variety, was the common assumption that the aging experience was something to be embraced. A sense that the church needed to be about a ministry that shattered ...
Waiting May Not Be Easy, But is Reality of Our Lives
Jim Stinson, Consultant on Older Adult Ministries
October 01, 2012
Every Thursday, a volunteer offers manicures to our residents at Wesley Heights. When this program began everyone, it seemed, wanted to be first and would find very creative reasons to be so. The desire to be first, to not have to wait, led to arguments among our residents. Most of the people arguing had nowhere else to go and would likely sit in the lounge, where the manicures are done, most of the morning having coffee and cookies anyway. In fact, the earliest ones to have manicures on any ...