Nashville-based United Methodist Communications collaborated with Chocolate Moose Media and iHeed to create an animated video for use in West Africa that helps dispel myths about how Ebola is spread and promotes prevention of the disease.  The video can be viewed and downloaded free at ebolavideo.org.

"Our goal is to provide education that leads to better understanding of the disease and how to prevent infections," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. "Ebola gains its foothold in poor communities where mistrust, resistance to proper care and lack of understanding of the virus and how it is transmitted is widespread. The church's advantage lies in its grassroots network of trusted clergy and leaders who live in the affected regions."

United Methodist Communications, the global communications agency of The United Methodist Church, is using a variety of approaches to help educate people in Ebola-affected areas about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, including providing text messages to clergy in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where nearly 70 percent of the population owns cell phones. Commentaries on television, radio and in print by trusted leaders are helping to correct misinformation and encourage cooperation with health programs to halt the spread of the disease.

The United Methodist Church is also responding to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa in a number of other ways, including treatment and prevention. The response is a joint effort by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, West African United Methodist church leaders and regional health boards, denominational health facilities, and others. For more information, visit umc.org/ebola.

According to the World Health Organization, 7,470 cases of Ebola had been reported as of Oct. 3, with 3,431 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

AK Child & Family is happy to be celebrating the 10th Anniversary of their Sweatlodge.  One way for you to help them celebrate is to contribute to their fundraiser.  The top 10 highest contributors will participate in the sweatlodge ceremony on November 18.  Please read the flyer for more information and to donate.

Cokesbury is offering a free download of their FaithLink publication this month in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month.  This resource will help individuals, small groups, and congregations to engage in meaningful faith based conversations about a very touchy subject.  Download it here.

Former Alaska pastor Jim Campbell has a new book, "The Chair"!  Jim asked former Conference Statistician and Turnagain UMC member, Jim LaBau to accompany him to take pictures of the Dust Bowl (SE Colo, panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas) 75 years after the worst storm on April 12, 1935, and several of his pictures are included in the book.  You can find a review of the book and order it here.  If you would like Jim to sign a copy for you, order the book directly from him.  You can contact him at campbell1@socolo.net.

The Board of Global Ministries is permanently vacating its longtime headquarters at the Interchurch Center in New York. The mission agency will move to Atlanta by the end of 2016 and open regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America. 

Read story
Read press release

The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) has a new four-week Advent Bible study that addresses the HIV pandemic and its relationship to other social concerns. The study, "The Season for Change - An Advent Study on HIV/AIDS & Social Justice Advocacy," is free to download from the GBCS website.

Topics for each week of the study are as follows:

1. HIV 101 & Addressing Stigma
2. Poverty & the HIV Health Disparity
3. Incarceration & HIV
4. Gender-based Violence & HIV

Lindsay Sheets, the writer of this study, states, "As part of our Advent celebration of hope, peace, joy and love, we have the opportunity to bring these to others. Remembering every person on Earth is a child of God with sacred worth, and looking to Jesus' ministry of healing love, we as people of faith are called to reach out to our brothers and sisters affected by AIDS and those on the margins of society."

Call to Action

Please contact your senators! Email Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich, or meet them on the campaign trail to encourage them to support continued funding for HIV/AIDS. Send a message to them! 

On December 2, United Methodists once again are invited to extend the spirit of giving thanks into the Advent season by participating in UMC #GivingTuesday. And every gift made online through The Advance at www.umcmission.org/give on December 2, 2014 will be matched up to $1 million.*

As you may remember, last year more than $6.5 million was raised online in one day through The Advance on UMC #GivingTuesday. It was a wonderful sign of commitment and extravagant generosity, highlighting the impact of thousands of United Methodists coming together to transform the world.

Now is the time for you to reach out through your networks to let them know about this one-day event and how it can support your work.

UMC #GivingTuesday is part of an international movement to extend the spirit of giving thanks into the Advent season. It offers an opportunity to start off the holiday season by giving instead of getting by supporting organizations that are transforming the world.

Here are some ways that you can expand the excitement of the promotion and maximize support to your ministry.

• Ask an organization to be a matching sponsor
• Share your Story
• Website - Check out the resource page
• Connect with the international #GivingTuesday campaign
• Email
• Social Media
• Alternative Giving

Click here to find the guide to creating your own profile page on GivingTuesday.org.

The Advance would love to hear about the creative ways you are raising money for your ministry-especially what you are planning for UMC #GivingTuesday. Thank you for your passion as we live out God's mission together. Should you have any questions or suggestions about UMC #GivingTuesday, please contact  advance@umcmission.org.

* Global Ministries will allocate matching funds dollar for dollar up to the first $1 million in gifts to Advance projects received online on December 2, 2014, between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. EST. 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.

World AIDS Day, observed each year on December 1, provides an opportunity for people around the world to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS and to show their compassion and support to those living with the disease. Tie it into your 1st Sunday of Advent! There are several resources available for worship here and here.

World AIDS Day is one of the UMC's Special Offering Sundays providing a great way for our churches here in the Alaska Conference to help raise funds for the UMC's next great priority: eradicating HIV by 2020. The United Methodist Global AIDS Fund invites you to participate in the Just Save One initiative. 75% of the funds for the Global AIDS Fund will be used for projects to educate, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS all over the world. 25% of the funds we raise stays in the Alaska Conference to be used for HIV/AIDS ministries!

By giving as little as $5/year (or $20 or $200) now until 2020, you can help.

            $20 provides nursing care for a child born HIV positive

            $20 stops the transmission of HIV from a mother to a child

            $50 helps educate young people and adults on how to prevent HIV

            $100 supplies nutrients to 100+ AIDS orphans suffering from dehydration

Let people know how to donate! There are a few ways to give:

1. Drop a check made payable to UMCOR in your church offering plate and indicate Advance #982345 on the memo line. Doing it this way will assure that the Alaska Conference receives 25% of your donation.

2. Mail your contribution to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.

3. Go to Give To Mission and type #982345 to access the UM Global AIDS Fund giving page.

Take a look at this video and use it as an educational tool for your congregation(s)!

If you currently know someone who is suffering from AIDS, look to your United Methodist Book of Worship, p. 627-8 for a prayer and suggested Scripture readings.

First UMC & First Samoan UMC will be hosting a free turkey dinner Nov 2nd at 5:30 p.m. for anyone in the Anchorage community. They will be serving a turkey dinner with all the fixings to everyone who walks through the door. This is a chance for everyone to come together and enjoy a meal.

If anyone would like to donate please contact FUMC at fumc@gci.net. Everyone is invited to join us for dinner.
In need of a ride? We will do our best to provide one! 

We have all heard the statistics, 1 in 4 women nationwide have experienced Domestic Violence (DV); 1 in 2 Alaskan women have experienced DV. Now is the chance for each one of our churches to take a stand and support the women in our community. October is Domestic Violence ACTION Month. We are called as a people of God to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

In Anchorage there are events happening all month that we can all take a part in. Here are a few highlights:

• October 17th from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. there is a Green Dot training at AWAIC if you are interested in attending please email Virginia_m@awaic.org.
• October 21st from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. there is a Green Dot training at STAR if you are interested in attending please email Jdale@staralaska.org.
• October 23rd at 6:00 p.m. at YOUR CHURCH Shed the Light on Domestic Violence. We are inviting ALL churches to make a stand against violence! Pastors are invited to hold a service followed by releasing sky lanterns at 7:00 p.m. for more information email Virginia_m@awaic.org.

For more information on what churches can do go here.  The resources talked about on this website are available in Anchorage by contacting Jenn Miller at FUMC (fumc@gci.net).

Birchwood Camp would like to invite everyone to the annual dinner, meeting and auction on October 26th.  The event will be held in Fireweed Hall as we celebrate the past year of ministry, elect new board members, enjoy a meal together, and support the mission of our camp through the live and silent auctions. This year the funds raised will support the camp scholarship fund and help add bathrooms to Fireweed Hall.

The silent auction will open at 4:30 pm in Fireweed Hall. The meal will begin at 5:00 pm, with the program and live auction to follow. Childcare will be provided in the Lodge after the meal.  The event will conclude around 7:30 pm. Seating is limited so please RSVP to 907.688.2734 or by email info@birchwoodcamp.org.