A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference
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Jeremy Beckett Update
It was shared by the Beckett family that Jeremy Beckett breathed his last breath on earth yesterday, February 21st, 2022.
The family invites you to celebrate his 33 years of life at two events. As an organ donor there will be a flag ceremony at Providence on Friday, February 25 at 4:00 pm. On Saturday, February 26 at 11:00 am, there will be a celebration of life at St. John United Methodist Church, 1801 O’Malley Rd, Anchorage. Live streaming will be available via their youtube channel.
If you would like to send them your condolences they can be reached at the addresses below:
Dave and Kim Beckett
21164 Clairaway Ave.
Bend, OR 97702
Jenny and Aaron Smith
5806 139th Pl NE
Marysville, WA 98271
Ryan Beckett
11355 Tulin Park Loop
Anchorage, AK 99516
Lauren and Rob Keller
1152 Kirby Ave NE
Keizer, OR 97303
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20-Day Reconciliation Community Challenge
Starting March 7 – April 1 (weekdays only), the initiative Reconciliation: Race, Justice, and the Gospel, a group of Pastors and Christian leaders in Anchorage, Alaska, will launch a 20-Day Reconciliation Community Challenge. This challenge will allow us to listen, learn, and understand the ways prejudice, preference, privilege, and presumptions appear in our lives every day. We believe positive change can occur in our community, state, and the world when we understand how race and discrimination shape our lived experiences. Through this challenge, we can continue to create the Beloved Community. We invite everyone to join us in promoting the 20-Day Reconciliation Community Challenge and registering at http://shiloh-anchorage.tv/registration-sign-up/. Contact Pastor Undra Parker at 20dayrcc@gmail.com if you have questions.
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First UMC Foundation grant opening
The First United Methodist Church Foundation is accepting applications for grants to be used as educational benefits, scholarships, out-reach to the community and the world, and capital projects of First United Methodist Church, Anchorage. Applications should be a concise request using the form provided by First United Methodist Church, Anchorage and can be found on the FUMC website at http://firstumcanchorage.org/ or at the church office. Submissions must be received by February 26, 2022 at the street address given below. Award recipients will be notified in March 2022.
First United Methodist Church Foundation
725 W. 9th Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
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Lay Servant Ministries Update
The lay servant ministries committee approved Betty Hertz of St. John UMC and David Means of Aldersgate UMC as certified lay speakers during their February meeting. A certified lay speaker is a certified lay servant who has taken at least six advanced lay servant ministries courses and successfully interviewed with the lay servant ministries committee. They join Linda Haynes and Madonna Singleton as certified lay speakers in the Alaska Conference.
The lay servant ministries committee also approved Carolyn Lopez, Janice Nightingale, and Nora Ribbens as certified lay servants. A certified lay servant has taken a basic course in lay servant ministries and at least one advanced course. All three are members of the North Star UMC. They join twelve other people as certified lay servants.
A lay servant is a disciple of Jesus Christ who wants to strengthen and improve their personal lay ministry skills in the areas of caring, leadership, or communicating, either in their local church or in their community. Registration is still open for the next basic course in lay servant ministries led by Pastor Andy Bartel, beginning March 13.
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Become a Lay Servant
Perhaps you have felt God calling you to become more involved in your local church and community. Or perhaps you have discerned the need to develop your leadership skills. Become a lay servant! Lay servants focus on:
· Caring ministries
· Leadership
· Communicating
Our Alaska Conference will be offering a basic course on Sunday afternoons (4:00 – 6:00 pm) starting March 13 and running through to April 10. It will be led by the Rev. Andy Bartel, pastor of St. John UMC in Anchorage. This will be an online course (or perhaps a hybrid for those wishing to join him in person).
To register for the basic course, register online at
People will need to get a copy of:
Lay Servant Ministries – Basic Course
Sandy Zeigler Jackson and Brian Jackson
Participant’s Book • DR626 • 978-0-88177-626-3
See the Upper Room, Cokesbury, or Amazon
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Greater Northwest Area News
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Day of Remembrance events mark 80 years since Japanese American forced removal and incarceration
On Feb. 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Exec. Order 9066, leading to the forced removal and incarceration of nearly 120,000 United States citizens living on the West Coast because of their Japanese heritage. Several upcoming opportunities offer us the chance to reflect on this history in this 80th year.
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Don't forget! Local church leadership training for laity on February 26
Laypersons serving on local church committees, especially those who chair administrative committees, are encouraged to register now for a GNW Area-wide training on Sat., Feb. 26, 2022. Interpretation will be offered in Spanish.
The 2-hour training starts at 9 a.m. AKT (10 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. MT) with leadership provided by district superintendents, staff and laity with expertise across the Alaska, OR-ID, and PNW Conferences. Those new to their roles or to the leadership of committees are strongly encouraged to attend.
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In Memoriam: Marjorie Beadles Tuell
February 3, 1926 – February 9, 2022
Marjorie (Marji) B. Tuell, surviving spouse of Bishop Jack M. Tuell, died on February 9, 2022, just days after her 96th birthday. Her beloved Jack pre-deceased her on January 10, 2014. She is survived by their children: Jackie Tuell Joday of Onalaska, WI, Cynthia Tuell of Upland, CA, and Jim Tuell of Lexington, SC, as well as one brother, David Beadles and a large family of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Marji and Jack Tuell began appointed service in the Pacific Northwest Conference in 1950. The following is the record of appointments: Everett: Grace; Tacoma: Lakewood; Puget Sound District Superintendent; and Vancouver: First. In 1972, Rev. Jack M. Tuell was elected Bishop and assigned to the Portland area, then the Los Angeles area, until retirement in 1992. During these years, Marji Tuell directed church choirs, earned a degree in Church Music and another in Education, taught a formal course on Hymnody at Claremont School of Theology and became an important expert in hymnody. Her most substantial contribution to hymnody was her years-long participation and leadership in the creation of the 1989 edition of The United Methodist Hymnal.
A memorial service to celebrate the life of Marjorie B. Tuell will be held on Wednesday, April 6, at 2 p.m. at the Des Moines United Methodist Church, 22225 9th Ave S, Des Moines, WA 98198. Please bring a mask to the service in case protocol calls for it. A reception will follow. The service will also be available to view on livestream April 6 and beyond on the Des Moines UMC YouTube channel.
Memorial gifts may be made to the United Methodist Committee on Relief at umcmission.org, or mailed to Global Ministries/UMCOR, GPO, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068.
Or you may give to support United Methodist Church pastors in the Pacific Northwest Conference at the PNW Sustentation Fund, PO Box 13650, (816 S 216th St #2), Des Moines, WA 98198.
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Official United Methodist website expands language options
UMC.org, the website of The United Methodist Church, has now expanded its available language options to better meet the needs of a diverse, global and multilingual church with members around the world. The official site is now available in five languages: English, French, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.
With this expansion of language options, UMC.org seeks to communicate in the languages and cultural contexts of the church and provide easily accessible content in those languages.
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Church court says GC2020 delay resets deadlines
The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that any postponement of General Conference resets the submission deadlines for proposed legislation.
The Judicial Council ruling comes as the Commission on the General Conference is considering whether the international lawmaking assembly — already twice postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic — needs to be delayed again.
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Bishop Yambasu initiative harvests first crops
A group of excited, sickle-armed farmers, mainly women from the Bandakor Village community, sweated and sang in the scorching heat of a January afternoon as they lopped swaths of rice stalks from the ground. They were harvesting the first yields of the Bishop Yambasu Agriculture Initiative, a pilot project launched by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries two years ago.
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Learn to navigate change with communication training course
United Methodist Communications is re-launching its Communicating During Seasons of Change four-week facilitated online course. The training will run March 7th through April 2nd, 2022 with webinar sessions each Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00-2:00pm CT. Supplemental resources and discussions will be provided each week. Registration for the limited space course is open through March 2nd at 5pm CT at UMCTraining.org.
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Ministry partner provides new digital tools
Subsplash, a United Methodist ministry partner since 2020, works with thousands of churches on their digital-engagement strategies. The company recently launched the Subsplash One platform that offers a complete ecosystem of mobile/digital options available to local churches in one place. The General Council on Finance and Administration vets ministry partners.
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Prepare for Easter celebration
Easter is just a month away and we have a wide variety of specially designed outreach resources — banners, posters, postcards and more — to help you reach and invite to those in your community to join in your Easter worship services. Order soon and use promo code UMCEA22 to get up to $200 off. This offer is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once funds are depleted, the code will expire.
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#StillInMission Episode 40
You are invited to join us for #StillInMission Episode 40 on March 3! In addition to the meetings with missionaries, there will be a joint devotion/centering experience led by the missionary presenters in the episode.
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IRS 2022 mileage rates
- 58.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 2.5 cents from the 2021 rate
- 18 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, up 2 cents from the 2021 rate
- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations—this remains unchanged because it can only be altered by an act of US Congress
“It is important to note that under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, taxpayers cannot claim a miscellaneous itemized deduction for unreimbursed employee travel expenses,” the IRS noted in a press release. “Taxpayers also cannot claim a deduction for moving expenses, unless they are members of the Armed Forces on active duty moving under orders to a permanent change of station.”
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Education empowers women and girls in Kenya
Moheto First United Methodist Church, in partnership with Wema Health Foundation, conducted a workshop on female genital mutilation to help empower young women and girls, educate them about their rights and advocate for change. Titled "Our Well-Being Is Our Future," the three-day session on gender-based violence drew 200 girls and women.
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First Black female lay leader for conference
Darlene Alfred is the first Black female conference lay leader of the Central Texas Conference. She speaks about that and about Black History Month in a conference video. "If there is not a first, there can't be a next," Alfred says of her role.
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22-24: GNW Cabinet meeting - Carlo and Lisa attending
26: Area wide Leadership Training for Laity
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14: Mission District Task Force meeting
17: St. Patrick's Day
23-25: GNW Cabinet meeting - Carlo and Lisa attending
31: Mission District Task Force meeting
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
March 21 -
Nico Reijns
March 23 -
Bob Jones Jr.
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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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