This weekend, First Samoan UMC of Anchorage will be hosting the Samoan-American Caucus of the United Methodist Church of the Western Jurisdiction on Friday, July 24-Sunday, July 26.  They will be in Conference on Friday and Saturday and will close with worship on Sunday.  Pastor Steve Fisher will deliver the opening sermon on Friday.  Jenn Miller from First UMC will present a workshop on United Methodist Women and Jim LaBau will present a workshop on United Methodist Men.  Rev. Dr. Christian T. Van of the General Board of Global Ministries and Mrs. Monalisa Tuitahi, Executive Director of the Pacific Islanders National Caucus will also be in attendance.  This gathering covers local churches from across 4 of the 5 Episcopal areas in the Western Jurisdiction.  The Rev. Michael Seui of Calvery UMC in Tacoma, WA is the President of the Caucus. Everyone is invited to attend!

Christ First UMC in Wasilla is going to have a "SWARMING"!  Mosquitos are about to visit the homes of anyone in their community.  People can pay $100 for 3 months of insurance against being swarmed, pay $24 to have someone be swarmed for 1 week, and/or pay $25 freewill donation to have a swarm removed prior to the end of the week.

Girdwood Chapel has left over decorations, t-shirts, leader books, puppet, CD's, and other related supplies for the Workshop of Wonders VBS program.  If anyone can use them, please contact Sandy Ward at rev.sandy.ward@gmail.com or call/text her at 573-239-1918.

Birchwood Camp is seeking an extra cook to help provide nutritious & delicious meals to our campers and guests year round.  Our camp cooks work under the supervision of our Food Service Manager.  Position requires 20-40 hours/week during the summer; hours are flexible during the off-season, but include many evenings and weekends.  Start date is flexible.  $11-$14/hour DOE.  Position responsibilities include: preparation of meals, helping with serving meals, cleanup following meals, prepare snacks for campers and staff.  Assistant Cook or Lead Cook positions available.  More information and an application can be found online.

The Spiritual Life Minister position at AK Child & Family will be opening soon and they are looking for someone to fill the vacancy.  The position is 20 hours a week with varied hours throughout the week.  Some of the hours will include Sundays and various Holidays.  The pay range is $15.13-$16.53 per hour plus benefits (not including medical, dental, vision).  You can read the job description here.  Please contact AK Child & Family directly if you are interested.

The General Council on Finance and Administration, the denomination's finance agency, has relaunched the online shopping portal UMCMarket, using more advanced technology and faster delivery of donations.  The site allows online shoppers to donate a percentage of what they spend back to their church or to the United Methodist ministry of their choice.  Read the press release and visit UMCMarket.org to learn more.

Nearly 4,500 United Methodist young people attended Youth 2015 in Orlando, Florida, and their experiences will provide youth ministry video resources for years to come.  Many youth expressed either hearing or confirming a call to ministry because of the gathering, and others requested to be baptized when they returned home.  United Methodist Discipleship Ministries organized the event.  Read more on the Discipleship resources website.

Different viewpoints over societal changes have led some to question whether the unity of The United Methodist Church will hold when its top legislative body meets in May 2016.  But the lens of history shows that significant General Conference actions occur despite serious disagreements, says the Rev. Alfred T. Day III, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives & History.  Read more of this United Methodist News Service story.

Church leaders from around our denomination are eligible to participate in these upcoming free webinars offered by the GBOD Leadership Ministries division.  You can register online by going here.  Here are a few of the webinars coming up:

~Tuesday, August 4 - After School Programs and Intergenerational Community Outreach

~Tuesday, August 4 - What Every Child Should Experience-web chat

~Tuesday, August 11 - Seasons: The Liturgical Year Opportunities for Older Adult Ministry

~Tuesday, August 11 - Still Created by God

~Thursday, August 20 - Earn, Save, Give: A Stewardship Campaign with a Wesleyan Foundation

~Tuesday, August 25 - Choosing Curriculum

~Wednesday, August 26 - Bead and a Prayer

Willow UMC is sponsoring this 5K Run/Walk to raise money for Imagine No Malaria.  There will also be a fun run for children 6 and under.  It will be held on Saturday, August 8th.  For more information, and to register, please visit WillowUMC.org.

Start registering now to attend the School of Theology, which will occur September 18-19, 2015 at St. John UMC.  You can go to our website for more information or view the registration brochure.