A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference | |
Welcome Ola Toe Fuataina UMC!
Nearly 100 people attended the chartering of the Ola Toe Fuataina United Methodist Samoan Fellowship in east Anchorage Sunday March 19, 2023. Alaska's new Bishop, Cedrick Bridgeforth, was the special guest and officiant. A blue glass baptism bowl was given to the church and a communion set of chalice, paten, and pitcher was reconsecrated from the closed East Anchorage United Methodist Church for future use. The Youth Choir provided abundant energy and exuberance in a number of songs. A celebratory feast was the final touch of the event, after about 20 tubs of gifts were given to a select few. Welcome to the Conference, officially!
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In case you missed it!
Former Conference Superintendent, Rev. Carlo Rapanut, was installed in the Desert Southwest Conference as their bishop. If you did not watch it live, you can now watch it here. Congratulations Bishop Carlo!
Watch Bishop Carlo's Installation Service
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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, livestream only 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, livestream only
- 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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Bishop Cedrick invites everyone to NLI Boise
A little more than one month away, Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth is inviting laity and clergy to attend the Northwest Leadership Institute at Boise First United Methodist Church (Cathedral of the Rockies) April 26-27. Bridgeforth, along with newly-elected WJ Bishops Dottie Escobedo-Frank of the California-Pacific Conference and Carlo Rapanut of the Desert Southwest Conference, will talk about what a post-pandemic church can look like or be like. They'll be joined by Bishop Jos Therakan of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho and Rev. Duane Anders, lead pastor at Boise First UMC. Group workshops are also planned.
Learn more and register on the NLI website.
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'Ask Bishop Cedrick' video series
Missed any of the episodes? Check them out here:
ABC #1
ABC #2
ABC #3
ABC #4
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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Join GBCS in honoring The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe today
The Board of Directors of the General Board of Church and Society invites you to a Livestream Event celebrating and recognizing The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe for more than 48 years of ministry. Rev. Henry-Crowe retired from GBCS on December 31, 2022 after eight years as General Secretary.
WHEN:
TODAY - Tuesday, March 21, 2023
TIME:
Live Program 3:30 pm - 5:00 PM AKST,
Pre-recorded tribute starts at 3:15 PM AKST
LINK:
Hosted on GNTV YouTube channel: https://link.gntv.info/gbcscelebration
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Eurasia and Estonia begin exit from church
Church regions stretching across Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Estonia have begun the process of leaving The United Methodist Church. The Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference has approved the departures moving forward.
Read the story
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Number of grants for migrant work to double
The number of Mustard Seed Migration Grants will rise from 50 to 100 in 2023. Applications will be reviewed by the United Methodist Committee on Relief on a rolling basis until Oct. 1. The grants, inspired by the biblical parable about growth, provide United Methodist congregations with up to $2,000 to support one-time, community-based service projects that assist refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented people and migrants.
Read the press release
Apply
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Agency seeks role in complaint against bishop
As the suspension of Bishop Minerva Carcaño crosses the one-year mark, the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women is asking to serve as a monitor in the church complaint process. Meanwhile, leaders in the Western Jurisdiction say the process is moving forward. Heather Hahn reports on where things stand.
Read the story
Read Status and Role of Women press release
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Model Resolutions for United Methodists
Over the last weeks, lay and clergy leaders in the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement have been hard at work crafting model resolutions. The resolutions speak to the local church—green teams and church yards—as well as to sustainability and net-zero. They also speak to addressing divestment and faithful finance. Three webinars have been set up to learn more about these resolutions in order to equip and inspire those who seek to introduce these conversations at Annual Conference sessions across the denomination this summer.
Come join us. No special knowledge is needed, just come, listen, and raise up hope! There are no prerequisites! Whether you have experience with resolutions or resolutions are brand new to you, these events are for everyone. The first webinar was March 20.
Resolutions Toward a Net-Zero Church
Wednesday, March 22 3-4:30 pm AKST
Register
Resolutions for Divestment & Faithfull Finance
Wednesday, March 29 8-9:3-0 am AKST
Register
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More disaffiliation questions answered
Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, continues to receive questions related to local church disaffiliations and the future of the church. In Part 10 of its “Is The United Methodist Church Really…?” series, the team addresses whether a re-vote on disaffiliation is allowed, whether United Methodist seminaries teach doctrines contrary to those of The United Methodist Church, whether local churches will be compelled to host same-sex weddings and whether the church endorses critical race theory.
Read the story
Read previous installments
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Commission preps for General Conference
The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women is busy getting ready for General Conference in 2024, said top executive Dawn Wiggins Hare during the commission’s spring board meeting March 10-11. Hare noted that “the pandemic has allowed us to focus on denominational needs and has allowed us to find creative ways to increase accessibility to our resources for the church.” The commission also celebrated the election of eight new women bishops during last year’s jurisdictional and central conferences.
Read the press release
Read "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories" series
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Claremont School of Theology moving to Los Angeles
Claremont School of Theology, one of the 13 United Methodist seminaries, will relocate this summer from Claremont, California, to Westwood United Methodist Church in nearby Los Angeles. The seminary will keep its name. After a 10-year court battle, Claremont School of Theology is in arbitration with The Claremont Colleges over how much the latter will pay for the seminary’s Claremont campus, according to a seminary press release. Seminary officials said that, thanks to distance-learning programs, a separate campus is no longer needed.
Read the press release
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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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