A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference
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Anchor Park UMW Holiday Auction
For the second year Anchor Park’s UMW Holiday Auction is being held online, but you’re not too late as it doesn’t close until this Saturday, November 20th at noon.
A homemade soup, bread, dessert lunch can also be ordered through the same site if submitted by Wednesday, November 17th.
Perfectly timed for gift giving over the holidays, be sure check out the above site often. Register to bid and you will be notified when someone else outbids you so that you can up your own bid as desired.
Full information is on the site below with money raised supporting mission with women, children and youth locally, nationally, and internationally.
Share this opportunity with others and enjoy the fun while supporting important mission work!
Online at
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Thank you so much!
Thank you to those that participated in the Birchwood Camp auction! With your generous help they raised over $9,000.00 for Alaska children, youth and families to continue to have amazing camp experiences, grow in faith, and build life-long relationships!
Building Community on Common Ground!
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Conference Journal
We want to give you a heads up that the 2021 Journal has been sent to the printer. The journals will be mailed directly from the printer if you are on the distribution list. Please be on the lookout in the next few weeks for them to arrive in your mailbox!
As a FYI, this will be the last year we will be printing them in the same way we have for years. Starting next year, we will move to a print on demand option for those that would like a hard copy of the journal. There will be a small cost to this feature for those wanting to utilize it. Otherwise, you can continue to download the journal for free from our website.
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Greater Northwest Area News
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BOTH/AND: To Be Continued
After over 18 months of doing our best to live into BOTH/AND, many churches are feeling a mixture of exhilaration and exhaustion when thinking about the continuation of hybrid worship. While many have seen their reach extended, some have begun to lose their passion and resolve for creating truly hybrid worship experiences. As in-person numbers have increased, more and more churches are asking, “can we stop doing online now?” If that’s you, don’t give up! Now is the time to re-new and re-energize your passion for BOTH/AND. It’s making a difference.
Join Jason Moore on Saturday, November 20 at 1 PM AKT, for a follow up to the popular BOTH/AND webinar. BOTH/AND: To Be Continued will focus on why hybrid should carry on, how to continue to iterate and will provide tangible handles on how to do it well. This brand new 90-minute training brings all new content focused on the why, how and what we can do to run the next leg of this very important race. We are living in an incredible “Great Commission” moment in the church. Let’s lean in and continue to iterate forward.
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Bishops offer framework for inclusive church
As the denomination edges toward some form of separation, bishops offer a narrative to describe their hopes for the continuing United Methodist Church. The bishops’ narrative aims to paint a picture of a church where all have a home.
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Giving Tuesday is coming Nov. 30
In the isolation of the pandemic, the power of communication helped keep United Methodist communities going and broadened outreach. On Giving Tuesday, United Methodist Communications is asking for donations to help its work equipping local churches to communicate God's love. UM News is part of United Methodist Communications.
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Asbury sues over vaccine mandate
Asbury Theological Seminary, one of the seminaries approved for students pursuing ordination in The United Methodist Church, is challenging the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 workers. Attorneys for Asbury and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary filed suit in federal court, arguing the requirement violates the schools' religious freedom.
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Webinar offers tools for reaching unvaccinated
A Nov. 17 webinar will address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and offer tips for overcoming barriers to access. The Rev. Dana Horrell, who has written a handbook to help congregations reach out to the unvaccinated, will lead the webinar at 2 p.m. U.S. Eastern time.
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North Sacramento church's resurrection story
New people, young people and formerly unchurched people are finding community growing vegetables at Table Farm & Table Bread, a social enterprise of The Table at Central United Methodist Church. Proceeds from the sale of church property made the new ministry possible.
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Invest in students on UM Student Day
The denomination has dedicated Nov. 28 as United Methodist Student Day, where we set aside time to honor and celebrate students in our congregation and around the world. With this special offering, we invest in their future. Build awareness and encourage generous support with the help of offering talks, sermon starters, liturgies, age-level resources and more.
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Jurisdiction commits to anti-racism, inclusion
At a virtual North Central Jurisdictional Conference on Nov. 10-11, delegates created and overwhelmingly approved a covenant naming their commitment to anti-racism work and LGBTQ inclusion. They also voted to reduce the jurisdiction's number of bishops from nine to eight.
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Big day for United Methodist school, guesthouse
A single day saw the celebration of two major accomplishments in the Northern Nigeria Conference. The Ron Wilmot Comprehensive Seminary Secondary School — named after a late United Methodist missionary — graduated its first senior class. The conference also dedicated its first guesthouse.
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Deaconesses, home missioners bridge the Pacific
Nearly 100 deaconesses and home missioners from the Philippines and the United States met together for the first time to build relationships and strengthen and encourage the work they do. The virtual meeting offered a way to share examples and information about how ministries are carried out in each country.
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Pastor urges recognition for Vietnam veterans
The Rev. Jeffrey Pehl, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Iowa Park, once worked for the USA Vietnam War Commemoration. In that Defense Department program, he learned the importance of offering recognition and gratitude, however belated, to Vietnam veterans. He’s still talking up that cause, including encouraging churches to make a special effort to thank those who served in Vietnam.
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16-18: GNW Cabinet meetings - Carlo and Lisa attending
17: Charge Conference - St. Peter the Fisherman UMC
18: Charge Conference - Girdwood Chapel UMC
19: Charge Conference - Anchorage Korean UMC
20: Leadership Team meeting
22: Charge Conference - Aldersgate UMC
23: Charge Conference - Douglas Community UMC
25: Thanksgiving - Office Closed
26: Office Closed
29: Charge Conference - UMC of Sitka
30: Charge Conference - First Anchorage UMC
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5: Charge Conference - Turnagain UMC
6: Charge Conference - First UMC Fairbanks
7: Charge Conference - Ola Toe Fuataina UM Samoan Fellowship
8: Charge Conference - Willow UMC
9: Charge Conference - Anchor Park UMC
13-15: GNW Cabinet meetings - Carlo and Lisa attending virtually
20-30: Carlo on vacation
24: Christmas Eve - Office Closed
25: Christmas Day
31: New Year's Eve - Office Closed
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
December 23 -
Christina DowlingSoka
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Conference Office
907-333-5050
Superintendent - Carlo Rapanut
Director of Connectional Ministries - Lisa Talbott
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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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