e~Aurora
A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference
Aurora
CONFERENCE NEWS
Apportionments & Submission Deadline
Deadlines
Here is the new apportionment report as of December 30th.  20 of our churches have paid 100% of their apportionments! Congratulations to you! For those that haven't reached 100% yet, you have a few more days.  Apportionments are due on January 6th.  The last day of acceptance, IN HAND (NOT mailed-by date), is January 11th.
Holway Memorial Set
Dennis Holway
Mark your calendar now for June 17, 2017.  The Holway family will be up in Alaska to share memories of Dennis Holway and spread his ashes at the chapel on Psalm Lake.  The event will take place at Birchwood Camp and anyone who knew him are invited to attend.  More details will come as the event gets closer.
Learning Event and Winter Rendezvous
Save the Date
Our Learning Event will be February 16-17, 2017 (Thursday 1:00 pm - Friday 3:00 pm) followed by the Winter Rendezvous (Conference committee meetings) on February 17-18, 2017 (Friday evening - Saturday afternoon). The Learning Event will focus on Creating New Places for New People and Nurturing Vital Congregations with Rev. Dr. Bill Gibson and Rev. Steve Ross as our main resource people.

To prepare for the learning event, here's some homework for you.
1. Form a Vitality Team in your local church.
2. Read and study the following documents together
a.  Northwest Adventure: New Church Development in the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area ( click here to download)
b. Renewal Northwest: Congregational Vitality in the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area (this document is being edited and will be made available soon)
3. Access and study your mission field's demographics through  MissionInsite. Each church in the Alaska Conference has access to this demographic service. For more info in how to log-in, contact Crystal Feaster at the Conference Office.
4. Test the results of your demographics study by interviewing key people in your community. Guide questions for this will be made available soon.
NATIONAL NEWS
GBHEM Expands Pastoral Education
The Division of Ordained Ministry at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) today announced the establishment of three new options for the education of part-time licensed local pastors: an Extension of the Course of Study School of Ohio (COSSO) to be located at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, a satellite Course of Study program with Saint Paul School of Theology in Hays, Kansas, and a pilot Escuela de Cursos de Estudios (ECE), a Spanish Course of Study, to be offered in Denver, Colorado.
 
Providing the framework for a partnership and mutual commitment to support pastors as they pursue their theological education, memos of understanding for the Course of Study programs were approved by the Division of Ordained Ministry Board of Directors at GBHEM this week.

Read the rest of the press release here. 
CONFERENCE CALENDAR
January
8: Charge Conference - Anchor Park UMC
8: Charge Conference - First UMC Ketchikan
8: Charge Conference - Ola Toe Fuataina Samoan Fellowship
9: Charge Conference - St. John UMC
10: Charge Conference - Willow UMC
11:  DEADLINE for ALL Finances for 2016
15: Charge Conference - First UMC Fairbanks
15: Charge Conference - New Hope Methodist Presbyterian Church
17-20: GNW Cabinet meeting in Portland - Carlo attending
25-29: WJ Leadership meetings - Carlo attending
27-29: UMW Executive Team meeting in Anchorage
29-Feb 1: ADCM Meeting in Phoenix - Carlo attending

February
9: Charge Conference - UMC of Sitka
16-17: Conference Learning Event
17-18: Winter Rendezvous Meetings at Conference Center
27-March 3: GNW Cabinet in Seattle - Carlo attending
Conference Office Email Address has Changed
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We have changed the conference office email from umc@gci.net to alaskaumc@gmail.com.  For workflow ease, we are consolidating everything to the Google platform (email, calendar, etc.).  Please update your address books/contacts lists and start using alaskaumc@gmail.com for your emails to the conference. Carlo's email ( carlorapanut@gmail.com) will remain the same.
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Upcoming
Clergy Birthdays
 
January 5: Janice Carlton
January 18: Karen Dammann

February 19: Steve Fisher



Conference Office
907-333-5050

Superintendent Carlo
907-854-8340
Submissions - If you have an article or event that you would like to share with the rest of the conference, submit it to the conference office by Monday evening for consideration.
AUMC Logo Mission Statement:
The mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  Held and supported by the transforming relationship with God through Christ, we of the Alaska United Methodist Conference seek to be a community that creates a home for all peoples, finds our hope through grace and journeys together into God's preferred future.
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