A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference |
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'Where Love Lives, Creating a Fully Inclusive United Methodist Church'; Western Jurisdiction Beginning Year-long Campaign
The Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church is beginning preparations for the next General Conference by recommitting itself to be a faithful, inviting, open, safe and loving place for all people. "Where Love Lives" is a nearly yearlong campaign that also advocates General Conference's approval of the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation.
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Have you felt God calling you to preach the Word?
Join us for the Advanced Lay Ministry class PREACHING. Sessions will be on Sundays November 1-29 from 3pm-5pm via ZOOM and led by the Rev. Andy Bartel of St John UMC in Anchorage. Attendance at all class sessions is mandatory for the successful completion of the course.
You will need to purchase a copy of the book and read From Pew to Pulpit: A beginner’s guide to preaching by Clifton F. Guthrie (available from Cokesbury, Amazon, etc).
This advanced class will work towards certification as a Lay Servant, Lay Speaker, and Lay Minister in the United Methodist Church.
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Church/Charge Conference paperwork online
Every year, churches across the denomination have church/charge conferences with the Superintendent. Superintendent Carlo has already scheduled those with each of the Alaska churches. The forms are posted on the conference website for download. The agenda has now been added. Paperwork from each church is due at least two days prior to your meeting. Please send the completed paperwork to the Superintendent and the Conference Office.
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Help offered to wildfire victims
People who lost everything in the Oregon wildfires are showing up to help their neighbors, said the Rev. Brent Strobel, pastor of Ashland United Methodist Church. The fire swept through the towns of Phoenix and Talent on Sept. 8, damaging more than 3,200 homes and causing at least three deaths.
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Ash-sifting kits assembled for wildfire survivors
While helping with the recovery effort from the 2018 Woolsey Fire outside Los Angeles, Pacific Northwest Conference disaster response coordinator Kathy Bryson learned about ash sifters — wooden boxes with a wire screen designed to help recover lost items that may have survived the flames. When wildfires spread into Oregon and Washington in September, Bryson recruited churches to create and distribute ash sifters to affected areas.
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U.S. Bishops call for full participation in November elections
United Methodist bishops based in the United States today issued a statement on Faith and Democracy, calling on the people of The United Methodist Church to support voter registration and encourage people to vote in the November 3 elections.
Council of Bishops President Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey made it clear that the statement is not a statement of or from the Council of Bishops but is a conciliar statement by United Methodist Bishops living in the United States.
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Church members among 19 dead in Congo massacre
Six United Methodists were among 19 civilians killed in a massacre in Mamove that has been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces, an armed rebel group that operates in Eastern Congo and Uganda. The dead were remembered at the Kivu Annual Conference.
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End of year Give Love initiative begins Nov. 1
A new campaign initiative – Give Love, Joy, Hope, Peace—invites United Methodists to join in giving love, joy, hope, and peace through an end of year campaign to support mission and disaster response. Between November 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, the campaign will showcase stories of transformational work and how financial gifts through The Advance (the United Methodist program for voluntary, second-mile giving) have had a positive impact on people’s lives.
Church leaders and laity can visit ResourceUMC.org/GiveLove to access resources to share with their congregations how they can support God’s mission through the work of Global Ministries. |
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Prison summit to be held virtually
Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century will virtually present the fifth National Prison Summit on Mass Incarceration, Oct. 29-31 via the Whova app. With "#BeTheHOPE" as its theme, the summit will promote advocacy, criminal justice reform and working within the church congregation to reimagine and build healthy communities.
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Evangelism award winner slept outside church
Before getting her own place, Billie Jean Baker often slept outside Oak Lawn United Methodist as a homeless person. Baker also joined the church and helped expand its welcome to the unsheltered. The North Texas Conference has honored her with an evangelism award.
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How do we love our enemies?
Many Christians struggle with this question. As followers of Christ, we are called to love our enemies. How do we do that? Who are our enemies? Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, looks to Scripture and the writings of John Wesley in the latest installment of Ask The UMC.
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Filipino youth respond to fire victims
United Methodist youth in Bulacan province rallied to help an impoverished community recover from a devastating fire. A poor neighborhood was already struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic when a fire destroyed 28 of the community’s 108 houses in early September.
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Native church members struggle with COVID-19
Jennifer Neal describes her struggle with COVID-19, the virus that took the life of her husband, David. The Rev. Chebon Kernell, who leads the Native American Comprehensive Plan, is calling for all Native ministries within The United Methodist Church to stay diligent in protecting their communities by pausing activities, wearing masks and social distancing.
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New webinar series from Path 1 starts October 22
Blessed are the Poor is a webinar series designed to help church leaders engage with the people in their communities and reflect on the different ways in which people experience poverty.
Taking place once a month for five months, these two-hour sessions will cover 5 topics of poverty:
- Economic poverty
- Cultural poverty
- Physical poverty
- Spiritual poverty
- Political poverty
Knowledgeable panelists will offer perspectives on a national and global level while sharing experiences, learnings, and best practices to help leaders in local church settings.
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Water is Life
With the International Day of Rural Women approaching on October 15, United Methodist News is shining a light on the important role women in African countries play in providing water for their families through a new photo essay titled " Water is Life." The story offers a compelling truth: "Millions of people spend almost every moment of their lives seeking water. Millions more do not give it a second thought. Which category you are in depends a great deal on where you were born."
More than 750 million people around the world do not have reliable water access and even fewer have access to water for agriculture and household tasks, according to United Methodist Global Ministries.
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Making amends with Native Americans
The Greater New Jersey Conference has agreed to allocate $1 million to preserve a Native American church and burial ground. The conference also will return land to a Native American tribe when congregations close in two New Jersey counties.
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Judge grants temporary reprieve on deportation
A federal judge in Maryland has temporarily stopped the deportation of an Indonesian immigrant who was arrested on the grounds of the United Methodist church where he is a member and caretaker.
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13: Charge Conference - Kenai UMC
15: Charge Conference - North Star UMC
17: Charge Conference - Unalaska UMC
19: Charge Conference - Palmer UM Fellowship
21: Charge Conference - Christ First UMC
23: Leadership Team meeting via Zoom
29: Charge Conference - Homer UMC
31: Halloween
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10: Charge Conference - Girdwood Chapel UMC
12: Charge Conference - UMC of Chugiak
16: Charge Conference - Soldotna UMC
23: Charge Conference - Ketchikan 1st UMC
26: Thanksgiving - Office Closed
27: Office Closed
28: Charge Conference - Anchorage Korean UMC
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
October 18 -
Dan Wilcox
October 19 -
Kristi McGuire
November 6 -
Tafa Fulumua
November 9 -
Murray Crookes
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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 Tuesday at 9:00 am for consideration.
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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 in God's preferred future. |
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