News from the Alaska United Methodist Conference

e~Aurora

A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference

Conference News

It's a boy!

St. John Pastor of Discipleship & Justice, Emily Carroll, and her husband Aidan have welcomed a son! Elias Kermit Carroll was born at 5:58 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and is 21 inches long. Says Pastor Emily: "We are doing so well!"

Conference apportionment report

The November apportionment report has been posted to the conference website. Churches have less than one month to get their apportionments paid at 100%.

You can view the November report here.

Conference Historian has written another book!

Conference historian, Larry Hayden, has completed the history of Eagle River United Methodist Camp. It has been posted to the conference website and can be viewed here.

Next round of Certified Lay Ministry Classes

If you’d like to sign up for certified lay ministry classes, the Basic and Preaching classes will be offered again in early 2021 by Pastor Andy Bartel.

You can register online for the Basic class here: https://forms.gle/ekzEjPaYHpNGvevw8 and the Preaching class here: https://forms.gle/N8hJidbuXJb3Atkp7

Regional News

Merry Christmas 2020 from UMC Missionaries!

View a Christmas message from your global missionary community. It is part of an initiative by Global Ministries to share stories of transformational mission work and the ways financial gifts through the Advance impact lives.

Global Ministries connects the church in mission through evangelism and church revitalization, missionaries, global health, and disaster response and recovery.

Through December 31, mission-funding gifts to the Advance through the year-end campaign can be made at umcmission.org/givelove. Every contribution makes a difference in this important work.

In Remembrance - Thomas Whitehead

Retired Pastor, Rev. Thomas “Tom” Whitehead died on Saturday, December 5, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Beverly “Bev” and three children: KT, Daniel and Don. He is also survived by four grandchildren.

Reverend Whitehead and Bev served as GBGM missionaries to the Turnagain/Tri Anchor Ecumenical Parish in Alaska. Tom retired in 1997.

A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.

National News

Top court extends deadline for briefs

The United Methodist Judicial Council has extended the deadline for the submission of all briefs related to docket items 0420-15, 16, 17 and 18, which were added recently to the pending April 2020 docket. The new deadline is Jan. 5. Because of the pandemic, the denomination's top court was unable to hold its April meeting as scheduled. Its members have started deliberating by Zoom.

Read the announcement

View the entire docket

Protocol legislation tops agenda of top court

New progressive Methodist denomination starts

A group of progressive United Methodists and other Christians launched a new denomination named the Liberation Methodist Connexion, or LMX. The new church aims to center the voices of people of color and queer and transgender people.

Read the story

Delegates discuss mapping new church vision

In a tumultuous time for The United Methodist Church, a group of General Conference delegates sees an opportunity to map a new denominational vision. The group, called "Out of Chaos … Creation," held its second set of webinars to share some of the international feedback on what that vision might look like.

Read the story

Farmworkers get longtime support from UMW

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly hard on farmworkers like Carla, a mother of three who picks Driscoll berries in Yakima Valley, Washington. Carla also is part of an organization allied with the National Farm Worker Ministry. United Methodist Women is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the farm worker ministry, a longtime partner. Carol Barton has the story.

Read the story

Feeding people is complicated, joyful

The journey of donated potatoes from the farm of former NFL player Jason Brown to the potato soup that ended up on Lindsey Whitley's dinner table required the cooperation of an oceanographer, United Methodist churches and volunteers, with the Society of St. Andrew coordinating.

Read the story

Cooped up by pandemic, entrepreneurs turn to chickens

In a year dominated by COVID-19, food insecurity and other crises, some United Methodists are celebrating booming business ventures and new career opportunities for women. Kudzai Chingwe and Chenayi Kumuterera have the story.

Read the story

Conference Calendar

8: Charge Conference - UMC of Sitka

9: Charge Conference - Willow UMC

11: Leadership Team meeting

11: Charge Conference - Ola Toe Fuataina UM Samoan Fellowship

13: Charge Conference - Turnagain UMC

14: Charge Conference - Anchor Park UMC

15: Charge Conference - St. John UMC

16: Charge Conference - Fairbanks 1st UMC

17: Charge Conference - Anchorage 1st UMC

24: Christmas Eve - Office Closed

25: Christmas Day - Office Closed

31: New Year's Eve - Office Closed

1: New Year's Day - Office Closed

8-9: WJ Leadership Meetings - Carlo attending virtually

11-14: GNW Cabinet meeting - Carlo attending virtually

18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Upcoming Clergy Birthdays

December 10 -

David Hall

December 23 -

Christina DowlingSoka

Curtis Matz

January 5 -

Janice Carlton

January 18 -

Karen Dammann

The United Methodist Church

Bishop's Blog

Superintendent's Blog

Conference Office

907-333-5050

Superintendent Carlo

carlorapanut@gmail.com

907-854-8340

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.

Mission Statement

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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