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Conference Journal

Superintendent's Blog

Read my new blog post: Prayer Run: #miles4gc2016

You can always read past blog posts here. Have a great week!

Sign Up to Pray for General Conference

The Alaska United Methodist Conference is participating in the 131 days of continuous prayer leading up to General Conference in May. Bishop Hagiya wrote about the event in his blog. Our day of prayer is scheduled for February 13th. The prayer times are in 15 minute increments. Here is the link to sign up for a time slot. Let the conference office know if you have any problems signing up and we will help you out!

Housing & Transportation Needed!

The Alaska Conference will be hosting Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity (CCCG) and Winter Rendezvous meetings in a few weeks. Several people from out of town will be here to participate and need places to sleep. Please contact the conference office if you are able to help house someone. A few of the individuals will need rides too. CCCG is February 18-19 at UMC of Chugiak and the Winter Rendezvous will be February 19-20 at East Anchorage UMC.

CCCG & Winter Rendezvous

We want to thank the Tuell Center for making the upcoming Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity workshop possible. The informational flier and registration form are posted on the the conference website for the Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity workshop. The CCCG event will be held at UMC of Chugiak on February 18-19, 2016.

Informational Flier

Registration

Don't forget to sign up for the Winter Rendezvous meetings if you are on one of the Conference Committees. These meetings will be held after the CCCG event at East Anchorage UMC on February 19-20, 2016.

Winter Rendezvous Registration

Mission u Event Scheduled for Anchorage Area

Every year the United Methodist Women of Alaska put on educational events based on study topics. This year the studies are Created for Happiness: Understanding Your Life in God which will be led by Susie Smalley and Latin America: People and Faith led by Walt Hays. It will take place at Anchor Park UMC. It will be held February 12-13, 2016. Please contact Jennifer Miller if you have any questions.

Registration Form

Anchorage Run & Walk for Warmth

For the past 6 years, First UMC Anchorage has partnered with United Way to help raise money that specifically goes to the 211 program in Anchorage. This program helps families with financial support with utilities and rental assistance. Their goal is to keep their neighbors housed and prevent family financial instability from ever reaching a crisis point!

The event will take place on February 20th at 9:00 at First UMC Anchorage. Visit http://bit.ly/RunWalkforWarmth to register yourself, form a team, or to just donate to the cause.

One Great Hour of Sharing - March 6

Now is the time to prepare for the One Great Hour of Sharing church-wide special Sunday. You can get information specific to this special Sunday at umcgiving.org/oghs and download a free pastors toolkit for a series of resources so you can prepare, advertise and share the amazing opportunity of One Great Hour of Sharing with your congregation and social media audience.

Birchwood Camp News

Register for Birchwood Summer Camps

Online registration is now open for Birchwood Camp's summer camp programs. Register early to take advantage of the early bird discount & many payment plans. Plus - several camps filled up last year, so register early to reserve your space. Details, brochures, and online registration are available at www.birchwoodcamp.org/camps

Cook needed at Birchwood Camp

Birchwood Camp is seeking 1-2 additional team members to join their kitchen staff as the schedule ramps up towards summer. Schedule is varied and somewhat flexible. Applications for a Lead Cook and an Assistant Cook are being accepted. Details and application info: http://birchwoodcamp.org/get-involved/job-opportunities/

Judicial Council Releases May Docket

The United Methodist Judicial Council will hold its spring meeting May 6-9 at the Oregon Convention Center, just before the 2016 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body. A docket for the May meeting is available online. Briefs are due March 6. See the docket.

Super Bowl Challenge Seeks Victory Over Hunger

Once the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers were headed for the Super Bowl, a pastor from Denver laid down a challenge to Charlotte churches. "Denver United Methodists are formally inviting you to a food drive challenge between now and the end of the big game," wrote the Rev. Brad Laurvick. But, he added, no one loses when fighting hunger. Michael Rich reports for the Western North Carolina Conference. Read the story here.

Open Umbrellas to Intercept Traffickers

United Methodist Women members ask church members to join the Intercept the Traffickers photo campaign and open their umbrellas to raise awareness of human trafficking around sporting events. The goal of "Opening an Umbrella" is to form a virtual line of defense around Levi's Stadium, where the Super Bowl will take place Feb. 7. Read the story.

Alaska UMW Leadership Team

Church Shooting Survivor to Speak at Duke

Jennifer Pinckney, widow of the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, who was among nine killed last year in the shooting at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, will take part in a roundtable conversation Tuesday, Feb. 9, at United Methodist-related Duke University. The free event, "Reflections on Charleston: A Conversation on Faith and Race," takes place at 7 p.m. EST at Page Auditorium.

Read press release

To watch live stream

Imagine No Malaria

During Lent, we have the opportunity to give up a gift, take up a cause, and lift up a life through Imagine No Malaria! We are called to put our faith into action by giving out of the abundance that God has blessed us with. These downloadable resources make it easy for your church to make Imagine No Malaria part of its Lenten season. Use our online roadmap to find out what's available, or just download the entire toolkit (54MB).

UMW Quadrennial Meeting

The Western Jurisdiction Quadrennial Meeting for United Methodist Women will be held in St. Lake City, Utah from April 22-24, 2016. If you are interested in finding out more about the event or want to attend, click on the link above or visit their website www.wjumw.com. Missionary Paul Jeffrey will have a special presentation during the Saturday evening banquet.

Idita-Walk Fundraiser for Nome Community Center

The Nome Community Center, a UMW National Mission Institution, is sponsoring the 1,049-minute walking event Idita-Walk, which draws participants from across Alaska, and around the globe. Even your dog can participate in this walking event!

To participate in the Idita-Walk, keep track of how many minutes you walk per day on a paper form. Strive to reach the goal of 1,049 minutes - the same number of miles that sled dogs and mushers must trek across Alaska in order to reach the Iditarod finish line. If you walk an average of 35 minutes a day, you'll finish in 30 days. The Idita-Walk starts February 1st and ends March 31st.

The event benefits the Nome Community Center and all the services it provides Nome and the Bering Strait region, including the Nome Food Bank, the XYZ Senior Center, Nome Children's Home and Family Services.

It is $10 to register per person (or dog), $30 to register and order a T-shirt, and $50 to register and order a sweatshirt. If you're among the first 750 to sign up, you'll receive an official 2016 Idita-Walk pin upon registration

You can sign up for the 2016 Idita-Walk online at www.idita-walk.com.

Mission u Event on the Kenai Well Attended

Forty-six women and men were in attendance at the United Methodist Women (UMW) Mission u event hosted by the North Star United Methodist Church in Nikiski, January 15-16. The theme for the weekend was "Journey of Happiness". Two mission studies were presented to equip leaders to use them in local church settings.

The spiritual growth study "Created For Happiness: Understanding Your Life in God' was taught by Susie Smalley of Soldotna, a United Methodist laywoman who is actively engaged in prison ministry and has served nationally on the boards of the Board of Global Ministry and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women. The study draws on life and witness of John and Charles Wesley and many contemporary examples to "understand happiness and how to live the life that God calls us to."

The Geographic study "Latin America: People and Faith" was taught by Walt Hays, retired UM pastor of Wasilla and veteran mission interpreter, who led VIM Mission service teams to Guatemala in 2013 and 2015. The overview study deals with the history and culture of Latin America (Central America, South America and the Caribbean) with emphasis on faith traditions and the challenges facing women.

Bonnie Miller, President of United Methodist Women for the Alaska Conference, commented "We were so pleased with this excellent response from the churches on the Kenai. In my years of working with mission u, this was one of the best responses ever! My church, North Star, provided marvelous hospitality including a great themed lunch featuring Latin American dishes. I know that the participants received a lot of practical tips of how to interpret both themes in their church for both adults, youth and children."

Jennifer Miller, Dean of Mission Education for the Alaska Conference UMW, adds "We still have two more sections of our mission u event for this program year. The Anchorage area event will be held on Friday and Saturday, February 12-13 at Anchor Park UMC. The Southeast event will be held the weekend of March 11-12 hosted by the UMC of Sitka."

Upcoming Events

February

7-9: Carlo in Seattle for GNW Cabinet meeting

18-19: Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity (CCCG) at UMC of Chugiak

19-20: Winter Rendezvous meetings at East Anchorage UMC

March

7-11: Carlo in Boise for GNW Cabinet meeting and NLI Conference

13: Daylight Saving Time

20: Palm Sunday

21-23: Carlo in Seattle for GNW Cabinet meeting

27: Easter Sunday

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