That changed a month or so ago when our Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky invited all of us in the Greater Northwest Area to a "year of Crossing Over to LIFE" using Brian McLaren's book, We Make the Road by Walking, as our roadmap. It is an invitation to spiritual renewal and alignment with Christ. This call to journey resonated with me vocationally as a pastor and in my role as Superintendent of the Alaska Conference but even more so personally as husband, parent, son and friend. I'll be sharing more about the personal impacts later.

Read more 

"I have yet to hear any mention of "crossover" that does not immediately cause me to think of immigrants," writes the Rev. Karen Hernandez in this preview post for the Greater Northwest Area's CrossOver study.

 

Hernandez shares a story she encountered in which Jesus is understood as El Buen Coyote, "the one who breaks some laws in order to fulfill the Gospel."

Read her message

The veil on how the upcoming special 2019 General Conference will unfold has been lifted at least a little with the release of the plan from the Commission on General Conference.

Lonnie Brooks, a reserve lay delegate from Alaska, praises some of the organizational plan, but raises concerns about other points.

It is time to start thinking about what UMVIM work teams are needed for Summer 2019.  Several teams have already indicated an interest in serving in Alaska next year!  If your church is looking to host a team, please contact Dan Wilcox, [email protected] with information about what your needs are, and what types of teams you might host.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month in the U.S. One of the best ways to support clergy is with prayer. But for what should we pray? To help get you started, we've chosen some topics to consider.

Find prayer 

The United Methodist Church has a zero tolerance policy for bullying and encourages United Methodists to help stop this widespread problem. Since October is Bullying Prevention Month in the U.S., we have a list of ways to make a difference.

Get involved 

Discipleship Ministries announced an organizational redesign. Specifically, the agency will combine New Church Starts (Path 1), Leadership Ministries and Young People's Ministries units into a new area.

Read the story 
Read the press release 

October

28: Charge Conference - Christ First UMC

29: Charge Conference - Community UMC

November

3: Charge Conference - Ola Toe Fuataina UM Samoan Fellowship

4: Charge Conference - Willow UMC

7: Charge Conference - Girdwood Chapel UMC

8: Charge Conference - UMC of Chugiak

10: Charge Conference - Homer UMC

10: Charge Conference - North Star UMC

11: Charge Conference - Kenai UMC

11: Charge Conference - Soldotna UMC

11: Charge Conference - Jewel Lake Parish

14: Charge Conference - Palmer UM Fellowship

15: Charge Conference - UMC of Sitka

16: Charge Conference - First UMC Ketchikan

17: Charge Conference - Douglas Community UMC

17: Charge Conference - Aldersgate UMC

25: Charge Conference - Anchorage Korean UMC

December

1: Leadership Team meeting via Zoom

4: Charge Conference - Anchor Park UMC

January

6: Charge Conference - Turnagain UMC

7: Charge Conference - First UMC Anchorage/First Samoan UMC of Anchorage (tentative)

13: Charge Conference - First UMC Fairbanks

22: Charge Conference - St. John UMC

27: Charge Conference - Northern Light United Church

The Conference Office hours are:

 

Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Friday: 9:00 am - 11:30 am 

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.

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.