A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference
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Coronavirus in our community
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Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky sent out an area-wide letter last week addressing the Coronavius. You can
read it here
if you missed it.
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The Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, & Pacific Northwest Conferences meet together in June!
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The Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Conferences of The United Methodist Church will meet together in a Shared Annual Conference Session June 11-14, 2020 at the Showplex Center on the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Wash.
The Greater Northwest Shared Annual Conference Session (GNWAC2020) is expected to begin formally at 2:30 PM on Thursday, June 11
th
and conclude with a service of commissioning and ordination starting at 10:30 AM on Sunday, June 14
th
. As we learn of pre-conference meetings for different groups, we’ll work to add them to the preliminary schedule.
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Home Stays - respond by March 31
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There is someone in the host district working on providing home stays for Alaskans who need it. If you are interested in doing a home stay, please notify the Alaska Conference office ASAP.
We need to know by March 31st how many people will be needing a home stay.
Email or call (907-333-5050) now.
If you would rather stay in a hotel, please visit the
accomodations page of the GNWAC2020 website. Please bear in mind that the cost of your hotel room will be at your personal or local church expense. The conference will not reimburse hotel stays.
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Annual Conference reports
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As you may know, the Annual Conference collects reports from the various committees, councils, institutions, groups, and boards that relate to Alaska. Now is the time to start writing those reports and sending them into the conference office. Alaska will still have a Pre-Conference Handbook so these reports are pertinent. The deadline for reports is April 28.
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Annual Conference Petitions
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If you would like to send a petition to be voted on at Annual Conference, this is the form you need to use. Please make sure it is submitted by April 28.
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Each year, the conference awards several deserving people for what they do within our Annual Conference. If you would like to nominate someone for one of the 2020 awards, please fill out the nomination forms below and submit them to the conference office by April 28.
Harry Denman Award - There are three awards to be given, one each for youth, lay person, and clergy.
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As has been our practice, we will appropriately recognize members and constituents who have died since last year’s Annual Conference (June 1, 2019) during the separate conference times at the Shared Session. Due to limited time this recognition may not be within a memorial service. It is our intention to be as inclusive as possible. Churches, please fill out the Memorial Roll form and send it back to the conference office by April 28.
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January-February Apportionment Report
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The first apportionment report of 2020 is now posted to the conference website. We post the reports monthly so that you can track where your church, and other Alaskan churches, is in their apportionment giving.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Stock Market Volatility
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In the face of market volatility driven by COVID-19,
Wespath's Chief Investment Officer Dave Zeller explains
, "We should expect our economy will react like someone who's caught the virus: it will likely struggle in the near term, slowly recover, and eventually return to full health."
Experts at Wespath will continue to steward our investments through this period of uncertainty. Being long-term investors means that we ride out the highs and lows of the market. We're thankful that you continue to trust the
Northwest United Methodist Foundation
with your funds and dialogue with us as questions arise.
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Certified Lay Ministry classes coming to Anchorage
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Have you felt God nudging you to a deeper discipleship? Have you wanted to serve the church and community in a more focused way that uses your talents and God-given gifts? The United Methodist Church has a certified leadership program that equips church members to use their gifts in service to others through the church and in the world.
Two classes that cannot be taken online are BASIC and PREACHING. We will be offering the BASIC coursework as a one-day seminar at St John UMC in Anchorage on
Saturday May 2 from 9am – 5pm.
We will offer the PREACHING course as a two-part class at St John UMC on successive
Saturdays May 16 and 23 from 9am – 3pm. Participation in both days is required to complete the preaching course.
An important note: One does not need to preach to become a Certified Lay Servant. There are so many great advanced courses to choose from to help grow in your discipleship and develop you as a Christian leader. For a complete list of course offerings, visit the Certified Lay Ministries catalog
here.
To register for the PREACHING class visit
CLICK HERE.
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Pacific Northwest Office closed, staff family member tests positive for Coronavirus
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On Sunday evening, PNW Conference Treasurer Brant Henshaw notified the PNW staff with the news that one of their team members had been directly exposed to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). To ensure the safety of their staff, leaders, and other visitors, they have closed the conference office through March 27, 2020. While it is closed their staff will work remotely, and the office will be professionally cleaned.
With their permission we share that Assistant Treasurer Rik Jamieson’s wife Patty tested positive for COVID-19, receiving those results Sunday evening. She had been home ill with what they thought was pneumonia since February 25. We are thankful that Patty is doing better, under self-care at their home. Rik isn’t exhibiting any symptoms at this time and is currently in isolation.
Please keep both Rik and Patty in your prayers and keep all of the PNW conference staff and their families in them as well. These are anxious moments especially for those in categories identified as at-risk.
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'Liberation Methodist Church' gets a hearing
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A proposed new denomination, tentatively called the Liberation Methodist Church, got plenty of discussion at a UM-Forward event held March 6-8 in Dallas. Others attending said they still prefer to work within The United Methodist Church for a comprehensive social-justice-focused approach to ministry. Sam Hodges reports.
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Church members worship after tornadoes
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Church members gathered to find comfort and inspiration in worship after tornadoes killed at least 24 people and caused extensive property damage in Middle Tennessee. The UM News team reports on Sunday services.
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Local church options under separation plans
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Depending on the outcome of the 2020 General Conference, local churches could have painful decisions to make. Delegates will look at several proposals that split the church along traditional, progressive and centrist lines. Under any of those plans, local churches would only need to vote if they disagree with the alignment chosen by their annual conference.
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LGBTQ advocates see hope for church future
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United Methodists at the Reconciling Ministries Network convocation expect a proposed denominational separation will reduce harm to LGBTQ church members and their allies. They also expressed a desire to remain in the denomination for the long haul.
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We make sustainable changes around the world when we partner in the
work of UMCOR
. Our support makes a difference in communities impacted by storms, wars, climate change and displacement. Be a part of this essential work by participating in UMCOR Sunday on March 22.
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Inter-ethnic group calls for prioritizing regionalization
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Regionalization legislation that originated in the Philippines and Africa should take priority at the 2020 General Conference followed by the protocol for separation, said the Inter-Ethnic Strategy and Development Group. The group represents five United Methodist racial-ethnic caucuses.
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The difficult process of church restarts
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A church that is fast losing attendance has two choices, according to a church restart expert. It can become a "hospice church" until there are no members left, or take dramatic steps to recruit new, younger members. Aloma United Methodist Church is taking the latter approach.
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Public health awareness at GC2020
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The Commission on the General Conference's executive committee is monitoring developments in the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and will collaborate with public health authorities regarding any recommended safety precautions to reduce exposure to or transmission of the virus when the 2020 General Conference meets May 5-15.
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15-17: GNW Cabinet - Carlo attending
17: St. Patrick's Day
19-21: GBGM Board Meeting - Carlo attending
26-27: WJ Mission Cabinet - Carlo attending
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12: Easter
15: Tax Day
15-17: GNW Cabinet - Carlo attending
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
March 23 -
Bob Jones
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Conference Office
907-333-5050
Superintendent Carlo
907-854-8340
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The NEW Conference Office hours are:
Monday - Friday: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
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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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