We are an Annual Conference of churches growing in discipleship and ministry for Jesus Christ.

"The purpose of the annual conference is to make disciples for Jesus Christ by equipping its local churches for ministry and by providing a connection for ministry beyond the local church; all to the glory of God." from the 1996 Book of Discipline, ¶ 601

The primary focus of our new Annual Conference is to identify, support, train and nurture effective lay and clergy leaders to strengthen local congregations for ministry in the world.

We are in mission and ministry in the name of Christ for the transformation of lives and the redemption of the community;
that the hurting may be healed,
that the hungry may be fed,
that the lost may be found,
that the Shalom of God may come upon the earth.

Adopted by the Delegates to the Uniting Conference
August 4-6, 2000

Our mission is to provide food, shelter and comprehensive services to homeless families in Monmouth County in cooperation with a network of interfaith congregations, while advocating innovative solutions to chronic homelessness.

Family Promise of Monmouth County, an affiliate of national Family Promise, works with community agencies, faith-based services, churches and synagogues to provide shelter, food, transportation and supportive services including case management for homeless families.

Our Network is made up of host congregations who have pledged the use of their facilities and the participation of volunteer members and support congregations who provide additional volunteers and support.

See the Family Promise page on this site.

(p>The Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer community service organization providing food assistance and additional services for low-income families and Senior Citizens requiring ongoing or temporary assistance in the Northern Bayshore area of Monmouth County.

For many individuals our organization is sometimes their last resort. Recent years have taken a toll on many families and Senior Citizens due to the economic situation in our country, health reasons and other circumstances. The number of lay-offs, cost for food and other items continues to rise making it difficult to make end meets. Some of these families and seniors are truly in need but are too proud; don’t know who to turn to or where to seek assistance. The purpose of our organization is to improve the quality of life for our clients by providing them with nourishments for both body and mind.

See the Ministerium Food Pantry page on this site.

The mission of Aslan Youth Ministries is to provide relationship-based programs that permanently impact the bodies, minds and spirits of disadvantaged urban children and empower them to overcome their negative environments and circumstances. Aslan's programs include one-on-one mentoring and tutoring, character development classes anchored in Christian values and principles, recreational activities, summer camps, cultural enrichment programs, intervention services, and scholarship assistance programs for higher learning

Aslan's philosophy is that meaningful and permanent change only takes place through the development of one's character and by learning to live the basic principles of right and wrong upon which civilization is based. Learning to function as a productive member of society means learning to respect oneself and one's fellow man. Each Aslan program is designed for long-term results that empower youth with the tools needed to live meaningful lives. Aslan's radical approach helps urban youth see beyond who they are at one particular moment in time. Through continual and consistent year-round encouragement and extreme adventure activities such as long-distance bicycle touring, skiing, camping, and Project Third World Haiti, Aslan positions children outside their comfort zones. We help them reach deeply within and overcome their fears, limitations, and failures and, with God's help, find the strength to endure and succeed!

In 1907, a committee of women appointed by the New Brunswick District Preachers corresponded with pastors and members of the Methodist Episcopal churches of Monmouth County about the importance of establishing a home for the aged. In response to this need, a single home at 63 Clark Avenue, Ocean Grove, was purchased, and it became the first home in our system. Collingswood Manor, begun independently in 1891, merged with the United Methodist Homes in 1971.

With an annual operating budget over $62 million and about 915 employees, the Homes is widely recognized for high quality care and service to seniors. The Homes is a national model for other church-related elder care organizations in the United States. Residents benefit from a range of comprehensive services and enjoy a variety of intellectual, spiritual, social, emotional, physical and vocational enriching programs.

The tradition is noble. The legacy is now ours.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the not-for-profit global humanitarian aid organization of the United Methodist Church.  UMCOR is working in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States.  Our mission, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, is to alleviate human suffering—whether caused by war, conflict or natural disaster, with open hearts and minds to all people.

UMCOR responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community's ability to recover on its own.

We partner with local partner organizations and survivors to rebuild their livelihoods, health and homes.  In times of acute crisis we mobilize emergency supplies, fresh water, and temporary shelter to stricken areas, and then stay as long as it takes to implement long-term recovery. Our workers are known all over the globe for their compassion, leadership, expertise and guidance in recovery efforts.

UMCOR works through programs that address hunger, poverty, sustainable agriculture, international and domestic emergencies, refugee and immigrant concerns, global health issues, and transitional development. United Methodist hearts and hands are part of every program implemented; school kit, seed, health kit, fresh water and tool distributed in the US and throughout the world; and every new house, well, clinic and school rebuilt after catastrophes of conflict or nature. 

Most importantly, our work connects us in a global network of generous donors and equally generous beneficiaries.

The United Methodist Relay is the official newspaper of the Greater New Jersey United Methodist Conference, published and distributed monthly except January and August.  The most recent editions are posted on this web site for ease in viewing, downloading and saving. Hardcopy issues are available by subscription from the publication office.  Contact Kay Webber, Subscription Manager, United Methodist Relay, P.O. Box 14, Lakehurst, NJ 08733, email: UMRelay@hotmail.com.

Inquiries relating to circulation may be addressed to Mrs. Webber at the address above. All correspondence regarding news and editorial content may be directed to The Relay Editor or to an associate editor listed on page 2 of the current edition.  Current and archived issues available at this site are in HTML and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).   The Adobe Reader is required to view these issues and can be obtained free of charge.

The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is a ministry organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for spirtual birth, growth, and renewal in a Christian seaside setting.  Centrally located on the Jersey Shore, Ocean Grove is within two hours of both New York City and Philadelphia.  Founded in 1869, the Camp Meeting continues to put on a vibrant program of preaching, teaching and celebration throughout the summer months.  More recently, the Camp Meeting has also been providing more year-round activities.

Camp Meetings were an important aspect of evangelism and revivalism in the sparsely settled areas of the American frontier. These events were held in the open air and took place over several days. Because many attendees had to travel some distance in order to be there, it was common to simply camp out at the very spot, thus leading to the name. People were told to let go of their sins and dedicate themselves to God. Very often people would begin shouting in religious fervor.

Most historians believe that James McGready held the first camp meeting at Red River, Kentucky, in June 1800. It was so successful that he held a second one at Gasper River, Kentucky, just a month later. The largest camp meeting may have been the Cane Ridge Revival held at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in August 1801. Lead by Barton W. Stone, it was attended by at least 10,000 people over the course of a week.

PrayerSong is a genre of Christian music that combines the Word of God with the ancient tradition of chant in a 21st century music environment. While “Praise Song” in the late 20th and early 21st century often expresses a personal glorification of the Trinity, PrayerSong most often quotes Scripture directly as a means of learning words spoken by God through the prophets and our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The purpose of PrayerSong is to attain a communal sense of wholeness as we sing prayer together and invite the Spirit of peace to remove from us all feelings of isolation and discontent. In PrayerSong, we focus on our own breathing and become aware of the community of voices contributing to our inner peace as we lift our hearts to God and contribute our voice to the music and Holy Spirit that surrounds us.

The mission of WEC is to innovatively apply WEB technology to EMPOWER the worldwide CHURCH for ministry.

Our mission statement is reflected in our logo which shows the cross spread throughout the world via the Internet. The ones and zeros that make up the cross spell out the word "Jesus" in binary ASCII code.

      J = 0100 1010
      e = 0110 0101
      s = 0111 0011
      u = 0111 0101
      s = 0111 0011

A tri-fold brochure in PDF format is available for viewing or printing. The file is approximately 23MB in size. Click on the brochure image at the right to download the PDF file.

VineHosting is the only organization offering The Web-Empowered Church  system (WEC) software as a Turn-Key solution. 

Although we offer the WEC System for free for any Christian Church or Ministry to download and install on their own servers, many have requested we provide hosting due to many providers not assisting with the installation and day to day security that churches need.

The Web Empowered Church system allows you to create and maintain your church website, and to add powerful ministry features. The software has special web pages that allow you to do all this from a standard web browser on your PC. No special software is required on your PC. In fact, multiple people from your church can help maintain your website.

With over 35% of all Americans seeking spiritual answers online and the average American home spending 2.5 hours daily on the internet, it is vital that you have a professionally-designed, constantly-updated web site.