A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference |
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Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky announced dates for the 2020 Sessions of the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, with participants meeting remotely online in September. The sessions will be livestreamed with no registration required for “guests” of the conference. The Alaska Conference will meet 6-9 p.m. AKT, on Tuesday, September 15, 2020.
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Annual Conference Registration Open for voting members |
The Virtual Annual Conference Session registration is now OPEN. MEMBERS of the Annual Conference need to register in order to participate. GUESTS are invited to join via livestream. No registration required for guests. The livestream link will be provided within 7 days of the conference.
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Pre-Conference Handbook Available for download |
The Pre-Conference Handbook is complete and available for download. MEMBERS, please review this material prior to the Annual Conference Session. If you have any questions, especially about the proposed budget, petitions, and rules changes, please send them to the Conference Office by August 18th.
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GNTV Practice Sessions scheduled |
MEMBERS of the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Annual Conferences are encouraged to participate in a practice session to gain familiarity with the Zoom Webinar platform and the online voting system that will be used for Annual Conference this year.
This webinar will be led by staff from GNTV who will be helping to facilitate the technical aspects of the webinars and voting processes.
GUESTS do not need to attend this practice or register for the Annual Conference Sessions. Each will be livestreamed for guests with more information released closer to the date.
Practice Sessions will be offered on the following dates/times:
Registration is quick, free, and required in advance.
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Methodist History journal available
Methodist History, the academic journal of the General Commission on Archives and History, has arrived for our conference archive/research room. You may have an interest in the July 2020 issue which has the following research papers and book reviews:
(1) Trans-Atlantic Social Gospel: British Influences on American Methodist Social Thought and Practice 1890-1910;
(2) Methodist Missionary Self-Understanding in the Pacific Northwest, 1838-1844;
(3) Perfectionist Puffery: Reading Phoebe Palmer for an Etiquette of Sanctification
Book reviews include:
(1) Global United Methodism: Telling the Stories, Living into the Realities
(2) John Connick: The Forgotten Evangelist
(3) The Theology of Sanctification and Resignation in Charles Wesley’s Hymns
(4) Methodist Worship: Mediating the Methodist Liturgical Heritage
(5) A Pilgrim with a Poet’s Soul: George A. Simons (1874-1952)
(6) The Spirit of Methodism: From the Wesley’s to a Global Communion
(7) Sanctified Sisters: A History of Protestant Deaconesses
(8) Old or New School Methodism? The Fragmentation of a Theological Tradition
(9) They Stole Him Out of Jail: Willie Earle, South Carolina’s Last Lynching Victim
This can be checked out like a library book when the conference office is open.
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Certified Lay Ministry classes
St. John will be offering the BASIC coursework on September 19 and 26 from 1pm-5pm. Attendance at both classes is required for completion.
To purchase your required reading, Certified Lay Ministry BASIC Participant Book CLICK HERE.
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A request from the Greater Northwest Annual Conference worship planning team
What Does Love Require?
Do No Harm --> Fighting Covid-19
Do Good --> Dismantling Racism
Stay in Love with God --> Re-imagining Life Together
How have you been engaging in this important work of LOVE since the onset of this pandemic? We’d love to see pictures and short videos (about 10-15 seconds) of you and your church in action, carrying out the work of love in your communities by fighting COVID-19, dismantling racism, and re-imagining life together.
Selected picture and video submissions will be used in the Opening Worship of the Zoom Annual Conferences in September. Please email your submissions with “AC2020 Worship” in the subject line to: photos@greaternw.org by August 15th! |
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Boise church deconsecrates Lee window
Building on their commitment to fight racism, leaders of First United Methodist Church of Boise (Cathedral of the Rockies) deconsecrated a stained-glass window depicting Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Aug. 7. Workers will remove it permanently soon.
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Participate in Dismantling Racism town halls
Invite your congregation to be a part of two Dismantling Racism town hall events this month, on August 19 and August 26. First, seasoned leaders, including James Lawson, Joel N. Martinez, Sue Thrasher and Clara Ester, will remind us of where we've been and need to go. Then, a panel of emerging leaders, including Ann Jacob, Theon Johnson III, Andres De Arco and Katelin Hansen, will discuss their strategies for changing the world.
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GBGM Virtual Mission Volunteer Orientation
Teri Erbele would like to extend a special invitation to the September Virtual Mission Volunteer Orientation.
As folks register there are three options to choose from:
- Interested to serve 2021
- Want to know more about the program
- Just curious what this program entails
Here is the link to register or pass onto potential candidates. Please note, the deadline is August 15 th www.missionvolunteers.org Once registered, additional information and preparation reading will be provided. |
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Mask distributor named ministry partner
The General Council on Finance and Administration has vetted and approved On the Go Masks as a United Methodist ministry partner. The company is offering an exclusive program for the purchase of KN95 personal protection equipment at a reduced rate to churches and other United Methodist entities.
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United Methodist Communications turns 80!
This year, United Methodist Communications celebrates 80 years of ministry. While communication has changed dramatically throughout the decades, the mission remains: to engage people through stories of faith and God's work in the world. Learn more about the agency's journey.
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#StillInMission Episode 11
#StillInMission Episode 11 will take place on Thursday, August 13 at 2:00 PM EDT. Learn a little about the missionaries by clicking their names below.
Brooke Atchley is serving as the Executive Director of Elk Garden School Community Ministries with the Holston Annual Conference in the United States.
Sara Flores is serving as the Assistant to the Bishop for Church & Community Development with the Evangelical United Methodist Church of Ecuador.
Lorraine Charinda is serving as an Agricultural Rural Economic Development Specialist in the North Katanga Episcopal Area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Registration is required for this event, and you can do that by clicking here. During the meeting, we will break into small groups to hear individual presentations. You can choose the missionary you would like to hear more from in the registration in the question, ‘Whose presentation would you like to hear?’
These new missionaries have answered God’s call to mission during an uncertain time, and your virtual & financial support through these events are critically important.
If you cannot attend, consider showing your support by giving financially to one of the missionaries above. Simply click their hyperlinked name (or search for them on umcmission.org) to be taken to their personal advance pages and scroll to the bottom to give securely.
If you have any questions or need any other information, please don’t hesitate to let us know at itin@umcmission.org.
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Deaf ministries navigate COVID-19 challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a season of challenges and opportunities for Deaf ministries in The United Methodist Church. One definite plus is that people who are Deaf or hard of hearing are enjoying greater access to worship thanks to online services with sign language interpreters or captioning.
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Leading in Crisis series continues
The third panel discussion about how to lead during a crisis is set for 11 a.m. Central time on Aug. 12. There is no need to register for the event, which will stream on the Facebook and YouTube pages of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
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What would Wesley think about today's issues?
The Rev. Glenn M. Wagner of the Michigan Conference ponders what advice John Wesley, Methodism's founder, might offer to United Methodists about the serious challenges of our time, including systemic racism, violence and a deadly pandemic impacting worship and singing.
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3-16: Carlo on vacation
21: Leadership Team meeting
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7: Labor Day - Office Closed
15: Alaska Annual Conference Session (6-9PM)
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
August 13 -
Bennie Grace Nabua
September 11 -
Emily Carroll
September 17 -
Autumn Krueger
September 28 -
Darla Bradley
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Conference Office
907-333-5050
Superintendent Carlo
907-854-8340
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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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The mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Held and supported by the transforming relationship with God through Christ, we of the Alaska United Methodist Conference seek to be a community that creates a home for all peoples, finds our hope through grace and journeys together in God's preferred future. |
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