Jeremy Beckett Memorial Kickball Game + Cookout

Please join us at Birchwood Camp for the Jeremy Beckett Memorial Kickball Game and Cookout on July 1, 4-7pm! Following the cookout there will be a short memorial service. Please RSVP here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHv7_kRyra5hD6lhJsQ0bMJCiD9NCt8ZWkXcBO5fPBxLTugg/viewform) and select kickball and supper on July 1 - you can add on swimming/boating 2-4 too! Please make a donation to Birchwood Camp to help offset food costs. All those planning to play kickball, swim, or boat will need to sign this waiver (17 and under need to be signed by a legal guardian or parent). We’re so excited to remember and honor Jeremy through some of his favorite camp activities!

Draw the Circle Wide

Alaska United Women in Faith will be holding their Annual Gathering at Anchor Park UMC September 29 - October 1, 2023.

The scripture focus for the weekend is Romans 15:7, "So reach out and welcome one another to God's glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! (The Message)"

The keynote speaker will be the United Women in Faith National Board President 'Ainise 'Isama'u and the worship leader will be Rev. Bennie Grace Nabua of UMC of Sitka.

Registration form will come out soon. Save the date now! Learn more about the schedule here.

Church and Society now accepting applications for 2023 grant funding cycle

The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) awards grants to United Methodist congregations and groups related to The United Methodist Church through the Ethnic Local Church, Human Relations Day, and Peace with Justice programs.

To apply for grants, applicants must complete forms on the GBCS online system. Only complete online applications with all required documents submitted by 5:00 p.m. EST, July 24, 2023 will be considered for funding.

Read more and apply here

The father of the founding fathers

Father’s Day is celebrated in June in many parts of the world. Learn more about one of the denomination’s most notable dads, Samuel Wesley, father to John and Charles.

Watch

From girlhood activist to denominational leader

Harriett Jane Olson is embracing retirement as she recalls her career as a lawyer, publisher and top executive of United Women in Faith. She talks with Kathy L. Gilbert about her passion for creation care, her work with the women’s agency and what she's looking forward to as a delegate to next year’s General Conference.

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Facing the Future 2023 Conference registration now open

Religion and Race is excited to invite you to join them for Facing the Future 2023 in Atlanta, GA from November 14th - 16th, where they will meet in person for the first time since 2018! Their theme this year, Be3: Being, Belonging, and Becoming, will bring to life a supportive environment of affirmation, while also offering engaging multicultural worship and practical workshops to further equip you in your ministry journeys.

Register today and take advantage of early bird registration prices. They hope to see you at this dynamic gathering, in-person or virtually. So share the news and the invitation with others who would benefit from this experience.

Learn more and register for Facing the Future

Circle of Friends builds inclusion

People in the Dakotas with intellectual disabilities are being included in church life through the Circle of Friends ministry. The initiative started with a camp that grew from six to 27 campers over 17 years, starting in 2003. This year, three different camping experiences are available, one with an overnight stay.

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Commission marks National Pride Month

Documents from the Rev. Karen Dammann, the first United Methodist pastor to be tried for “practices incompatible with Christian teaching,” were acquired by the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History, one of three ways the commission will mark LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Also planned is a $1,000 grant to support research relating to LGBTQ+ Methodist history and the release of a guide to aid LGBTQ+ researchers. 

Read the press release

Trying to heal after church disaffiliation votes

The United Methodist Church’s splintering has left many feeling wounded. But churchgoers, pastors and seminary professors are finding different ways to mend. As the founders of one recently chartered United Methodist congregation in East Texas discovered, sometimes the best way to renew is to build something new.

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Podcast discusses pastoral transitions

How can a seamless pastoral transition lead to a more effective leadership transition? Jessica L. Anschutz speaks with Lee Kricher, the author of “Seamless Pastoral Transition: 3 imperatives and 6 Pitfalls.”

Listen to podcast

United Methodist Men is on the move

United Methodist Men is moving fast on its four-year plan to revitalize itself after Greg Arnold took over leadership about 18 months ago. Arnold, who brings a business background to the job, has deemphasized the charter membership model, revised the agency’s relationship with the Boy Scouts and moved its offices.

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UM News: Changes, expansion for United Methodist Men

Video series highlights exclusion, healing

The North Georgia Conference’s Reparations Task Force put together a series of videos that highlight stories of racism and exclusion as well as efforts to heal the wounds of the past to work toward a brighter future. Videos examine the experience of a Black worshipper, now a pastor, refused entry to a church around 1960 as well as one of Georgia’s first interracial overnight retreats in 1962.

Watch the video series

Bishop Meadors remembered as 'giant of justice'

Bishop Marshall L. “Jack” Meadors Jr., who died May 25, is being remembered as a compassionate leader and dedicated activist on issues such as child poverty, war and women’s rights. Meadors led the Mississippi Conference from 1993 to 2000.

Read obituary

Read press release

General Conference petition submission opens and logo revealed as planning continues

The Commission on General Conference gathered in Florence, Kentucky for an in-person meeting held May 21-24, 2023. Participants included representatives from each U.S. jurisdiction and Central Conference members from Africa. Members from Europe and the Philippines were unable to attend for a variety of personal reasons. During the session, important updates and continuing work were discussed in preparation for the postponed 2020 General Conference to be held April 23-May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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MARCHA 2023 event to be held August 10-12, 2023

We are looking forward to gathering in person after 4 years physically separated by COVID19 - more than ever, the voices of Hispanic/Latinxs are needed as our denomination prepares for a historic General Conference in 2024, and together we build the next expressions of the United Methodist movement.

Regular Registration prices expire July 10, 2023 | Promotional Opportunities Available

Learn more and Register - HERE!

Worship service celebrates diversity

More than 100 people from across the North and Central Texas conferences gathered at Martin United Methodist Church for a worship service celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The service saw participation from clergy and laity from the Filipino, Korean and Tongan communities, as well as non-Asian allies.

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