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PNW News Digest #6 - February 13, 2020

Three Conferences of the Greater Northwest Area to hold shared annual session in Puyallup, Washington

The Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Conferences of The United Methodist Church will meet together in a Shared Annual Conference Session June 11-14, 2020 at the Showplex Center on the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Wash.

The Greater Northwest Shared Annual Conference Session (GNWAC2020) is expected to begin formally at 2:30 PM on Thursday, June 11th and conclude with a service of commissioning and ordination starting at 10:30 AM on Sunday, June 14th. As we learn of pre-conference meetings for different groups, we’ll work to add them to the preliminary schedule.

Members will continue to walk with our quadrennial theme “Do This and You Will Live!” based on Jesus’ words from Luke 10:25-28. Our time together will be necessarily adaptive to the work of General Conference delegates and legislation they may pass. A GNW Area-wide team will offer worship leadership, blessed again by the guidance of Rev. Grace Cajiuat, an elder from the Wisconsin Annual Conference.

GNWAC2020 will commence less than a month after General Conference 2020 is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Meeting together for the first time with all three conferences, GNWAC2020 will provide opportunities to strengthen our connection as we receive reports from General Conference delegations and our Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky. While hearing and sharing stories of vitality, we will consider our next steps in response to what we learn.


Important Details

  • Registration for GNWAC2020 will be available for members and guests in March. If local churches have not already communicated who their lay member to annual conference is, they should be in contact with their respective conference or district office immediately.
  • To allow for personal preference there is no central hotel or large room blocks set aside. There are two blocks of rooms available at the Fairfield Inn and Holiday Inn Sumner (see Accommodations). Members are encouraged to use their favorite booking website to find additional accommodations in the area and to book rooms as soon as possible.
  • United Methodist General or Conference Boards and Agencies, and UMC-related 501(c)(3)s are invited to apply for space for a Ministry Display. The guidelines and application to do so are available online and must be completed by April 30, 2020, for consideration.
  • Over the coming weeks, more information will be made available on the GNWAC2020 website: https://greaternw.org/ac2020
Visit #GNWAC2020 Website

Greater NW & Other UMC News

WJ delegates

WJ First Elected Delegates agree to legislative goals for General Conference 2020

The first elected delegates from the conferences of the Western Jurisdiction have identified four legislative goals they’ll pursue for General Conference 2020.

The delegates also say that they are “both eager and willing to connect and work with partners across our global Church” on a gracious path forward.

Read More
Clergy Wellness

Wellness in Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural Settings

"I have served for more than a decade in this Conference, and my experience is that local churches accept CR/CC appointments with a mix of enthusiasm and trepidation," writes Rev. Denise Roberts.

Roberts post on Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural appointments focuses on the special attention needed to healthy relationships to maintain clergy wellness.

Read More
President Kuan to stay with Claremont

President Kuan to Stay with CST

Claremont School of Theology's trustees have voted unanimously to extend the Rev. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan's contract as president.

Kuan has helped the United Methodist seminary stabilize financially and is overseeing its move to United Methodist-affiliated Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

Read More
Julia Frisbie Interview

United Methodist Development Fund: Interview with Julia Frisbie

Julia Frisbie, Associate Director for the Northwest UM Foundation, was interviewed recently by the United Methodist Development Fund.

In the interview, Frisbie shares about the ministry of the foundation and the many services it provides, saying "I wish people knew that most of what we offer is totally free!"

Read More
Safety in Places of Worship

Highline UMC to host 'Safety in Places of Worship' training

Highline United Methodist Church is hosting a training workshop for houses of worship interested in developing and maintaining security teams. They aspire to have participants leave with more knowledge and ability to promote safe and secure environments.

Read More
GNW Clear Openings

Clear Appointment Openings

The appointive cabinets of the Greater Northwest Area and the Bishop are continuing the practice of sharing “clear openings,” those church appointments that are open due to retirements and other changes, as the appointment process unfolds.

On the Greater Northwest Area website you'll find a current list of clear openings along with instructions regarding the process.

Read More
Liberians want changes in separation plan

Liberians want changes in separation plan

Liberian United Methodists say they won’t support a proposed separation plan known as 'The Protocol' without major amendments, and they call on other African members to join in pushing for those changes at the 2020 General Conference.

A resolution approved Feb. 14 by the Liberia Conference also expresses unhappiness over having no direct input in the plan's creation.

Read More
Think tank to look at GC2020 possibilities

Think tank to look at GC2020 possibilities

General Conference organizers have established a think tank to explore different ways for processing legislation at this year’s gathering of The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking body.

May's legislative gathering could make decisions about how to split and restructure the international denomination of nearly 13 million members.

Read More
Church giving overcomes worst fears

Church giving overcomes worst fears

The aftermath of the contentious special General Conference saw a plunge in giving to denomination-wide ministries. By the end of 2019, apportionment collection rates had exceeded the most dire projections.

The three conferences of the Greater Northwest Area were among 18 annual conferences paying in full.

Read More

United Methodist Men support the Boy Scouts of America

United Methodist Men announced continued support for Boy Scouts of America amid its bankruptcy filing to address hundreds of lawsuits related to abuse accusations. The bankruptcy will not affect local Scout meetings or programs for youth. However, United Methodist Men stressed that children's safety is paramount.

Read More
Kurewa Obituary

Africa University founding father dies at 87

The Rev. John Wesley Z. Kurewa, a founding father and first vice chancellor of Africa University, is being remembered as "a prophet of extraordinary gentleness" who followed the direction of the Holy Spirit in every decision and move he made. Kurewa died Feb. 15 at age 87.

Read More
Jay Williams Commentary

Seeking future liberation from past oppression

Conflict in The United Methodist Church is about so much more than homosexuality, writes a gay African American pastor. To the Rev. Jay Williams, the conflict is about the denomination's history of oppression.

Read More

Upcoming Events

Messy Middle

Messy Middle Retreat: Discernment

March 24-26, 2020 | Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA

The middle of a career in ministry can be messy. The church is transforming, priorities are changing and God is calling us in ways that we aren't used to hearing. This three-day retreat will give mid-career clergy a chance to connect with colleagues, to practice discernment, and to renew their spirits in an environment of laughter and sacred trust.

Registration is $300 ($50 discount available for PNW Clergy) and includes lodging and seven meals. A limited number of single-occupancy rooms are available; register soon to secure one.

Learn More & Register
ERT Spring Training
Learn More & Register

Resources & Opportunities

Lent Resources

Download social graphics for Ash Wednesday

With Ash Wednesday coming next week, it’s time to prepare your church’s social media content for Lent and Holy Week. Explore a library of shareable graphics and download the free images that will best speak to your community. Use them on their own or alongside invitational messages.

Download Resources
GC2020 Resources

General Conference 2020 News & Resources

As we continue on the path to General Conference 2020, we will be providing members with news and resources about the important conversations happening in The United Methodist Church.

Please keep this page bookmarked and share it with people in your congregation. We will work to keep it updated with essential content to inform the important conversations taking place across the area.

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The Pacific Northwest Conference Office of Connectional Ministries works collaboratively and creatively to serve the missional needs of United Methodist ministries in Washington State and Northern Idaho.

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