Register today for free 'Using A.I. Tools in the Church' training

Wondering what A.I. is all about and how it can be used in the church? Are you a little nervous about what is and isn’t legal? Just not sure that A.I. is for you?

Those questions and more will be answered in the Using A.I. Tools in the Church webinar on Monday, November 6, 2023 (4:30 p.m. MT • 3:30 p.m. PT • 2:30 p.m. AKT). The training will last approximately 2.5 hours. Amazon bestselling author and consultant Jason Moore will guide a conversation about what A.I. is and which tools are most useful for various aspects of ministry and will demonstrate how to use them. Best of all, most A.I. tools are free to use or are very affordable. Regardless of your church size, budget, and worship style, this A.I. primer will be helpful for you.



Click Here to Register Today!

Draw the Circle Wide

Alaska United Women in Faith will be holding their Annual Gathering at Anchor Park UMC September 29 - October 1, 2023. All are welcome!

Register to attend the 2023 Annual Gathering here

Host Family needed!

United Women in Faith National President, ‘Ainise ‘Isama’u, is presenting at our UWIF Annual Gathering September 29-October 1, 2023. We are looking for a host family to put her up. She will be traveling with her teenage daughter. If you are able to open your home to her, please contact Susan Williams smwilliams@gci.net or 907-317-0406. Thank you for your consideration.

Learning opportunities

United Women in Faith are excited to announce the learning opportunities scheduled at their Annual Gathering. View the learning opportunities here.

Save the Date! Housing summit Nov. 4 in PDX area

Churches and ministry settings in the Greater Northwest Area are invited to participate in a one-day housing symposium on Nov. 4, hosted in the Portland area or online. Details are still in the works, but there will be large group presentations, workshops and more during this gathering for churches to explore how they can be involved in solutions to the housing crisis. More details and registration will be released in mid-September. This event is one response to Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth's call to travel the M.I.L.E. through "Ministry that Matters" when it comes to housing and health.

Advanced Preaching class for Certified Lay Ministers and Lay Speakers

An Advanced Preaching Class is being offered for Certified Lay Ministers and Lay Speakers on Oct 21 & 28 via Zoom to provide students with advanced skills in preaching. Participants will receive feedback from experienced preachers on a sermon they prepare and deliver. This free course requires an Introductory Course in Preaching as a prerequisite. Do not delay in registering; space is limited to 9 students.

Learn more and register on the PNW Conference website.

Multiple save the dates

Fall Pastoral Leader Retreat

We want to share that the Fall Pastoral Leader Retreat will be held September 21-24, 2023 at Alaska Pacific University. Details and registration have been emailed out. This is a required event for those under appointment/ assignment.

Winter Learning Event

The Winter Learning Event will be open to anyone interested, clergy and lay. Pastors are required to attend. The dates will be February 2-6 at a location yet to be determined.

Annual Conference 2024

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth did announce during the summer's Annual Conference Session that the 2024 AC will be June 27-30 in Anchorage.

Charge Conference forms are available now

We will mostly be using an online reporting system for church charge conference paperwork this year. Most of the forms will have the identical questions as in past years but you will not be filling out a PDF or Word document anymore, you will be answering the questions online.

You will have access to these forms through your People Portal. Clergy should have accessed their People Portal at lease once already and some church leadership may have as well. Here is a link with a step by step process on how to login.

I am here to help! If you have a question or are having trouble logging in, please contact Crystal in the conference office so I can assist you. This is what I am here for!

COB President Bishop Bickerton calls on United Methodists to focus on love

The Council of Bishops President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton on Sunday called on United Methodists to focus on love because the church’s greatest success depends upon mutual love and meaningful relationships throughout the world.

“The quality of our love for one another among Christians makes the church an effective witness for the gospel because it is what the human spirit longs for, dreams of and desired,” Bishop Bickerton said during the worship service in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Read more

United Methodists begin Idalia recovery

A day after Hurricane Idalia rampaged across the U.S. Southeast, United Methodists in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina were assessing the damage and responding to immediate needs. The United Methodist Committee on Relief also was coordinating with United Methodists across multiple states to provide early response.



Read the story

Donate to UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery

Water project improves lives in the Philippines

Vulnerable families in the Davao Area now have access to clean water thanks to a rainwater-harvesting project led by The United Methodist Church in the Philippines. The Davao Area encompasses the southern part of the country.

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N.C. disaffiliation lawsuit resolved

The 36 churches that sued the Western North Carolina Conference over disaffiliation policies have resolved all litigation pending between them by mutual agreement. The conference’s board of trustees announced that the churches will disaffiliate under the Book of Discipline’s Paragraph 2553 and that the conference will work through the disaffiliation process. Earlier this year, a judge in North Carolina dismissed the churches’ lawsuit, but the churches had the option to appeal.



Read statement

Read about dismissal

United Methodist hospital honored

For the third year in a row, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s Methodist University Hospital received the highest honor from the American College of Cardiology for its treatment of patients with chest pain. The United Methodist-related hospital system has relations with the Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee-Western Kentucky conferences.

Read the press release

Test your knowledge of early Methodist history

What catastrophic event happened to a 5-year-old John Wesley? What university did he attend? Take this Methodist History 101 quiz to see how much you know about the founding family of Methodism.

Take the quiz

Is The UMC involved in politics?

Since the Church’s inception, United Methodists have been actively involved in social and political matters. From issues such as slavery to dangerous working conditions to care for poor children, we have been at the forefront. Similar efforts, especially involving civil rights, health care and care for the environment, continue today. But amid times of political turmoil, how can we remain active and not get caught up in the fray? Ask The UMC delves into this issue and provides vital answers to variety of questions.



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Short docket brings church-exit questions

The United Methodist Church’s top court has set its shortest fall docket in years. However, the Judicial Council continues to face questions related to church exits and the COVID-delayed General Conference.

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See the docket