Last week, Melva Edwards (one of our lay members) and I had the privilege of representing Sun Lakes UMC at our Annual Conference. Annual Conference is the “big meeting” of the year for all the churches in the Desert Southwest Conference, which covers all of Arizona, two communities in California, and the Las Vegas area. In addition to the business that must be conducted to approve a 2027 budget and leadership team, we honored retirees and participated in the ordination of new clergy. Our theme was “Healthy Churches for a Healthy World.” It is always good to connect with friends and colleagues we haven’t seen since last year, sharing in meals, fellowship, and laughter.

Some highlights from the conference were:

1. The renaming of districts – Sun Lakes UMC is now part of the Valley District. The other two districts are Canyon and Sonoran. Previously, we had four districts: North, South, Central East, and Central West. The new configuration reduces the number of staff needed to oversee the districts, which is good stewardship of the conference budget.
2. Celebrating 70 years of women’s ordination. Many of us wore red shoes, a symbol of this milestone in the United Methodist Church.
3. Election of delegates to jurisdictional (the regional conference that happens every four years) and general conference (the worldwide conference that also happens every four years) – we elected 10 clergy and 10 laity to represent the Desert Southwest Conference.
4. The fixing of appointments – every year, the Bishop and the District Superintendents announce the pastors’ appointments to the churches in our conference. Bishop Carlo Rapanut and Rev. Melissa Rynders announced that I will return to Sun Lakes UMC (as was expected) and Pastor Chan will move to Liberty UMC in Buckeye, AZ (which we learned about just a month ago).

I could share so much more about the Annual Conference and our work, but the highlights will have to do for now. Melva and I look forward to offering a more formal report in worship sometime in the future. In the meantime, here’s the reflection I wrote for our 70^th anniversary of women’s ordination.

Celebrating 70 Years of Women's Ordination

This year, The United Methodist Church celebrates the 70th anniversary of full clergy rights for women. In 1956, the Methodist Church granted women full clergy membership and ordination rights, affirming what many faithful women had long known: God calls both women and men to preach, teach, lead, and serve.

Today, it can be easy to take that reality for granted. Several years ago, as I prepared to move from one church to another, a young friend expressed concern that her congregation would be receiving a male pastor. She was convinced that only women could be ministers—after all, her grandmother was a pastor, and I was her pastor! Her comment made me smile, but it also reminded me how much the landscape has changed. For her generation, women in ministry were simply normal. I do not take my ordination for granted. I am keenly aware of the women who came before me—women who answered God's call despite barriers, opposition, and limited opportunities. Their courage made my ministry possible.

As I prepared for ordination, I was blessed by mentors who affirmed that call. Bert Lewis responded to my discernment with characteristic enthusiasm: "Well, it's about time!" Jane Tews, my mentor through the Board of Ordained Ministry, offered practical wisdom in her straightforward way. Her message was simple: "Just go do it."

Ordination itself remains one of the most sacred moments of my life. Held at Velda Rose UMC, the service marked the culmination of years of study, interviews, paperwork, and discernment. Much of that season is now a blur, but one moment remains crystal clear. When my name was called, the entire choir from my home church, DaySpring United Methodist Church, stood together in support. Overcome with emotion, I knelt as Bishop Dew placed hands upon me and spoke the words of ordination. In that moment, I felt the weight of tradition, the presence of God's Spirit, and the support of a community that had helped shape my journey.

As we celebrate 70 years of women's ordination, I give thanks for those who took risks, spoke boldly, challenged assumptions, and opened doors for future generations. Their faithfulness expanded the church's understanding of God's call and God's gifts.

Today, women serve as pastors, district superintendents, bishops, professors, chaplains, missionaries, and leaders throughout our denomination. Yet this anniversary is about more than looking back. It is also about continuing to create a church where every person can respond freely to God's call, knowing that gifts and calling are not limited by gender.

For me, serving as a clergywoman remains both an honor and a privilege. I am grateful for those who paved the way, and I pray that future generations will continue to hear and answer God's call with courage, joy, and faithfulness.

See you in church,

Pastor Jen

SUMMER KAIROS UPDATE

As we head into the slower summer season, we will be publishing the Kairos less regularly than the weekly schedule we use during the rest of the year. With fewer events, our Kairos often gets repetitive, and we want to make sure we don't annoy our congregation with the same information!

We will publish the Kairos once a month until August, then move to a bi-monthly schedule in September and October.

The new Kairos schedule will be:

• July 29th, 2026
• August 26th, 2026
• September 9th, 2026
• September 23rd, 2026
• October 7th, 2026
• October 21st, 2026

We realize this change might be off-putting, but we want to assure you that the weekly Kairos will resume as soon as events and scheduling pick up! If news arises that needs to be dispersed promptly, it will be sent in a special E-News update on Wednesdays.

Also, as a reminder during this schedule change: If you want an article published in the Kairos for an upcoming church event, please email us your posting at office@sunlakesumc.org by the Monday before the Kairos goes out.

We want to make sure that you always have a way to reach the pastor, even when the church office is closed. To do this, we have a weekend phone (480.742.7706).

Here’s how it works:

• The phone is not an answering service—it is a real phone that Pastor Jen carries.
• This is available Fridays through Sundays, while the office is closed.

This phone is specifically for urgent pastoral needs that cannot wait until Monday. For things like scheduling meetings, general questions, or ministry sign-ups, please continue to use the church office number during regular office hours.