e~Aurora | October 20, 2026 | | A weekly news update from The Alaska United Methodist Conference | |
Charge Conference information
Assistance: Need help with the paperwork? Crystal and Kristi have held two of three work sessions to help with Charge Conference paperwork. The last one is this evening:
Due Dates: As a reminder, paperwork is due TWO WEEKS before your scheduled charge/church conference. If your meeting is two or more weeks after November 1, your materials to be voted on during your meeting (documents starting with a 1.X) are still all due November 1.
All remaining documents (starting with a 3.X) are due December 1, even if your meeting has not occurred yet.
Thank you: Thank you to the churches that submitted their clergy's salary by the October 1 deadline. As a reminder, if your pastor is at the conference minimum salary, you should compare the 2026 salary to the proposed 2027 salary. There should not be a reduction in pay.
Reminder: The bishop started implementing presiding elders last year and continues with the practice this year. Your meetings will likely be via Zoom with the presiding elder assigned to you. That Zoom information was provided in September. If you have questions, please reach out to the Conference Office.
Learn more here.
| |
Fall Learning Event registration open
Our Fall Learning Event continues the Loving Boldly theme introduced at Annual Conference. This year, we will explore what it means to love boldly by beginning with how we care for ourselves, how we relate to one another, how we communicate our ministries, and how we strengthen our shared work across the Alaska Conference.
The event will combine wellness and wholeness, covenant and holy conferencing, communication and storytelling, technology, ministry collaboration, and practical work around our conference priorities of housing and hunger and young people's ministry.
It will be November 5-7 at the Dimond Center Hotel in Anchorage.
All clergy are expected to attend. Laity, especially lay members to AC, are encouraged to attend.
Registration deadline is October 22.
Register here
View the working agenda
Additionally, if you are a member of AAA or AARP, you can get an additional discount at the Dimond Center hotel if you are staying there.
| |
United Women in Faith presents Mission u
Join us on November 6 and 7 at Anchor Park United Methodist Church (2300 Oak Drive) for Anchorage Mission u, presented by United Women in Faith. Register here. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. on November 6. Registration fee for in person is $45 or $20 online via Zoom. Everyone is welcome, those of different faiths, men...everyone! For more information email Sandra.
Scholarship opportunities are available here. Please fill out the form completely to be considered for a scholarship to a Mission u event. You do not need to be a member of The United Methodist Church to apply. You will be notified no later than November 3 of any award.
| |
Applications open for Civil Rights and Blues Pilgrimage
Young adults ages 18 to 35 in United Methodist campus, camping and retreat, or local church ministries in the Greater Northwest Area can apply for a Civil Rights and Blues Pilgrimage through Mississippi, July 17-25, 2027, led by the Rev. Justin White and the Rev. Katie Ladd. Stops include Emmett Till sites and Fannie Lou Hamer's home. The trip costs $300 with support from the Ministry Opportunity Fund, and ends in Memphis. Applications close Nov. 30.
Learn more on the Pacific Northwest Conference website.
| |
Learning opportunities with United Methodist Theologian Dr. Joerg Rieger planned for November at Edmonds UMC
The Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church and the Northwest Washington Synod, ELCA, are co-sponsoring two events this November featuring Dr. Joerg Rieger, an ordained United Methodist elder and theology professor at Vanderbilt Divinity School.
On Friday, Nov. 13, pastoral leaders can attend "The Urgent Need for the Liberation of Everything," a keynote and workshop on solidarity and church renewal, at Edmonds United Methodist Church. Click here to learn more and register.
A related laity retreat, "Jesus vs. Caesar," follows on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the same location. Click here to learn more and register.
Both events cost $50 and explore faith-based responses to systems of power and economic pressure.
| |
Updated Know Your Rights training offered by WJ Immigration Taskforce
The Western Jurisdiction's Immigration Taskforce will host a Know Your Rights training Nov. 2 from 1 to 3 p.m. Pacific. Immigration Law & Justice Network presenters will help clergy and lay leaders understand church property rights, build congregational protocols for ICE activity and address Temporary Protected Status concerns. Interpretation is offered in five languages. Registration is required.
Learn more and register for this event on the PNW Conference website.
| |
First UMC Anchorage in the news for their new Child Care facility
Every once in awhile we do something cool!
Here’s a link to a story about the new childcare center that just opened at First UMC: https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2026-10-06/anchorage-childcare-providers-team-up-to-share-the-work-of-keeping-centers-open
You are also invited to our Launch Party Luau if you’d like to come! Here’s the registration link.
Peace,
Emily
| |
Annual Birchwood Camp auction
Join us on December 5th for Birchwood Camp’s Annual Auction and Winter Family Day! Starting at 2 pm we will be gathering in Upper Fireweed Hall for our silent auction, community time, and a craft for children. Snow dependent we will also have sledding available! Then starting at 4 pm we will have our live auction, cookie decorating, and warm snacks in the lodge.
This will be an amazing opportunity for all ages of the Birchwood Family to come and support camp!
If you have any questions, or would like to donate an item or experience to the silent or live auction, please email director@birchwoodcamp.org.
Check out other events happening at Birchwood Camp:
Winter Youth Breakaway
Summer 2027 Camps
| |
Come for the food, bid for a cause, be part of the love
Join us for a meaningful evening of compassion and connection! Enjoy a delicious AAPI buffet-style meal and participate in our silent auction, all while supporting individuals and families in need.
Through Loaves & Love Closet, we’ve had the privilege of serving over 500 individuals and families—and we’re just getting started. Behind every number is a real person, a family doing their best, a parent trying to provide for their children, or someone facing a difficult season and needing a little extra support.
We’re more than a community closet. We’re a place where compassion meets action, dignity is honored, burdens are lifted, and people are reminded that they are not alone. Every bid and every act of generosity helps us provide essential items and bring hope to those who need it most.
Come hungry. Bid generously. Leave knowing you made a difference. Together, we can turn one beautiful evening into a lasting impact. Because no one should have to face hardship alone.
Scan the QR code to pay or donate. Please make sure to note L&L or 8099L
For more information, email loavesandlovecloset@outlook.com.
Every bid makes a difference. Every act of love matters.
| |
Anchor Park's United Women in Faith Annual Holiday Auction
November 14, 2026
10:45am to 2:15pm
Lunch Cost $22
Menu:
Appetizer, Soup, Salad, Baked Ziti, Seasonal vegetable, Fresh Baked Rolls, Assorted Desserts, Coffee and Tea
Anchor Park's Annual Holiday Auction organized by the United Women in Faith is scheduled for Saturday, November 14th, mark your calendars! Invite your friends to join this fun event. Please sign up with the number of people that will be attending.
We welcome donations of home crafted/baked items and want to encourage receipt of all donations by November 11th.
We need volunteers to help with the auction on Friday November 13th & Saturday November 14th. Volunteer tasks include cooking, set up, clean up, check-out table, and the famous other duties that arise. Any questions about the event can be directed to Jo Anne Hayden 907-903-5025 or Susan Williams 907-317-0406.
| | |
Date and theme set for 2028 Western Jurisdictional Conference
Save the date! The 2028 Western Jurisdictional Conference will take place July 12-15 in Reno, Nevada. The theme for the 2028 gathering is 'Overcome Evil with Good,' pulling from Romans 12:9-13, 21. More details will be announced as they become available.
| |  | |
Week set to support Congo
The United Methodist Board of Church and Society invites United Methodists on Oct. 18-24 to join in observing Breaking the Silence: Congo Week. The week of activities commemorates the millions of lives lost in the Congo conflict while celebrating the enormous human and natural potential that exists in the country. To help churches mark the week, the board offers a Congo Prayer Campaign Toolkit.
Learn more
See toolkit
| | | |
Proposal to unite 4 agencies move forward
The plan to unify four United Methodist general agencies has passed a significant milestone. The boards of Discipleship Ministries, Global Ministries, Higher Education and Ministry and United Methodist Communications have all passed proposed legislation to unify. The unified agency has a proposed name: The United Methodist Mission and Ministry Agency.
Read the press release
UM News: 4 church agencies propose unifying into one
Learn more
| | | |
Book ministry gets 50,000 books to kids
What started as a pandemic-era idea at Socastee United Methodist Church has grown into a book ministry that’s put more than 50,000 cleaned-up, carefully chosen books into the hands of children at schools, salons, laundry rooms and housing communities. The volunteers hope other United Methodist churches will catch the vision and start book ministries of their own.
Read the story
| | | |
Do No Harm, virtual conference, FREE
This November, GCSRW invites the whole connection to Do No Harm — a virtual conference equipping individuals and the Church to prevent sexual harm and foster trauma-informed care. For the first time since its inception in 2006, the gathering is fully online. Thursday and Friday offer professional development for those who lead prevention, response, and training; Saturday is a public witness for everyone, centered on truth-telling, healing, and solidarity, offered on a sliding scale. Ashley Judd and Rachael Denhollander headline. November 12–14, 2026. Register at https://gcsrw.org/do-no-harm/. Contact the Alaska Conference office on how to register for FREE
| | | |
Trust clause sees big win in Maryland court
The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled in favor of the Baltimore-Washington Conference in a suit filed by 37 churches seeking to leave The United Methodist Church with property. The opinion marks a victory for the denomination’s trust provision and could influence other cases winding their way through civil courts.
Read the story
| | | |
Korean church leaders welcome new generation
Korean United Methodist clergy and lay leaders returned to the San Francisco area, where their national association began, to celebrate 50 years of ministry. Those gathered explored ways to nurture the next generation’s leadership and strengthen partnerships across communities.
Read the story
| | | |
Why every local church benefits from an annual audit
For many congregations, the word “audit” can sound intimidating. Yet, audits are acts of stewardship. The revised fifth edition of the Local Church Audit Guide provides practical tools, procedures, and internal control recommendations designed to help churches strengthen financial accountability while protecting those entrusted with handling church resources.
Get My Guide
| | | |
National week of Act Against School Pushout: Oct. 17-25
United Women in Faith joins the Dignity in Schools Campaign and allied organizations for the 2026 National Week of Action Against School Pushout. This is a special time of the year when we recommit ourselves to the work of interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline and ending school pushout.
Watch Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
| | | |
Learn how All Saints Day connects to Halloween
Discover the historic connection between Halloween (or, the evening of Hallows) to All Saints Day and how we can embrace both observances.
Ask the UMC
| | | |
Get ready for Youth 2027 | July 11-14 in Dallas, TX
This high-energy gathering brings young people and chaperones together for worship, community, fellowship, and growing in faith.
Early registration is $359 per person through April 15, 2027, so start planning your trip and get your group ready!
Register for Youth 2027!
| | | |
Amid decline, US professions of faith rise
In 2025, The United Methodist Church continued its decades-long slide in U.S. membership and attendance. However, data collected by the General Council on Finance and Administration also shows signs of growth including a nationwide uptick in professions of faith, small-group participation and volunteers putting their faith into action.
Read the story
Read the press release
| | | |
United Methodists, Korean church renew ties
Building on 141 years of shared missionary heritage, leaders of The United Methodist Church and the Korean Methodist Church signed a new covenant committing their mission agencies to regular dialogue and deeper cooperation in Korea, Asia and worldwide.
Read the story
| | | |
Computer training empowers refugees
A United Methodist initiative is providing 50 young people in Ugandan refugee settlements with hands-on digital literacy training. For many of the South Sudanese participants, it was their first time typing an email or exploring online. A gift from The United Methodist Church’s Holston Foundation funded the seven-month project.
Read the story
| | | |
Church schedules disaffiliation vote
Highland Park United Methodist Church’s 23-member church council announced that it has unanimously adopted a resolution to hold a congregational vote on Oct. 25 and 26 on whether to cut all ties with The United Methodist Church. “Clergy and lay members are free to choose whether to remain in covenant with The United Methodist Church,” the Horizon Texas Conference said in response. “However, the Book of Discipline does not authorize a local church to unilaterally sever this covenantal relationship. Any attempt to do so does not diminish the bishop and conference’s commitment to continued covenant with Highland Park UMC and its members nor our desire for restoration and reconciliation with this vital community of faith.”
Read church announcement
UM News: Highland Park proposes leaving denomination
Conference adds second count to Highland Park suit
| | | |
What to know about the Leadership Gathering
After many long months of preparation, the Leadership Gathering is set to take place this week in Canada to help imagine The United Methodist Church of tomorrow.
Read FAQ
| | | |
20: Zoom assistance for Charge Conference paperwork @ 6 PM
21: Charge Conference - Nome Community
22: Charge Conference - Homer
24: Charge Conference - North Star & Kenai
25: Charge Conference - Anchor Park
28: Charge Conference - Ola Toe Fuataina
29: Charge Conference - Douglas Community
31: Halloween
| | |
1: Daylight Saving Time ends
1: Charge Conference - First Anchorage
3: Election Day
4: Charge Conference - Sitka
5-7: Fall Learning Event @ Dimond Center Hotel
7-11: Crystal @ UMCOM Training
11: Veteran's Day - Office Closed
12: Charge Conference - Chugiak
15: Charge Conference - Turnagain & Christ First
18: Charge Conference - Seward
19: Charge Conference - Anchorage Korean
22: Charge Conference - Willow
26: Thanksgiving Day - Office Closed
27: Day after Thanksgiving - Office Closed
| | |
Upcoming Birthdays
October 29 - Daniel Santos
October 30 - Kelly Marciales
November 5 - Kim Poole
November 9 - Murray Crookes
| | | |
Conference Office
alaskaumc@gmail.com
www.alaskaumc.org
907-333-5050
Superintendent & Director of Connectional Ministries - Kristi McGuire
akcs@alaskaumc.org
| |
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.
| | |
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.
Therefore we commit ourselves 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.
| | | | |
