July 3, 2014

Dear Reader,

Happy Birthday to our nation.
This week is a good time to be thankful for our freedoms in the U.S., not the least of which is freedom of religion. And to remember our brothers and sisters in other nations who do not enjoy the same freedom to worship God in the way they choose. (See the article below on the Christian woman in Sudan sentenced to death.)

Director of Communications Greg Nelson, left today with a team of 14 on a mission trip to Maua, Kenya. They will be building an AIDS orphan house, working with the hospital, providing school supplies, and painting a world map along with other projects. Greg will return to the office around the third of August. If you have any articles for this newsletter in the meantime, please send them to me at
sally@umoi.org for consideration.

Sally Blanchard, Administrative Assistant for Communications and Finance

CONFERENCE NEWS

New summer hours for the Conference Center!

Please be aware that beginning July 7, 2014, the Conference Center in Portland will have new office hours for the summer.

The Conference Center will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and will be closed on Friday. The Conference Staff have adjusted their work hours to accommodate this new schedule.

In September, the Conference Treasurer/Benefits Officer, Belinda Denicola, will review the new office hours with the Cabinet, CFA, local churches and other Conference leaders to determine if these hours will become a more permanent schedule.

Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Denicola at (503) 802-9222 if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you and God Bless!

New resources for sharing Annual Conference

While over 550 people gathered for the 46th Annual Conference session when it met in Salem last month, the decisions, stories, and messages of the conference are available for all Oregon-Idaho United Methodists. New videos, pictures, and resources have just been added to the conference website so you can see, hear, and share the stories and events of Annual Conference.

Find yourself in the UMC Gala pictures, prove to your relatives that you really did participate in the 5K run for Imagine No Malaria, and view the sermons from the conference worship. It’s all available at www.umoi.org/SharingAnnualConference2014.

Missing anything from Annual Conference?

Three pairs of reading glasses, a pair of sunglasses, an eye glasses case and a music stand were among the found items after the conference session ended. If any of these items look like they belong to you, please contact Sally Blanchard at the Conference office at 503-802-9206.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE

Youth Workers Retreat Planned for October 10-11

Youth workers from all over the conference will be meeting at Alton L. Collins Retreat Center on October 10 and 11, 2014, for a time to learn together, meet new people and find colleagues for support and encouragement in our ministries with youth. They will gather on Friday night for dinner and depart sometime Saturday afternoon. Details will be coming later but for now the leaders want to make sure that all who are interested save this date on their calendar. The youth workers retreat is open to all who are working with youth in our OR-ID United Methodist local churches. Conference youth ministry funds will help subsidize this event to make if affordable for everyone. If you have questions don't hesitate to contact Rev. Jeff Lowery revjlow@yahoo.com.

Register now for Justice Movement conference at Lake Tahoe

Register now for "Stepping Out in Faith", the Labor Day weekend conference of the Western Methodist Justice Movement. This is a family event at Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center at Lake Tahoe. People from all over the Western Jurisdiction and beyond will meet to worship, learn, plan, and play together. The early registration deadline is July 15; after that date the fee per person will increase by $25. Details about the program, speakers, and registration are available on the website at www.wmjm.org.

AROUND THE GLOBE

NCC still concerned over Sudanese Christian

WASHINGTON (UMNS) – The National Council of Churches, one of a multitude of international government and religious organizations protesting the death sentence in Sudan of a Christian woman, expressed relief that Meriam Ibrahim's sentence has been vacated. But the council expressed ongoing concern that Ibrahim, 27, has been denied permission to leave Sudan and may still be in danger.
Read the rest of this story.

UMTV: Church soccer outreach

SEVILLE, Fla. (UMNS) – Caught up in World Cup fever? This video shares how Seville Trinity United Methodist Church is using soccer to connect with recent immigrants to the area.
Watch the video and leave comments here.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Imagine No Malaria launches new website

Nashville, Tenn.: Imagine No Malaria has brought new life to the net with an easier-to-use website at ImagineNoMalaria.org. The website launch comes in conjunction with an insecticide-treated bed net distribution in Sierra Leone last month. Trained volunteers provided nearly 400,000 nets and education about the preventable disease in the Bo District.

With easy navigation, the new website offers visitors a visual introduction to malaria, which claims a life every 60 seconds, and the importance of Imagine No Malaria in beating this disease through prevention, communication, trained health workers, facilities, and grassroots education.

United Methodists are committed to ending death and suffering from malaria. To date, we have raised 83 percent of our goal with just over $62 million in gifts and pledges. United Methodists across the world are working hard to reach and celebrate our $75 million goal before the denomination’s General Conference in 2016.

Safe, secure and easy giving opportunities are available on the site so that anyone can participate in the effort to eradicate this disease. Visitors can make one-time gifts and pledges of any amount, but many individuals participate with a recurring pledge of $28 per month over three years, to potentially save the lives of up to 100 children at risk for contracting the deadly disease. Additionally, visitors can get a glimpse at the lives Imagine No Malaria is changing through video diaries, touching photos and new stories.

RETREAT AND CAMPING CONNECTION

Why I am going to camp

We get daily reminders of why this ministry is so important:

Campers and parents who experience a radical transformation because of a first encounter with community in the outdoors;
Adult retreat attendees who write about their experience of hospitality, peace, and adventure;
The hundreds of people who can’t help but respond with generous gifts so that camps and retreats can be experienced as many people as possible and in as beautiful a setting as possible.

These are all wonderful to hear! However, my first call to ministry didn't occur only hearing about other people’s lives at camp. I had to go to camp. Read the rest of this story

Eric Conklin, Assistant for Camp and Retreat Ministries