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Citing long waits for visas, organizers have rescheduled General Conference from August this year until 2024. With the United Methodist lawmaking assembly on hold, groups are moving up a planned launch date for a breakaway conservative denomination. Read story. Also, General Conference commission press release. Council of Bishops press release.

1. The EPAUMC Cabinet has updated its COVID response recommendations for churches by advising them to observe their local county or city guidelines regarding safe attendance at events and wearing of masks. Health protection mandates have ended, as the pandemic has waned, with increasing vaccinations and declining infections, hospitalizations and deaths. But churches should still implement safety plans and practices approved by their church leadership, the Cabinet recommends. Learn more. 

2. Check on Sundays at 1 PM for updates of 2022 Appointments, Retirees, & Open Churches. Clergy are invited to indicate their interest in new pastoral openings to their district superintendents by Monday at 9 AM, so superintendents can share that information at weekly Cabinet meetings on Tuesdays. See the Appointments page on our website for weekly updates.

3. Churches respond to war in Ukraine with prayers for peace. Bishop John Schol called on EPAUMC members to pray “for the people of Ukraine and for peace in the region.” Members of Otterbein UMC in Mont Clare held a candlelight prayer service on Feb. 26, joined by The Rev. Ihor Royik, of the Saint Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in nearby Phoenixville. Temple UMC in Pottstown hosted a Prayers for Peace service and shares its program with others who may want to use or adapt it. Learn more. Also, see and share these "Resources & Ideas for Helping the Ukrainian People in Crisis."

4. Lent: A Time for Study, Sacrifice, Service. Lent is a season of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. Many United Methodists prepare most meaningfully by engaging earnestly in devout study, selfless sacrifice and intentional service. Throughout this holy season we would like to know and share what your congregation, or groups, or individuals are doing in these areas to celebrate Lent. What special studies, sacrificial activities, services of mercy, or acts of justice are you and your members performing, as you join Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem. Here are some ideas. Please send us others.  

5. There are March deadlines ahead for Annual Conference resolutions, an event registration and applications for funding and opportunities:

• This Holy Mystery: A UM Study of Holy Communion. Join the Revs. Candy LaBar and Gary Knerr on Saturdays, March 19 and 26, 9 to 11:30 AM via Zoom. as they offer wisdom and insights about this essential, timeless sacrament, the Lord’s Supper. Learn more and Register today, Friday, March 4. 
• Advance Special Project applications deadline is March 4. Selected projects will be submitted to Annual Conference in May for approval. Approved projects may seek funds from EPAUMC congregations. See details.  
• Eastern PA Annual Conference Resolutions are due to the Conference Secretary, the Rev. Jacqueline Hines, by March 7. Initial resolutions will be placed on the conference website March 8 for feedback. All feedback is due by March 24. Learn more. 
• Metro Ministries Building Repair Grants are offered to eligible churches. Applications are due by March 15. Learn more. 
• Summer internship application deadline extended to March 20. The UM Board of Church and Society’s Ethnic Young Adult Internship 2022 program offers students of color eight weeks (June 5 - July 30) of experience working in Washington DC with partner organizations for social advocacy and justice. Read press release. Apply for program.

6. Tools for Ministry 2022 had 686 registered as of Friday morning! This half-day academy, offering two sessions of diverse, dynamic learning for leaders, happens on Saturday, March 5, 9 AM to 12:30 PM via Zoom. Click here to see the full list of workshop descriptions. Register today.

7. Bivocational & Small Church Network: Tuesday, March 8, 6:30-7:30 PM. Topic: Small Church Communications... “As churches, we communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ for a broken world,” says the Rev. Derrick Gutierrez, co-leader of this vital support group of bivocational pastors and small-church clergy and lay leaders. “It is becoming more important than ever to make sure our message is heard. John Coleman, EPA Conference Director of Communications, will meet with us to discuss communication strategies that work with limited resources.” Join us on Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 PM, for this bimonthly, one-hour meeting via Zoom. Register online. 

8. Crossing Cultures: Understanding & Applying Intercultural Competencies in Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural Ministry. Friday, March 11, 6:30 PM – 8 PM; and Saturday, March 12, 9 AM – 12:30 PM via Zoom.  Explore concepts of diversity, culture and ethnicity, racism, implicit and explicit racial and cultural biases, stereotypes and micro-aggressions, and more. Learn to develop and effectively use self-awareness, self-regulation and empathy in cross-racial/cross-cultural interactions with others, especially in church settings. Learn more. Download the flyer. Register.

9. AJ Levine’s Witnesses at the Cross book study is underway. There’s still time to join over 80 of us in Dr. Levine’s fascinating exploration of the roles and testimonies of those who are with Jesus as he hangs dying on the cross. This renowned, dynamic, Jewish New Testament scholar invites readers to imagine themselves there as witnesses, too, to determine what their own testimonies will be. The four-week study via Zoom, meets on Wednesdays, till March 23, 11 AM to 12 PM. Register today!

10. Denomination's website expands language options. UMC.org, the official website of The United Methodist Church, has expanded its available language options to better meet the needs of a diverse, global and multilingual church with members around the world. The official site is now available in five languages: English, French, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. Read press release.

Mount Pocono UMC offers drive-through ashes

On Ash Wednesday this church found a new, adaptive way to perform an old ritual for people who need it. They provided drive-through ashes from noon to 6 PM, welcoming members and visitors in over 200 cars. “We never expected that!” said the Rev. Bob Amundsen, lead pastor. This was Mount Pocono’s first try; but with that success, it won’t be the last. Learn more and view the full WNEP-TV story and video. 

Update on Undies for Easter underwear donations

EPAUMC’s Prison Ministry & Restorative Justice Team reports that we have met our goal for men’s and women’s briefs, thanks to generous donations from across the conference. But we are only half-way to our goal for donating much-needed men’s undershirts. We still have about 140 packages of those left to purchase, as of March 3. Why not make a special, sacrificial donation for Lent?

“We know people give up items for Lent in order to make space for God,” writes the Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm, Director of Connectional Ministries. “We also want to invite you to take up a ministry for Lent that may help you grow closer to God's people. Men coming into Philadelphia prisons receive only one pair of briefs and do not receive an undershirt. Would you be willing to purchase a pack of undershirts during this Lent, so that persons coming into the prisons can be clothed in love? (See Colossians 3:12.) Please donate a package of undershirts today. For more information or other ways to support PRMJ’s ministry contact Marilyn Schneider at [email protected]. 

Have Good News to share? Email [email protected] or use our Submit News webpage to let us know! Also, visit and contribute news to our Churches in Mission and Local Church & Mission Link Events pages. 

Calendar

March 5

Tomorrow!

Tools for Ministry, 9 AM - 12:30 PM, via Zoom. Learn more. Register. 

March 31

2022 Retiree Preparedness Workshop. 9 AM - 4 PM, via Zoom. Details to follow.