PNW News Digest #8 - February 27, 2020
|
|
What did the Alaska Conference do?
I was blessed with the opportunity last week to spend a few days with members of the Alaska Conference as they visioned together about their future and voted at a Special Called Session. This was the session that Bishop Stanovsky wrote to PNW members about last Thursday.
During that session, United Methodists in Alaska did vote to petition the General Conference to discontinue its status as a Missionary Conference, allowing it to become a Mission District instead. A second petition was approved asking that the Western Jurisdiction include Alaska as part of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Annual Conference. My communicator colleague in Alaska Rev. Jim Doepken shares the major details here.
|
|
|
Bishop Stanovsky also released a video this morning on social media explaining the basics of this decision by the Alaska Conference and what it could mean for the Pacific Northwest Conference. In it, she notes the many ways the two conferences are already working together.
|
|
|
|
Obviously, this decision, if approved by the General and Western Jurisdictional Conferences as expected, will reshape the PNW Conference. It is natural then that people might have some questions. Since returning from Alaska I’ve worked with several leaders in both Alaska and the PNW to produce a FAQ document about this potential change. I hope you’ll review it and see if it starts to answer your questions.
Change often brings with it some uncertainty and we are just beginning to consider this possibility more earnestly in the PNW now that Alaska has made its decision. The warmth and hospitality I experienced in Anchorage, and the depth of the conversations they had about their mission, left me feeling confident that our shared future together will be a net gain for us all.
grace&peace
Patrick Scriven
Director of Communications, Young People's Ministry (PNW)
|
|
|
$1500 Scholarship opportunity for students in the PNW Conference!
Are you a United Methodist college student in the Pacific Northwest Conference? If so, the Pacific Northwest Conference has a scholarship program available for students who are pursuing a degree through an accredited program, college or university. Applications have just opened and must be completed by end of the day April 1st!
These scholarships are being offered to students who are members of a United Methodist ministry setting (church or campus ministry) in the Pacific Northwest Conference. We will be offering a limited number of $1,500 scholarships.
|
|
Greater NW & Other UMC News
|
|
|
Alaska Conference Special Session affirms request to become a mission district, seeks inclusion within PNW Conference
During a Special Called Session of the Alaska United Methodist Conference this weekend, members voted to dissolve their missionary conference status and become a ‘mission district’ within the boundaries of the Pacific Northwest Conference. The change requires approval from the General and Western Jurisdictional Conferences.
|
|
Winter Rendezvous highlights Alaska’s unique ministries
Two days of worship and dreaming at the "Winter Rendezvous" prepared the Alaska Conference to examine their hopes and dreams for their ministry together.
An annual event, this year there was the added responsibility of working towards important votes at the Special Session that followed.
|
|
Religion is supposed to bind us together; don’t use it to cast others out
"What religious tie binds/blinds you to persons you don’t agree with, or you negatively, harshly judge?"
Rev. Paul Graves wrestles with the polarizing effect of religion in culture today, noting how it is better purposed to bind us together.
|
|
Madras UMC provides support, encouragement for local inmates
When Rev. Nancy Slabaugh Hart moved to Madras in 2017, she was pleasantly surprised to know the church was partnering with Central Oregon Community College to provide educational programs at the minimum-security Deer Ridge Corrections Center, but chaplaincy wasn’t what she was after. She had something different in mind.
|
|
February update from the Jamaa Letu Orphanage
The latest newsletter from our Hope for the Children of Africa - PNW Conference taskforce is now available to review online.
The newsletter is compiled from the latest Quarterly Report from the Directors of the BART & CEJAL Jamaa Letu Orphanages in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Cabinet members filed papers for new church group
Three Florida Conference cabinet members — top United Methodist leaders in the state — filed articles of incorporation this month for an organization called The Florida Methodist Church, a new traditionalist expression of Methodism.
In related news, the Florida Conference's delegation to General Conference unanimously supported the 'Protocol' agreement.
|
|
SCJ Bishops urge delegates to consider protocol for separation
Delegates from the South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church met on Feb. 20-22 to interview candidates for bishop and discuss the 2020 General Conference.
Bishops in the jurisdiction explained why they support the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation.
|
|
You Asked: What to do with an undesignated bequest
"If you decide to spend part or all of the principal, the best practice with undesignated gifts is to use them for something other than the operating budget." The Northwest United Methodist Foundation shares this and several other pieces of advice in regards to these special gifts.
|
|
Looking at financial impact of GC2020 plans
No matter what happens at General Conference, United Methodist financial leaders expect changes in funding. The finance agency board met to discuss some of the possibilities including those that may necessitate a split of the denomination.
|
|
Inspiring Generosity: When Heroes Fail Us
"The psychological world will tell you that what I’m experiencing is called 'cognitive dissonance'" writes Cesie Delve Scheuermann in her latest blog post. The dissonance she refers to arose from news that L’Arche founder Jean Vanier, who she held as a "Christian hero," took sexual advantage of at least six women under his spirtual direction.
|
|
Churches call for peace on the Korean Peninsula
The year 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. The United and Korean Methodist churches will join Christians throughout the world to take action for peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula by holding various programs and events.
|
|
|
|
Greater NW Area Shared Conference Session
The Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Conferences will meet together in a shared annual conference session June 11-14, 2020 at the Showplex Center on the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA.
Information on accommodations, the venue, and an application for Ministry Fair displays are now available now. Registration and more information will be released as it becomes available in the coming weeks.
|
|
Taller de Ministerios Hispanos Latinos: Comité de Relaciones Pastor y Parroquia
Marzo 12 a las 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | ZOOM
La formación de la Academia de Liderazgo Hispano / Latino (a) está trabajando en el desarrollo de liderazgo y organización de congregaciones locales. Están ofreciendo su primer taller en línea a través de ZOOM sobre el tema del Comité de Relaciones Pastor y Parroquia.
Haga clic aquí para revisar el volante o comuníquese con el pastor Joel Rodríguez para obtener más información.
|
|
|
Resources & Opportunities
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
