Bishop Elaine Stanovsky

Do No Harm: Fighting Covid-19

In the first of her three part Episcopal Address to the people of the Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church, Bishop Stanovsky encourages us to "stay at home, wear a mask, keep physical distance, but don't hunker down." She implores us to keep loving our neighbors as ourselves and to deepen relationships of spiritual depth and care.

"To combat declining mental, emotional and spiritual health experienced by many during the COVID-19 pandemic, I call United Methodists to return to the deep well of God’s love and grace, revealed in Jesus Christ, as we remember, refresh and reclaim the spiritual strength and courage of our faith preserved in the scriptures, hymns, prayers, teachings, and practices of our Church.  And I call on new generations to lead us into new expressions and practices that have the power to bless people in this pandemic with fortitude and resilience."

Read the full address by clicking here.

Do Good: Dismantling  Racism

In the second address, Bishop Stanvosky declares that she is "committed to leading United Methodists in the Alaska Conference, Oregon-Idaho Conference, and Pacific Northwest Conference to make dismantling systemic racism within the church and throughout society a long-term missional priority."   She invites us to venture outside the values, beliefs, and ways of living that we have spent a lifetime learning, so that we can move beyond the wilderness in which we now live and follow God's leading onto the path of right relationship.

"I am learning to hear and see that the standards, norms and habits I was taught to value are not universally shared by all people from every culture. Slowly, I am learning that as a leader, that if I simply, unconsciously, lead the Church according to the cultural norms that are natural to me, I will inadvertently, unconsciously perpetuate ways of working and relating that do not work for many of its members. I will continue practices that silence the gifts, insights and wisdom of people raised in different cultural contexts. I am learning to recognize that white people and Black people do not share the same life experiences or the same generational memory and interpretation of history. These differences mean that we view the ways of the world we share very differently. . . But we have a chance today, in this generation, to learn to hear and see what we have not wanted to admit – that our nation is not fair, rights are not equal, and systems are not just. And we have the opportunity to journey with Jesus on a straight path that might lead to a just, equal, fair and beloved community."

Read the full address by clicking here.

Stay in Love with God: Weaving a Connectional Future for United Methodism

In the third address, Bishop Stanovsky asks the question, "Will the future of United Methodism by United or Untied?" She reviews many challenges and asks many questions, reminding us that it is up to us what happens.  She shares the work of one area-wide working group, which decided to ask people why they are United Methodist.  They made a video, "I Am a United Methodist Because . . ." (click here to watch it)

"Between now and General Conference in September 2021, we need to test and grow our faith to a deeper level where we trust that Jesus gives us One Faith, One Lord, One Baptism, even though we live out our faith in different ways. At the core we are not divided. Our gifts all serve one Savior, who gives us the grace to live, worship and serve together. We can endure this rough patch if we stay in relationship, if we learn to talk about what we hold most close, if we let love bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. . . if we grow to know and love one another, we will be united and connected in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. What was it Jesus said? “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). What would Jesus do with us if we gathered in small gatherings, learned to love each other, and asked him what he wants for us? What if the “connection” became personal instead of institutional? What if it was about loving relationships with one another, about how a local church relates to its community or how one local church comes alongside another local church in times of joy and distress – to share each other’s burdens? What if the future of United Methodism rested on a weaving of connections between people who are learning to see, know and love each other? Now that would be a strong connection."

Read the full address by clicking here.