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A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference
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Invitation letter from Bishop Elaine
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 Click here to read the invitation letter from Bishop Elaine inviting us all to Annual Conference!
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 Registration is live for attending Annual Conference in Seward. It is important for you to read through the FACT SHEET before you register. There are pieces of information that you will need in order to make choices in your registration.
We have added a
NEW
HOUSING CHOICES sheet to the conference website that gives detailed information on some of the housing options.
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 During the registration process, you will select your choice of preferred housing during Annual Conference. One of those options is at the Breeze Inn Motel. The block of rooms that the conference holds will be released on April 5th. If you are wanting/needing one of those rooms, please make sure you take part in the Early Bird Registration and indicate a desire for one of those rooms. Otherwise you will have to make your own arrangements at a potentially higher cost.
We have added a
HOUSING CHOICES sheet to the conference website that gives detailed information on some of the housing options. Just a reminder, all housing costs (if any) are the responsibility of the individual. The conference only reimburses travel costs.
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Pre-Conference Workshops | May 31
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Anatomy of Peace
led by Rev. Donna Pritchard
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Health: How do you measure it in your community?
led by Sandra Woods
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Who Did What and Why -- The Local Church Historian's Passion
led by Larry Hayden
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Restorative Justice at Spring Creek Correctional Center
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 On Thursday, May 31, clergy and lay have been invited to Spring Creek Correctional Center to hear about their work on Restorative Justice with inmates and victims. It will also be an opportunity to see what goes on at the only maximum security prison in the state. The event will begin at 12 PM. It will be done before the pre-conference workshops begin. If you are interested in this, please contact Rev. Jim Doepken directly and let him know.
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 On the evening of Friday, June 1, there is an opportunity to board a four-hour dinner cruise out of Resurrection Bay. This is a time of hanging out and getting to know each other away from the business of Annual Conference. There is an additional cost of $57.68/adult and $28.09/child (ages 2-11) to participate. This is not a required event. If you are interested, make sure you add this activity to your registration!
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2020 General Conference Candidate Submissions
If you are interested in submitting your name to be a candidate to the 2020 General Conference, please
review these guidelines and submit your Statement of Candidacy by April 17th. Your statement will be included in the Pre-Conference Handbook.
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 March
- 15-April 17: Early Bird Registration open ($45)
April
- 5: Block of hotel rooms will be released. Notify Conference office by this date to secure your hotel room.
- 17: Petitions, Rules/Policy Changes, Committee Reports, General Conference Delegate submissions due. Basically anything that needs to be in the Pre-Conference Handbook is due.
- 18-May 15: General Registration open ($60)
May
- 1: Harry Denman Award nominations, Outstanding Lay Person of the Year Award nominations, Ministry Display requests, Memorial lists, Worship packet due
- 1: Conference office will email/mail Pre-Conference Handbooks to Annual Conference voting delegates
- 15: Housing, Transportation, and Child care requests due
- 15-day of AC: Late Registration open ($85)
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You are invited to Table Talks!
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Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky is encouraging United Methodist clergy and laypersons across the Greater Northwest Area to attend worshipful 'Table Talk' conversations about human sexuality, and about the future of the Church we love.
 Please watch the Bishop's invitation and share it with your local church! You can download a copy to use in worship and in other settings on the Greater Northwest Vimeo page.
Learn more here
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UMW Conference Treasurer needed
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 Alaska UMW is in need of a treasurer. Some of the duties of the treasurer are: operate the bank account, receive and disperse funds, maintain regular contact with the national office, work alongside the President, send itemized reports to the conference leadership team, help form the yearly budget, and other duties. If this is an interest of yours, please contact the Nominations Chairperson, Ofa Finau at 907-690-1902 or by email. She would be more than happy to tell you more and help answer any questions you might have.
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Heritage Sunday | May 20, 2018
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From 264.1, The Book of Discipline, 2012
Heritage Sunday shall be observed on Aldersgate Day (May 24), or the Sunday preceding that date. The day provides an opportunity for reflection on heritage, celebration of where the Church has been, how it understands itself as it shapes us today, and the meaning of Christian conferencing. Heritage Sunday calls the Church to remember the past by committing itself to the continuing call of God.
Heritage Sunday is set aside for remembering our legacy as United Methodists. It is an ideal time for local churches and Annual Conference Commissions on Archives and History and Historical Societies to develop programs and projects reflecting the importance of history in congregational formation and casting the future.
This year's approach to Heritage Sunday is a celebration, a JUBILEE in fact. We are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the United Methodist Church.
Read more at
http://gcah.org/resources/heritage-sunday-2018
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 The Outdoor Ministries Committee has announced that the last AUMC Camp Sunday will be April 8th. The first one was on March 18th.
Visit the websites for Birchwood Camp and Eagle River United Methodist Camp for more information on their specific camps.
BIRCHWOOD
Visit www.birchwoodcamp.org
registration@birchwoodcamp.org
Contact: (907) 688-2734
EAGLE RIVER
manager@methodistcamp.org
Contact: (907)789-3734
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Divorce Care class offered
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 St. John UMC if offering a DivorceCare Class which starts March 26 at 6 p.m. DivorceCare meets weekly to help individuals face challenges of divorce or separation and move toward rebuilding your life. Contact Diane at carlyon.diane@gmail.com or Del Ann Beltz at beltz22253@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
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Clear Appointment Openings
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A list of churches that are open for appointment can be found on the Greater NW Area website. As appointments are announced and the appointment process unfolds, new clear openings will be added to the list. See the latest.
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Way Forward Commission meets to prepare final report
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The 32-member Commission on a Way Forward is meeting in Los Angeles March 19-22 to prepare a final report to be submitted to the Council of the Bishops for consideration by the bishops at their April 20-May 4 meeting.
Read the press release
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Bishops, leaders of UMC-related institutions optimistic of denomination's future
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Several leaders of United Methodist Church-related institutions voiced optimism and are preparing for possible changes in the global denomination that could occur as a result of the Special Session of the General Conference called for February next year.
As part of its commitment of offering a proposal that would move The United Methodist Church forward with as much unity as possible, the
Council of Bishops invited leaders of United Methodist-related anchor institutions for conversations regarding the future of the denomination. The Council has encouraged similar gatherings on each continent. Based on the recommendations from the
Commission on a Way Forward, the Council of Bishops will present its report to a Special Session of the General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri,
February 23-26, 2019.
The two-day gathering in Dallas on March 15-16 brought together leaders of foundations, colleges, seminaries and other institutions that extend the mission of the church and anchor the faith in the various public arenas of education, health, finance, community development, and others.
Read the full press release here
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United Methodists help Puerto Rico rise
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Driving through San Juan and into the mountains of northern Puerto Rico, it's hard to tell what is hurricane damage versus storm-exposed poverty. Almost six months after the island was hit by a double-whammy of storms - Hurricanes Irma and Maria - Jessica Brodie of the South Carolina Conference reports on United Methodist efforts to help. Matt Brodie provides photos.
Read the story
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Native American Ministries Sunday | April 15
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United Methodists to join DC rally against racism
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 United Methodists are expected to travel by the busload to Washington for the A.C.T. to End Racism rally on April 4, organized by the National Council of Churches. The rally will kick off a multiyear campaign.
Read the story
Read Council of Bishops press release
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Tax changes & local church giving webinar
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Few of us have seen changes to the Tax system as sweeping as those approved at the end of 2017 (to go into effect this year and beyond). One area of great interest, impact, and anxiety for leaders in the church is the increase of the standard deduction with fewer taxpayers being able to itemize deductions, including charitable giving. Some say the impact will be minimal, others say it could be catastrophic for churches and other non-profits that rely on smaller gift donors. How can we face the future with faith not fear? Join Ken Sloane, Director of Stewardship at Discipleship Ministries, on Thursday March 22 at 6:30 CDT as together we explore ways churches can be proactive with our donors in this new reality.
Click here for the registration site, then click on "
Registration."
Note: the webinar will be made available in the webinar archive for those who are unable to attend the live event.
This webinar is provided at no cost, thanks to your church's support of the World Service Fund!
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Congregations challenged to develop new intentional discipleship systems
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United Methodist congregations are being challenged by Discipleship Ministries to develop new intentional systems of discipleship to creatively engage and form relationships with people outside their churches.
The #SeeAllThePeople Challenge will award $2,500 grants to two congregations who demonstrate how they are reaching out to their broader community as part of a new intentional system of discipleship.
The challenge is part of the #SeeAllThePeople movement (www.seeallthepeople.org), which Discipleship Ministries began nine months ago to encourage United Methodists to think less about "fixing" churches and more about involving people in the community as part of an intentional discipleship system.
To join the challenge, anyone in a congregation - pastors or laypersons - can submit an entry. Applications for the grant will only be accepted from U.S.-based congregations who currently have no discipleship system. All entries must be submitted by midnight April 9.
For more information about the challenge and how to enter, go to http://bit.ly/2GV5aHg. For answers to questions about the challenge, send emails to Info@UMCdiscipleship.org.
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March
24: AUMC Leadership Team meeting
April
12-13: GNW Cabinet Meeting - Carlo attending
12-14: GBGM Board Meeting - Carlo attending
May
8-10: GNW Cabinet Meeting - Carlo attending
12: AUMC Leadership Team meeting
13: Mother's Day
28: Memorial Day - office closed
31: Pre-Conference workshops at Seward Memorial UMC
June
1-2: Alaska Annual Conference at Seward Memorial UMC
22-24: PNW Annual Conference
27-29: GNW Cabinet Retreat - Carlo attending
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The Conference Office hours are:
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am - 11:00 am
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Upcoming
March 21 -
Nico Romeijn-Stout
March 23 -
Bob Jones Jr.
March 25 -
Evelyn Erbele
April 3 -
Tim McConville
April 23 -
Karen Martin Tichenor
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Conference Office
907-333-5050
Superintendent Carlo
907-854-8340
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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.
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 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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