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e~Aurora (a weekly news update)
The Alaska United Methodist ConferenceNovember 3, 2015
In This Issue
~Bishop's Blog
~Apportionment Report
~Imagine No Malaria News
~Sockeye Fire
~Annual Holiday Auction
~Inclusive Church Workshop
~2016 UMW Call for Study Leaders
~Giving Tuesday
~FREE Webinars
~Save the Date




ACS Print  

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



 

Upcoming  Clergy
 Birthdays!   


November 6 -
Tafa Fulumua

November 17 -
Jean Bruscia

December 23 -
Curtis Matz



Contact Information

 

Superintendent
Carlo Rapanut

cell 907-854-8340  





Ministry Quicklinks





Join Our Mailing List





2015 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
Bishop Hagiya has written a new blog.  He wants you to know what the Tuell Center is and that it belongs to you!  Take some time to read how the Tuell Center has been utilized in the past for leadership development and education. Read Bishop's blog.
Money Apportionment Report
Here is the apportionment report for October.  The year is nearly done so make sure your church's apportionments get paid!
Imagine No Malaria Imagine No Malaria News!
I'm really excited to share the news that our campaign has just reached the $800,000 milestone!
 
There are two additional resources that I'd like to highlight. Our Advent toolkit is available for download.  If every church in the episcopal area took a special offering for Imagine No Malaria on Christmas Eve, we'd meet our goal ahead of schedule. For churches that already have other plans for that offering, Veteran's Day is right around the corner. They might consider taking a special offering on that day, because many of our veterans remember fighting malaria.
 
We are so close!!!
 
Julia Frisbie
Imagine No Malaria, Greater NW Episcopal Area
503-975-3778
http://greaternw.org/inm
Gift Registries for Sockeye Fire Victims
In response to the Sockeye Wildfire which affected many in the Willow community, the Willow Recovery Team has received many generous calls offering assistance.  While we can no longer receive material donations of household items, we now have registries set up for families with several retailers.  Please see this letter regarding what your congregation or group might do to help: Sockeye Fire Victim Gift Registries.  Thank you!
crayon_tree.jpg Annual Holiday Auction
Anchor Park United Methodist Women will be hosting their Annual Holiday Auction on Saturday, November 14 from 10:45 a.m. - 2 p.m.

You won't want to miss out on this year's fun!  This year the auction is focusing on home crafted and baked items.  There will be a live auction, silent auction and items for purchase. This is a great way to have fun and support mission projects focused on women, children, and youth in Alaska, the United States, as well as the world.

Cost for the lunch is $16.00
 
If you are interested in attending email Susan Williams.
Inclusive Church Workshop: Welcoming Transgender Persons
Saturday, Nov 7, 10am - Noon. Lutheran Church of Hope 1847 W. Northern Lights Blvd. Anchorage

For clergy, church leaders, youth & children, hospitality ministry leaders, and any interested congregants.

Free of charge; good will offering will be taken for Identity, Inc.  
 
Public testimony before the Anchorage Assembly showed misunderstanding about transgender people. Join us to better understand: Who is your [transgender] neighbor? 
Topics include:
** What are we talking about in "gender identity?" 
** How can I better understand my transgender neighbor?
** How can the church support transgender persons and their families?
** How do we educate others? And thoughtfully address those pesky bathroom questions?
** How can we help transgender people know they are invited and welcome at our church?

Presented by Christians for Equality & Identity INC. Workshop leader is Rev. Drew Phoenix of the Balimore-Washington (UMC) Conference. For more information or to register by e-mail, contact christiansforequality@gmail.com or call Nora at (907) 250-3642
2016 UMW Call for Study Leaders
The Executive Team of United Methodist Women of Alaska is accepting applications for Study Leaders for  Mission u events to be implemented from late summer 2016 through the end of 2016.   Please find 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 November 15, 2015.

You may contact Bonnie Miller at bonitajane@yahoo.com or 907-776-8555 or 907-440-1636 with any questions.
Giving Tuesday, December 1
On Dec. 1, United Methodists will come together for the third year to support the work of Advance projects and missionaries on UMC #GivingTuesday. Sponsored by the denomination's General Board of Global Ministries, individuals, churches, and annual conferences (regional offices) combine Advent and Christmas seasonal giving with global mission and outreach opportunities. The theme for the 2015 campaign is "Activate Love. Transform Lives. Change the World."  Global Ministries will allocate matching funds dollar for dollar up to the first $1 million in gifts to Advance projects received online on Dec. 1, 2015, between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. CT.  A maximum of $2,500 per individual gift to a project will be dispersed as matching funds.  A project may receive a maximum of $25,000 in matching funds.

Learn more and download resources. 

We have several projects within our own conference.  As Alaskans we are able to start giving at 9:00 p.m. on Monday, November 30!  This is a time change from previous years as the new beginning time is based on Central Time NOT Eastern Time.

Here is a list of the Alaska projects you can support!
Mission Contexts and Relationships
Alaska Churches
931027 - Strengthening local church mission and ministry while launching new leadership for new programs.

Alaska Ethnic and Rural Camping and Conference Fund
931024 - Flying Native American and Eskimo children to Christian camps for church and spiritual activities.

Birchwood Camp
931068 - Building community on holy ground by providing program spaces and year-round staff housing.

931602 - Reaching out to all of God's children through a variety of faith based activities

3021214 - Creating a sustainable home and developing leadership for CUMC and its ministries.

Downtown Ministries, First United Methodist Church Ketchikan
3020487 - Providing a place for the homeless or temporary housing to spend daytime hours.

Girdwood Chapel United Methodist Church
931007 - Building larger facilities to greatly increase the breadth and scope of worship and social services.

Hope Retreat Center
3020590 - Replacing kitchen floor and cabinets and installing energy-efficient windows and insulation.

3021099 - Providing tuition assistance for students majoring in education, human services and healthcare.

931855 - Ministering to the Bering Sea Fishing Fleet, processors, stranded crew members and workers.

Willow Alaska United Methodist Church
931511 - Serving poor rural communities spiritually, with basic physical needs, and with help in emergencies.

Willow Church and Community Ministry
931520 - Providing Christian education to children in Anvik and Grayling and also responding to emergencies.

Missionaries
  1. Erbele, Evelyn (10832Z) - Co-pastor of First United Methodist Church in Ketchikan, Alaska.
  2. Erbele, Terence (10831Z) - Co-Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Ketchikan, Alaska.
  3. Lynch, Wilma Frances (982950) - Deaconess serving as a Church and Community Worker in Willow, Alaska.
Conference Missional Priority
FREE Webinars
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:
~Thursday, November 5 - Children's MInistry: Worship in Contemporary Settings
~Thursday, November 12 - The Means of Grace
~Thursday, November 12 - Ending the Year Strong: It's Not Too Late to Have a Better 2015
~Tuesday, November 17 - Measuring Your Effectiveness
~Monday, November 23 - 51 Ideas for Children's Ministers
Save the Date Mark Your Calendars Now!
We have some dates to announce so that you can get them on your calendar now.  More information will be given in the upcoming weeks.

Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity (CCCG): February 18-19, 2016

Annual Conference: June 3-4, 2016 with Pre-Conference Workshops on June 2, 2016.

Upcoming Events

November
     7: Homer UMC Church Conference
     7: Soldotna UMC Church Conference
     8: St. Peter the Fisherman UMC Church Conference
     11-13: Carlo at Mission Leader Summit in New York
     15: Jewel Lake Parish Church Conference
     19-21: Carlo in Portland for GNW Cabinet meeting and GNW Visioning Task Force
     22: Christ First UMC Church Conference
     22: Palmer Fellowship Church Conference
     29: UMC of Chugiak Church Conference

December
     1: St. John UMC Church Conference
     6: Anchorage Korean UMC Church Conference
     7-15: Crystal on vacation
     8: Willow UMC Church Conference
     9: First UMC Anchorage & First Samoan UMC Church Conference
     11: Seward Memorial UMC & Moose Pass UMC Church Conference
     12: Kenai UMC Church Conference
     12: North Star UMC Church Conference
     13-16: Carlo in Seattle for GNW Cabinet meeting and Tuell Center planning meeting
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