Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020
Dear Reader,
The daffodils outside my office have bloomed – early signs that spring is near and life in the church is about to get quite hectic.
In this week’s edition of the UM Connector we’ve got information for you on the upcoming Greater NW Area Shared Annual Conference Session. It’s a basic introduction to the shared annual conference session, which will happen only a few weeks after the two week-long General Conference 2020 session in Minneapolis.
As you’ll notice in this week’s news release about Annual Conference, there are details still to come as folks from the Alaska, Pacific Northwest and Oregon-Idaho Conferences work to create an adaptive plan for our June gathering. As more information becomes available, your Conference communicators will be sure to keep you “in the know.”
As you scroll through this week’s newsletter, I invite you to be in prayer for those who are debating, creating and planning for our shared time together this spring – be it General or Annual Conference gatherings.
May we seek God’s patience, strength, and revelation as we enter this new season.
With gratitude,
Kristen Caldwell
Interim Communications Director
CONFERENCE NEWS
Three Conferences of the Greater Northwest Area to hold shared annual session in Puyallup, Washington
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The Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Conferences of The United Methodist Church will meet together in a Shared Annual Conference Session June 11-14, 2020 at the Showplex Center on the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Wash.
The Greater Northwest Shared Annual Conference Session (GNWAC2020) is expected to begin formally at 2:30 PM on Thursday, June 11th and conclude with a service of commissioning and ordination starting at 10:30 AM on Sunday, June 14th. As we learn of pre-conference meetings for different groups, we’ll work to add them to the preliminary schedule.
UPDATE: Please note the local phone number for the Fairfield Inn is: (253) 770-3100
Read more of this story as well as important details regarding lodging on the Greater NW Area website.
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OR-ID Holy Land Task Force 'horrified' by Trump peace plan
Submitted by the Holy Land Task Force
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"The members of the OR/ID Holy Land Task Force were horrified by the announcement of the “Deal of the Century/Peace Plan” recently announced by the Trump and Netanyahu administrations. We know that many share in our dismay. Some have commented on the timing of the announcement – midstream in Trump’s impeachment trial and preceding Netanyahu’s third attempt to retain his position as Israel’s prime minister in the face of recently filed corruption charges. Others are struck by the incongruity of a “peace” plan that was drawn up with NO input from one of the parties to it – the Palestinians.
One of our Task Force members, Rev. Dr. Alex Awad, shared his perspective (as a Palestinian Christian now living in the US) of this “plan” with United Methodists for Kairos Response and our Task Force:"
Read more of this statement on the Conference website.
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President Kuan to stay with Claremont
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Claremont School of Theology’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to extend the contract of the Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan to continue to serve as CST’s president.
Board Chair, the Rev. Patricia Farris, said, “We believe that CST is blessed to have the dedication and commitment from our President that provides the leadership necessary to guide CST through these critical and generative days to secure the future of CST as part of Willamette. We are strong and our mission is foremost in all we do. With President Kuan, we look forward to a future of witness and
service.”
President Kuan joined CST in 2013 when the school faced significant challenges. The Board expressed gratitude for his leadership over the last six years and for his vision of seeing CST thrive at Willamette University.
Read more of this story from the Claremont website.
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AROUND THE GREATER NW AREA
WJ First Elected Delegates agree to legislative goals for General Conference 2020
“We, the First Elected Delegates to General Conference 2020 from the Annual Conferences making up the Western Jurisdiction, appreciate the earnest collaborative work on the Protocol of Grace and Reconciliation through Separation. We are hopeful that it is a connectional path to fulfilling God’s call to mission and ministry. Although we are disappointed with the proposed need to pay for those who wish to leave the denomination, we understand the need for compromise. We believe the Protocol will offer a promising option for maintaining the connection.”
Read more of this press release on the Western Jurisdiction website.
INSPIRING GENEROSITY: Legacy Giving – Love that low-hanging fruit, Part I
In this week’s blog post Cesie Delve Scheuermann looks at one of the easiest ways for churches to increase generosity: through legacy giving.
She points out statistics that show by the time someone enters their 70 th or 80 th decade, there is a 75 percent chance they’ve established an estate plan. Sadly only 8 percent of those who have established a plan have built into it charitable contributions.
“The good news: The longer the length of the relationship to any organization, the more likely that gift will come to the organization from that donor. An individual who has been giving consistently for 30 years or more, especially if there is some type of volunteer relationship, has a very high likelihood of a planned gift to the organization.”
Read more of Cesie’s latest blog on the Conference website. |
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UM Development Fund: Interview with Julia Frisbie from NW UM Foundation
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Recently, Julia Frisbie, associate director for the Northwest United Methodist Foundation, sat down with the United Methodist Development Fund to talk about some of the work the organization does.
“Even though we're independent from the annual conferences and are not funded by apportionments, we still see our work as a ministry. We help churches with planned giving, loans, grants, endowment consultation, ethical investing... basically we get to be cheerleaders and behind-the-scenes supporters for a bunch of incredible mission happening in the northwest!”
Read more of this interview on the UM Development Fund website.
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Clear appointment openings
Clergy can visit the Greater NW website to learn of appointment openings throughout the episcopal area. Go to https://greaternw.org/clear-appointment-openings
AROUND THE GLOBE
Liberians want change in separation plan
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Liberian United Methodists say they won’t support a proposed separation plan for The United Methodist Church without major amendments, and they call on other African members to join in pushing for those changes at the 2020 General Conference.
A resolution approved Feb. 14 by the denomination’s Liberia Conference at its regular annual meeting in Ganta also expresses unhappiness over having no direct input in the development of the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation.
Read more of this story from United Methodist News Service.
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Africa University Founding Father dies at 87
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The Rev. John Wesley Z. Kurewa, a founding father and first vice chancellor of Africa University, is being remembered as “a prophet of extraordinary gentleness” who followed the direction of the Holy Spirit in every move he made.
Kurewa died Feb. 15 at age 87.
James H. Salley, Africa University associate vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement, said Kurewa laid a solid foundation for the university to grow into what it has become. The first commencement was in 1994 with 27 graduates from four African countries. In 2019, the university celebrated its 25th commencement with more than 500 graduates from 22 African nations.
Read more of this story from United Methodist News Service.
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Church giving overcomes worst fears in 2019
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The good news about United Methodist giving in 2019 is that the news was not all bad.
Immediately after the contentious special General Conference, giving to general church ministries plummeted. The denomination’s finance agency raised alarms in May that if trends continued, the apportionment collections rate would be in the 70% range — well below what was seen during the 2008-2010 global recession.
By the end of 2019, the General Council on Finance and Administration reports, the collection rate had rebounded somewhat. GCFA received nearly 85% of requested giving — below recent years but exceeding the most dire projections.
Read more of this story from United Methodist News Service.
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RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
UMW Crane Scholarship application still open
Women of Oregon-Idaho Conference, who are pursuing post-graduate studies for a vocation in the church, are invited to apply for the Gertrude Boyd Crane Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year. Information and the application form can be found on the United Methodist Women page of the Oregon-Idaho Conference United Methodist Church website. https://www.umoi.org/cranescholarship.
The deadline for applications is May 30, 2020.
UMC Mission Volunteers hosting an upcoming training
Mission Volunteers is currently promoting our upcoming training in April.
Mission Volunteers are individuals or couples (ages 18 and up), who seek long-term partnerships with communities around the world. Mission Volunteer opportunities are diverse and range from working with refugees, children and youth, serving as a teacher, pastor, camp director or health care professional. The length of service ranges from two months to more than two years. To be a Mission Volunteer, apply online to attend an upcoming training where you will be prepared for partnership and mission in the world.
April 22 – 25th, 2020
Lake Williamson Christian Center
17280 Lakeside Drive
Carlinville, IL 62626
Nearest airport – St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
Visit https://www.umcmission.org//serve-with-us/mission-volunteers to apply.
IN REMEMBRANCE
LaRae Groves
December 19, 1939 – February 10, 2020
LaRae Groves, spouse of pastor Eugene Groves, died on February 10, 2020. LaRae is survived by her husband, Eugene; children, Jeffry and Joel; and two grandchildren.
Rev. Groves served at Sutherlin-Wilbur in the Oregon-Idaho Conference and at Chugiak, Fairbanks and Anchorage First in the Alaska Conference.
A memorial service has not been scheduled yet.
For more information and to offer condolences, friends may contact Eugene Groves at 1305 West 45th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 95503 or at (907) 229-2605.
Katharine Trost Stultz
September 27, 1927 – February 2, 2020
Katharine Trost Stultz, surviving spouse of pastor John E. Trost, died on February 2, 2020.
Reverend Trost served at Weiser-Huntington and Boise: Collister-Eagle in the Oregon-Idaho Conference. He also served at Mariana Grace, Malone and Cambellton-Spring Hill in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. He retired in 1976.
Elaine Stanovsky, Bishop
Dan Wilson-Fey, Conference Treasurer and Benefits Officer
