July BRD Monthly

posted on July 05

Current COVID-19 Guidelines for In-Person Worship & Ministry
(updated 3.1.2022)

View & Download a copy of the current guidelines here.

For more resources related to COVID-19 visit
https://www.wnccumc.org/covid

Blue Ridge District Office Has Moved!

The Blue Ridge District Office is in transition to our new office at Abernathy UMC! Please note our phones are temporarily out of order. Please contact us individually by email:

Mark Ralls, mralls@wnccumc.org
Ruth Kapely, rkapely@wnccumc.org
Shonnie Streder, sstreder@wnccumc.org
Anita Adams, aadams@wnccumc.org

If you need to mail something to us, please mail it to:

P.O.Box 6302
Asheville, N.C. 28816

We will share updates on our exact physical address and new phone numbers once we have fully transitioned.

New Mileage Rates

The IRS has done the unusual act of adjusting the reimbursable rate for business miles mid year. The new rate, effective July 1, 2022, is $0.625 per mile. The conference will adjust accordingly.

A-2022-13 (irs.gov)

Monday Meal Meetups

The Wesley Foundation at App State is coming to a city near you! AppWesley is hosting free Monday Meal Meetups in four cities through North Carolina, in July and August, but we need you to help make these gatherings a success. We’ve created a Pastor’s Kit for you to help advertise our event. In it, you’ll find a bulletin insert, bulletin language, social media graphics, enewsletter graphic and language, and a poster to hang in your building. Help us connect the youth of today with a new Methodist home when they come to college, while reuniting old friends.

This can be downloaded today at www.linktr.ee/appwesley and click on “Pastor/Church Kit.”

Laity Sunday

Bishop Carter reflected at this years’ Annual Conference on the realization that the Lay People of his previous churches were the ones pushing him to be engaged, not the other way around. “The laity are immersed in the world and we as clergy’s job is to support that and walk with them,”

The Blue Ridge District views October 16^th, Laity Sunday, as an opportunity to celebrate the ministry of the laity. In addition to a Lay Speaker, Laity Sunday is an opportunity for the congregation to celebrate the missions of the church and highlight opportunities for lay persons.

Russ Darnall, our District Lay Leader, will be communicating with our local church lay leaders and sharing ideas on how to make this year’s Laity Sunday a celebration of our laity.

Registration for Fall 2022 Antiracism Ethics Training is open!

The Conference will be offering nine RISE! Workshops Fall 2022. One of these workshops will be offered virtually and eight workshops will be in-person.

The 2-day in-person RISE! Workshops will take place from 10am-6pm both days.

The Virtual RISE! Workshop will include self-paced lessons, online small group discussions, and scheduled Zoom meetings spanning approximately 12 days.

Antiracism Ethics Training is the Clergy Ethics Training for the quadrennium through June 2024, and thus it is mandatory for all clergy in the Western North Carolina Conference. The training will be facilitated by RISE! (Race: an In-depth Spiritual Examination) trainers. Each clergy person is to have a lay leader participate in the training. This inclusion of laity will foster more effective change in congregational culture.

Register and learn more: https://www.wnccumc.org/ethics-in-ministry-virtual

Journey to Joy Women's Retreat
August 26-28, 2022 | November 11-13, 2022

Enjoy a weekend of laughter, sharing, worship and fellowship at a Journey to Joy Women’s Retreat at Lake Junaluska. After two challenging years, when we have been unable to meet and have felt isolated, these retreats led by Leigh Young offer an opportunity to come together for spiritual renewal.

Come on your own and make new friends, or come with members of your small group, women’s group, or friends and family – and friends and family in the faith – to grow closer together.

Online Registration: August Retreat November Retreat

Take the Plastic Free July Challenge

Join your Conference Creation Care Ministry Team and TAKE THE PLASTIC FREE JULY CHALLENGE! Visit www.plasticfreejuly.org/ for more information and to sign up to join the challenge. According to their website, “Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.”