e~Aurora
A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference
Aurora
CONFERENCE NEWS
Invitation letter from Bishop Elaine
Click here to read the invitation letter from Bishop Elaine inviting us all to Annual Conference!
Reserve hotel by April 5
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.

REGISTER HERE and let us know if you need a room at the Breeze Inn!
Registration is LIVE
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 on your registration.

REGISTER HERE and take advantage of the Early Bird pricing ($45)!
Pre-Conference Workshops | May 31

Anatomy of Peace

led by Rev. Donna Pritchard



Health: How do you measure it in your community?

led by Sandra Woods



Who Did What and Why -- The Local Church Historian's Passion

 

led by Larry Hayden

 



Restorative Justice at Spring Creek Correctional Center
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.
Dinner Cruise
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!
Forms & Nominations
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.
Annual Conference
Award Nominations


If you would like to nominate someone for either the Outstanding Lay Person of the Year Award or the Harry Denman Evangelism Award, you have until May 1st to submit it.  There are a lot of deserving people out there so take time to nominate them!
Annual Conference Forms

 

- Committee Reports for Chairpersons due April 17 

- Petition Submissions due April 17
- Ministry DisplayTable Request due April 17
- Memorial Roll Submission due May 1
Dates
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)
You are invited to Table Talks!
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.

The Table Talks for Alaska have been scheduled.
  • April 14: Anchor Park UMC, Anchorage  9 am - 1 pm
  • April 21: Soldotna UMC, Soldotna  9 am - 1 pm
  • April 28: Turnagain UMC, Anchorage  9 am - 1 pm
  • April 29: Christ First UMC, Wasilla  1:30 - 5:30 pm
  • May 5: First UMC, Anchorage  9 am - 1 pm
  • May 12: First UMC, Fairbanks  9 am - 1 pm
  • A date is still being worked out for an event in Juneau.

For planning and logistics, we ask that you register if you intend to attend one of the Table Talks above.

 

REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND ONE OF THESE EVENTS 

 

Learn more here
Stanovsky responds to critical post with open letter
Last month, Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky announced her intention to appoint the Rev. Kathleen Weber to serve as the Superintendent of the new Crest to Coast Missional District in the Pacific Northwest Conference. Also in February, the Bishop approved the hiring of Rev. Brett Webb-Mitchell  as the part-time LGBTQ advocacy coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Conference, a new position fully funded by a grant from The Collins Foundation. Both leaders will support the work of their respective conferences, and also local churches as they call and equip disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Last Friday, Rev. Tom Lambrecht, who is also a member of the global church's  Commission on a Way Forward, sent a message to Good News email subscribers harshly criticizing Bishop Stanovsky for the hiring/appointing of Weber and Webb-Mitchell grounded solely in his understanding of the church's current doctrine related to human sexuality. He wrote his piece, subsequently published online, without seeking conversation or comment from the bishop.

Please take a minute today to read Bishop Elaine's open letter response to Rev. Lambrecht. In it, she uses some of the practices embraced by the Commission on a Way Forward in its work, offering a thoughtful, prayerful, response the church can learn from. You'll be able to experience for yourself the  Anatomy of Peace principles she references if you participate in one of the many  Table Talks planned in the area.
Women's Psalm Retreat
In this fast paced world of family responsibilities, career demands and social media, take a break to relax, slow, and grow at the Women's Psalm Retreat at Psalm Lake on Birchwood Camp.  We will be digging deeper into Psalms along the shores of Psalm Lake; the perfect place for God to speak peace and joy into our crazy busy lives!  Starting on Friday, April 27th at 7pm with welcoming and a restful evening; followed by Saturday, April 28th sunrise beside Psalm Lake praise, worship, meditation, prayer walk and much more! Leave around 8pm refreshed and renewed.  Visit www.birchwoodcamp.org for registration.
AUMC Camp Sunday
Outdoor Ministries 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
Heritage Sunday | May 20, 2018
Heritage Sunday
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 
Clear Appointment Openings
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.
NATIONAL NEWS
Marchers call for new gun laws
Marchers in 800 cities joined a group of students from a school where a gunman killed 17 people, saying "enough is enough" when it comes to gun violence. United Methodists and other faith leaders lent their voices and feet to the cause, reports Erik Alsgaard.   
Read the story
Churches offer lodging for youth marchers
 
Commission members grateful to serve, complete work on final report
Members of the Commission on a Way Forward  expressed gratitude at the opportunity to be part of the Commission and they signaled hope for The United Methodist Church as they completed their meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 22.

The 32-member Commission has been meeting since January 2017 in various places throughout the global denomination to assist the bishops in their charge from the 2016 General Conference to lead the church forward amid the present impasse related to LGBTQ inclusion and resulting questions about the unity of the church.

The Commission will present its final report to the Council of Bishops at the April/May meeting in Chicago. At that meeting, the bishops will decide what will be received and acted upon by the delegates to the Special Session of the General Conference set for St. Louis, Missouri, February 23-26, 2019.

Read the full press release 
Native American Ministries Sunday | April 15
Native American Ministries Sunday - April 15 - is almost here!

It's a day when Native American pastors like the  Rev. Roy Hilburn (Waccamaw Siouan tribe) give thanks for United Methodist gifts that made a seminary education possible. And it's a time for United Methodist congregations to explore new ways to reach out to their Native American sisters and brothers.

To help you prepare, the GBGM team has created downloadable resources to make it easy for church leaders and their congregations to celebrate the gifts and contributions of Native Americans.

The Native American Ministries Sunday Pastor and Leader's Kit has everything churches need to inspire members to observe - and give generously - on Native American Ministries Sunday
United Methodists to join DC rally against racism
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
CONFERENCE CALENDAR
April
12-13: GNW Cabinet Meeting - Carlo attending
12-14: GBGM Board Meeting - Carlo attending
15: UMDF 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
Office Hours
Office Hours
The Conference Office hours are:
 
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am - 11:00 am 
happy_birthday_candles.jpg

Upcoming
Clergy Birthdays
 
April 3 -
Tim McConville

April 23 -
Karen Martin Tichenor



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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