February 16, 2017
Dear Reader,
This week our UM Connector has several stories about engagement with society.
In California the church is offering shelter to evacuees. In Texas, bishops are speaking up on immigration concerns. In Atlanta, UMCOR is recognized for its strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. And Methodist missionaries are telling the President about the realities of Jerusalem.
Read about that and more in this week’s UM Connector.
Greg Nelson, Director of Communications
CONFERENCE NEWS
Newest bishop to visit Portland
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The newest Western Jurisdiction Bishop, Karen Oliveto, will be preaching at the opening worship of the Rise Up! Uniting To Act For a More Just World conference. The conference is sponsored by the Western Methodist Justice Movement and has received support from the Oregon-Idaho Conference and the Collins Foundation to open dialog about ethnic diversity and LGBTQI inclusion in the United Methodist Church.
Oliveto was elected as a bishop at the July 2016 Western Jurisdictional Conference and has been assigned to the Mountain Sky Area. Previously she was the senior pastor at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco and worked in campus ministry.
Opening worship is open to the public. It begins at 7:00 p.m., Friday, February 17 at the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel. Parking is free, but limited. It can also be reached by MAX light rail (go to Portland Airport and use a white courtesy phone to request the Sheraton shuttle.)
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AROUND THE CONFERENCE
Clear appointment openings
A list of churches that are open for appointment can be found on the Greater NW Area website. As appointments are announced and the appointment process unfolds, new clear openings will be added to the list. See the latest.
AROUND THE GLOBE
New national advertising messages
encourage childlike faith
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Nashville, Tenn.: Innocence, wonder and hope will be at the heart of The United Methodist Church’s national advertising campaign this year. The denomination is extending an invitation to people searching to give their lives deeper meaning through the words of children who share their thoughts about open hearts, minds and doors. Learn more at umc.org.
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California churches respond to Oroville dam evacuation
Eight United Methodist churches were in the evacuation area and three others opened as shelters. As officials have lifted the evacuation order, the churches have shifted to standby status, but remain ready to respond if upcoming rains increase the risk. Read more on the California-Nevada conference website.
Texas bishops appeal to Trump on immigration
FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS) — Bishops Mike Lowry, Earl Bledsoe, Scott Jones, Mike McKee and Robert Schnase, representing the five United Methodists conferences in Texas, have issued an open letter calling on a “more compassionate response” to immigrants and refugees by President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Read more on the Central Texas Conference website.
Viewing Clinton's campaign through faith, gender
NEW YORK (UMNS) — When a group of young clergywomen joined an effort to provide a daily devotion to Hillary Clinton during the recent U.S. presidential campaign, they were looking to support a fellow United Methodist and also acknowledge the women who have broken both glass ceilings and stained-glass ceilings. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.
Methodist missionaries send letter to Trump
Twelve United Methodist missionaries, who have served in the Holy Land over the last four decades, have published an open letter to President Donald J. Trump, stating their opposition to moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
According to United Methodists for Kairos Response, when Israel began its military occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, it expanded the borders of that city and illegally annexed all of it to Israel. Since then, Israel has conducted ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem, forcing out the Palestinian residents, in flagrant violation of international law and Palestinians' human rights. That is why no country has its embassy in Jerusalem, despite Israel's claim that all of it, including occupied East Jerusalem, is its capital.
They contend that moving the U.S. embassy there would strike a serious blow to the efforts of Palestinians, Israelis, and allies around the world who are working for a just peace in the Holy Land. Learn more and read the letter on the Kairos Response website.
Universities join amicus brief against immigration orders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — United Methodist-related Duke and Emory universities are two of 17 private colleges joining a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.
Immigration officials detain United Methodist leader
DODGE CITY, Kansas (UMNS) — A member of the lay leadership at House of Prayer United Methodist Church in Dodge City, Kansas, was arrested by officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.
2 big churches seek exit from denomination
TUPELO, Miss. (UMNS) — The most-attended church and another large congregation in the Mississippi Conference have taken first steps toward leaving the United Methodist connection. Church leaders cite the denomination’s homosexuality debate. Mississippi Conference Bishop James Swanson Sr., who leads the conferences, has hopes of the churches remaining. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.
UMCOR earns 4-star rating
ATLANTA (UMNS) — The United Methodist Committee on Relief has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, for its strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries has announced. Read their press release.
RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Free Lent Resource: Roll Down, Justice!
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The General Commission On Religion and Race's Lenten biblical reflection, Roll Down, Justice!, written by Faye Wilson and featuring the music and reflections of Mark A. Miller, poses the following questions:
- What are you prepared to give in order to have a closer walk with God?
- What can you give in order to embrace anew the work of justice?
Watch and download the Roll Down, Justice from the GCORR website.
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New Lenten eCourse for groups from Upper Room
The Upper Room announces a new, improved online learning study and devotional experience for small groups featuring Worship in Light of the Cross with John Indermark.
Congregations or small groups can create a private, online study for Lent. Upper Room will get the classroom ready; churches gather the people.
In the six-week experience, Indermark comes alongside in a journey together to the cross. Using traditional worship elements to guide participants through the Lenten study (Gathering, Invocation, Confession, Proclamation, Creed, Response, Sacrament), Indermark invites all to see worship from a fresh perspective.
Upper Room will set up a private eCourse classroom for a group of FIVE of more. For information, email them at urelearning@upperroom.org. Learn more about the course and an options for individuals on the upper room website.
