A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference |
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2023 Mission season requests
The 2023 mission season is approaching, and I pray it will be a blessed and busy one. Alaska VIM Coordinator, Don Olson, would like Alaska churches, camps, and any other Alaska ministries to please contact him if you would like to host a mission team for a mission project (repairs, community service, VBS, etc.). Contact him or the conference office to get three Host Church information forms that will need to be filled out and then given to Don. It is information that will be provided to the incoming mission church, with the details of the project’s needs, skill levels required, your ability to house the missioners, and local attractions. Don will then have the information on hand if mission teams ask about missioning in Alaska. Completed forms need to be completed and sent to Don by 15 October as mission churches need time to organize and raise funds. When he has the forms from both Host and Mission churches, he will exchange the information and allow the churches to work out the details. Blessings to all. Stay safe.
Don Olson
olsondon44@yahoo.com
907-770-0792
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Anchor Park EPIC Youth lunch fundraiser
On August 14th from noon until 1:30 pm, come and join us for lunch hosted by the Anchor Park UMC EPIC Youth and Family. All donations will be used to help their youth serve a mission in Florida and attend the Youth 2023 Conference.
Menu:
Full sized roasted pig, potato salad, green salad, white rice (soy sauce on the side), taro, sweet potatoes, baklava, Asian salad, Hawaiian rolls with butter, fruit, egg rolls w/dipping sauce, brownies w/no nuts, Special K bar, cookies, drinks - water, soda, and juices.
Where: Anchor Park UMC, 2300 Oak Drive, Anchorage
There is no fee for this lunch menu. Donations only.
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Youth Retreat
St. John UMC is hosting a youth retreat and area churches are invited to join from September 3-4, 2022!
Our theme is Balance and Rhythm – we’ll talk about how will we find balance and rhythm this year and what does that look for you?
Overnight Youth - $40
Day only 5th-12th - $25
Registration closes Aug. 17th
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Discernment event
The Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner will host a Virtual Discernment Event for laity in the United Methodist Church who feel called by God to a full-time vocation in service for those who are marginalized and in need.
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Save the Date!
The Alaska Professional Church Workers' Fall Retreat will be October 7, 8, 9. In order to be as inclusive as possible of all our siblings in professional ministry, particularly those who are bivocational, these dates are a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you are outside of the Anchorage area, please plan on traveling the 6th and 10th so you don't miss any of the activities. Anchorage area clergy, you should also plan on taking that Sunday morning off as there will be other worship activities planned. More information about the theme and agenda will follow. Please direct questions to Lisa Talbott.
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Job openings at St. John UMC
Wednesday Night Supper Kitchen Coordinator! Are you an energetic person who likes to shop, cook and work with a team? This part-time position might be for YOU. Send a cover letter and resume to office@stjohnanchorage.org.
Children's Ministry Coordinator! Do you enjoy working with a team? Care about the faith formation of our youngest disciples? This part-time position might be for you! Send a cover letter and resume to office@stjohnanchorage.org.
Contact St. John for specific job descriptions.
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BSA & UMC Informational Webinar offered to answer local church questions
The Greater Northwest Area treasurers will be hosting an informational webinar on August 10th at 6:30 p.m. PT. Any church that has or is considering hosting a Boy Scout Troop or unit should plan to have at least one church leader attend the webinar. Brant Henshaw (PNW and Alaska Conference Treasurer) and Candace Clarke (OR-ID Conference Treasurer) will be available to answer questions.
During the webinar, the treasurers will be covering updates on the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) settlement, the new Affiliation Agreement and the new Facility Use Agreement, and will attempt to answer questions you may have on moving forward with this area of ministry in your community.
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Certified Lay Servant classes offered
Rev. Andy Bartel will be offering the Certified Lay Ministry BASIC and PREACHING courses again this fall on Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m., both in-person in Anchorage and via Zoom.
The Basic class will run Sept 14, 21, 28, Oct 5, and 12. The Preaching class will run Oct 19, 26, Nov 2, 9, 16. Space is limited, and is open to all Alaska United Methodists.
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Elevate your message with free social media graphics
Could you use a little something special to help promote back-to-school time, Grandparents’ Day, Veterans Day or maybe something else coming up later this summer or fall? Check out our free library of graphics. Just download and use on your church’s website or social media accounts.
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Under pressure, church ends homeless encampment
Facing a lawsuit from the city, First United Methodist Church in downtown Great Falls asked people experiencing homelessness to no longer use the church parking lot as an encampment. "Our job here at the church isn't going away," said the Rev. Dawn Skerritt, the church's pastor. "It's maybe shifting gears, but we're still going to be an advocate for the homeless in our community." Joee Taylor reports.
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Conferences take action on gun violence
Even as United Methodist conferences deal with mounting church exits and disagreements over LGBTQ inclusion, they are bearing a shared witness on gun violence and urging actions beyond thoughts and prayers.
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Church shares love with brown bags
Ellabell United Methodist Church has taken to the streets to share the love of Jesus. Every weekday during the third week of each month, church members stand on a busy street outside the rural community's Dollar General and hand out sacks of food.
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Retreat center offers special-needs camps
Sky Lake Camp and Retreat Center offers five different camps for those with special needs. Friends Camp, which is designed for high-functioning individuals between ages 27 and 55 with developmental disabilities, allows campers to enjoy the lake and woods as well as traditional camp activities. Upper New York Conference staff produced a video to commemorate the recently completed Friends Camp.
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'Psalms for Black Lives' released
A book conceived after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor offers relevant Psalms, discussion questions and a guide for community and congregational interaction around issues of justice. “Psalms for Black Lives: Reflections for the Work of Liberation” was written by the Revs. Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes. The contents of the book began as devotionals for a churchwide fasting experience led by the Wilkes during the summer of 2020.
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All Part of God's Story: United Women in Faith Program Resource
The 2022 Program Resource, Mosaic of Faith: We Are All Part of God's Story, is available now! Not only can you purchase a print copy, digital copies are also available. You can also join the online community.
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Grants available to help strengthen the ethnic local church
Discipleship Ministries is pleased to offer the Racial Ethnic Local Church Concerns (RELCC) Grant, which provides funding to support the ethnic local church through leadership training, small groups, worship, stewardship, and spiritual formation as it engages in developing disciple-making systems inside the church walls and in the community.
Two grants per jurisdiction, of up to $10,000 each, are available. Please click the link below to see eligibility criteria and apply.
Priority will be given to new programs/ministries that move churches to places where disciples are formed, grow, and make new disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world.
Applications are due September 10, 2022
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Asbury writings discovered
Writings by legendary Methodist Francis Asbury were discovered by an archivist for The United Methodist Church. The works, found in a manila folder that probably hasn't been opened since the 1960s, include a "state of the denomination" speech. Archivist the Rev. Bonnie McCubbin said the notebook was written two days before Asbury's death in 1816.
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Poll about Jesus raises questions
Nearly half of those taking a survey on attitudes about Jesus and Christianity said believers are giving and loving. But a significant minority said Christians are hypocritical and judgmental. "I think what (the poll) demonstrates is that we have not done a sufficient job of teaching people who Jesus is and why he's important," said the Rev. David F. Watson, professor of New Testament and academic dean at United Theological Seminary.
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Appalachian Ministry Network celebrates 50 years
The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network's 50th anniversary assembly will be Oct. 5-7 and will feature Bishops Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and Thomas Bickerton. For 50 years, members of the network have provided resources and support to hundreds of local churches and ministries serving the people of Appalachia.
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Celebrating 100 years of mission in Eastern Congo
Bishops, clergy and laity representing The United Methodist Church's four episcopal regions in the country gathered recently to celebrate the first 100 years of Methodist mission in Eastern Congo.
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16: Primary & Special General Election Day
16-19: GNW Cabinet Retreat - Christina & Lisa attending
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5: Labor Day - Office Closed |
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Upcoming Clergy Birthdays
August 13 - Bennie Grace Nabua
September 4 - Ken Hagler
September 11 - Emily Carroll
September 17 - Autumn Krueger
September 28 - Darla Bradley
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Conference Office
907-333-5050
Superintendent - Christina DowlingSoka
Director of Connectional Ministries - Lisa Talbott
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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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