A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference | |
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Laity welcome to come meet Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth
Alaska lay members are invited to stop by First UMC Anchorage on Saturday, March 18, from 6-8pm for a meet and greet with our new Bishop, Cedrick Bridgeforth. There will not be a program; this is an opportunity for people to stop by to say hello and welcome him to Alaska. Light refreshments will be provided.
There is no need to register for this event.
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LAST CALL - Local church leadership training online
Join Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, district superintendents and staff of the conferences of the Greater Northwest Area for a free online training for local church leaders, Saturday, March 18th from 9-11 a.m. AKT, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. PST, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. MST. The training will start with words of greeting and worship, followed by a message from our new bishop. The second hour will allow participants to receive focused training in one of several workshops on managing financial assets, engaging in conflict, working with staff (lay, clergy or volunteer), exploring single-board governance, and a Spanish language cohort.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom invite, but there is no fee. Please forward this invitation to the leadership in your church you wish to consider attending.
Register here to attend!
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Western Jurisdiction Conference Secretary for Global Ministries meeting
Conference Secretaries for Global Ministries from the Western Jurisdiction gathered together February 28-March 1, in Mill Vally, California, along with Cal-Nev Conference and Global Ministries staff members. The Conference Secretary for Global Ministries (CSGM) are lay and clergy who promote relationships between annual conferences and Global Ministries. The CSGM has the important role of educating, connecting and partnering with local churches to share information about missionaries and mission projects through the General Board of Global Ministries. The goal of the relationships is to garner support through prayer, emotional support and donations. Global Ministries is the United Methodist Church's Mission Agency which focuses on four main areas: missionaries, global health, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), and evangelism and church growth. To find out more information about Global Ministries please visit the website at www.umcmission.org or talk with your local CSGM.
Topics Covered in the Retreat Included:
- Missio Dei (Latin for Mission of God) is invitational, God invites the church to be in mission and ministry as part of God's work in this world
- Recognizing churches for their ongoing support is an important element in mission education
- CSGMs are most successful when working on conference wide committees or task force
- Supporters of Global Ministries make an incredible difference in the lives of people living in locations all over the world
- Covenant Partnership is a powerful way local churches can be invited into a relationship with a missionary
CSGMs are currently working on missionary itineration. There are over 40 missionaries form Global Ministries traveling to the United States to connect and to share with the local churches this year. If you would like to be in contact with a missionary for your local church, please contact the CSGM for your conference.
Alaska CSGM: Fran Lynch (flynch@mtaonline.net)
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Birchwood Camp registration now open!
It's time to register for summer camps!
Registration opened February 1st at www.birchwoodcamp.org.
Spaces are limited, so register early! Only 12 spaces for each session of outdoor camps and 40 spaces for age level camps.
Learn more about camps and how to register online here
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Annual Conference related dates
We want to keep the preliminary dates announced for clergy sessions, annual conference sessions and special-called sessions to consider church disaffiliations in front of you. More details on each session will be forthcoming.
Alaska Specific information is:
- Service of Installation for Bishop Bridgeforth & GNW Opening Session, May 20, livestreamed from Aldersgate UMC in Juneau
- Alaska Clergy gathering, May 25, online only
- Alaska Conference Session, June 4-6, hybrid from First UMC Fairbanks in Fairbanks
- GNW Closing Session, June 15, livestreamed
- Alaska Special Called Session, May 6, online only
Read more of this story on the GNW News site.
Below are some tentative dates related to the Alaska Conference Session. Please note that some of the dates may shift a little:
- Registration Opens - April 4
- Reports Due - April 15
- Award Nominations Due - April 23
- Petitions Due - April 23
- Publish Pre-Conference Handbook - May 1
- Registration Closes - May 16
- Memorial Information Due - May 16
FORMS ARE NOW POSTED ON THE CONFERENCE WEBSITE FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
- MINISTRY DISPLAY REQUEST FORMS
- AWARD NOMINATIONS - DENMAN AND OUTSTANDING LAY
- PETITION REQUEST FORM
- MEMORIAL LIST FORM
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Greater Northwest Area News | |
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'Ask Bishop Cedrick' video series continues with next installment
In this week's episode of 'Ask Bishop Cedrick,' Julia Frisbie asks the bishop about long-distance bike riding and how he keeps going. Bishop Bridgeforth shares that bicycling with a purpose makes a difference, as does another practice to which many may be able to relate.
Julia Frisbie is an associate director for the Faith Foundation Northwest.
Missed the previous episodes? Check them out here:
ABC #1
ABC #2
ABC #3
Do you have a question for the bishop? Reach out to Jim Doepken, Alaska Communications Coordinator, for information on how to submit your question.
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2 new Lay Servant Ministry Courses offered
Lay Servant Basic Course
April 10 - 24, 2023 (Mon & Thurs 5 - 7 PM AKDT)
Register by April 2
Lay Servant Advanced Course: The Method of Our Mission (UM Polity)
May 9 - May 25, 2023 (Thurs & Tues 5 - 7 PM AKDT)
Register by May 2
To register, email Emily Kroen and provide your Name, Address, Phone # and your local church setting.
These courses are available through Zoom. The only cost is the book.
To find out more information or ask questions email Emily Kroen.
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Group urges action on Indian boarding schools
The United Methodist Church’s Native American International Caucus is urging the U.S. Congress to reestablish the Truth and Healing Commission and to pass legislation to address the harmful impact of Indian boarding schools. From 1819 to 1969, the U.S. government supported the schools and policies that often resulted in Native children being taken from their families. The caucus is also urging fellow United Methodists to join the group in contacting members of Congress.
Read the statement (PDF)
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Plan to add 5 African bishops faces challenges
An international United Methodist group has long been working to increase the number of bishops on the African continent from 13 to 18. The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters at its recent meeting learned about the challenges the plan faces in a time of disaffiliation.
Read the story
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Church court reviews LGBTQ-related resolutions
The United Methodist Judicial Council dealt with questions about what conference statements about LGBTQ people are aspirational and what go beyond the boundaries of church law. The church court also released two memoranda that address requests for declaratory decisions related to the denomination’s complaint process and bishop elections in Africa.
Read the story
Read about two memoranda
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Woman helps empower kids with physical disabilities
A lifelong United Methodist, wheelchair user and adaptive sports enthusiast, Amy Saffell is a dedicated advocate and mentor for those with physical disabilities. She leads ABLE Youth, a nonprofit organization where children are taught to Adapt, Believe, Love and Enjoy life.
Read the story
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Church court releases spring docket
The United Methodist Judicial Council has released a 12-item docket for its spring session. The United Methodist Church’s top court plans to meet in person this spring for the first time since the pandemic began. Briefs are due April 6 and the deadline for reply briefs is to be announced.
See the docket
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Louisiana depot ready for volunteers
UMCOR Sager Brown Depot, where thousands of volunteers have assembled relief supply kits, is open again and seeking volunteers after COVID-19 shut it down for an extended period. “Assembling a relief kit is one of the special ways people show their support for UMCOR,” said Roland Fernandes, top executive of United Methodist Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Read the press release
More information
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Alice Lee inducted into women's hall of fame
Dawn Wiggins Hare, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, helped induct longtime United Methodist leader Alice Lee into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame on March 2 at the University of West Alabama. The late Lee, older sister of famed author Harper Lee, was a female legal pioneer in south Alabama who practiced law in Monroeville from 1944 until she was nearly 100. She was inducted into the hall alongside fellow attorney Mahala Dickerson.
Read UWA story
Read UM News remembrance
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GCORR Book Study: Tempered Resilience by Tod Bolsinger
Our hope is that this study guide resource will help you on your anti-racism journey, deepen your faith, and strengthen your mind and spirit to continuing working for a more just and equitable world.
Read more
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14-15: Cabinet meeting
17: St. Patrick's Day
18: Area Wide Lay Leadership Training
18: Professional Church Worker lunch with Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth
18: Lay Member Meet and Eat with Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth
19: Ola Toe Fuataina UM Samoan Fellowship Chartering service
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2: Palm Sunday
6: Leadership Team meeting
7: Good Friday - Office Closed
9: Easter Sunday
18: Tax Day
25-27: Cabinet Meeting in Idaho - Christina and Lisa attending
27: Mission District Task Force meeting
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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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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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