News from the Alaska United Methodist Conference

e~Aurora

A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference

Special Called Session information

Special Session Postponed

For those that may have missed it, the Special Called Session of the Annual Conference, originally scheduled for December 4, will be rescheduled early in the new year.

Discussion Session

There was a Discussion Session held this past Saturday, December 2 to help answer any questions that people had regarding the vote that will take place during the Special Called Session. If you were not able to attend, you can find the recording here. Passcode: 9e8enq=q

Conference News

Apportionment Report

The latest Apportionment report has been received from the Treasurer's Office. These are the figures through December 4.

Apportionment Report

UWF Brunch is December 9

The St. John UMC United Women in Faith Annual Christmas Brunch is on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Join them as the St. John Players, back by popular demand, bring them "The Real Housewives of the Bible-Christmas Edition." There will also be a silent auction, music and of course, wonderful food. Tickets are $10. For more information, contact Debbie Pintsch.

National News

McConnell's legacy one of 'joyful ministry'

Bishop Calvin D. McConnell stressed the spiritual disciplines, advocated for social justice and relished the pastoral part of episcopal leadership. Western Jurisdiction colleagues praised his “joyful ministry with others” and “whole-hearted belief that God’s love is made for everyone.” McConnell died Nov. 28 at age 94.

Read the obituary

Church honored to host first lady's service

Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the campus of Emory University had the honor of holding the Nov. 28 service of tribute to Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of the United States. Her husband, President Jimmy Carter, sat in the first row of the sanctuary. The Rev. Mark Westmoreland, the church’s pastor, gave the invocation at the nationally televised service. The Carters had a strong relationship with United Methodists over the years.

Read the story

Best of 2023

United Methodist Now has compiled a list of their top UMC.org stories, videos and podcasts that encouraged, informed and inspired us during the past year. Take a look and ponder which content is among your favorites.

Enjoy

Unsung Heroes of Methodist: Barbara Heck

The story of Barbara Heck, “The Mother of American Methodism,” is more than the tale of her angry response to finding her husband and other men playing cards and insisting that they form a new Methodist society instead. The Unsung Heroes of Methodism series tells the stories of lesser-known figures whose lives and witness still impact The United Methodist Church today.

Read the story

Clothes closet keeps community cozy

Shoppers giggle and admire each other’s choices. But this is no regular shop. It’s the Stallsville Clothes Closet, a monthly ministry in the fellowship hall at Stallsville United Methodist Church. At the clothes closet, everything is free, everybody is welcome and the volunteers strive to make everyone a regular.

Read the story

An invitation to leave 'peace' candle unlit

The second candle on the Advent wreath represents peace, and in some traditions is known as the “Bethlehem candle.” This Advent, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is joining with the World Methodist Council and the Methodist Church in Britain in inviting Methodist churches across the world to refrain from lighting the Advent candle on the second Sunday in Advent (Dec. 10) and on subsequent Sundays to “serve as a constant reminder that we stand in solidarity with all who are suffering in the Holy Land.”

Read the press release

UM News: Bishops call for peacemaking in Holy Land

GBHEM scholarship program opens Dec. 15

Each year GBHEM awards over $5.5 million in scholarships to students from across the world. The GBHEM scholarship application portal will open Dec. 15. Students can submit one general application which will be screened for all possible eligible programs. Applicant musts be an active, full member of The United Methodist Church for at least one year and pursuing a degree program at an accredited institution within the U.S.

Learn More

Ideas for creation care at Christmas

United Methodists are called to be good stewards of the planet and its natural resources. At the same time, Americans typically produce 25% more waste during December. United Methodist Communications has put together a video that features simple ideas for how to create less waste during the hectic Advent and Christmas seasons.

Watch the video

Conference Calendar

5: Charge Conference - Turnagain UMC

5-7: GNW Cabinet meeting - Christina & Lisa attending via Zoom

8-14: Christina in Unalaska

16: Leaderhip Team meeting

17: Charge Conference - St. John & First UMC

17: Charge Conference - Christ First UMC

25: Christmas Day - Office Closed

30: Charge Conference - North Star & Kenai UMC's

1: New Years Day - Office Closed

5: Equity Cohort - Christina attending

5-11: DCM retreat and Equity Cohort - Lisa attending

15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Office Closed

23-25: GNW Cabinet Meeting

Upcoming Birthdays

December 13 - Maria "Chivi" Capezio Crookes

December 23 - Christina DowlingSoka

January 3 - Relena Lyddon Meyers

January 4 - David Owsley

January 5 - Janice Carlton

January 13 - Meghan Woods

January 17 - Kris-Ann Wilcox

The United Methodist Church

Conference Office

907-333-5050

Superintendent - Christina DowlingSoka

dwlngsk@yahoo.com

Director of Connectional Ministries - Lisa Talbott

lisamarietalbott@gmail.com

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.

Submit news articles here!

Values Statement

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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