A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference | | |
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Samoan congregation in Alaska celebrates new charter
United Methodist News Source was in Alaska to witness the chartering of Ola Toe Fuataina UMC in March. They have written their article and have shared it. Find it below.
"Friends and leaders from across the Alaska Conference and Western Jurisdiction gathered March 19 in Anchorage to celebrate the chartering service of Ola Toe Fuataina United Methodist Church, a primarily Samoan congregation.
Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area presided over the chartering ceremony, which he said is a first for him as well."
Read more
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Churches of the Greater Northwest Area:
As you probably know, the Greater Northwest Area (GNW) will install its recently assigned Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth on May 20, 2023, during a service livestreamed for the area from Juneau, Alaska. This event will also open several weeks of conferencing across the region.
To welcome Bishop Cedrick, the GNW Worship Team is commissioning a custom quilted stole using fabric from around the area. We are inviting each local church and ministry to send one 2"x2" fabric square in the color and pattern of your choice to:
Stanwood United Methodist Church
C/O Justin White
9809 271ST Street NW
Stanwood WA 98292
Please send your fabric square along with a short note including your name and the name of your church/ministry no later than April 15th. Every effort will be made to include every swatch, representing more than 400 churches and ministries Bishop Cedrick now shepherds in the GNW.
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Mission Team Leader Training
As we move into the post Covid time, UMVIM teams are starting to reconnect with their mission sites or finding new places to explore and serve those in need both domestically and internationally.
United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) is one way to put your Christian faith into action by organizing and leading a mission team. Mission teams address all kinds of needs in our world - disaster recovery, medical, immigration issues, education and many others. The possibilities are countless.
To help prepare you to lead a mission team, join us on Saturday, April 22nd for the next Team Leader Training. This will be virtual from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 AK. You will learn about the mission lifecycle from planning through returning home, including the nuts and bolts of leading a team, why we serve, cultural aspects, health and safety concerns, resources, and more.
For team leaders who have already been trained, there is a Team Leader Training Refresher on April 13th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. AK This will include a brief review of the UMVIM Team Leader Training, updates on resources, insurance, and other team requirements and a question-and-answer period.
To register for the Team Leader Training on April 22nd go to https://forms.gle/qNSUPS6Zik6fgGjMA
To register for the Team Leader Training Refresher on April 13th go to
https://forms.gle/YbKQ6K4qvJYNaS91A
For more information contact: Ronda Cordill at umvimwj@gmail.com.
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Annual Conference Related News | | |
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REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
You are warmly invited to attend the 52nd session of the Alaska Annual Conference, June 4-6, 2023 at Fairbanks First United Methodist Church.
There is a MEMBER registration for any Lay Members to Annual Conference, Alternate Members attending, Clergy, and a few more.
The IN PERSON GUEST registration is for guests and anyone else that wants to attend that has no voting privilege.
Even if you are participating via ZOOM, we ask that you register so that you will be able to receive the proper links when it is time.
If your child(ren) will be attending with you, please register them on the CHILD CARE registration form.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact the conference office.
MEMBER Registration - Ends May 9
IN PERSON GUEST Registration - Ends May 9
CHILD CARE Registration - Ends May 9
Hotel Information - Blocks of rooms will be released at a certain date. Please check the information sheet for specifics. There needed to be a change to the first hotel listed on the previous information sheet. The Bridgewater has an internal website issue that prevented us from using the link to book a room there, so they have switched that block of rooms over to the SpringHill Suites. This new hotel information sheet has the updated booking link for that. It has also been updated on our website. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Ministry Display Requests
If your United Methodist related organization would like to have display space during this year's Annual Conference, please submit the request to the Conference Office for consideration.
Display requests are due May 7, 2023
Display Request
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Award Nominations
If you know someone who has an exceptional ministry for evangelism - expressed in word, sign, or deed - please consider nominating them for a Harry Denman Award. Any Youth, Lay, or Clergy can be nominated.
Do you know a Lay Person who has gone above and beyond in various areas of ministry and or service to their local church? Now is your chance to nominate them for the Outstanding Lay Person of the Year.
Let's recognize the amazing people in our conference!
Nominations are due April 23, 2023.
Harry Denman Award (Youth, Lay, & Clergy)
Outstanding Lay Person of the Year
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Petitions
Do you have any legislation you would like to bring to the floor of the Annual Conference? This is your one time of year to implement change to matters that pertain to the Alaska Conference or the greater United Methodist Church.
Petitions are due April 23, 2023.
Petition form
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Dates & Information
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:
- Reports Due - April 15
- Publish Pre-Conference Handbook - May 1
- Registration Closes - May 9
- Memorial Information Due - May 16
FORMS ARE NOW POSTED ON THE CONFERENCE WEBSITE FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
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Greater Northwest Area News | |
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An Easter blessing from Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth
Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth offers words of encouragement and an Easter charge to look out into our communities to find partners and to learn how we can be light and love for those who need it. His short message reflects on some positive signs, experiences and learnings during his first three months as resident bishop of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of The Untied Methodist Church.
Watch here or Download here. Find the transcript here.
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S.L.A.M. trips to offer GNW Area youth an opportunity to learn about native culture and perspectives
Youth (grades 7-12) and their leaders from across the Greater Northwest Area are invited to come together for a unique opportunity to get to know one another as they learn about and serve the Yakama community July 16-21 for a S.L.A.M. trip (Students Learning About Mission) on the Yakama Nation reservation in Wapato, Washington.
Learn more on the GNW website.
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Bishop Cedrick invites everyone to NLI Boise
Just over two weeks 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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New Lay Servant Ministry Course offered
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.
This course is available through Zoom. The only cost is the book.
To find out more information or ask questions email Emily Kroen.
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Bishop responds after Louisville shooting
Bishop Leonard Fairley, who leads the Kentucky and the Central Appalachian Missionary conferences, is urging prayer and advocacy for laws addressing gun violence after a mass shooting at a bank resulting in the deaths of at least five people and the hospitalization of eight. “When will our proclamation of the Gospel match our will to move our elected leaders to act now?” the bishop wrote in a statement.
Read the statement
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Responding to tornado that killed 5
The Missouri Conference is responding to a tornado that touched down April 5 in southeastern Missouri and killed at least five people. Conference Disaster Response Coordinator Scott Burdin has been in touch with pastors and first responders in the area. He is asking people not to self-deploy but to give financially to the recovery efforts.
Read the update
Donate to the United Methodist Committee on Relief
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Order Church and Society print materials online
Now you can order updated materials from the Church and Society's website for events, rallies, trainings, Bible studies and meetings. They even have t-shirts!
The online store is open to place orders and receive GBCS materials shipped directly to you within seven - ten days.
To reduce environmental impact, all printed materials are print-on-demand by a union shop printer, who will print and mail orders directly to you. All the paper is certified by by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and includes recyclable materials. GBCS has subsidized the cost of all items in the store.
Read more here
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Joint statement from SBC21 and GCORR regarding Tennessee lawmakers expulsion
"As we experience Good Friday amidst the actions of the Tennessee legislature, we must remember that the story does not end here," says a joint statement by General Commission on Religion and Race and Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century (SBC21). "Sunday is coming, and with it, the resurrection power that we must claim and use to address the injustices that oppress God's children."
Read full statement here.
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Retired pastors step up amid disaffiliations
United Methodists who want to remain with the denomination are in need of leadership in the wake of disaffiliations over sexuality issues, and retired pastors are putting their golden years on the back burner to help. Three formerly retired United Methodist clergy reflect on their decision to return to ministry.
Read the story
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Native American Ministries pastor and leader kit
Explore these resources to learn how and why United Methodists celebrate Native American Ministries Sunday. Invite your faith community to give generously, knowing that half of the gifts remain in the conference to support local Native American ministries; create programs and resources; and educate and support seminary scholarships for United Methodist Native Americans. Core resources are available in multiple languages. Native American Ministries Sunday is April 23, 2023.
Download now
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Rare Hebrew bible to be exhibited at SMU
A rare, 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible will be on exhibit April 18-20 at Bridwell Library, part of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. The Bridwell exhibition marks the first public appearance of the Bible in the U.S., following recent exhibitions in London and Tel Aviv. The Bible, known as the Codex Sassoon for its 1929 purchaser David Solomon Sassoon, will be on auction at Sotheby’s in May and could fetch between $30 million and $50 million.
Read the press release
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Black clergy, laity share perspectives on church's future
Asked for their perspectives of United Methodism’s future, more than 650 Black clergy and laity from every jurisdiction in The United Methodist Church listed three top concerns facing the denomination: discrimination and racism; inequities in appointments and salaries; and lack of young adults in church leadership. They responded to a recent survey by Gammon Research Institute, part of Gammon Theological Seminary.
Read the story
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10-17: Lisa on vacation
18: Tax Day
20: Leadership Team meeting
25-27: Cabinet Meeting in Idaho - Christina and Lisa attending
27: Mission District Task Force meeting
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1: First Day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
4: Leadership Team meeting
5: Cinco de Mayo
6: Alaska Special Session
14: Mother's Day
20: Bishop Bridgeforth's Installation & Annual Conference Opening Session
25: Mission District Task Force meeting
29: Memorial Day - Office Closed
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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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