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Conference Journal

Reflections of a Running Reverend

My blog for this week is: Slow Down!

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

Have a great week!

Appotionment Report for 2014
The FINAL apportionment report is posted on the conference website. A big thank you to everyone for your financial support of ministries in the conference and beyond. The total was 92.23% which was down from last years final of 93.96%. Lets make it a goal to do even better in 2015!

Diana Butler Bass Learning Event
Diana Butler Bass will be in Alaska January 30-31, 2015. Her learning event will be held at St. John UMC and the FREE public lecture will be held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. Here is the information sheet and registration form. You can visit her website for more information about her. If you are attending, we encourage you to register ASAP. This will greatly help in our planning the logistics (i.e. materials, space requirements, etc.)

Conference Committee Meetings
The Conference Winter Rendezvous meetings are quickly approaching and will be held around the Diana Butler Bass Learning Event. The registration has been sent out to the individuals but can also be found here. The registration deadline has passed but if you haven't sent yours in yet, please do! The meetings will be held at St. John UMC January 30 and 31.

We are looking for homes for some of our committee members to stay. If you are able to host, please contact the conference office at umc@gci.net or 333-5050. Thank you!

Early Bird Registration Deadline Days Away for YOUTH 2015
Three-plus packed days of inspiring speakers and top-flight Christian musical artists await youth and youth leaders who attend YOUTH 2015 in June, but the deadline for early bird registration is just a few days away.

The best possible price for the national gathering for United Methodist youth is available only until Jan. 31. The event, scheduled for June 24-28 at the Orlando World Center Marriott, is sponsored by Young People's Ministries (YPM), a division of Discipleship Ministries.

YOUTH 2015 is designed specifically for youth ages 12-18. Youth leaders are responsible for registering their groups at www.YOUTH2015.com. The early bird registration fee is $420 per person, a $30 savings over the regular cost of $450 which will apply from February through March. A deposit of $105 per person is accepted. Beginning in April, the late registration fee will be $475 per person, with only paid registrations accepted. No tickets will be available at the door. Each registration includes four nights at the World Center Marriott, dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday, all hotel amenities and all YOUTH 2015 programming.

In addition to the website www.YOUTH2015.com, up-to-date information about speakers, programming, schedule and more can be found on Facebook and Twitter @youth2015. Youth leaders who register will receive a downloadable four-session resource to help prepare their youth for the main event. A free downloadable resource for groups to use after the event will also be available.

The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts

The Fellowship is pleased to announce that applications for 2015-16 scholarship opportunities are now available on its website.

These scholarships include:

Memorial Scholarships (music)
Thom Jones Scholarships (in the arts other than music)
Robert Schilling Music Scholarship for a rising college freshman or sophomore

Applications can be downloaded at UMFellowship.org. The application deadline is March 15. All applicants must be students who are planning a career in church music and/or worship arts. Make sure you view the other criteria before applying.

For more information on those options, visit the GBHEM website or call 615-340-7346.

Mission u Event Registration
The Alaska United Methodist Women are hosting their annual Mission u Events soon! The first event is in the Anchorage area and will be held February 6-7 at Hope Community Resources. The three featured courses are Spiritual Growth: How is it With Your Soul?, Social Justice Understanding: The Church and People with Disabilities, and the Youth Study: Making a New Picture Together - Welcoming Persons with Disabilities Into Our Lives. Download the informational brochure and post a poster in your churches for advertisement. You can register online now at http://ttclms.org/class_detail.php?z_classid=105681. Registration deadline is January 26th. Don't miss out on these greatly anticipated events! You can view the Mission u blog at http://aumwmissionu.blogspot.com/. The other events across the state will be: February 20-21 in Juneau at the Tlingit-Haida Voc-Training Resource Center, and March 27-28 in Kenai at the Dena'ina Wellness Center.

First UMC-Anchorage Offering Grants

The First United Methodist Church Foundation is accepting applications for 2015 grants to be used as educational benefits, scholarships, out-reach to the community and the world. Applications should be a concise request that includes the following: Requesting Organization or Person, Contact Name, Contact e-mail, Contact physical/mailing address, Type of grant requested (scholarship, capital improvement, out-reach, education) and Description of how the funds will be used in 2015 that is no more than 250 words. Submissions must be received by February 13, 2015 at the address below. Awards will be posted in March 2015. Those receiving grant awards will be required to submit a report how the funds were used, with documentation, by December 1, 2015. Send your request to:

FUMC Foundation - Grants

725 W 9th Ave

Anchorage, AK 99501

Hospitality Volunteer Opportunity

Each summer Ketchikan First United Methodist Church offers a ministry of hospitality by operating a hostel in its building. Volunteer managers are needed from May 31 to June 15 and from June 15 to August 31. Housing and a daily stipend of $40/day are provided. The hostel is closed from 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m. allowing the managers an opportunity to explore and enjoy Ketchikan and the island. You may visit the hostel website at www.ketchikanhostel.com. For more information please contact Judy Shoup at 1jashoup@kpunet.net or call the United Methodist Church at 907-225-3780.

Individual Volunteer Opportunities

Perhaps you have been on a short-term mission experience which had such an impact on you that you want to do more. Perhaps you are looking for a way to put your faith in action through service. The Individual Volunteer Program sponsored by Global Ministries can help you fulfill both of those needs and more. The program offers opportunities for individuals and couples to serve in mission from two months to two years in a variety of placement settings around the world. The opportunities for service are diverse, including such volunteer positions as case managers for refugees, teachers, pastors, camp directors, and children and youth assistants.

To learn more about these placements and other details of the program, please visit www.individualvolunteers.info. If you are being called to this important and vital ministry, please contact Malcolm Frazier at mfrazier@umcmission.org or call 212 870-3659.

The next training and orientation session will be at the Colby Retreat Center in Palmdale, California February 25-29, 2015. Space is limited so please apply now.

GBHEM Loan Applications Available

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry opened applications for spring and summer loans on December 11, 2014 and will accept loan applications until May 5, 2015. The spring and summer loans are for school enrollment between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2015. Applications are available at www.gbhem.org/loanapplication.

The GBHEM board has recently voted to expand the eligibility criteria which will enable Dreamer students to apply for a loan or scholarship from GBHEM under the current Domestic Applicant guidelines. Dreamers are young adults who were unauthorized immigrants brought into the country as children.

They are adjusting the online application questions regarding citizenship status so that they are able to identify the Dreamers who apply this year. The scholarship application opened on January 5 at www.gbhem.org/scholarshipapplication.

Upcoming Events

January

     23-25: United Methodist Women Midwinter Meeting @ Birchwood Camp
     25: Willow UMC Church Conference
     26-27: Carlo at PNW Cabinet Meetings in Seattle
     30-31: Winter Meetings and Diana Butler Bass Leadership Event

February

1-4: Carlo at ADCM Meetings in Nashville
8: Homer UMC Church Conference

March

2-4: GNW Younger Clergy Gathering - Carlo attending
4-5: Carlo in Seattle for Cabinet 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

www.alaskaumc.org

umc@gci.net