Latest News from our District Superintendent
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.
It's hard to believe that summer is over but there is excitement in the air as we think of all the exciting events that will soon unfold in our churches, across the District, throughout our Conference and beyond.
PRAYER & PRAISE
PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS:
The Osei Family, faithful members & leaders of the Irvington UMC. They're son died suddenly and tragically. Please keep them in your prayers during this time of shock and grief.
Ginny Kaiser, Admin. Asst. to the Program Staff of the Greater NJ Annual Conference. Her sister, Linda, recently passed on to her eternal reward after a long illness. Please pray for the entire family.
Please contact the Gateway North District with prayer and/or praise requests.
Ocean City Youth Weekend
September 10-12
Gateway Urban Project VBS Celebration!
Come and help us celebrate what we've done and to begin our next step in collaborative ministry!
Please send an invitation to all children, parents and staff to join us on September 12th at 5:00 p.m. at Orange UMC, 281 Park Ave., Orange, NJ 07050. We will be coming together with 2 Bishops and the children to celebrate the fellowship and faith lessons they have learned. It will be a time of music and fun and congregational participation.
We would like to thank all those pastors and friends who sent us their wonderful VBS pictures!
A LETTER FROM OUR BISHOP
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As I made an appeal on the floor of the Annual Conference, may I request you now in Christian love to participate in the celebration of the shared Eucharist with our brothers and sisters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Saturday, October 9th at the East Calvary Korean United Methodist Church, East Brunswick. The day will begin with worship at 10AM. In the afternoon there will be break-out sessions at the Calvary and Aldersgate Churches. The day will conclude at 3PM. Bishop E. Roy Riley, New Jersey Synod of the ELCA will preach and I will celebrate at the Table.
Kindly announce the event starting immediately in your churches and various ministry settings. Please announce it at least three times before the event. Celebrate this event in your churches, widely and joyfully. Encourage your laity to come as well.
If you have an ELCA church in your community please call the pastor and invite him or her and their laity to come to this event and share your excitement about this historic celebration of full communion between the UMC and ELCA denominations.
A lunch will be provided for a donation of $10. Kindly send to your respective district offices the number of people attending the event from your church along with the donation for lunch not later than Thursday, September 30, 2010.
Bishop Riley and I look forward to seeing you all!
In Christ's love,
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
GATEWAY NORTH RESOURCE DAY
NEW UPDATED INFORMATION!
Please note the changes in our
usual Clergy/Laity format.
On November 2nd & 3rd, 2010, both Clergy and Laity are heartily urged to attend the 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. sessions. There will be one evening session only. It will be on November 2nd from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
We will all meet at Vincent UMC, Nutley,
100 Vincent Place, Nutley NJ, 07110 and our speaker will be Stephanie Hixon from JUSTPEACE. This is a 2 day session. Please plan to attend both days.
Engage Conflict Well -- What are the attitudes, skills and processes needed to constructively engage conflict at home, school or work, in our churches and in the world? How do we prepare ourselves and others to engage conflict well? Studies show that conflict is a common reality in churches experiencing decline. The Church needs leaders who are skilled practitioners of conflict transformation. You are invited to join Stephanie Anna Hixon, Co-Executive Director of JustPeace Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation in the United Methodist Church for practical training rooted in the theology, theory, principles and practices of faith-based conflict transformation. Core elements of the training are found in the new book, The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation: Creating a Culture of JustPeace by Tom Porter, Co-Executive Director of JustPeace. For more information on the book and additional resources such as Engage Conflict Well: A Guide to Prepare Yourself and Engage Others in Conflict Transformation, visit the JustPeace website (www.justpeaceumc.org).
Certified Lay Ministry Program
The Greater New Jersey Annual Conference will be holding a series of Orientation Sessions for their Certified Lay Ministerprogram. The dates and locations are as follows:
September 13 6:30-8:30p.m. at the Conference Office
September 19 5:00-7:00p.m. at the Sicklerville UMC
September 25 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m. at the United Methodist Church of the Rockaways
Brochures and Registration forms are available on the Conference website and are due to Betty LaSalla at the Conference Office by September 9, 2010.
Looking Ahead
Important Upcoming Dates
CLERGY MENTOR TRAINING
Monday, September 13 - 10 am to 1 pm
Mullica Hill United Methodist Church
All new mentees (newly commissioned and local pastors in course of study or in seminary), new mentors and existing mentors in need of refresher training (those who have not attended training in the last three years) are required to attend. The morning will begin with continental breakfast; lunch will also be provided.
Mentors and mentees who wish to meet on that day are welcome to remain following the 1 pm close.
Please RSVP to Veronika Varga, vvarga(at)gnjumc.org If you have questions or concerns, please contact Tanya Linn Bennett, tbennett(at)drew.edu
BISHOP'S SONGFEST
September 26, 2010 from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove.
BISHOP'S DAY ON THE DISTRICT
Bishop Devadhar will be making his annual visit to our District on October 18, 2010. We will be meeting at Roselle UMC.
Gateway North District Advanced Lay Speaking Class
Where: Springfield Emanuel UMC 40 Church Mall Ave., Springfield, NJ 07083
When: Saturday, October 30, & Saturday,November 6, 2010
Time: 9:30AM -3PM ( Light Lunch will be provided)
Instructor: Rev. Nicholas Connolly
For more information, please contact Judy Colorado at (908) 832-6641 or email her at judy(at)jcolorado.net.
SOME CALENDAR DATES for 2011
January 22, 2011 - Gateway North District Day of Learning at Morrow Memorial UMC, Maplewood
February 14, 2011 - Gateway North Resource Day with Bishop Michael Coyner
April 4, 2011 - Gateway North Resource Day with Rev. Paul Nixon
May 15, 2011 - Gateway North District Conference
October 17, 2011 - Gateway North Resource Day with Rev. Dr. John Holbert
November 14, 2011 - Gateway North Resource Day with Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas
Entrix & Local Church News
ENTRIX is the young adult ministry of the Palisades and Gateway North Districts. For more information, click on ENTRIX here, visit and connect on Facebook at ENTRIX under Groups, or contact Rev. David LeDuc at vincentumc(at)verizon.net or 973-667-5440.
If you have any church events that you would like to promote on the district website, please email them to Rev. Brenda Ehlers at gatewaynorthnews(at)morrowmem.org. The information needs to be to her by the 20th of the MONTH BEFORE you would like it announced.
Thank you for making a difference!
Rev. Bob Costello
Rev. Dr. Robert E. Costello
District Superintendent Gateway North District
26 Montrose Ave., Verona, NJ 07044
Phone : 973-571-0313 Fax: 973-571-0315
gatewaynorth(at)gnjumc.org
www.gatewaynorthdistrict.org