October 23, 2014

Dear Reader,
Today I’m where it all started. In 1736 John Wesley and his brother Charles began their ministry here in Savannah, Georgia. Wesley came to convert natives and minister to the colonists. In his eyes it was a dismal failure. Charles only lasted four months before heading back to England. John didn’t last much longer. After about a year and a half, he too found himself heading back. But John would go on to do much more!

To me it’s a reminder that things happen in God’s time. And we don’t always know what that is. I’m grateful that John Wesley persisted in his ministry after leaving Georgia.

I’m also grateful for the many United Methodist Communicators that are gathered here this week. These writers, photographers and web wizards work hard to tell the story of the church and support vitality in our local congregations.

Greg Nelson, Director of Communications

CONFERENCE NEWS

Bishop’s Blog:
Wrong Place – Wrong Time

In his latest blog post, Bishop Grant Hagiya shares how a random set of events landed him with a ticket; and he explains the lesson he is inclined to draw from it. Read it on the Greater Northwest Area website.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE

Grant provides internship
opportunity in Central Oregon

With support from a $5,000 Young Clergy Initiative grant from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and a partnership between Suttle Lake Camp and the Fossil United Methodist Church, a new internship opportunity is now available.

The intern will live at the Suttle Lake Camp for eight to nine months and work with the Fossil church and other churches in the High Dessert Cooperative focusing on youth and men’s ministry. The position will provide intentional mentoring as the intern combines exploration of ministry with hands-on experience in rural settings.

This is the second grant in the Greater Northwest Area designed to allow young people to explore their personal vocational direction in ministry. An earlier grant is supporting three interns working with local congregations in Oregon and Washington.

Learn more about the Central Oregon opportunity at www.umoi.org/classifieds.

Book to offer Christian insight into historic figures

Shelley Burtner Wallace, daughter of Oregon-Idaho clergyman Robert Burtner, who died in 2011, has collected and edited 11 biographical sermons of historic figures including Martin Buber, Dag Hammarskjöld, Abraham Lincoln, and others.

She is in the process of making arrangements to have the volume published and would like to hear from anyone who in interested in purchasing. This will allow her to better gauge the number to have published. It is anticipated the purchase price will be around $10 via Powell’s Books. If you are interested in the book, or would like to learn more, contact Shelly Burtner Wallace at shewallace@gmail.com.

AROUND THE GLOBE

United Methodist-related hospital answers Ebola call

DALLAS (UMNS) — Methodist Health System in Dallas has agreed to provide space for specialized treatment of Ebola, should more cases materialize in Texas. Gov. Rick Perry announced the involvement of Methodist, among other health care systems. A Methodist Health System facility in Richardson, Texas, near Dallas, will offer an entire floor for Ebola treatment. "It is the right thing to do," said Stephen Mansfield, president and CEO of Methodist Health System. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.

Volunteers 'beat the clock' in Alaskan village

GALENA, Alaska (UMNS) — Volunteers who spent two-week stints rebuilding homes in Alaska over the summer "beat the clock," completing their work in this remote fishing village before winter set in. Most of the homes were destroyed when an ice jam flooded the Yukon River in May 2013. Read more on the United Methodist Committee on Relief website.

Great Plains votes to end clergy health benefits

WICHITA, Kan. (UMNS) — By a vote of 1,066 to 158, clergy and lay members of the Great Plains Annual Conference decided to end the conference health plan for local church clergy and enrolled lay employees in January 2015. That means many United Methodist employees in the conference, which encompasses Kansas and Nebraska, will need to get insurance from marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act. Church pastors serving three-fourths and full-time will receive a $14,232 "health care allowance." Read more on the Great Plains website.

Early warning proposed for
General Conference legislation

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) — What if General Conference delegates could get a heads up that legislation might be in trouble without waiting for a Judicial Council ruling? That is an aim of the Advance Legislative Research Panel proposed by the Commission on General Conference. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Sierra Service Projects in Portland and Vernonia

This school year marks Sierra Service Project’s (SSP) fifth year offering Weekends of Service for local youth groups. Each weekend starts on Friday evening and ends on Sunday afternoon. Weekend projects range from full group community service activities to standard repair projects. They may start and finish a project in a weekend, or teams may be a part of a long-term project. In most cases youth teams are working with local nonprofits and not individual homeowners. This provides learning opportunities for youth to learn from the nonprofits about the work they are doing in the community and why it is important.

They hope to enroll 25-45 volunteers in each session. All weekends are combined middle school and high school youth. Youth grades 6 through 12 are welcome to participate. The cost for these programs is $110 per participant and includes all meals, lodging for two nights, tools, building materials and a t-shirt. Their commitment is that no youth should be excluded from participating due to lack of money; scholarships are available.

SSP is currently developing weekends in Portland on January 16-18 (MLK Jr. Holiday) and February 13-15 (Presidents’ Day). In Vernonia they are planning for February 20-22 and March 20-22. More information can be found on the Sierra Service Project website.

UMC Market
offers new option

UMC Market has introduced a new Special Offer section of UMCmarket. You can now take advantage of this additional way of donating to your church or ministry. These deals come directly from the stores and will immediately generate a donation at the time of your order. These special offers will donate a dollar amount rather than a percentage of your purchase. Log in to UMCmarket.org and click on our OFFERS page to make sure the donation reaches your church.