A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference
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Finding Community Through the Back Door | Nome Community UMC
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Every day, most everyone is actively engaged in all kinds of crowds: work crowds, school crowd, the crowds associated with our children’s activities, and there is the church crowd. It can be easy to confuse our associations within these crowds with the experience of authentic community. Crowds are drawn together by activities, rather than to seek accountability and deeper meaning in our lives. Every crowd is defined by activities that draw us together.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10: 24-25 New International Version)
Nome’s Community United Methodist Church is not one’s usual United Methodist Church. To start, most congregants enter our church using the back door, then proceed through our fellowship hall to enter the sanctuary. On a good Sunday some two-dozen loving, hardy folks gather as a caring community to worship our creator, our loving God, and encourage one another to love and support one another.
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CrossOver to Life! • Week 29
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Don't wait! It's your turn...
Patrick Scriven
CrossOver reflection for
Week 29
• Beginning June 23, 2019
Brian McLaren’s chapter this week (42 – Spirit of Love: Loving God) starts with a reminder of how church people can often be a barrier to our neighbors who might need God’s love the most.
McLaren writes:
“Hot-headed religious extremists, lukewarm religious bureaucrats, and cold-hearted religious critics alike have turned the word God into a name for something ugly, small, boring, elitist, wacky, corrupt, or violent—the very opposite of what it should mean.”
McLaren’s words reminded me of a book I read a few years ago called
UnChristian
by David Kinnamon which included a list of the various negative impressions that younger people had of Christianity. While the book had its flaws, its naming of these negative impressions—hypocritical, too focused on conversions, homophobic, sheltered, too political, judgmental—resonated for many.
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Fundraiser for Girdwood Chapel UMC
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The Forest Fair is July 5-7th and Girdwood Chapel UMC will be parking cars in our lot for $10. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we appreciate the support.
We are located on the corner of Timberline and Alyeska Highway. Just follow the signs.
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Death Notice - Rev. Keith Wise
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Last week we received word that Rev. Keith Wise had passed away on June 17 in Oregon. He served the Alaska Conference in Homer, Seldovia, Ninilchik, and North Pole. A memorial service will take place at Pendleton Pioneer Chapel on June 29th.. Please keep the Wise family in your prayers.
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Migrants get support from church agencies
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United Methodists are fulfilling their call to do service, ministry and advocacy by assisting some of the 68 million forcibly displaced people in the world. The United Methodist Committee on Relief, a ministry of United Methodist Global Ministries, has 22 active Global Migration grants totaling $2.7 million serving 218,539 projected beneficiaries.
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New hymnal on hold; other resources planned
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Work toward a new United Methodist Hymnal is on hold, given debates about the denomination's future. The United Methodist Publishing House and Discipleship Ministries are instead planning a new United Methodist Worship Resources Collection, which will provide congregations expanded options in digital and print formats.
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Bishop Hicks, striver for peace, dies at 96
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Retired Bishop Kenneth W. Hicks, known for his passion for peace and good humor in ministry, died June 19 — just a day after his 96th birthday.
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Grants for racial-ethnic ministries at local churches
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Grants of up to $10,000 will be available this fall from United Methodist Discipleship Ministries to strengthen the leadership training, small groups, worship, stewardship and spiritual formation in ethnic local United Methodist churches.
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24-26: GNW Cabinet Retreat - Carlo attending
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3-20: Carlo on vacation
4: Independence Day - Office Closed
5: Office closed
22-23: WJ Summit Design Team - Carlo attending
26-31: Carlo on vacation
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
July 11 -
Bob Smith
Joe-d DowlingSoka
July 21 -
Lisa Talbott
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Conference Office
907-333-5050
Superintendent Carlo
907-854-8340
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The Conference Office hours are:
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am - 11:30 am
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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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