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Conference Journal

Bishop's Blog
The Bishop has a new blog post for November. He discusses how our churches, and eventually the United Methodist Church, will die someday and that isn't always a bad thing because something will resurrect in its place. Read it here.

Reflections of a Running Reverend

My blog for this week is: Let Your Voice be Heard. If you have ever missed a week, you can read my previous blogs here.

Apportionment Report
The October apportionment report has been posted to the conference website. Check where your church is at, here. You only have two months left to reach 100%!

Volunteers In Mission

We just wanted to take a moment to remind you that Debbie Ervin is the Conference Volunteer In Mission (VIM) Coordinator. If your church has a desire to have a work team come to do some work, please contact her at akdrc99708@gmail.com or 907-978-0537. Teams from outside have already been inquiring about opportunities to volunteer in Alaska. Don't wait!

Sweatlodge Celebrates 10 Years!
AK Child & Family is happy to be celebrating the 10th Anniversary of their Sweatlodge. One way for you to help them celebrate is to contribute to their fundraiser. The top 10 contributors will participate in the sweatlodge ceremony on November 18. Please read the flyer for more information and to donate. Your last day to make a pledge is Wednesday, November 12 for the fundraiser!

The Chair

Former Alaska Pastor Jim Campbell's latest book is out. A copy can be obtained at Amazon.com for $16.75. Or, Jim LaBau is taking orders for copies autographed by Jim Campbell--delivery around Christmas--includes shipping from Jim Campbell--for $20. You can contact Jim LaBau at 907-344-1018 if you want an autographed copy.

Global Ministries Overview Booklet
This booklet gives an in-depth look at the mission statement of the General Board of Global Ministries and the different units and programs that make up this diverse organization.

Learn about the different types of missionaries and the work they are doing around the world. Find out what UMCOR is doing to be with those during times of crisis. And see how The Advance uses 100 percent of voluntary, second-mile and designated giving to serve the more than 850 projects with which it works.

United Methodist Student Day

United Methodist Student Day calls the church to support students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge. The offering provides scholarships for qualified United Methodist students. November 30 is set as this year's United Methodist Student Day, but your congregation may choose to celebrate UMSD on any Sunday during the year.

GivingTuesday, December 2
GivingTuesday will be here before we know it. There are several projects that we would like you to consider donating to. The Alaska United Methodist Conference is a missionary conference so we have several projects within our state that count on donor dollars to fund some of their work. You can find a listing of our Missionaries and local projects with Advance numbers here. Along with those projects is our Missional Priority - Imagine No Malaria. You can donate to this cause as well and even indicate your church in your donation so that your dollar amount donated can be added to your church's goal. It really is a win/win situation! You can download the directions on how to donate here.

Every gift made online through The Advance this year on December 2 will be matched up to $1 million (*see website for stipulations).

UMC #GivingTuesday offers an opportunity to start off the holiday season by giving instead of getting, through supporting organizations and missionaries that have been researched and approved by Global Ministries. And 100 percent of all gifts made through The Advance are given directly to the designated project.

Call for Mission u Study Leaders

The executive board of United Methodist Women of Alaska is accepting applications for Mission u Study Leaders for 2015-2016. Please find attached, in WORD and PDF, a summary of the courses to be facilitated throughout the Alaska Conference. Information and an application is included. Please note the deadline for applications is December 15, 2014.

Please distribute or forward this information to those you think may be interested in this wonderful opportunity.

You may contact Bonnie Miller at bonitajane@yahoo.com or 907-776-8555 or 907-440-1636 with any questions.

Bonnie has started a Blog which any news about Alaska Mission u will be posted periodically. You can see it at http://aumwmissionu.blogspot.com/.

Free Webinars
GBOD continues to offer FREE webinars for church leaders. Here is a list of the upcoming dates and titles in November. For more information and to register, go to www.gbod.org/webinars.

Wednesday, November 5 - Holy Play!
Thursday, November 13 - Seize the Day: Making the Most of Your "Special" Sundays
Tuesday, November 18 - Engaging Families and Children with Special Needs
Tuesday, November 18 - What to Preach - iKids: Parenting in the Digital Age

World AIDS Day - December 1, 2014 (or Sunday, November 30)

World AIDS Day, observed each year on December 1, provides an opportunity for people around the world to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS and to show their compassion and support to those living with the disease. Tie it into your 1st Sunday of Advent! There are several resources available for worship here and here.

World AIDS Day is one of the UMC's Special Offering Sundays providing a great way for our churches here in the Alaska Conference to help raise funds for the UMC's next great priority: eradicating HIV by 2020. The United Methodist Global AIDS Fund invites you to participate in the Just Save One initiative. 75% of the funds for the Global AIDS Fund will be used for projects to educate, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS all over the world. 25% of the funds we raise stays in the Alaska Conference to be used for HIV/AIDS ministries!

Let people know how to donate! There are a few ways to give:

1. Drop a check made payable to UMCOR in your church offering plate and indicate Advance #982345 on the memo line. Doing it this way will assure that the Alaska Conference receives 25% of your donation.

2. Mail your contribution to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.

3. Go to Give To Mission and type #982345 to access the UM Global AIDS Fund giving page.

Take a look at this video and use it as an educational tool for your congregation(s)!

Diana Butler Bass Rescheduled for 2015
Mark your calendars now! Diana Butler Bass will be in Alaska January 30-31, 2015. She was scheduled to give a talk a year ago but had to cancel at the last minute. We don't have the specifics nailed down yet but wanted to make sure you got her on your calendar! You can visit her website for more information about her.

Upcoming Events

November
     9: Community UMC Church Conference
     12: Turnagain UMC Church Conference
     13: Palmer Fellowship Annual Meeting
     15: St. Peter the Fisherman UMC Church Conference
     16: Soldotna UMC Church Conference
     19: UMC of Chugiak Church Conference
     22: Girdwood Chapel UMC Church Conference
     23: First UMC, Anchorage Church Conference
     23: First Samoan UMC Church Conference
     27: Thanksgiving - Office Closed
     30: Christ First UMC Church Conference

December

     2: St. John UMC Church Conference
     7: First UMC, Fairbanks Church Conference
     13: Homer UMC Church Conference
     14: Anchorage Korean UMC Church Conference
     15-17: Carlo in Seattle for Greater Northwest Cabinet Meeting
     24: Office Closed half day - Christmas Eve
     25: Office Closed - Christmas Day
     26-Jan 4: Carlo on vacation

Submissions

If you have an article or event that you would like the rest of the conference to know about and participate in, feel free to submit them to me each week by Monday evening. I ask that you type up what you want included and let me know how many weeks you want it published for. Thank you!

Contact Info

Crystal Feaster

Administrative Assistant

907-333-5050 phone

907-333-2304 fax

www.alaskaumc.org

umc@gci.net