June 9, 2016

Dear Reader,
 
This week Oregon and Washington governments, emergency providers, and military are testing their ability to deal with a possible 9.0 earthquake and the resulting tsunami that would hit western Oregon. It makes me wonder if any of our churches have thought about how they would prepare for such an event. Do our churches have existing relationships with the Red Cross and local emergency services providers? Do we have supplies to shelter our neighbors? Or are our buildings at risk?
 
If you are interested in exploring some of these issues for your church, a great place to start is our conference website for some basic information, and then have a conversation with the Oregon-Idaho Conference Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, Dan Moseler. You can reach him at ORIDReady@Outlook.com.
 
Greg Nelson, Director of Communications

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Hagiya

With the passage of two weeks since General Conference, Bishop Grant Hagiya has had some time to ponder the impacts on the conferences of the Greater Northwest Area and how they will move forward.   In a pastoral letter released on Monday he contemplates keeping “the main thing the main thing” and shared, “we here in the Greater Northwest will continue to work for full inclusion in our church, even as the general church lags behind on this issue.” Read his full letter on the Greater Northwest Area website.

Annual Conference Session next week

Volunteers prepare packets for Annual Conference Clergy and lay members of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference will gather for their annual session June 15-18 at the Salem Convention Center. The gathering will provide an opportunity for the Clergy Session to meet and deal with matters presented by the Board of Ordained Ministry; the Laity Session will meet to elect a new Conference Lay Leader, and the full plenary session will meet to hear about ministry in the conference in the past year, programs for the next year, vote on legislative items, and set the 2017 budget. Annual Conference isn’t just for clergy and lay members. All sessions, except the clergy session are open to the public. In particular, guests often come to attend the laity workshops and the worship services. There will be three major worship services. The conference will have an opening worship which includes the bishop’s address at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 16. That evening, the Memorial Communion service will be at 7:30 p.m. at Salem’s First United Methodist Church. In a change of time from previous years, the Retirement and Commissioning Service will be held Saturday Morning at 9:00 a.m. at the Salem Convention Center.

Can’t make it? Watch online

Annual Conference plenary sessions and worship held in the Salem Convention Center will be streamed live online. Go to www.umoi.org/AC for a link to the live feed.

Other ways to be connected

During Annual Conference there will be daily summary issues of the UM Connector. For more up-to-the-moment information, be sure to follow the conference facebook page and twitter feed. Use hashtag #UMOI in both facebook and twitter to search and post about conference.

Churches can bring UMCOR kits to conference

Relief kits and supplies are being collected at Annual Conference again this year.  Rev. Brian Diggs, Director of the United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) West Depot in Salt Lake City, has asked for school, layette and health kits. The UMCOR West Depot table will be combined with the UMVIM and Disaster Relief table in the Ministry Marketplace.  Leave your items there and transportation will be provided to the depot.. For further information, contact Donna Waltman at dgwaltman@frontier.com or 503-622-3226. Learn more about kits on the UMCOR website.

Violent clash leaves homeless in Nigeria

Burnt buildings following attack DIDANGO, Taraba State, Nigeria (UMNS) — At least five people died and more than 2,000, mostly United Methodists, are homeless after violence broke out between the Shomo, Jole and Wurkun people here in a dispute over harvesting fish from a pond. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.

Navy base receives 3,300 devotions

SAN DIEGO (UMNS) — The Strength for Service team sent 3,300 copies of “Strength for Service to God and Country” to U.S. Navy Capt. Kyle Fauntleroy, chaplain of the Pacific Fleet. More than 50 chaplains, serving with 88 ships, will distribute the devotionals. Read the rest of the story on the United Methodist Men’s website.

New World Outlook looks at care for creation

NEW YORK — Climate change is altering the landscape of the Arctic region and threatening indigenous coastal villages in Alaska, writes Christie House, editor of New World Outlook. Her story is among reports on “Care for Creation and Climate Justice” in the May/June edition of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries’ mission magazine.
Alaska’s disappearing coast communities
Lessons from Fiji
A Call to creation care ministry

Conferences react to ‘Way Forward’ on sexuality

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — “An Offering for a Way Forward,” approved by the 2016 General Conference, put the debate on human sexuality on hold. However, some United Methodist clergy are still facing charges and others who recently came out as gay are vulnerable. Conferences, advocates supporting LGBTQ people and those who support current church law are now grappling with the in-between stage. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.

School of Congregational Development

The 2016 School of Congregational Development theme, Into The Deep, is based on John 21 when Jesus said to his disciples, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.
 
Bishop Sally Dyck noted that in that call, Jesus asked his disciples to do something different, to put their nets on the other side. In our context, leaders in ministry are challenged to get outside their comfort zones to engage the multi-cultural context of our cities and rural communities.
 
At SCD 2016 participants will be called to go Into The Deep to discover, engage, be equipped, and to live into the possibilities that surround them as they share the grace and love of Jesus Christ in their congregations and communities. Learn more on the SCD website. To learn more about church development, or to inquire about scholarship funds for the SCD, contact Steve Ross, Director of the Vital Church Project at Steve@umoi.org.

OADP meeting to host special guest

Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (OADP) will hold their annual meeting June 22 in Portland, Oregon. Special guest and keynote speaker will be Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., Executive Director of Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation. He is known and respected as an innovative leader, skillful administrator and visionary advocate for social justice.
 
Before becoming a nationally recognized full-time death penalty abolitionist, Dr. Sullivan provided leadership as senior pastor at major churches in Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis and Mercer Island, Washington. Get all the details in the June edition of the OADP newsletter.
 

Lucile Hines
October 3, 1915 – May 22, 2016

Lucile Hines, widow of retired pastor Walter Hines, died May 22, 2016. She is survived by daughters, Edith and Neva; nine grandchildren and twenty-two great-grandchildren; and seven great great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son Eldon.
 
Reverend Hines served Yuma-Jose and Niwot in the Rocky Mountain Conference; Marquette in the Nebraska Conference; Elberton, Pacific Northwest Superintendent and Seattle Green Lake in the Pacific Northwest Conference; Port Alberta, Conference Superintendent, Philomath and Tri-Center Homes Inc. in the Oregon-Idaho Conference. He retired in 1973.
 
Donations can be made to the Benton County Hospice Service, 2350 NW Professional Dr., Corvallis, Oregon 97330. A memorial service was previously held.
 
Friends may contact Edith Keenan at 3304 125th Avenue NE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258 for condolences or more information.

Grant Hagiya, Bishop
Belinda Denicola, Conference Treasurer and Benefits Officer

We can’t legislate church

By Rev. Darryl W. Stephens
 
… Becoming church together will require an unequivocal commitment from each and every annual conference during the next two years. …