Dec. 4, 2017

Dear Reader,

The conference office has welcome three new employees this month. I’m particularly happy to welcome Kristen Caldwell to the communications team. She was the curator for today’s UM Connector. With Kristen’s help we’ll be able to share more stories of vital churches and conference happenings with you in the months ahead.

Today’s commentary (read to the end) was written before President Trump made his announcement about the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. But it helps us focus on what is behind this announcement.

The United Methodist Church holds a position that Jerusalem should be a shared city, not dedicated to any one government. General secretaries of Church and Society (Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe) and Global Ministries (Thomas Kemper) responded with a letter to the church. Our own Holy Land Task Force has also prepared a letter for President Trump and other elected officials. You can use them as the basis for your own communication.

And as we pray for the world, we also pray for our own church. Sunday marks the beginning of the Oregon-Idaho Conference’s week of pray in support of the Commission on a Way Forward. Watch for special mention in church and each day on our Facebook page.

Grace and peace,

Greg Nelson, Director of Communications

CONFERENCE NEWS

Praying Our Way Forward starts Sunday

UMC Prays logo

Starting Sunday, the people and churches of the Oregon-Idaho Conference are being called into a week-long prayer and meditation for the Commission on the Way Forward.

The people of The United Methodist Church are joining together in prayer. Praying Our Way Forward is an initiative of the Council of Bishops to hold The United Methodist Church in prayer while the work of the Commission on a Way Forward does its work.

Churches in the Oregon-Idaho Conference are being asked to participate in various ways from Sunday, Dec. 10 through Saturday, Dec. 16.

The Commission on a Way Forward was proposed by the Council of Bishops and approved by the 2016 General Conference to do a complete examination and possible revision of every paragraph of the Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and explore options that help to maintain and strengthen the unity of the Church. Their work will come to a special called session of the General Conference, February 23-26, in St. Louis, Missouri.

New staff hired, positions shift at conference center

The Oregon-Idaho Conference has hired three new staff members recently and re-aligned another position to meet the growing and changing needs of the churches and individuals that make up the conference.

David Sneed has been hired as the accounts payable assistant in the finance department, Holly Dolan will serve as the registrar for camping and retreat ministries and Kristen Caldwell is the new communications associate.

Sally Blanchard, who has been working for the Oregon-Idaho Conference for the last five years as an administrative assistant for finance and communications, as well as annual conference session manager, is moving into a hybrid position as conference projects manager for mission and ministry while continuing the annual conference sessions manager role.

“This will provide us with the opportunity to continue to deepen and expand our connection between the conference and our local churches – expanding the range of projects we’re able to do,” said the Rev. Lowell Greathouse, Oregon-Idaho Conference Director of Mission and Ministry. Read more about the changes at the conference level at www.umoi.org.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE

Church leader shares her reaction to #metoo campaign

Lydia Henry, Safe Sanctuaries coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Conference, discusses her emotional reaction – and how the church can be responding – to women rising up against sexual assault and harassment through the social media #metoo campaign.

Read Lydia's latest blog post on the conference website.

Local UMVIM leaders answer call for help in Texas

When a call came out from the Rio Texas Conference for help with relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on south Texas, Emergency Response Teams (ERT) from the Greater Northwest Area were ready to respond.

Specifically, Oregon-Idaho Conference members Larry Johnson, Maggie Skyberg, Brian McKennett and Jerry Iervolino heard the call and joined ERT members from the Pacific Northwest Conference in the Corpus Christie area on Nov. 3.

"As wheelbarrows of soggy possessions were heaped onto a pile of moldy sheet rock the atmosphere literally lifted. When we first arrived our clients were overwhelmed. As the piles grew to 30x10x8 feet, their spirits of hope were renewed,” Skyberg said. Read the full story of their adventure on the conference web site.

Inspiring generosity workshop coming up in Tigard

Individuals are encouraged to attend the "Inspiring Generosity in Your Congregation" workshop at Tigard United Methodist Church on Feb. 10. Chick Lane and Grace Duddy Pomroy, authors of “Embracing Stewardship” will be leading discussions about grounding stewardship conversations in scripture, exploring important generational differences as well as gaining practical tips to help your congregation become more generous. For more information on the workshop and register visit www.umoi.org/stewardship

Employment

Choir Director – Eagle, ID
Music leader – Phillomath, OR
See these, and other opportunities at www.umoi.org/classifieds

AROUND THE GLOBE

Zimbabwean women train in organic farming

HARARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) —Grocery stores around the world are expanding their organic food aisles, and Zimbabwean farmers are stepping up to meet the demand — with United Methodist help.

The United Methodist Women in Zimbabwe recently embarked on a five-day organic farming training at Fambidzanai Permaculture Training Center in the nation’s capital. The training saw them learning techniques to reduce the use of synthetic substances to maintain soil fertility in crop and animal production. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.

Refugee U.S. mayor-elect is United Methodist

HELENA, Mont. (UMNS) — Wilmot Collins recently made big news by getting elected mayor of a small city.

Media outlets across the U.S. and even internationally shared how a refugee from Liberia, in West Africa, was chosen last month to lead overwhelmingly white Helena, Montana.

Overlooked in the coverage was Collins’ United Methodist background. But he’s happy to talk about it, including his membership at Helena’s Covenant United Methodist Church.

“That church is family,” the 54-year-old Collins said by phone. “The warmth in that church is unmeasurable.”

UM News Service reports on Collins’ journey, and includes an interview with the Rev. Bill Mullette-Bauer, retired Oregon-Idaho Conference treasurer and Collins’ former pastor at Covenant United Methodist Church in Helena.

Gender gap persists for United Methodist clergy

CHICAGO — Women are still under-represented as clergy in The United Methodist Church, although the percentage varies by region. And, overall, clergywomen receive almost $4,000 less in annual salary than clergymen, according to the second half of a study conducted by Magaela C. Bethune on behalf of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women. Read more on the study and look at breakdowns in pay per conference.

UMC #GivingTuesday 2017 a success

More than 300 Global Ministries missionaries and more than 600 United Methodist-related projects will receive additional funding thanks to $677,399 in donations made on the national Giving Tuesday event on Nov. 28 through the UMC Advance.

Giving Tuesday is a quasi-holiday spurred after big retailer days following Thanksgiving such as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

With all of the donations made through the Advance, 100 percent of the money goes directly into the program a donor designates.

“The best part of The Advance is seeing people participate in God’s mission in ways that align with their deepest passions,” said Thomas Kemper, general secretary for the General Board of Global Ministries. “That’s the way God designed the world to work.”

For more information on how to continue to give generously this holiday season visit The United Methodist Committee on Relief web site.

Delegate counts for General Conference 2020 announced

There will be 862 voting delegates, based on a formula established by the Book of Discipline and the Commission on the General Conference. Oregon-Idaho Conference will continue to have one lay delegate and one clergy delegate when General Conference begins in Minneapolis in May 2020.

RESOURCES

Plan ahead for Human Relations Day

Human Relations Day is coming up Jan. 14, 2018. It’s the day of giving set aside in the United Methodist Church to recognize the rights of all God’s children. Contributions made to this program allow for churches to provide community outreach, social justice and at-risk youth.

There are plenty of resources available for local churches – everything from bulletin inserts to videos and posters – available through www.umcgiving.org

Quiz yourself on UMC, advent history

Do you know which Christmas carol Charles Wesley wrote? Do you know why the third candle in advent is pink?

Test your knowledge with this fun quiz. You might have ultimate understanding, could use more study on the topic or are, in Wesley’s words “moving on toward perfection.”

RETREAT AND CAMPING CONNECTION

Winter youth retreat filling up fast

Registration for the Winter Youth Retreat at Suttle Lake Camp Jan. 13-15, 2018, is filling up fast. Visit the Camping and Retreat Ministries web site or contact registrar Holly Dolan: registrar@umoi.org to reserve your spot.

COMMENTARY

Don’t mess around with Jerusalem

By Jeffrey Salkin

… A declaration of Jerusalem’s status is not what Israel needs. It’s what evangelical Christians want. …