The East District will say farewell to District Resource Assistant Michael Yancey during a Zoom video-conference event on his last day, Monday, August 31, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Yancey has served the district and the conference in this role since November 2017. He begins a new job at First UMC Germantown in Philadelphia in September.

The East District Superintendency Committee, chaired by the Rev. Jackie Stewart, is organizing the event. Join Zoom Meeting: https://epaumc.zoom.us/j/93066636351 Meeting ID: 930 6663 6351. By telephone: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)

The Eastern PA Conferences’ four districts will share two full-time District Resource Assistants (DRAs), plus additional part-time staff, as of September 1. The cost-saving, efficiency move follows the departure August 31 of Michael Yancey as East DRA and North DRA Sheri Kentner’s announcement of plans to retire December 31.

Kristin Reifsnyder will serve as DRA for the East and West districts. New DRA Deb Boyd will serve the North and South districts. Kentner will work as a General Resource Assistant until her retirement in December. She will have specific projects and also help the two continuing DRAs prepare to serve two districts each in their new working arrangement.

Each district will also have a part-time clerical staff assistant to handle phone calls, email, filing and other basic tasks for 10 hours a week. Christina Collazo will continue to serve the North District part-time with an increase to 10 hours a week. The conference will also hire one 10-hour-a-week clerical assistant for the South District, and one to serve both the East and West districts at 20 hours per week combined. All district offices are now located at the Conference Office in Valley Forge.

“As we move into the fall, five-day-a-week schedule, we will continue to work without a full staff in the building,” announced Jo Fielding, Director of Administrative Services. “We will publicize soon our schedule of when specific staff will be in the building.”

4 PM to 6 PM

Montgomery Square UMC

The service will be livestreamed and in-person. Meet and welcome our new East District Superintendent!

The conference Healing the Wounds of Racism Core Team will offer two Dismantling Racism workshops via Zoom video-conferencing in the next two months. 

The next Dismantling Racism Level II workshop on Saturday, Sept. 19, 9 AM to 12 PM, will focus on “The Experience and Impact of Racism on People of Asian Ancestry.” See the Registration page. The cost is $15. For needed scholarships contact the Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm at [email protected]. Remember: all clergy are now required to take a Dismantling Racism Level II workshop during the quadrennium.

The next  Dismantling Racism Workshop I workshop will happen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 23-25, also on Zoom. The Registration fee is TBD; and participation all three days is expected. Two Continuing Education Units will be awarded upon completion. This training satisfies the clergy and lay ministry requirement for Healing the Wounds of Racism training. Learn more about the workshop program and its facilitation by Visions, Inc.