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e~Aurora (a weekly news update)
The Alaska United Methodist ConferenceNovember 24, 2015
In This Issue
~Superintendent's Blog
~Giving Tuesday
~UM Student Sunday
~UM Global AIDS Fund
~Conference FACT Report
~Wesley Pilgrimage
~General Conference 2016 App
~Annual Christmas Brunch




ACS Print  

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



 

Upcoming  Clergy
 Birthdays!   


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.


Superintendent's Blog
Carlo's blog this week is:  Everyone Has a Story.

We hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

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

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
United Methodist Student Day
This Sunday, November 29, is United Methodist Student Day. Don't miss this chance to recognize and support the gifts and scholarships that support young leaders in the church as they pursue higher education. Learn more here!
United Methodist Global AIDS Fund
Giving Tuesday! Get ready to donate to the UMC Global AIDS Fund on Tuesday, December 1st!! Contributions to UMGAF will support projects that help women access testing and, if needed, treatment so, if pregnant, they can deliver an AIDS-free child. General Board of 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. Central Time. 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.

When you make an online donation on Dec. 1, you will "Activate Love. Transform Lives. Change the World." Use our Advance Special Number to Search for our Project: Advance # 982345.

Upcoming Dates!
World AIDS Day - December 1st - Please visit this UMGAF PDF for resources you can use in your local church and community for World AIDS Day.  Advent is a perfect time to lift up the issue of AIDS given the increases in infections in women around the globe.  Stigma continues to impact people living with AIDS, and Jesus' love and healing words call us to work to eliminate all discrimination against people infected with HIV or AIDS. 
May 9, 2016 - One-day conference sponsored by the UMGAF - "AIDS Is Not Over! ... Global Issues and the Church".  Location: Rose City Park UMC, Portland, OR. Time: 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: Free will offering. Participants will need to secure their own housing and transportation for this event. Free transportation will be available from the Portland Convention Center to Rose City Park UMC. For more information, visit here.
AIDS Memorial Service at General Conference - UMGAF is sponsoring a Memorial Service during General Conference to celebrate the lives of those who have died from AIDS.  We invite you to send us the names of people you would like to lift up during this service.  Please send names and their country to: Linda Bales Todd, joylab47@yahoo.com.

Passed joyously on by your Alaska UMGAF Ambassador,
Rev. Melissa Engel
GCFA Conference FACT Report
In the latter part of 2014 to mid-2015, our conference, through select key people, went through a process with the Financial Advisory Consulting Team (FACT) of the General Board of Pensions and the General Council on Finance and Administration to help assess our conference's vitality, specifically in the area of finance.
 
Here is the report explaining the process and presenting the findings and recommendations. We commend this to you. Please take time to read this document as it will greatly shape our life together moving forward.
John Wesley Pilgrimage Focuses on Wesleyan Disciple-Making
United Methodist lay and clergy leaders can participate in the 2016 Wesley Pilgrimage to England, which will focus on how John and Charles Wesley made disciples of Jesus Christ. United Methodist Discipleship Ministries and the Board of Higher Education and Ministry will co-sponsor the 10-day pilgrimage, July 11-21, 2016. Read more on the discipleship ministries website.
Stay Connected to General Conference 2016 with New App
A redesigned 2016 General Conference app is now available. A helpful way to stay connected and learn more about all aspects of the conference, the app will feature news, photo and social media feeds, video and audio archives, live-streaming of worship and plenary, the Daily Christian Advocate and petition tracking.  Read more about it here.
poinsettias.jpg Annual Christmas Brunch
St. John United Methodist Women will host their Annual Christmas Brunch on Saturday, December 5, 2015 at 10am.  Cost of the brunch is $10.  Nursery will be provided.
 
A skit, Don't Let the Grouches Steal Your Christmas, will be presented.  We'd love to have you join us for great food, grand fun and gregarious fellowship!

Please bring a new children's or youth book to donate to Bethel.
 
To purchase a ticket or make a reservation, please email lindalouheim@gmail.com or call the church office at 344-3025.

Upcoming Events

November
     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
     24: Christmas Eve - Office open half day
     25: Merry Christmas!
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