Submit Harry Denman Evangelism Award nominations by May 27
|
Exceptional Evangelism
The ministry of bringing people of all walks of life into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ is expressed in Word, Sign and Deed, across all generations and in many contexts and settings.
What distinguishes a Harry Denman Evangelism Awardee is their commitment to exceptionalism in evangelism. Their ministry is exceptional for the number of new or renewed Christ followers who credit these evangelists (who may not think of themselves as such) with helping them to start or restart their faith journeys.
The Eastern PA Conference Congregational Development Team (CDT) invites you to submit Harry Denman Evangelism Award nominations for 2020. The annual awards--which go to exemplary clergy, laity and youth--are sponsored by the UM Foundation for Evangelism. The process is open
until May 27, 2020
. Send in your nominations of any Clergy, Lay or Youth leader who is an exceptional evangelist among us. If you know someone who faithfully shares with others the Good News of Jesus Christ’s gospel—through sign, word or deed—inside or outside church settings, please let us know now. Thank you!
Title your message:
EPAC Denman Award Nominations
If you cannot send it by email
then please mail it to the Eastern PA Conference, P.O. Box 820, Valley Forge, PA, 19482-0820. C/O Gordon Hendrickson or Suzette James.
|
|
Weekly Conference-Wide Prayer Meeting today at noon
The Rev. David Piltz, the conference’s Coordinator of Young People’s Ministries, invites all to join in a new weekly, 30-minute prayer meeting on Zoom for all conference members on Tuesdays at 12 noon, that started April 14.
Learn more...
|
|
Open My Eyes:
Reflections on Immigration
|
By Bishop Peggy Johnson
One of my favorite Sunday School songs when I was growing up was “
Open My Eyes
.” ... Recently, I have been “seeing” with my eye’s heart the plight of immigrants in this country. This week our administration halted all immigration to the United States. Our country is also excluding all
DACA
recipients from COVID-19 relief. These young immigrants with only temporary legal status were brought here as children by their undocumented parents.
I am seeing that a large number of people on immigration journeys in this country are doing menial jobs and providing “essential services” during the “stay at home orders.” Many are doing the difficult and dangerous labor of cleaning, preparing and serving for long hours and getting sick themselves. I see the injustice here. The hymn is calling for us to see “glimpses of truth.”
Then there is the concept of “hearing voices of truth.” Recently I saw a documentary film titled “
The Unafraid
” which traces the lives and struggles here in the U.S. of three young adult DACA “Dreamers.” I heard their voices of pain from not knowing what their future will be.
Our federal government proclaimed an end to the DACA program; and the U.S. Supreme Court will announce any day now (by June at the latest) whether it was legal to end this program. Or the court could also say that they have no standing to rule on this case.
If the program ends this group of about 800,000 young people, who have grown up in our country with no prior knowledge of their birth country, may face the unthinkable specter of deportation or endless years of being processed in our immigration system at best.
Read more..
.
NOTE: Please read Bishop Johnson's full essay and the postscript information on what you can do and how the UMC is responding to this important justice and mercy concern. The U.S. Supreme Court typically announces rulings on Mondays. Here are two recent articles on the DACA case:
By Regina Day Langhout, Santa Cruz Sentinel Monday, April 27, 2020
We will report the court's decision when it is announced.
|
|
Public can view UMC Bishops meeting online this week
|
The Bishops of The United Methodist Church will gather in a virtual meeting April 29 to May 1 to celebrate new leadership and to discuss plans for episcopal supervision brought on by the disruptions and postponements due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The bishops' gathering will also hear leadership reports regarding immigration, ecumenical relations, racism, disaster relief, and other mission and ministry work around the global denomination.
“We are living in unprecedented times in the life of The United Methodist Church. These times call for even more transformative, evangelical and prophetic leadership from us, as bishops of the church,” said Bishop Ken Carter, the outgoing president of the Council of Bishops.
New COB officers
Bishop Carter of the Florida Area, who has led the Council of Bishops (COB) since 2018, will offer a final presidential address and hand over the gavel at the closing to Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey of the Louisiana Area.
Bishop Harvey, who has served as president-designate, was elected president at the November 2019 meeting of the bishops.
Other new COB officers will be Bishop Tom Bickerton of the New York Area, as president-designate; and Bishop Tracy Smith Malone of the East Ohio Area as secretary. Bishop Bruce Ough of the Dakota and Minnesota Area, and Bishop Sally Dyck of the Chicago Area, will succeed Bishop Marcus Matthews and Bishop B. Michael Watson as COB Executive Secretary and COB Ecumenical Officer, respectively, on September 1.
|
|
Agency to host panel on faith and science
|
As part of its E-Resources program, the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry will host an online panel, "Coronavirus at the Crossroads of Faith and Science," on Thursday, April 30, at 11 a.m. CDT. Viewers can watch it live on the agency's YouTube channel.
Read press release
|
|
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church
980 Madison Avenue, Norristown, PA 19403
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
