A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference | |
Annual Conference Related News | |
Annual Conference registration is closed
Thank you to all of you who registered for the upcoming Annual Conference. If you missed the deadline, please contact the conference office for the next steps you can take. We are finalizing all of the details to make this a wonderful gathering.
Pre-Conference Events will have a registration that will go out by next week once al the specifics are sorted out. So, keep watch for that.
This is a busy time for your conference staff and host church as these final preparations are being made. Always feel free to reach out if you have a question regarding this event. We will do our best to get an answer to you!
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Memorial Roll information needed
Churches, please fill out the Memorial Roll list of the members and constituents that have died this past year from your church.
The last Annual Conference was held June 20, 2022 so any deaths since then can and should be included.
We ask for a picture as well for each of them so we can include it in the PowerPoint.
Names and pictures are due TODAY, May 16.
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Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth installation service scheduled for May 20, livestreamed from Juneau, AK
The Episcopacy Committees and other leaders of the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences invite you to the Service of Installation for Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth on Sat., May 20 at 2 p.m. AKT/3 p.m. PT/4 p.m. MT. The service livestreamed here will also open the Greater Northwest Area’s month of conferencing. An invited group of leaders from across the area will participate in the event as hosted in Juneau, Alaska, by Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
Learn more and bookmark this page for May 20!
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Dates & Information
We want to keep the preliminary dates announced for clergy sessions and annual conference sessions in front of you. More details on each session will be forthcoming.
Alaska Specific information is:
- Service of Installation for Bishop Bridgeforth & GNW Opening Session, May 20, livestream only from Aldersgate UMC in Juneau Watch at www.greaternw.org/installation
- Alaska Clergy gathering, May 25, online only
- Alaska Conference Session, June 4-6, hybrid from First UMC Fairbanks in Fairbanks
- GNW Closing Session, June 15, livestream only
Read more of this story on the GNW News site.
FORMS ARE POSTED ON THE CONFERENCE WEBSITE FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
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Soldotna UMC invites you to a retirement celebration
Soldotna UMC's pastor, Karen Martin Tichenor, will be retiring at the end of June and the church will be throwing her a party. All are welcome to attend. The celebration will be Sunday, June 25 from 3-5 p.m. at Soldotna UMC. If you have questions, contact Susie Smalley.
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Save the date: AK Child & Family Flag Day Celebration
Join AK Child & Family on Sunday, July 9th from 4:30-7:30 p.m. for the 31st annual celebration of the Alaska's flag! Bring the whole family for food, live music by Yachtly Crew, lawn games, ice cream and more! Special Alaska Flag Day merchandise will also be available for purchase.
AK Child & Family is thrilled to present the winning design for Alaska Flag Day 2023, titled Alaska - Land of Life and All Colors by staff member Kelsey Ledford.
In keeping with the history of the Alaska Flag (designed by former student Benny Benson), they hold an internal contest each year for the design of their Alaska Flag Day t-shirts (coming soon!!). They love this tradition and are always impressed with the amount of talent within their agency! Save the date for our Alaska Flag Day Event: July 9th 2023!
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Professional Church Workers Retreat dates set for fall
The 2023 Professional Church Workers Retreat is scheduled for September 21-24, 2023 in Anchorage. For those of you who would be attending this event, please make sure you save the date!
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Black caucus draws closer to African partners
During its 56th General Meeting, Black Methodists for Church Renewal built on its efforts to become a more global organization. Gathering in person for the first time since 2020, The United Methodist Church’s Black membership caucus emphasized its relationship with Africa University and then sent representatives to the first gathering of the new United Methodist Africa Forum in South Africa.
Read the story
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Finance agency releases quarterly report
The General Council on Finance and Administration has released the financial updates on general church apportionment collections through the first quarter of 2023. Apportionments are shares of church giving that support ministries beyond the local church. In total, collections for denomination-wide ministries are up compared with the same time last year.
Read the press release and watch video
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Conference seeks help in sheltering migrants
With the end of Title 42, United Methodist ministries are preparing for new realities across the Mexico-U.S. border, including a possible surge of migrants over already high numbers. The California-Pacific Conference is making plans to provide people with shelter and has put out an urgent call for assistance. Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank, who leads the conference, also issued a response, sharing her prayers and hopes for the work ahead.
Read the conference statement
Read the bishop’s letter
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Disciple Bible Study goes digital
The Disciple Bible Study series is going digital with the introduction of an app that will be available Aug. 1, the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship and the United Methodist Publishing House have announced. Two 24-week studies in the Disciple series will be the first offerings on the new BeADisciple Study App, which will give groups access to the curriculum and the complete Common English Bible in text and audio form. Zoom is built into the app for group meetings. Beta groups are being invited to be first adopters and participate in final testing.
Read the press release
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Celebrating Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders
The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race has created two free, downloadable resources for churches to use during Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. Both infographics are available at the agency’s R-Squared resource hub.
View 10 Things to Know About Asian Americans
View 10 Honorable Traits of Pacific Islander Culture
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Hope for people living with HIV in Congo
Thanks to funding from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, more than 100 women living with HIV in the Kivu Conference are receiving counseling, transportation help and microcredit loans. The effort, which also includes food support for malnourished children, is part of the church’s Maternal and Child Health Program in East Congo.
Read the story
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Celebrate Heritage Sunday May 21
Each congregation has a unique history, full of rich stories and powerful examples of ministry and outreach to its community. Our denomination is strengthened by our shared narrative of God’s work in our lives and in the world, which binds us together in love. The General Commission on Archives and History, in partnership with Discipleship Ministries, has created resources for church leaders to use on this special Sunday, including Scripture recommendations, sermon notes, liturgy and hymn suggestions.
Access worship and liturgical resources
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Peace with Justice Sunday is June 4
We are called to love our enemies, seek justice and serve as peacemakers. The United Methodist Church is committed to leading social transformation. On Peace with Justice Sunday, United Methodists show their financial support for these efforts. Prepare for this special Sunday with ready-to-use resources for worship, promotion, education and more in the multilingual pastor and leader kit.
Start planning today!
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18-22: Conference Staff in Juneau
20: Bishop Bridgeforth's Installation & Annual Conference Opening Session at 2 p.m.
25: Alaska District Task Force meeting
29: Memorial Day - Office Closed
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1: First Day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month
4-6: Alaska Annual Conference Session in Fairbanks
18: Father's Day
19: Juneteenth
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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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We acknowledge that the Methodist Church is complicit with and rooted in the colonization of Alaska and recognize that we live in that ongoing legacy. We lament the harm and trauma that our faith community causes. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Movement, summarized God’s directives with three Rules: do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God. We also celebrate the grace, the love, and the good that our church does that calls us to re-imagine mission through intentional discipleship with one another.
We will live into the transition to a Mission District committed to:
Alaska Conference Values
- The love of God, neighbor, and self, demonstrated by the deliberate embracing and valuing of differences, the leveling of imbalances between people and systems, and the intentional dismantling of inequities in whatever forms they present themselves.
- Healing, grace-filled mission with communities and churches that prioritizes local experiences and shares resources across time and distance through equitable relationships.
- Living into connectionalism by belonging to and trusting in one another to nurture relationships that celebrate the gifts each of our communities bring, allowing us to move forward in a decolonized way.
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