Expect Excellence on the East District
Clergy Corner
2021 Charge Conferences
East District charge conferences will take place in person, September 7th – December 14th. Charge conference schedule, script and documents will be posted on the East District Webpage and emailed to you. If you have a conflict with the assigned day/time, it is your responsibility to contact the Pastor of the church to see if they are able to switch and notify the district office. All reports must be submitted to the district office 2 weeks prior to your charge conference.
- Download the 2021 Charge Conference Schedule (Updated 6/24/2021)
- Download 2021 Charge Conference Forms.
DS Chats with Clergy
Hello Excellence Focused East Pastors,
Please join Dr. Foster at 9:00 AM on the 3rd Thursday of each month for DS Chats with Clergy:
- October 21, 2021
- November 18, 2021
- December 16, 2021
- January 20, 2022
- February 17, 2022
- March 17, 2022
- April 21, 2022
- May 19, 2022
Please contact the district office (lromano@epaumc.org) for the ZOOM link. If there are questions or best practices that will help our district churches between our monthly chats, please email to DS Foster to share with the body during our monthly chats.
The following are the questions shared to consider throughout our charge conference season:
- What are you learning about yourself/ministry during this pandemic?
- How are you connecting what you have learned and are learning to ensure the Mission of the Church is being realized?
- What are some tangible signs? If your church/ministry ceases to exist, who in the community would miss it?
Fall 2021 Local Pastor Licensing School Schedule
Registration still open, but only until September 20th!
Online registration is open now
- Weeks 1 and 2 (October 1st-2nd and 8th- 9th): Rev. Dr. Michael Roberts (Educational Ministries; Mission and Evangelism) and Rev. Dr. Truman Brooks (Pastoral Care)
- Week 3 : Off
- Weeks 4 and 5 (October 22nd-23rd and 29th-30): Rev. Dr. Jim Todd (UM Tradition; Leadership and Administration) and Rev. Dr. Truman Brooks (Spiritual Direction)
- Week 6: Off
- Weeks 7 and 8 (November 12th-13th and 19th-20th): Rev. Dr. Suzanne Duchesne (Preaching: Public Worship and Liturgy)
CEU Opportunities for Clergy
- A Storyteller Looks at the Parables - September 21
- Olu Brown: Leading Your Congregation in New Directions - September 28
- Blake Bradford: Tips for Cultivating Fruitfulness in Ministry - October 5
- Understanding the Simplified, Accountable Structure - October 14
- Olu Brown: Planning Ahead to Preach During Advent: Offering Hope - October 19
- Anne Bosarge: Planning Activities for Advent & Christmas - October 21
Certified Lay Minister Program, Class of 2022 Certification 2023
Introduction Orientation Sessions
All sessions will be held via ZOOM video conferencing. Attendance at one orientation session is required for program admission.
- Saturday, October 9 - 10:00-12:00 PM
- Wednesday, October 13 - 6:30-8:30 PM
- Thursday, October 21 - 6:30- 8:30 PM
- Monday, October 25 - 6:30 - 8:30 PM
- Tuesday, October 26 - 6:30 - 8:30 PM
- Saturday, November 6 - 9:30 – 11:30 AM
Contact Judy Ehninger, CLM Program Coordinator, with questions, for further information, and to register for an Orientation Session: judy.ehninger@gmail.com or 610-442-3140
Dewees Grant-Deadline extended to September 20
In accordance with the provision in the Dewees will, the funds are given to the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church “to use in the mission programs of the Church.” Grants will typically not exceed $5,000, and be for the initial funding of a project only.
Churches should send their application form to Rev. Dr. Andrew L Foster III (afoster3rd@epaumc.org).
Committees, boards and agencies should send the application form to the Director of Connectional Ministries: Dawn Taylor Storm (dtaylorstorm@epaumc.org, Eastern PA Conference, P.O. Box 820, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0820).
Please email an electronic copy of the grant application, in addition to sending a printed copy by postal mail.
- Dewees Grant Application Cover Letter [PDF]
- Dewees Grant Application Form [fillable DOC]
What's Happening Locally in the East District
Local East District Newsletters
Doylestown UMC - Latest Newsletter
Newtown UMC Sponsor - Online Series of Seminars
“BECOMING A BETTER YOU” -- A 7-part Virtual Seminar Series with Richard Yahn, M.S. (Masters Level Therapist at Newtown Therapy and Wellness Center). Covering the topics of Anxiety, Relationships, Self-Development, Life Transitions, & Self-Care.
Weekly - Sundays at 7:00 p.m. from September 26 – November 14, 2021.
*Seminars are FREE, LIVE, and presented VIRTUALLY! *Seminars are open to the entire community! *Please register by sending an email to numc1@verizon.net for the Zoom link. Download flyer for more information
Washington Crossing UMC - Lifestyle of Miracle Conference
Thursday, September 30, 2021, 7:00 PM - Saturday, October 02, 2021, 3:00 PM
Marcus Dygert, co-founder of Monarch Ministries International will be our guest speaker for the Crossing's "Lifestyle of Miracles" Conference. At Monarch Ministries International conferences, the focus is to equip people to cultivate a life in Christ that will empower Christians to believe again in the signs and wonders of the healing and prophetic ministries.
The ministry believes that the Church can grow even more through sustaining an ability to cultivate the lifestyle of miracles through long-term relationships. All registrants have the option of attending in-person and/or via the live webinar. More information.