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?

Become an ERT

We will be holding an ERT training event on October 15th at Anchor Park from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.  To qualify as an ERT, you must be at least 18 yrs old, pass a background check, and physically be able to do the work. The training is required for anyone interested in being on one of our emergency repair teams. Registration is required to ensure the availability of materials (see below for contact information).

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

There are three different ways to give: 

Online: 

https://bit.ly/alaskaresponse

Or by text:

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

Or by QR Code:

See above

If you have any questions, or to register for the ERT training, please contact Dan Wilcox (Conference Disaster Response Coordinator), at danielpwilcox@gmail.com, 907.414.7078.

Church responds to wreckage of Alaskan typhoon

The typhoon that hit more than 1,000 miles of Alaska coastline in late September didn’t just damage buildings; it also disrupted generational ways of living for years to come. The fish camps that provide people sustenance are mostly gone. Kristen Caldwell reports on how United Methodists are working to get needed relief to remote villages before winter weather sets in.

Read the story

Donate to Alaska Conference Disaster Response Fund

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.

UMC of Chugiak in the news for handing out thousands of dollars in grants

For 10 years, the United Methodist Church in Chugiak has held its free Recycle for a Reason monthly sale which has raised more than $200,000 for non-profits around Alaska and has had a positive and environmental impact through it's unique sales environment.

Watch more of this story from Alaska's News Source.

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.

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.

Insights into the Episcopacy: Perspective from executive assistants

As delegates prepare to elect new episcopal leaders at the Western Jurisdictional Conference in November, Bishop Karen Oliveto hosts a conversation over Zoom with four executive assistants supporting episcopal offices in the WJ. Together, they share their unique perspective on the role of the bishop and the set-apart nature of the office as it relates to and serves the annual conference and other connectional bodies. They also discuss the overlooked pastoral responsibilities and the challenges of balancing a significant workload.

Watch this interview on the WJ website.

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

Housing opens for moms recovering from addiction

Susannah’s House, a United Methodist-related nonprofit, has opened its first affordable housing facility to help mothers working toward recovery from addiction. The nonprofit has now opened the eight-unit complex to the moms in its program and their children.

Read the story

Celebrating an advocate for justice

Retired Bishop Joel Martinez, born into an immigrant, farm-working family and nurtured in the Methodist tradition, is known as a defender of the poor and advocate for social justice. For more than half a century, he has spoken out against abusive labor practices and ethnic/racial discrimination. Ask The UMC has more on Martinez in the latest installment of its Pioneers in Methodism series.

Read the story

Read more Ask The UMC

Scouting agreements extended to Dec. 31

Boy Scouts of America and The United Methodist Church have agreed that all present agreements between congregations and Scouting troops have been extended to Dec. 31. This includes charters, affiliation agreements and facilities-use agreements. Boy Scouts of America Councils need to restructure as part of a bankruptcy plan. The Center for Scouting Ministries, part of United Methodist Men, is providing a conference resource page that helps with answering questions about the current BSA and United Methodist Church relationship.



See resource page

UM News: New era for church and Boy Scouts of America

Pope meets with Methodist-Catholic dialogue team

Pope Francis held a private audience with members of the Methodist-Catholic International Commission in the Vatican on Oct. 5. The commission, which began work in 1967, currently has three United Methodist members: The Rev. Edgardo Colon-Emeric, co-chair; the Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, co-secretary; and Jung Choi. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office in Rome, reports on the meeting.

Read the story

Spotlight shines on Jovita Idár, Methodist reformer

Jovita Idár, a Mexican American journalist, activist and faithful Methodist working in South Texas in the early 20th century, continues to gain recognition from historians and others. The United States Mint also is including her in its American Women Quarters series.



Read the story

Program helps trauma survivors heal

Triumph Over Trauma, a seven-week psychoeducational program for people going through trauma, aims to help people heal by voicing their experiences. The curriculum is the outcome of work the Rev. Neelley Hicks, a United Methodist deacon, was doing for survivors of sexual violence in eastern Congo.

Read the story

Church leaders remember martyrs in Philippines

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines held a memorial service to remember church activists killed during the country’s period of martial law, imposed in 1972 and lasting until 1986. During the service, church leaders also called for an end to current repression and denounced what they say are invented charges against a United Methodist clergywoman, the Rev. Glofie Baluntong.



Read the story

UM News: Church says clergywoman faces trumped-up charges

13-17: GNW DCM Retreat

16: Charge Conference - St. Peter the Fisherman UMC

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 12 - Bishop Elaine Stanovsky

October 18 - Dan Wilcox

November 5 - Kim Poole

November 6 - Fa'atafa Fulumu'a

November 9 - Murray Crookes

November 27 - Laura Krauss