AUMC Banner
e~Aurora (a weekly news update)
The Alaska United Methodist ConferenceMarch 24, 2015
In This Issue
~Bishop's Blog
~Superintendent's Blog
~Annual Conference Info
~Church History
~Special Sundays
~Choose Respect
~Lent Quizes
~Mission u Event
~UMM Retreat
~Birchwood Camp
~Eagle River Camp
~FREE Webinars


ACS Print  

20/20 Vision:
Leading to God's New Horizons


 

Upcoming  Clergy
 Birthdays!   


March 25 -
Evelyn Erbele

March 29 -
Doug Handlong

April 12 -
Robert Hicks

April 16 -
Julie Wasser

April 23 -
Karen Martin Tichenor




Contact Information

 

Supt. Carlo Rapanut 
cell 907-854-8340  





Ministry Quicklinks




Join Our Mailing List





2014 Conference Journal
 
 
The Conference Journal is posted on our website and you can access it anytime you would like.  Download it onto your computer desktop for easy research.


Bishop Grant Hagiya Bishop's Blog
The Bishop has written a new blog for this month.  He talks about Unintended Consequences and how they can be beneficial.  He uses some recent personal experiences as perfect examples.
Reflections of a Running Reverend
My blog for this week is: Giving up Control.

To catch-up on previous blog posts you may have missed, click here.


Have a great week!
AUMC Logo Annual Conference Information

Annual Conference will be held at St. John UMC in Anchorage on June 5th & 6th with workshops on June 4th.

 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

The registration process is now open.  You can register and pay online through this link.  If you would like to download a paper copy, you can do it here.  There is an early bird rate so make sure you take advantage of it by April 30th. 

 

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

There will be a day of workshops on June 4th.  You can find a list of the workshops and their descriptions here.  You can sign up for these workshops when you register to attend Annual Conference.  If you decide to change your workshop after you have already registered, please contact the conference office to change it.  If you do not plan on attending Annual Conference but want to participate in one of the workshops, you can fill out this form.  

 

GENERAL CONFERENCE DELEGATES

If you are interested in being one of the clergy or laity delegates to General Conference in 2016, there are some guidelines for you to read.  You can find them on page 90 of the 2014 Conference Journal or you can find them here.  Please submit your interest, per the guidelines, to the conference office by April 13th. 

 

AWARDS 

You can start nominating clergy, laity, or youth for the Harry Denman Evangelism Award.  You can also nominate someone for being an Outstanding Lay Person.

 

FORMS

If you would like to propose a change in the rules via a petition, you can find the form here.  If you need to write a report for the pre-conference handbook because of your role within the conference, you can find the guidelines here.  Churches can submit their names for the memorial service on this form.  If you are part of an organization that would like to reserve a table for a display, fill out this form.

mothers-day-gift.jpg Church History: The Founding of Mother's Day
The Methodist mother and daughter who started the May celebration didn't have in mind greeting cards and Sunday brunches. Instead, Ann and Anna Jarvis wanted to honor the work mothers do to promote peace. As part of Women's History Month, UMTV showcases the legacy of the two Jarvises.
Watch video    
Read transcript
GCFA Special Sundays from 2014

There is good news to share with you about United Methodist Special Sunday giving in 2014. Overall, contributions increased 8.1 percent! Five of the six Special Sundays showed growth!

 

Last year, United Methodists across the connection gave nearly $5.3 million to six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings. Here are the amounts contributed to each Special Sunday offering:

  • Human Relations Day: $521,392
  • One Great Hour of Sharing: $3,005,332
  • Native American Ministries Sunday: $266,031*
  • Peace with Justice Sunday: $216,746*
  • World Communion Sunday: $836,955
  • United Methodist Student Day: $431,677

*50% of the funds received for this offering remain in the annual conference. This represents only the amount remitted to GCFA.

Choose Respect Choose Respect
The annual Choose Respect rallies around the state will be held on Thursday, March 26th.  See the list below for some of the events around the state.  There are other rally's occurring but the state website is not listing them.  Please check with agencies in your area if you are interested in participating.

Anchorage: Marchers gather at noon at the Delaney Park Strip (9th & F) for a procession ending at Town Square Park.
Fairbanks: A rally will be held at noon at Golden Heart Plaza.
Juneau: At noon a march will start at the Capitol steps and end with a small rally a the site of the future Walter Soboleff Center.
Nome: The Bering Sea Women's Group (501 W. 5th Ave.) will host a meeting with snacks at 2:30 p.m. to talk about domestic violence and sexual assault.

Ketchikan: At 5:30 p.m. a parade will commence from the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center traveling to the State Building.
Lent Quizes
When we receive the Lord's Supper we come standing, kneeling or sitting. How would Jesus' disciples have received the bread and cup the first time? Take the quiz.

When Jesus washed his disciples' feet, not everyone was happy about it. Which disciple initially objected to Jesus washing his feet? Take the quiz.

 

Many sanctuaries will be filled with lilies on Easter Sunday morning. Do you know why the lily is so popular during Easter? Take the quiz.

 

Crucifixion was a brutal form of punishment that was not used on every criminal. Whom did the Romans crucify? Take the quiz.

Many churches feature Stations of the Cross during Lent. What does this phrase refer to? Take the quiz.
Last Mission u Event
The three featured classes are Spiritual Growth: How is it With Your Soul?, Social Justice Understanding: The Church and People with Disabilities, and the Youth Study: Making a New Picture Together - Welcoming Persons with Disabilities Into Our Lives.  Don't miss out on the last event this weekend, March 27-28 in Kenai at the Dena'ina Wellness Center.  Register here.  You can view the Mission u blog at http://aumwmissionu.blogspot.com/.
UMM Yearly Retreat at Hope Retreat Center
The Alaska Conference United Methodist Men will hold their annual retreat in Hope on April 18th.  You can find the details about the retreat here.  The theme of this year's retreat is "Decisions that will change your Life."  Reverend John Campbell will be facilitating the Retreat.  The cost is $45 and will include Lunch and Dinner.
Birchwood Camp Birchwood Camp News

Job Openings
Join Birchwood Camp's staff & ministry team! Birchwood Camp is accepting applications for the following positions: year-round, part-time paid kitchen staff and paid summer intern staff. Detailed information about the positions and job descriptions are available on Birchwood Camp's website: http://birchwoodcamp.org/get-involved/job-opportunities/. Please spread the word about these important openings.

 

Register for Summer Camp at Birchwood Camp

Online registration is now open for Birchwood Camp's Summer Programs. These camp programs provide safe spaces for spiritual formation, genuine community, and character development at Birchwood Camp's beautiful site in Chugiak. Online registration & detailed information is available at  www.birchwoodcamp.org/camps. Register before April 1 to receive a $10 discount per registration.

ERUMC Eagle River United Methodist Camp

Eagle River United Methodist Camp located in Juneau, Alaska will be having Discovery Camp for kids going into 3rd thru 8th grade. The dates for camp are July 12th - July 16th. This year's theme is "Get Real". To sign-up please contact the Sitka United Methodist Church at 907-747-8775 for a registration form. Children from other communities in Southeast Alaska and beyond are welcome to participate.   Let's get together for camp!!!

FREE Webinars

Below you will find a list of webinars for church leaders offered by the GBOD Leadership Ministries division.  These webinars are free of charge. You can register by going to www.gbod.org/webinars.

 

Tuesday, March 31: Helping Children Make Sense of the World

Tuesday, April 14: Re-Imagining Your Retirement

Tuesday, April 14: The UM Way

Thursday, April 16: Worship in Contemporary Settings

Tuesday, April 21: Family - Creating Rituals in the Home 

Upcoming Events

March
     27-28: Mission u event in Kenai at Dena'ina Wellness Center

April
     7-8: Carlo in Unalaska for a consultation
     9-18: Crystal on vacation
     9: Carlo in Seattle for a Young Clergy Recruitment event
     11: Leadership Team meeting
     13: FACT Meeting 1 at Conference Office
     17-18: Carlo attending Circles of Presence Retreat in Seattle
     18: United Methodist Men Retreat at Hope Retreat Center

May
     1-3: Conference UMW Executive Team meeting at Turnagain UMC
     14-15: Carlo attending Greater Northwest Cabinet Meeting in Seattle
     17: Asian-Pacific Islander joint gathering
     26-28: Carlo at Transforming Ministries 4 in Los Angeles

June
     1-2: Greater Northwest Transitions Workshop in Portland
     4: Pre-Conference Workshops at St. John UMC in Anchorage
     5-6: Annual Conference at St. John UMC in Anchorage
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