News

Council of Bishops Urge Compassion & Prayer for Border Crisis

In response to the rise in unaccompanied migrant children crossing the U.S. border, the executive committee of the Council of Bishops has called on United Methodists across the connection to “pray, reflect and engage in acts of compassion.” According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors have been traveling through Mexico and arriving at the Southwest U.S. border in recent months, specifically in the Rio Grande Valley. About 75 percent...

2014 GNJAC Scholarship Recipients

Rev. Warren Brandt Francis Asbury Award     Jacqueline C. Barnes Conference Trust Scholarship Jacqueline is presently attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is an active member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Montclair, NJ.       Bianca M. Birney Conference Trust Scholarship Bianca is a graduate of Cumberland Regional High School in Seabrook, NJ. She will be attending Cumberland County College in Vineland, NJ in...

UMVIM - Volunteers In Mission Team Leadership Training

When: 10/11/2014 Time: Starts 9:00am - 4:00am Where: St. John's United Methodist Church, Hazlet, NJ   What is UMVIM? United Methodist Volunteers In Mission exists to promote, encourage, and enable Christians to exemplify “Christian Love In Action” through short-term mission service in the Unit-ed States and abroad. It provides opportunities for service by developing and nurturing relationships with domestic and international leaders. We continually nurture our...

FREE Media Center VHS Tapes!

We are in the process of modernizing the Media Center and have hundreds of VHS tapes available for FREE for our churches. The tapes cover a wide variety of topics, including women’s studies, spiritual growth and children and youth. Click here to view the attached list and if you see something you like, we’ll send it to you.  Email: media@gnjumc.org ...

Alpine Community United Methodist Church

A group from the Alpine Community United Methodist Church, a congregation worshiping 12 people, has notified the conference that they have left the United Methodist Church and have claimed right to the property. This group is being led by David Reeves, who is now the pastor and chair of the newly formed board of trustees. Mr. Reeves is a former United Methodist local pastor whose license was not renewed in 2005. The church is located in the Alpine community of New Jersey, approximately eight...

A Future with Hope - Summer Concert in the Park

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Stop Hunger Now Mission Project

The meals we packed this year for Stop Hunger Now including the more than 40,000 packed last month at Annual Conference have been shipped to Haiti! They will support the holistic work of Salesian Missions in Haiti. www.salesianmissions.org The Salesian work Lakay/Lakou is a three step program in Cite Soleil, Haiti, to socially and economically rehabilitate street children. Cite Soleil is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Haiti, and armed gangs are in control of most of the area...

2014 Cooperative School of Christian Mission

  This annual education opportunity is the ticket to effective mission ministry for local churches across the Greater New Jersey Conference. The Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Greater New Jersey Conference United Methodist Women co-sponsor and present these schools. The Cooperative School of Christian Missions is for all, invited are women, men, young adults, youth, children, pastors, and friends! Make it a family retreat! To...

Prayer Leaves

This year's Annual Conference, we asked attendees to write a prayer request on a handmade paper leaf. The prayers were then hung on a small tree to create a beautiful display within the prayer room. The amount of prayers received was amazing and inspiring. Last week during our Monday morning worship, the GNJ staff was asked to take a prayer leaf and continue to pray for the requests. We are incorporating the leaves into our worship series and your prayers have inspired prayers of our...

Act of Repentance

  Small red cloths wrapped with sage and tobacco were passed along the rows of pastors, laypeople and others at the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church on Thursday, May 28. The contents of the cloths represented things that God made. These cloths also symbolized unity between the Natives Americans and the United Methodist Church. During the first official day of Annnual Conference, Greater New Jersey United Methodists and the Lenape Native Americans...

Brightshots Photo Project #gnjac14

Thank you to all who took part in our first ever 2014 Brightshots Photo Project. During Annual Conference we asked attendees to particpate in sharing their photos via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using #gnjac14.  Your photos represented the bright spots of your experiences during Annual Conference. Thank you for allowing GNJ to document Brighshots through your lens and smart phone. Together we are showing the world our bright spots through ministry!     ...

2014 Episcopal Address

The United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey Episcopal Address May 29, 2014 John R. Schol, Bishop Isaiah said, “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (Isaiah 61:1). Today I give thanks to God for you and how God’s light is shining through you. You have shined in, out and on through your ministry. God’s light is growing the vitality of our congregations and shining brightly through our spiritual leaders. Across...

GNJUMC Ground Breaking Ceremony

Ground Breaking Ceremony for United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey on Jumping Brook Road, Neptune On Thursday, May 22nd, Bishop John Schol and the leaders of the United Methodist Church in Greater New Jersey, together with public officials from Neptune Township and Monmouth County, broke the ground for a new conference center on Jumping Brook Road in Neptune.   The conference office administration provides support for the more than 580 United Methodist Churches and 50,000...

Annual Conference Volunteer Opportunity

A Future With Hope will host a unique volunteer opportunity at this year’s Annual Conference in Wildwood next week. The Sandy reconstruction non-profit, formed by the people of the United Methodist Church, will construct three wooden playhouses for the children of Hurricane Sandy survivors. Conference attendees, including youth and clergy, will participate in the playhouse build. The three houses will be assembled and painted on Wednesday morning. One will be displayed in the convention...

Mission Fund Campaign Provides Opportunity to Reclaim Space

How do you commit to the God-size A Future with Hope Mission Fund Campaign when your church is already struggling? The UMC at Mount Tabor lost a large percentage of income when the preschool renting part of the building suddenly closed their doors. Instead of panic, the church turned to dreaming. Perhaps it was time to claim the entire building space for ministry but as ideas came forward, we found ourselves faced with financial impossibilities. We were down nearly a quarter of our budget,...

Remember those who served our country...

The Commission on Archives and History would like to remind local churches and interested individuals that Memorial Day is approaching and it is the best time to remember those who served our country in the military during war and peace. In January 1917, the United States entered World War 1 which eventually saw 2.5 million Americans in active service. Around 9 million individuals would die by war’s end. In that same year the New Jersey Annual Conference presented a Veteran’s...

United Methodist Communications Grant

The media campaign sponsored by United Methodist Communications kicks off this month with a full page ad in the Star Ledger on May 24th.   The goal of the ad campaign is to drive volunteers to A Future with Hope, raise awareness of our organization and its mission, and grow the Untied Methodist Church brand.  In addition to the May Ad, there will be 5 more ads in the Star Ledger and the Asbury Park Press, radio spots, internet advertising and television spots. In June, 9...

Churches Celebrating Anniversaries of Significance in 2014

50 years Montclair: St. Mark’s This church transferred into the Newark Conference from the Central Jurisdiction in 1964 with a membership of 857. The church offers an active schedule, full of education programs and community activities. It is located just off of Bloomfield Avenue.   100 years   Williamstown: First – church sanctuary The history of Methodism in Williamstown dates to 1796. We celebrate our church sanctuary built in 1914   Beach Haven Terrace:...

Award Recipients Announced

Mary Ann Kiernan Selected as the 2014 Harry Denman Evangelism Award Recipient for Laity For more than 30 years, The Foundation for Evangelism has been privileged to work with annual conferences to celebrate outstanding personal evangelism ministry of United Methodist clergy, laity and youth by sponsoring the prestigious Harry Denman Evangelism Award. Since inception, more than 2,500 individuals have been honored. The Harry Denman Evangelism Award is named for the founder of The...

Camping Programs Have Come to a Rest for the Summer.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Our Camping Ministries Board had to make a very difficult decision this week. They decided to rest the summer camping program at the Pinelands and Aldersgate Camps this summer. This means there will be no summer camping ministry at either site while we take time to reassess the camping ministry and identify how we will best serve our young people in the future. Many of us have strong connections to our camps and we understand that this news is difficult...