Raritan Valley District

Raritan Valley District

Annual Day of Learning

For Laity and Clergy

Saturday, April = 17, 2010

8:30 AM to 2:00 = PM

Bridgewater United Methodist Church

651 Country Club Road=

= Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807

SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY

8:30 – 9:00 AM = &nb= sp; Registration/Coffee (Superintendency C= ommittee)

9:00 – 9:15 AM = &nb= sp; Worship (Led by Bill Noll)

9:15 – 9:30 AM = &nb= sp; Presentation by District Church Un= ion

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = (Jim Silkensen)<= /p>

9:30 – 10:15 AM = &nb= sp; Plenary (Bob Scott)

10:15 – 11:45 AM &n= bsp; &= nbsp; Workshop I

11:45 AM – 12:30 PM<= span style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial'> LUNCH

*Cost= covered by district .

12:30 – 2:00 PM <= /span>            &= nbsp;      Workshop II

WORKSHOPS

You may register for one morning worksho= p and one afternoon workshop.

Morning Workshops

10:15 AM to 11:45 AM

·        Find Your “Path”

·        Rethink Church/Igniting Ministry

·        Roadmap to Renewal

·        How To Deal With Difficult People

·        Clergy Taxes: Filling-out Compensation Forms, W-2s, etc.

·        A Church Living the Social Principles

·        Why Should I Give My Money To You?

Afternoon Workshops=

12:30 PM to 2:00 PM=

·        A Church Living The Social Principles

·        Why Should I Give My Money To You?

·        Find Your “Path”

·        Web Ministry 101

·        Natural C= hurch Development=

·        Staff-Parish Relations Committee

·        Church Tax Issues: Property Taxes and UBIT

Workshop Leaders and Descripti= ons

Morning (M), Afternoon (A)

=

1.      (M) Find Your “Path”: Youth only= ! Led by Judy Goldstein – a licensed Pa= th Facilitator.

What if each and every person knew their mission—and could honestly say that their gifts and purpose were right on track to where God = was calling them to be? This workshop will be a chance for you to have a better understanding of your “path” in life according to the daily decisions that you make at school, home, and in the church. This exciting workshop helps you define your mission and create a brief, powerful, and focused statement of purpose which can be used to initiate, evaluate, and refine all of life’s activities. You will also be taught how to creat= e a mission and purpose statement for your youth group to try and figure out th= ose tough questions: What is my highest life purpose·? What are my= gifts? Why am I here? What am I called to accomplish?   =

=

2.     (M) Rethink Church/Igniting Ministry : Led by Jack Shaw<= /span>

The promise of “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.” from the people of The United Methodist Church is being adopted and lived out in our almost 36,000 congregations in the United States. It was created by Igniting Ministry at United Methodist Communications as p= art of the denomination’s first media campaign. Based on the teachings of John Wesley and following Schnase’s practice of Radical Hospitality, Igniting Ministry is a multi-faceted welcoming training that will focus on welcoming.

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3.     (M) Road Map To Renewal : Led by Doug Ruffle

Many churches wonder if they are on the right road. Many churches se= nse that they need a new roadmap to lead them to a more God-directed, Spirit-infused place, where ministry and mission are healthy and alive. Roadmap to Renewal, a workshop based on the book written= by Doug Ruffle, Conference Coordinator for Congregational Development, offers a process to help local churches journey toward a new sense of mission and ministry in the always challenging terrain of being the church in the 21st Century. The book invites United Methodists and their congregations to foll= ow biblical examples of taking a trip to discover and rediscover the church’s mission to do God’s work in the world. Roadmap to Renewal is a guide for understanding mission in ways that grow and strengthen local churches. It is designed especially for small-group use within congregations.<= /p>

4.     (M) How To Deal With Difficult People –= ; NEW! : Led by Varlyna Wright

Learn how to have the right approach and spirit for dealing with the difficult people or person in your life.

5.     (M) Clergy Taxes: Filling-out Compensation Forms, W-2s, etc. –= ; Led by John Cardillo

This course is intended for local church treasurers and finance chai= rs, as well as clergy.

6.     (M and A) A Church Living The Social Principles : Led by Cynthia Kent

The United Methodist Church has six Social Principles: (1) The Natur= al World, (2) The Nurturing Community, (3) The Social Community, (4) The Econo= mic Community, (5) The Political Community, and (6) The World Community. Learn = the Social Principles and how to apply them in your ministry. Learn what it is = and how to be a Public Theology Advocate (PTA). Representatives of the Conferen= ce Board of Church and Society will collaborate on this workshop.

7.     (M and A) Why Should I Give My Money To You? : Led by Rich Hendrickson

According to J. Cliff Christopher, in his book, Not= Your Parent’s Offering Plate, the top three reasons people= give are: (1) belief in the mission, (2) belief in the leadershi= p, and (3) belief in the organization’s fiscal responsibility.&nb= sp; Christopher goes on to say, “Instead of just cutting our budget, coul= d we review how well we tell our donors about how well we do our job of changing lives? Could we review how well we utilize our pastor and staff when = it comes to relating to our donors? Could we look to see if we are sendi= ng signals that we are fiscally sound or fiscally unsound?” This workshop will focus on how we can create an atmosphere where belief in the mission, belief in the leadership, and belief in fiscal responsibility can = be nurtured and grow.

8.      (A) Find Your “Path” : Youth wor= kers only! Led by Judy Goldstein – a licensed Path Facilitator.

What if each and every person knew their mission—and could honestly say that their gifts and purpose were in harmony and alignment with the mission of their lives? This workshop is designed to not only to give y= ou a clear sense of direction in a world where you are daily forced to make decisions that will take you either further from or closer to your life goa= ls but also help the youth in your churches and communities do the same. = You will also be taught how to create a youth mission and purpose statement for your youth group answering those powerful questions: What’s life̵= 7;s mission? Why am I here? What is my highest life purpose=

and is it costing me to not know = my mission? What are my gifts and what am I called to accomplish?

10. (A) Web Ministry 101 : Led by Jack Shaw

Based on the online program developed by UmCom, this workshop introd= uces the basic steps you can take to get your local church on the Internet and establish a dynamic Web ministry. This workshop is designed for churches th= at are just getting started in web ministry or looking to get started. It prov= ides both theoretical planning and practical steps to create a church’s web presence.

11. (A) Natural Church Development : Led by Doug Ruffle

A healthy church leads to a growing church. This workshop will give = an overview of the “Na= tural Church Development&= #8221; process for identifying areas in which the church should focus to bring gre= ater health and vitality. Learn about the Eight Quality Characteristics of church health and how to get your church started using Natural Church Development principles.

12. (A) Staff-Parish Relations Committee : Led by Varlyna Wright

Come learn the basic responsibilities and duties of this committee!

13. (A) Church Tax Issues: Property Taxes and UBIT : Led by John Cardillo

This workshop is intended for any church receiving income not directly related to its ministry. This includes money from rents (including parsonages), school= s, parking lot usage, cell phone towers, building use agreements, thrift store= s, etc. The IRS, as well as state and local governments, is cracking down hard= on churches and you must be doing things properly to avoid large tax penalties for your church.



Plenary<= /p>
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”Poverty&#= 8221;

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IT= ’S A PARTY!

…A Beach Party – that is! Let’s get ready for Summer with a day of fun-filled beach activities. We will play games, make crafts, and experience Bible stories a= s we learn the 5 Beach Attitudes: Be Obedient, Be Kind, Be Forgiving, Be Bold, a= nd Believe. Activities will be age-appropriate for children Preschool age to T= hird Grade.

The Beach Party will begin after opening worship and will end after the last workshop.

Parents are encouraged to pick-up their kids for lunch and bring them back for the second half of the Beach Party. Fun guara= nteed!

Led by Jessica Stenstrom