February 26, 2015

Dear Reader,

This issue of the Connector has lots of information about Annual Conference session shared by Conference Lay Leader Mary Foote and others. Read carefully for important deadlines coming up very soon.

Bishop Hagiya's blog is a must read for Lent and there are useful resources from the Camp and Retreat Ministry and UMCOR.

Sally Blanchard, Communications Assistant

(Greg Nelson, Communications Director, is on assignment in the Holy Lands through March 7. There will not be a Connector next week.)

COMMENTARY

Conference Lay Leader

Mary Foote

Annual Conference is months away - or just a blink of an eye!

The Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference will begin Thursday, June 11, 2015 in Salem Oregon. For some of us, that’s a lifetime away. For others, it’s like a nap on the couch.

I’d like to share some information you can use now and give you a heads-up on when to seek other information. If you’re planning to submit an application to present a Laity Workshop, please notice, the deadline for returning applications is March 6, 2015.

Are you interested in learning more about being a General Conference/ Jurisdictional Conference lay delegate? You can download Information about the responsibilities of lay delegates and the laity profile form. If the delegate profile is returned by May 1, 2015, we'll share the profile electronically with the lay members to AC - the voters. Nominations are accepted from the floor as well, but time will limit information dissemination.
Read more and find the links you need on Mary’s blog

Reminder: Clergy Nomination Deadline March 1

This is a reminder to Oregon-Idaho deacons and elders in full connection: the deadline for submitting nominations for General and Jurisdictional delegates is March 1. Each clergy member is invited to nominate FIVE eligible clergy for the slate of nominees. Any eligible clergy person who would like to become a nominee can do so by sending an email to the Conference Secretary (this can be in addition to the five other names for the slate).

Oregon-Idaho will elect a total of four clergy delegates for Jurisdictional Conference, plus at least two additional reserves. Our nominating process (outlined in Conference Rule 2.210, found on page 216 of the 2014 Journal) is designed to allow those who feel called to this unique and challenging work to be highlighted on the slate as all full member clergy vote in June.

Please submit nominations (as well as any questions about the process) to the Conference Secretary, Laura Jaquith Bartlett, at revlaurajbartlett@gmail.com.

March 7 is the deadline for Legislation

Legislative Assembly, a representative group of Annual Conference members chosen to review proposed legislation that will come before the Annual Conference Session in June, will meet April 12-13 at Portland First UMC. The deadline to turn in action requests, standing resolutions and General Conference petitions is March 7. Please contact Rev. Warren Light at peaceuofo@yahoo.com if you need assistance.
For more information and forms to use please see the Legislative Assembly section on the conference website.

Reminder for Clergy making changes

Clergy who are contemplating some kind of "conference relationship" change need to remember to be in touch with the Board of Ordained Ministry through the Conference Relations Registrar, Dan Wilson-Fey. Nearly every change requires some paperwork (of course!) and an interview with the Board, so it's better to start the process sooner rather than later. The Book of Discipline outlines the procedure for these changes, which include retirement (par. 358), any type of Leave of Absence (par. 354), maternity/paternity leave (par 356), and Honorable Location (par. 359). Note that a renewal leave is not defined as a change of conference relationship, so is handled through the local church and the District Superintendent. Questions can be directed to Dan; the Board is eager to assist clergy who need support in these matters. Email to dwilsonfey@gmail.com

AROUND THE CONFERENCE

Rev. Duane Anders.

Watch the one hour video

Signs of Life: FOUND!

District training committees from the Columbia District of the Oregon-Idaho Conference and the Vancouver District of the Pacific Northwest Conference went looking for signs of life. And they found them at a Saturday training with over 200 participants from those two districts and others.

Signs of Life: Re-imagining the Church in the Pacific Northwest drew teams from at least four districts to Portland’s First United Methodist Church for a day of listening, thinking, and conversation.

Keynote speaker Rev. Duane Anders of First United Methodist Church in Boise, The Cathedral of the Rockies, kicked off the morning with his vision of where to seek, and encourage, the signs of life in church. One of his methods is to apply the APGAR score, used for assessing infants at birth, to a local church setting. What are the scores for Appearance, Pulse rate, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration values for a church?

Bishop Grant Hagiya

Blog post by Bishop Grant Hagiya

I recently participated in a visitation of our European military chaplains through the United Methodist Endorsing Agency, part of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. I got to visit with our chaplains and hear their stories at bases in Italy, Germany, and England. The trip culminated in a family retreat for these chaplains in Germany.

I am always impressed with the breadth and depth of our chaplains. These servants, and their families, endure many challenges and sacrifices while serving abroad for our armed forces.
Read more on the PNW website

Board of Ordained Ministry welcomes new assistant

The Board of Ordained Ministry is pleased to announce that retired OR-ID clergy member Janet Farrell is the Board's new Administrative Assistant. She brings a depth of experience to this position in that she has served on the Board as well as DCOM and will be an effective and helpful link between the Board and its constituents. She began her duties in January and she can be reached at bom@umoi.org or by phone 503-583-1972. Welcome Janet!

Five day academy to return to Northwest

The Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation provides a place to nourish your spiritual life and seek a spirituality deeply rooted in the Christian faith and tradition. Are you looking for a community of people on a similar journey? The Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation may be for you.

The next session will be held February 21-26, 2016 in Federal Way, Washington. Save the dates and plan to experience “Sacred Encounter: The Journey from Contemplation to Action”. Download an event brochure to learn what past attendees have said and who the leaders and presenters will be.
.

In the news

In an article titled “The little church that could,” the East Oregonian recently profiled the challenges and opportunities facing the Pendleton United Methodist Church as it works to make an aging facility, an antique boiler, a central downtown location, and small but caring congregation into an effective force in the community. Here is the link to the article.

AROUND THE GLOBE

World Methodist Council Urges Prayer for Abducted Missionary in Nigeria

On Tuesday of this week, news of the abduction of Rev. Phyllis Sortor, a missionary for The Free Methodist Church, began circulating around the globe. On hearing this news, The World Methodist Council notes with concern the increase in kidnapping for ransom of Christians by criminal and ideologically motivated groups.

Bishop Ivan Abrahams, General Secretary for The World Methodist Council , stated, “We join Rev. Sortor’s family, the Free Methodist Church and all people of goodwill to pray for her and those working for her safe and secure release.”
The Free Methodist Church is a member church of The World Methodist Council, a worldwide association of 80 Methodist, Wesleyan, United and Uniting Churches representing over 80.5 million people.

Related Link:
Prayers of Solidarity from the United Methodist Church - http://www.umcmission.org/learn-about-us/news-and-stories/2015/february/0225prayersofsolidarity

Imagine No Malaria Recognized as Superhero at Global Meeting

(UMNS) NASHVILLE, Tenn.: Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of The United Methodist Church to prevent and treat malaria, has received a Superhero Award from the Rotarians Action Group on Malaria. The award was given during the recent annual meeting of the Alliance for Malaria Prevention in Geneva.

Imagine No Malaria, the only faith-based organization represented among the award recipients, was recognized for its grassroots efforts in reaching rural and hard to reach areas with its prevention methods. Dr. Olusimbo Ige, executive director, Global Health for the General Board of Global Ministries was on hand to receive the award, which was signified by the bestowing of a red “superhero” cape. Drake Zimmerman, vice chair of the Rotarians Action Group on Malaria, made the presentation.

Read the article

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Hold a Relief Kit assembly fair to help UMCOR

If you are looking for a fun and easy way to celebrate UMCOR’s 75th anniversary with your church or community, look no further than hosting a Relief-Kit Assembly Fair. Download the guide to see the impact each kit has.
Guide

There are several types of kits UMCOR uses to provide aid to those who need it most. To learn which kits are needed most, visit the Relief-Supply Kits page today!
http://www.umcor.org/UMCOR/Relief-Supplies

A 4^TH Grade Perspective

Ten year old Miriam Fridel took on the subject of Imagine No Malaria for a persuasive writing assignment … and it paid off! Her fourth grade class collected donations, listened to each student make their case about where the money should be donated, and then voted on which charity they would support. Miriam is in the dual language program at Whitney Elementary in Boise, ID.
http://greaternw.org/inm/4th-grade-perspective/

RETREAT and CAMPING CONNECTION

Camp promotional materials ready for use by churches

If your church or organization is promoting Camp and Retreat Ministries, but not sure what resources to use, this page has some fabulous resources to use. For example, the picture below is of the six slides that can be projected overhead before, during, or after your gathering. If you have the capability, there is a link for you to use and print off more posters. The office has a few more posters available to churches if they have a place to post more than the original copies they received! The posters include program schedules for each site on the bottom. You will also find inserts to pass out within the context of your own print materials (worship bulletins, newsletters, etc.). Finally, there are some worship resources that churches can use to incorporate the Camp story into any worship setting.
http://gocamping.org/news/camp-promotions/