PCWR follow up

Thanks to all who attended the Professional Church Workers' Retreat recently. If you have not done so, please take a moment to fill out the evaluation form and return it soon. Thanks!

Evaluation form

Immigration Round Table scheduled for Oct. 23

Please consider participating in our second immigration roundtable discussion on Oct. 23 from 2-3:30 p.m. PT. Through these webinars, we aim to offer practical resources and tools that church leaders can use to begin a ministry with immigrant families in their local church. Participants in this roundtable will learn from the staff of Central Washington Justice for Our Neighbors and about the Tacoma Detention Center.

Learn more on the PNW Conference website.

Church and Clergy Profile forms due Dec.1

With the transition to retirement for our Bishop and the upcoming election of our new one, all Clergy and Churches are being asked to update their profiles. A follow up email went out this morning to clergy with instructions on how to access the People Portal. Once you have successfully logged into your personal People Portal, you will find your Clergy Profile form to the left. If you have problems, please contact the conference office and I can assist you. In addition to the Clergy Profile, this Biographical Information form needs to be filled out and returned. | PDF | Word

Each Church Profile also needs to be updated and that will be done through the Church Dashboard. Once you are on your church dashboard, you will find the Church Profile link to the left. 

Both of these profiles need to be completed online through these means. They are to be completed by December 1, 2022. Both the Church Dashboard and the People Portal can be accessed from the Conference website at the bottom of the page.

2022 Silent Auction

The Birchwood Camp Annual Auction is almost here! Bidding starts on November 14th and will end on November 20th at 6pm AKST.

Bid on handcrafted items, collectibles, vacation rentals, fun family packages, and more! Your donation will help complete the flooring project in the Lodge. You may also choose to send kids to future camps by donating to the Scholarship Fund.

Click this link to view and explore the auction site.

Special Announcement for Disaster Response Re: Western Alaskan Storms

When the remnants of Typhoon Merbok hit Western Alaska in mid-September, the wind and storm surge hit villages all along the coast for 1000 miles. Alaskan Conference Disaster Response has been actively involved since the storm. We have coordinated with other non-profit agencies as well as the state and FEMA to help identify needs and connect those needs to available resources. UMCOR has already awarded us a $10,000 Solidarity Grant that we will be using during this relief phase of the disaster.  

Right now, we have two high-level Early Response Team assessors (ERTs) in the villages of Hooper Bay and Chevak identifying the emergency repair needs on homes, as well as identifying some of the logistical questions with bringing ERT teams in to do those repairs. While there will be long-term repair and rebuild needs in many communities, the emergency repairs we are looking at now will allow families to stay in their homes for the winter. The state has asked us to concentrate on these two villages for now, as they have a large number of storm-damaged homes.

Through the winter and into spring, we will continue working with other agencies as well as the state and FEMA to identify potential rebuilding projects. Additional recovery grant requests through UMCOR will also be considered.  

HOW CAN I HELP?

Give funds to support both the ERTs and our recovery efforts:

There are three different ways to give: 

Online: 

https://bit.ly/alaskaresponse

By text:

Donors who text the code "ALASKARESPONSE" to 44-321 will see this campaign page.

By QR Code:

See above

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Wilcox (Conference Disaster Response Coordinator), at danielpwilcox@gmail.com, 907.414.7078.

Schneider receives UWF pin in recognition of service, new Executive Director named

During the Alaska United Women in Faith Annual Gathering, Nome Community Center Executive Director, Rhonda Schneider, was presented the Saphire Mission Recognition Pin by Alaska UWF Co-President Linda Heim. This was given in recogonition of her service to the Nome Community. Schneider will retire October 31.

While in attendace, Schneider announced that Butch Palmero will be the new Executive Director of the Nome Community Center. Palmero and his wife, Melba, were there in person for the attendees to meet and hear him speak. Palmero will help continue the partnership of the Nome Community Center with United Women in Faith as a Mission Institution.

Best of luck to both of them on their new adventures ahead! Please keep them in your prayers.

Special offering during charge conferences to benefit Circle of Indigenous Ministries, honor Bishop Stanovsky

In honor of Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky's retirement and her legacy of supporting the work of indigenous ministries during her 14 years of episcopal service, the Greater Northwest Area cabinet announces that a special offering will be taken at charge conferences this fall for the Circle of Indigenous Ministries.

Learn more on the GNW News site.

What to expect when you are electing new bishops

In less than a month, the GNW Area should know the name of its new bishop. A lot will happen between then and now. Patrick Scriven shares this short overview of what United Methodists in the northwest can expect as delegates head to Salt Lake City Nov. 2-5 to elect new episcopal leaders.

Read his thoughts on the GNW News site.

Conference Journals have been mailed out

The 2022 Conference Journal has been handed/mailed out to those that receive it based on their position with the conference. We will have a link soon for the digital download off the conference website. Please make note that this will likely be the last year it will automatically be printed and mailed out. Starting next year, we plan to move to a Print-On-Demand Journal, like the PNW and OR-ID Conferences, which will come at a cost to those that want the journal. We have provided these journals for no fee for many years now. It is a costly process to print and mail them. Often, they just sit on a shelf and are not referenced at all. We would still have the free version for download so that you can access it at any time if you do not want to pay for a book. This is one of the transitions we are starting to make as we make our way to becoming a missional district of the PNW Conference.

Charge Conference paperwork ready for download

Conference Superintendent Christina DowlingSoka is planning Church/Charge Conferences with all the Alaska churches. As those meetings get scheduled, now is the time to start filling out the paperwork. The superintendent is asking that the paperwork is completed and emailed at least one week prior to your scheduled meeting.  You can find the Church/Charge Conference page here.

Ideas for Pastor Appreciation Month

A note of appreciation, writing a prayer or even leading a worship service are some of the 10 suggestions from the Minnesota Conference to mark Pastor Appreciation Month, which is October.

Read the story

Louisiana Conference's list of 15 ideas

Interim bishop plans to step down by Dec. 31

Bishop Sally Dyck announced that she plans to step down as interim bishop of the California-Nevada Conference no later than Dec. 31. Dyck has served as interim since March, when Bishop Minerva Carcaño was suspended with pay while under complaint. Dyck said it's possible Carcaño could be reinstated before the end of the year if a just resolution is reached or other determinations are made by the Judicial Council, the denomination's top court. In The United Methodist Church, the complaint process is confidential.

Read the announcement

South Africans march against gender-based violence

United Methodists joined with the South Africa government’s Department of Sports, Arts and Culture to organize a march to raise awareness about gender-based violence. Participants marched under the “Thursdays in Black” banner as part of the World Council of Churches campaign “that resists attitudes and practices that permit rape and violence.”



Read the story

Native American leader discusses threatened cultures

The Rev. Glen “Chebon” Kernell, executive director of the United Methodist Native American Comprehensive Plan, discussed the realities for Native peoples and the need to promote climate justice. Kernell was among the 3,000 participants at the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches.

Read the story

Women's agency head plans to retire in 2023

Harriett Jane Olson, top executive of United Women in Faith, has announced plans to retire in spring 2023. Olson took the helm of what was then the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in 2007. Under her leadership, the women's mission organization became an autonomous United Methodist agency in 2012 and recently rebranded as United Women in Faith.

Read the press release

UM News: Women's agency hits refresh, expands welcome

General agencies face tough budgeting season

United Methodist general agencies are in the process of developing their spending plans for the year ahead. They do so as the ongoing fallout of the pandemic, high inflation rates and rising church disaffiliations are affecting finances throughout the denomination.

Read the story

Open hearts, open parking lot

United Methodist churches are known for opening their doors, but perhaps less so for opening their parking lots. But Wesley UMC in Hadley, MA, has done just that by becoming a Harvest Host. 

Harvest Hosts is a membership program for RVers that offers access to unique RV camping options such as farms, wineries and, yes, churches.

Read more

10 free services for local churches

United Methodist Communications has a menu of services and tools as extensive as the menu of dishes at The Cheesecake Factory. Greg Petree has assembled a list of the top-10 services United Methodist Communications offers for free to help local congregations reach out to their communities.

Read the list

What is The UMC's view of Halloween?

For many, Halloween means costumes, trick-or-treating and big parties. Is there a different way to look at this holiday and how we celebrate it as a church? Ask The UMC explores the historic roots of Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, and how United Methodists might take the opportunity to give back and proclaim our hope for a new creation.

Discover what we believe

10 free services for local churches

Join Global MInsitries November 3 at 12 PM ET as they explore the transforming work of United Methodist missionaries serving around the world.

You will have the opportunity to meet in a small group to hear a presentation from a single missionary during the call. Find out more about these missionaries below, or at www.umcmission.org

Benjamin Thomas Rose is serving as an Events and Wave Program Coordinator for the Surf Project in Ireland.

Desiree Segura-April is serving as the Resource Person for Children at Risk Ministries with the Latin American Region.

Ellyn Dubberly is serving as the Leadership Development Coordinator with the Evangelical Methodist Church in Central America.

Jennifer Moore is serving as a Christian Educator with the United Methodist Church in the Republic of Macedonia.

United Methodist Missionaries are #stillinmission and we hope that you'll join us to learn more!

Registration is limited. You will get a confirmation email once your registration is accepted. If the limit is reached, you will get priority for future events.

18-20: GNW Cabinet Meeting

20: Leadership team Meeting

23: Charge Conference - Palmer UM Fellowship

27: Mission District Task Force meeting

28 - Nov. 1: Christina in Juneau

30: Church Conference - Aldersgate UMC

31: Charge Conference - Douglas Community UMC

31: Halloween

2 - 5: Western Jurisdiction Conference

6: Daylight Saving Time ends

6: Charge Conference: Seward Memorial UMC

8: Election Day

10: Charge Conference: UMC of Sitka

11: Veteran's Day

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

12: Charge Conference - Soldotna UMC

13: Charge Conference - Girdwood Chapel UMC

15-17: GNW Cabinet meeting

20: Charge Conference - Christ First UMC

20: Charge Conference - Turnagain UMC

21: Charge Conference - Ola Toe Fuataina Samoan Fellowship

24: Thanksgiving - Office Closed

25: Office Closed

27: Charge Conference - Anchor Park UMC

28: Charge Conference - Anchorage Korean UMC

Upcoming Clergy Birthdays

October 18 - Dan Wilcox

October 19 - Kristi McGuire

November 5 - Kim Poole

November 6 - Fa'atafa Fulumu'a

November 9 - Murray Crookes

November 27 - Laura Krauss