N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0

MOUNTAIN VIEWDISTRICT

NEWSLETTER

A LETTER FROM THEDISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

Contact:

BISHOP MARY VIRGINIA TAYLORbishop@holston.org

REV. ANGELA HARDY CROSSDISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTangelahardycross@holston.org

CARRIE HOPPERADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTcarriehopper@holston.org

MAILING ADDRESSPO Box 1592Morristown, TN 37816-1592

PHYSICAL ADDRESS112 East First North StreetMorristown, TN 37816

PHONE: 423-586-2942FAX: 423-586-7406

Greetings Mountain View District,

Currently the Bishop and Cabinet are preparing ourselves to navigate the new normal. Asno surprise to you we are in a crisis, a crisis of pandemic, crisis of culture, crisis of climateand crisis of divisiveness. Therefore, to be the Church, to be the people of Christ, to be theunifying body and agents of change and love, we must be equipped. I am supplying youwith some recommended resources that may prove to be helpful as we move forward asChildren of the Light. These suggested resources are as follows:

The General Commission on Religion and Race of The United Methodist Church is offeringa 5 week Advent Bible Study, Journey from Darkness to Light (Racial Justice Resource).

Diversity Training and Conflict Management From the Lewis Center for Church Leadershipof Wesley Theological Seminary and Holston Conference Wesley Leadership Institute.

You can look these topics up online. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to callme. Have a very safe, blessed, different, but meaningful Thanksgiving season.

Psalm 133: Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together inunity!

Faith Hope Love,

Rev A.M. Hardy Cross

http://holston.org/http://holston.org/http://holston.org/

Churches arenow able toreopen for in-person worship.

Daycare/Preschool/Afterschool care: The Task Force advises thatchildren 5 and up wear a mask for daycare inside and out. Each daycarewill need to make their decisions accordingly and follow their protocolon file.Children’s church worship for school-age children only: If there isspace for distancing, masks, and attendance kept and leadershiptrained then children’s church is permitted with a protocol on file withthe DS.Nurseries: Nursery care for infants up to age 5 is still not allowed.Children under the age of 5 must remain with their parents.

Churches are now able to reopen for in-person worship. Plans forreopening must be approved by the District Superintendent before a churchis allowed to reopen.

When opening your church doors, please be mindful of the following newhealth precautions required by the Holston Conference COVID-19 TaskForce.

Small Groups: Sunday School, Bible Studies, Youth, Scouts, Committees,Recovery and School-age children can meet in the building. You must haveand follow your protocol on file: mask, distance, sanitizer, attendancecaptured, no food or drink unless you bring your own and do not share. Iknow it will be challenging to distance in somerooms. If you cannot distance in the room you regularly use then a changein location or schedule may be necessary in ensure safe practices.Children:

Gatherings: Birthday parties, Bridal or Baby showers, Family Reunions,Homecoming meals, Funeral meals and Anniversary Celebrations, Etc. I’msorry but these are still not allowed inside the buildings.Christmas: Our normal Christmas programs for children and Cantatas andplays, where many people are on the staging area, will not be able to occurthis year. If your space allows for a small group that can distance you mayhave a scaled down version, only if you can distance. A drive-thru LivingNativity would be a wonderful creativeoutdoor option. As you prepare for Christmas Eve all protocols must be inplace including no congregational singing. If you have communion youmust use the prepacked elements.Food and Drinks: No food or drinks are allowed at this time. A person maybring coffee or water for themselves, and prepacked food may be sharedwith the children if needed. No food trucks or outside food from home orrestaurants.

CHURCH REOPENINGUPDATE

Plans for both INDOOR and OUTDOOR worship andgatherings must be submitted to the DistrictSuperintendent.

WORKINGFROM HOME

Please be aware that the DistrictSuperintendent and AdministrativeAssistant are working primarily fromhome due to COVID-19.

If you need to come by the office, pleasecall first to see when someone will be in theoffice. Phone calls are being forwarded tothe Administrative Assistant. Both the DSand AA are available via email. Please donot hesitate to reach out.

There is a time foreverything, and aseason for everyactivity under theheavens.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

PASTOR'S PAGECHARGE CONFERENCES

CLERGY EDUCATION

Since 2018, United Methodist clergy andother church leaders have taken one hourcontinuing education classes atClergyEducation.com. In addition toadmission into live sessions, registrantsreceive a video recording of the webinar anda certificate representing 1-hour CEUcredit. The cost for each session is $25. VisitClergyEducation.com to see the latest listof upcoming webinars. In addition to livewebinars, recordings of previous webinarsare available in our "Recorded Courses"section.

CLERGY DUES

Just a reminder to send your clergy dues into the District Office. Pastors in theMountain View District are expected to pay $1 for every $1000 of their annualsalary.

This fund directly supports clergy in the Mountain View District!

CLERGY CONNEXION

Click here for the Fall 2020 edition from Rev. Terry Goodman, Director ofHolston's Clergy Services.

CEU NEWS

Click here for the October 2020 Newsletter.

All charge conferences will take place on Zoom this year. Our administrative assistant, Carrie, will send the Zoom link out to pastors two weeks before their scheduled date. We ask that the pastors then distribute the link and any required material to their congregations.

Your charge conference paperwork is due to the district office the Mondaybefore your scheduled date.

We will be having charge conferences on Sundays at either 2:00 or 4:00 pm. Charge conferences will be held in clusters according to the MountainView District Missional Hubs. Please find your Missional Hub and Charge Conference date on the next page.

http://clergyeducation.com/http://clergyeducation.com/https://issuu.com/holston-ac/docs/oct_2020_clergy_services_connexionhttps://issuu.com/holston-ac/docs/oct_2020_clergy_services_connexionhttps://www.holston.org/files/tables/content/14414126/fields/files/5c6d000c2682421fbd2d9e0ae56e8f88/ceu+news+november+2020.pdf

IMPORTANT NEWSHANDS ON MISSIONPROJECT

Hands on Mission Buckets will be due to the DistrictOffice by Monday, November 23rd. Please call the officebefore dropping off to ensure that someone will bethere to receive your buckets.

GRANTS

A list of grants available to local churches is listed below. Youcan also find the list and more information by clicking herefor Holston Conference grants and by clicking here forHolston Foundation grants.

District Board of Mission & Church ExtensionChange for ChildrenEvangelism Program GrantEthnic Local Church Concerns Brick & Mortar GrantHandicap Accessibility GrantHispanic Ministry Program GrantHIV/AIDS GrantHunger and Poverty GrantOpioid Crisis GrantPeace with Justice GrantPoverty and Hunger GrantRenfro Trust GrantProgramming GrantsMargaret Loving Senior GrantRev Thomas P Carriger Evangelism GrantEudow Hamm Evangelism GrantJohn B Redwine Strategic Ministries Grant

ANTI-RACISM STUDIES

ADVENT STUDY

The General Commission on Religion and Race has put outa study called "Advent 2020:Seeking Jesus, The Advent

of Justice and Peace".It can be purchased here.

https://www.holston.org/grantshttps://www.holston.org/grantshttps://www.holston.org/grants-scholarshipshttps://www.holston.org/grantshttps://www.r2hub.org/premium-resources/p/advent2020