A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference |
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Annual Conference information
Registration for the 2022 Annual Conference Session is now open. If you are a Lay Member voted by your church to attend, are clergy, or hold another roll that allows you voice and or vote, then please register by May 31.
Dates to save on your calendar:
- Alaska Clergy Sessions – June 2, 10:00-12:00 p.m. AKT
- Alaska Pre-Conference Informational Meeting - to be determined
- GNW Laity session – June 14, 5:30 p.m. AKT
- GNW Opening Session – June 19, evening
- Alaska Conference Plenary Session – June 20, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. AKT
- PNW Service of Commissioning & Ordination, June 22, daytime
- Oregon-Idaho Service of Commissioning & Ordination, June 24, daytime
- GNW Closing Session – June 25, daytime
Logo information: A dove, rainbow, mountains, rivers, stained glass window and more: this year's GNW Annual Conference logo was designed by graphic designer/artist Kylie Nelson, a member of Wesley UMC in Eugene, Oregon. Kylie incorporated the AC theme "Called to Be: Alert, Faithful, Brave, Love" into her design in both subtle and bold ways that reflect the work we're being called to do. Read more of her description and inspiration for this design on the GNW News site.
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Appointment Announcement
Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky intends to appoint Pastor Meghan Woods as Pastor of Seward Memorial UMC in Seward, Alaska and Moose Pass UMC in Moose Pass, Alaska beginning July 1, 2022.
Meghan is from Eagle River and is coming back home to serve in the Alaska Conference after recently finishing her Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. She will be commissioned as a provisional elder of the Pacific Northwest Conference in June. Notes to welcome Pastor Meghan may be sent to: mwoods1470@gmail.com. She replaces Rev. Lucas Boomsma who is transitioning to a different ministry. Notes to Pastor Lucas may be sent to: Rev.Boomsma@Gmail.com.
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Apportionment Report
The Treasurer's office has provided us with the April Apportionment Report. It has been posted to the conference webpage. If you would like to see how churches are doing, you can view the report here.
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Western Jurisdiction Episcopacy Committee welcomes input from those discerning call to leadership
For those who may feel called to become an episcopal leader – or those who may know someone who feels called to leadership – the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church’s Committee on Episcopacy is ready to engage with those discerning individuals now. They anticipate that four new bishops may be elected when the WJ Conference is hopefully convened in November.
This is a new discernment process that the episcopacy committee has endorsed with support from first-elected delegates from the Western Jurisdiction and the WJ Leadership Team.
Please read the letter of invitation submitted by the Committee on Episcopacy on the Western Jurisdiction website and share it with those you know might be interested in participating in the discernment process. As more details emerge on the next Western Jurisdiction Conference, information will be shared on this web page.
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GNW disaffiliation information webinar May 24
If you have questions about how a local church or you (if you are clergy) might be impacted by a decision to disaffiliate, there will be a GNW webinar on the topic on May 24th at 5 p.m. AK, 6 p.m. PT, and 7 p.m. MT. Resources and information on process, timing, and implications for local churches and clergy will be covered. Be on the lookout for registration information next week on the Greater NW News site as well as in this newsletter.
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COB welcomes court's decision that annual conferences may not vote to leave UMC
The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church is expressing gratitude following the declaratory decision from the Judicial Council which stated that an annual conference may not vote to separate from the denomination.
The denomination’s top court agreed with the Council of Bishops that while an annual conference has the reserved right to vote on disaffiliation, the General Conference must first enact enabling legislation to establish the right to withdraw but has not done so for conferences in the United States.
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AAPI Heritage Month
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month. So watch the Religion and Race social media and webpages for AAPI resources.
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Traditionalist group not going away
The Wesleyan Covenant Association took the lead in creating the new Global Methodist Church, but WCA leaders say their organization needs to stick around and advocate for congregations wanting to leave The United Methodist Church. Sam Hodges reports on the WCA’s May 6-7 meeting.
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Learn about history of church splits
Heritage Sunday is May 22, and United Methodist Archives and History has released a resource around the theme of “Splits, Separations and Reconciliations.” The materials look at church splits over the last 250 years, beginning with the original split from the Church of England in 1784. The cost varies from $20 for an individual to $100 to receive continuing education credits.
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Black leaders discuss church future
Speakers at the annual meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal were leery of what a possible splintering of The United Methodist Church will mean for Black churches. The meeting was held virtually April 28-May 1 under the theme "We Are Strong. We Are Relevant. We Are Here."
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Conference, church move toward settlement
The North Georgia Conference trustees and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church jointly have agreed to a settlement in principle of a dispute over church property. Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley spent several days meeting with the parties and attorneys in mediation, leading to this resolution.
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Lawson Institute advances nonviolence work
The use of nonviolent activism strategies pioneered by the Rev. James Lawson will be bolstered by an institute at Vanderbilt University named in his honor. Lawson, 93, is a United Methodist pastor celebrated as "the architect of the civil rights movement."
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Asian American United Methodist blazed trail
Norman Y. Mineta, the trailblazing Asian American public servant, was also a lifelong member of what is now The United Methodist Church. Mineta, who spent part of his childhood in a U.S. internment camp, went on to serve as mayor of San Jose, California, as an influential U.S. congressman and as commerce secretary under President Clinton and transportation secretary under President George W. Bush. He also remained a member of what is now Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose. He died May 3 at 90.
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Ukraine-Moldova moved from Russian bishop's area
The Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference voted by a 98% majority to move the Ukraine-Moldova Provisional Annual Conference from the Eurasia Episcopal Area to the Nordic and Baltic Episcopal Area. The vote came in an April 30 online extra session. The move is effective immediately but is temporary, lasting until the central conference's next regular session. Delegates supporting the change cited the need to remove Ukrainian United Methodists from the supervision of Moscow-based Bishop Eduard Khegay, given Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Khegay has decried the invasion but also opposed the conference's move. He and delegates from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Federation did not participate in the extra session.
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BOLD: Being Ourselves. Living Different.
As you know YOUTH 2023 will be in Daytona Beach, Florida from July 25-28, 2023. As you don’t know (until you finish reading this post!) we’ve got an amazing theme for the event to help us build out the worship messages and the opportunities for you to grow.
Learn what it means to be BOLD as a world-transforming disciple.
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Alarm at possible overturning of Roe v. Wade
Harriett Jane Olson, the top executive of United Women in Faith, voiced alarm over the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. “Over the years, The United Methodist Church has crafted a carefully nuanced position on abortion that calls us to respect both the sanctity of unborn human life and the well-being of the mother, while supporting the legal option of abortion by certified medical providers in cases of ‘tragic conflicts of life with life.’ It is for this reason that, as the nation awaits the Supreme Court’s ruling on this issue, we express our concern for the lives of women and girls,” the statement says.
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Take some time to color
Interfaith Federal Credit Union has 3 new coloring pages in their Cultivating Hope series: Gratitude, Friendship and Listening.
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13-23: Lisa taking Professional Development Leave
19: Mission District Task Force meeting (6 pm)
26: Leadership Team meeting (6 pm)
30: Memorial Day - Office Closed
31: Memorial information due for Annual Conference
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2: Alaska Clergy Session
14: GNW Laity Session
19: Father's Day
19: Juneteenth
19-25: Annual Conference (virtual)
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
May 12 - Faith McClellan
June 8 - Jim Doepken
June 10 - Carlo Rapanut
June 15 - Matt Reinders
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Conference Office
907-333-5050
Superintendent - Carlo Rapanut
Director of Connectional Ministries - Lisa Talbott
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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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