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GNW AREA NEWS | Thursday, Jan. 13, 2021

Dear Reader,

Yesterday, I stood in my backyard here in Vancouver and soaked up a few minutes of the sun. It was a beautiful break from the rain that has created so much flooding across Washington. In Alaska, there is record wind and snow with which to contend. In Oregon, landslides. In Idaho, cold temperatures and contentious snow storms.

I’m convinced this weather is a metaphor for the pandemic. It seems inescapable and unending.

So, we have to work a little harder to find the light – or a dry spot – that ministers to our souls.

I hope you’re able to find it, hold onto it for a few minutes, hours or days, and remember what it feels like if and when it disappears.

The sun – metaphorical and literal – will return to us some day.

We can only hope.

Kristen Caldwell
Oregon-Idaho Conference Communications Manager


GNW AREA NEWS

Newly-formed GNW Vitality Commission begins its work

Early in January, members of the newly-formed GNW Vitality Commission met for the first time to consider how to best structure and support innovation and vitality efforts across the area. In a letter inviting members in November, Bishop Elaine Stanovsky wrote, “The formation of the Vitality Commission is our opportunity to take a deep breath, learn from recent experience, and adapt how we support this work to involve more people in decision-making ..." | Read this story on the GNW News site.

Time to upgrade the masks we use and require?

Improving the masks we use to protect ourselves and others is overdue according to a growing number of scientists and public health experts. For the GNW COVID-19 Response Team, Patrick Scriven shares some steps churches and individuals should consider as Omicron spreads across the area. | Read more on the GNW News site.

Clergy wellness: Holding reflective space

Over the past two years, Rev. Mary Huycke shares that she has encountered more exhaustion among clergy than she has seen in her 30 years of ministry. While understanding that it may be seen as more work, she writes that it is essential clergy set apart regular space and find a person to reflect upon their ministry and its impact upon them. | Read more of this blog on the GNW News site.

Omicron causes churches to reconsider online-only worship

Spokane Faith & Values spoke the Rev. Cody Natland as a part of a story about how different churches are navigating the pandemic especially as case numbers surge in the Spokane Area. Natland, who serves as pastor of Moran UMC, shares why his faith and understanding of Wesley led him to pause in-person worship services for four weeks. | Read more on the Spokane FAVs site.

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES

Free webinar: "We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry"

Sponsored by the Cascadia District Church Extension Society of the Oregon-Idaho Conference, the webinar "We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry" is free and open to anyone in the Greater Northwest Area of The UMC to attend.

The webinar, which begins at 9 a.m. AK time, 10 a.m. PST, 11 a.m. MST, will feature author of the book by the same title, Mark Elsdon. Bonus: Everyone who registers will receive a free copy of Elsdon's book.

Learn more & register here →

GLOBAL NEWS

Bilingual appoints give new life to declining Korean churches

The Wisconsin Conference has begun a creative new type of appointment, known as a bilingual appointment, to help respond to the trend of declining Korean and other ethnic churches. While such appointments can be challenging for pastors, there are benefits to assigning clergy to two congregations with different backgrounds. | Read more of this story from UM News Service.

2021 notable church members remembered

United Methodists over the past 12 months have marked the passing of influential church leaders, the inventor of a beloved children’s toy, and the woman believed to be the last remaining U.S. Civil War widow. This list of 39 notable deaths includes five deaths from late 2020. | Read more of this story from UM News Service.

Churches face another test with omicron 

The high-speed surge of the omicron variant is presenting another pandemic challenge to United Methodist churches, prompting some to back away from in-person gatherings, with others making more modest changes. | Read more of this story from UM News Service.

People of God campaign #beUMC

This month, the UMC’s People of God campaign is celebrating our resilience. We continue to find the strength to persevere through trials and face tomorrow with God at our side. You can share this inspiring message by downloading digital resources, such as worship graphics, social media images and more, available in English and Spanish. | Learn more on the Resource UMC website.

 
The Greater Northwest Episcopal Area provides leadership for the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and the Pacific Northwest Conferences of The United Methodist Church.
www.greaternw.org | 206.870.6810 | Toll- Free: 800.755.7710