The Western Connection 1 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

The Western ConnectionThe Western Connection The newsletter of the Western District of the OregonThe newsletter of the Western District of the Oregon--Idaho Annual ConferenceIdaho Annual Conference

The United Methodist ChurchThe United Methodist Church

Presiding Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata

February 2012—Vol. 15 , No. 2

680 State St., Suite 200, Salem, OR 97301 Rev. Dr. Katherine Simmons Conolly, Assistant to the Bishop Voice: (503) 581-3969 Fax: (503) 480-7599 Linda Grund-Clampit, Administrative Assistant Office E-mail: office@westerndistrictumc.org Kate Conolly: revkat1@mac.com Office Hours: 8:30 a.m.—4 p.m. , Monday—Thursday

Inside this Issue:

2—S.M.A.R.T. Goals

3—Congregations to Set Goals

4—Freedom in the Lord—WD Lay Leader Shares

5—Marcia McFee Workshop

5—Conflict Resolution Training

6—New Church Leadership Institute

7– Lenten Devotional Available

7—Access to Demographics

7—Photo Display Available

8 - Tracking Worship Attendance

8—New Children’s Curriculum

9—New D.S. Announced

10—Shared Giving Celebration

11—Mission Opportunities

11—What is UMCOR?

12—Prayer Calendar

12—Praying for General Conference

13—Scholarships Available

13—Materials Requested

14—Connections

Dear Friends, It was April of 2000. I read a little article in Health magazine about a man named Jeff Galloway who had trained almost a half a mil-lion people to run a marathon. For some mysterious reason, that day I said, “I am going to do that.” I went to Borders and got Gallo-way’s book. I started reading it and it became well worn with the number of times I referred to it. When I started my training I could run two blocks before I felt winded and needed to walk. I followed Galloway’s training regimen for beginners to the letter. It culmi-nated in a 28-mile training run three weeks before the marathon. Like an idiot, I wore new shoes for that run. They felt okay for the first 13 miles. The last 15 they did not. My faithful dog Naomi had a great time. I did not. On October 1, 2000, I ran and completed my first marathon. It was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line. I had accomplished something I never thought I could do. I would never have been able to accomplish this without setting a goal and going about achieving it in, literally, small steps over a six-month period. My goal was Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Timely – yes, S.M.A.R.T.

I have seen wonderful things happen across the district as congre-gations have set goals and watched them be achieved. Things that folk never thought possible. Food pantries opened, new worship services started, children and young parents a part of the life of the church again, the homeless given shelter, a new church built on the ashes of the old, indoor play parks opened, laity boldly claiming their gifts and bringing their congregation back to life. Congregations have achieved more than they thought possible

The Benefits of S.M.A.R.T Goals

Thoughts from the Assistant to the Bishop for the Western District

The Western Connection 2 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

because a S.M.A.R.T. goal was set. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit gets a hold of our original goals with delightful effect. An example is at Newberg First UMC. They decided to set up a little coffee stand on their property that is right next door to a grade school. The thought was to reach out to the parents who were dropping their children off. What happened instead was that youth from the alternative high school across the street came by for the coffee. Some were even brave enough to come into the church when the weather turned bad. Then donuts were added. That was a big hit. Then the thought became to provide a more substantial breakfast. Then, the Holy Spirit con-tinued Her work — I received this word from Bob Flaherty, the pastor at Newberg: “Wow! Our coffee ministry has morphed again. The principal called Judy Elliot, who has been helping with our coffee stop. He told her the students would not be able to come over at the regular time, but since he knew she was going to make chili, he wondered whether she could have that around their lunch time. About 12 students dropped in for lunch. I shared this development with my book study. I was pleased by the energy that generated. [A member] said that we have been trying for years to make a significant contact with the school next door and she saw this as a very exciting development.” My dear friends, each congregation is being asked to set goals in the areas that have been determined to be most beneficial for congregational health and vitality. (See article on the next page.) They are found at the end of the newly revised Church Profile. Each congregation is also encouraged to set goals that are unique to your setting. We will have workshops across the district in March to help you begin this process. This is not just about numbers. It is about telling the stories of vitalization that cannot be measured in num-bers. The most important thing to remember is this – PRAYER!!!! May each of us commit to holding our congrega-tions in prayer as we set goals to improve the ability of our congregations to make disciples and to transform our communities and the world. Lofty goals. Worthy goals. The goals that Jesus asked of us as his disciples. May you feel Jesus’ presence and power with you, to encourage you and uplift you. Blessings, Back to Table of Contents

Examples of S.M.A.R.T. Goals

“I am going to get healthier” – not a S.M.A.R.T. goal “I am going to walk 30 minutes a day during my lunch break five days a week for the next 8 weeks.” – is a S.M.A.R.T. goal. It is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound (gives an opportunity to eval-uate and set a new goal at the end of the 8 weeks) “We are going to increase worship attendance by 10%” – not a S.M.A.R.T. goal. It is measurable, but doesn’t address the specifics of what will be done to generate the increase nor the time frame. “We are going to ask parishioners in a one-time meeting/process to identify who in their circle of friends and acquaintances might be open to attending worship. The Outreach Committee will do training in January on inviting persons to worship. We will run a weekly ad in the local paper (radio, other media outlets) listing our worship times and also the theme or special music offering for the upcoming services for the next month. We will start a worship service aimed at xxx specific group during the summer months.” -- any or all of these might be S.M.A.R.T. goals which would result in an increase in worship attendance. They need specifics added as to who will do what when for how long and an evaluative process at some point to make adjustments for realities discovered in the process of working on these goals.

The Western Connection 3 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

Congregations Asked to Set Goals for Effective Ministry

Workshops will be offered in Western District in March

The Annual Conference is requiring that each local congregation use Part 2 of the new Local Church Profile to identify results, measures, goals, and strategies for your local church. These are based on the five denomination-wide discipleship vital signs listed below, but also provide for measures that fit your local context and ministry. This material needs to be completed and turned in to the district office by the end of March 2012. Western District workshops to aid churches in accomplishing this will be offered at Tualatin UMC on Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Workshops on the coast and in Salem will also be scheduled. More details will be forthcoming. The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The denomination has recognized that the best way to do this is through healthy and vital local con-gregations — and that one of the ways a congregation becomes and stays healthy and vital is to pay atten-tion to its discipleship vital signs. (These are also being called “goals” or “metrics.”) What we measure receives attention. Across the denomination, The United Methodist Church wants to give attention to and, therefore, measure the following discipleship vital signs: 1. Disciples in worship - worship attendance; 2. Disciples making new disciples - number of professions of faith; 3. Disciples growing in their faith - number of small groups; 4. Disciples engaging in mission - number of disciples doing outreach in the community and the world; and 5. Disciples sharing their resources for mission - amount of money given to mission. “You will note that these are, for the most part, not activities but results, fruit of our ministry. Activity is not always the best measure. Measuring activity — for example, ministries or people contacted has some value, but it does not indicate if a congregation is achieving the desired outcomes or fruit. A congregation can be quite satisfied with its activity, but if the activity is not producing fruit, then this activity may be the wrong activity, may be focused internally only or may lack the power of the Holy Spirit.”1 The denomination has created a website, www.umvitalcongregations.org, to provide theological back-ground and practical resources for measuring these discipleship vital signs and for setting Specific, Measura-ble, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-determined (S.M.A.R.T.) goals. This is a wonderful tool for each local congregation. Be sure to make use of it! ______________ 1 Call to Action: Setting Goals to Grow Vital Congregations, FAQs , found at www.umvitalcongregations.org

Back to Table of Contents

The Western Connection 4 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

Bil Merrill worshipped with us at Hillsboro United Methodist Church for many years. Bil helped with Sunday school, Fellowship time, ushering, and the praise band. Bil helped anytime he was asked and offered anytime he wasn’t. Although he was identified as developmentally disabled very early in life, that label never defined Bil’s actions or life. It was easy for folks to know Bil was different. His facial expression, speech, stance and gait screamed disabil-ity. Hearing the true voice of the man within took time and patience. It took practice for me to look Bil in the eye. It took patience, on his part and mine, to get to know each other. Over the years, Bil quit attending HUMC in favor of a church within walking distance of his home. We’d see each other occasionally and spend a few minutes catching up. Bil often assured me he loved God, had friends at his new church and continued to help the Hillsboro police department fight crime. “Cops” was Bil’s favor-ite TV show and he sang the title song with glee! Bil died earlier this week. I attended the service and as I viewed the body, I thought how odd dead people look. I think this at most funerals. What really puzzled me was Bil’s face – the expression was all wrong. As I looked at that ultra-relaxed, restful face, it struck me. In death, the symmetry of Bil’s features was perfect. Developmental disability no longer controlled his muscles. In death, Bil no longer would need twice the effort to accomplish any task. As I thought of Bil among the saints in heaven, I knew no one would look at this man and see anything but his brave soul. Bil was free. I think of Bil’s life and his dedication to the Lord and wonder, what holds me back? With what obstacles must I battle to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world? Bil fought daily to live as a disci-ple. Am I able to blast through my barriers to serve with my whole heart? That is my prayer. Sisters and Brothers in Christ, let’s serve with a clear view of the Lord. Let’s see past the barriers and know our lives are vitally important to our Savior and to each other. We are called to make dis-ciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Let’s focus on our service free of the barriers of our earthly world! Mary Foote, Western District Lay Leader Back to Table of Contents

Freedom in the Lord

Thoughts from the Western District Lay Leader

Your comments about the format or content of The Western Connection are welcome! Please contact Linda

Grund-Clampit, WD Administrative Assistant, 503-581-3969 or office@westerndistrictumc.org, with sugges-

tions or articles. Deadline for the March issue is February 21st.

The Western Connection 5 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

EVENTS & TRAININGS

Opportunities to learn new skills or gain new insights for living out our faith

Worship with Deep Soul! A workshop with Marcia McFee

The Southern District invites all interested persons!

The Southern District will host Marcia McFee, author, worship designer and leader, professor, preacher and artist, at their district enrichment event on Saturday, March 3 at First UMC, Roseburg. Interested persons from Western District are welcome to attend! Marcia’s passion for helping the church to worship God fully is especially directed toward the education of local congregations. She travels extensively in order to teach regional workshops that are accessible to congregational leaders and worship teams. Gwen Drake, Assistant to the Bishop in the Southern District, shares the following thoughts: “During my last year as the Senior Pastor at Hillsboro UMC, I finally formed a Worship Design Team and wondered - how did I get through 23 years of ministry without one! Marcia McFee is a great advocate for designing passionate worship; however, she doesn't do it by herself. She involves others who are also passionate about worship. Please come and learn and experience Marcia McFee on March 3rd. It will change how you want to experi-ence worship. It will inspire you to design worship intentionally.” Cost to attend: $20 per person individually (group rate for Churches with 6 or more people participating: $100); $5.00 per student (middle school through college); Children – Free (childcare provided for children age 5 and younger). Download a registration form. Click here for a flyer that can be posted or used as a bul-letin insert, or go to the Southern District page of the Conference Website, www.umoi.org.

Back to the Table of Contents

Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders

Offered by Lombard Mennonite Peace Center

Conflict is normal and inevitable – whether in the home, school, community, church or workplace. The Medi-ation Skills Training Institute presented by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC) is designed to equip church leaders with the skills necessary to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. The five-day institute also includes a component on congregational mediation and consultation. Although focused primarily on the church setting, the skills learned are directly transferable to other settings. This training will take place April 30-May 4, 2012 at First Christian Church of Kent in Kent, WA. All details re-garding fees, times, etc. are included in the brochure, which you can get by clicking here or request from the Western District Office. Attendees receive a certificate for 32 contact hours which can be submitted for con-tinuing education credit.

Back to the Table of Contents

The Western Connection 6 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

EVENTS & TRAININGS

Opportunities to learn new skills or gain new insights for living out our faith

New Church: Discernment and Training Event

For Church Done in a New Way and/or in a New Place

The Conference New Start Initiative Team has arranged for the New Church Leadership Institute West 2012 to be held March 13-16, 2012 at Portland First UMC. This event is not just for folks who feel called to plant churches (although it is for you who do!), but can energize local church leadership to do things in a new way. We can think of new churches as new congregations and as existing congregations doing things in new ways to reach new people. In the February issue of the Southern Connection, the newsletter of the Southern District, Rev. Eilidh Low-ery, pastor at Valley United Methodist Church in Veneta, Oregon, wrote how attending the New Church Leadership Institute (NCLI) transformed the way she does ministry. She said “NCLI challenged and shocked me, engaged and inspired me . . . NCLI really gave me permission to let go of my preconceived notions of how a pastor should work and instead focus on how to engage people in the community.” (You can read the full article here: http://www.umoi.org/news/detail/43) This is a high quality discernment, training and formation event that will expand our concepts of church as we currently know it. It will empower us to be innovative in our post-modern, multi-cultural ministry con-texts in the West. The NCLI will be led by 10 presenters from across the country who have deep experience in new church starts in many cultural settings.

Registration is $250 through Feb. 28, $350 Feb. 29th and fol-lowing. But the Conference New Start Initiative Team is giving Western District full scholarships for ten persons (clergy and laity) to attend! Six of these scholarships have been claimed as of Feb. 8th. If you want one of the remaining four, contact Rev. Kate Conolly, Western District Assistant to the Bishop, right away at revkat1@mac.com!

You can find more detailed information about the event, such as schedule and workshops and leadership profiles, at www.umoi.org/ncli or contact Turella Woods at the Conference Office, 503-802-9206 or turel-la@umoi.org, for more information about the program. Back to the Table of Contents

Four full scholarships for

this event are still available.

Contact Kate Conolly right

away to claim one!

The Western Connection 7 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

RESOURCES

For the work of the local church

Free Lenten Devotional Focuses on Hunger

Society of St. Andrew offers resource, requests support

The Society of St. Andrew invites your congregation to participate in their 2012 Lenten devotion and giving program, “Living Proof,” a program of spiritual reflection, prayer, and giving. SoSA’s Lenten devotion pro-gram challenges the reader to take seriously the scriptural injunctions to care for the poor, while also provid-ing an opportunity to feed our hungry neighbors. The Society of St. Andrew salvages fresh produce that can-not be sold and delivers it to agencies that feed hungry people in the United States. Learn more at http://www.endhunger.org/lent.htm. For questions, or to order SoSA’s free Lenten devotion materials and Good Friday Fast, you can also contact The Rev. Jennifer Vestal Moore at church@endhunger.org or 800-333-4597. Visit the Society of St. Andrew at http://EndHunger.org. United Methodist Advance Special #801600

Back to the Table of Contents

Up-to-date Demographics at your Fingertips —Free!

Conference Account with MissionInsite provides local church access

Are you interested in finding out about the community surrounding your church? What are their needs, ag-es, interests? What could be the potentials for starting new ministries in the area? The first step to finding answers to these questions is just one click away at www.missioninsite.com. MissionInsite provides demographic data that is updated on a regular basis and the reports are user friendly to the novice or experienced demographer. The reports are free to the local church because the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference is under a three year contract with MissionInsite. To get access to the conference’s license to access MissionInsite, go to www.umoi.org/insite. Simply download the registration information, read the support guide, and begin exploring your community through up-to-date demographics. Remember to use our Agency Account Number ID which is oxwx0 to register for your own account. If you have any questions, please contact Turella Woods at turella@umoi.org.

UM Church Photo Display Available to Local Churches

Pictures show the diversity and scope of United Methodism around the world

Marcella Gentry, a member of Stayton First UMC, is a traveler, photographer, and UM Church aficionado! She has a collection of framed pictures of local UM churches from all over the country and the world — all ready to be set up as a display at your local church or church-related event. You can contact her at 503-769-2233 to make arrangements to borrow the photos! Back to Table of Contents

The Western Connection 8 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

RESOURCES

For the work of the local church

Tool Helps Track Worship Attendance Trends

Lewis Center for Church Leadership releases Congregational Attendance Profile

To help congregations better track and improve worship attendance, the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary has released CAP, the Congregational Attendance Profile. Lewis Center Di-rector Lovett H. Weems, Jr., says, “Though most every church tracks attendance, too few do so in a way that reveals long-range trends.” CAP helps congregations more easily see these trends, revealing clues to improve attendance. To use CAP, a person simply enters past attendance into the CAP spreadsheet and adds new figures weekly. CAP monitors attendance against a 52-week running average, so churches will know instantly whether each Sunday’s attendance is higher or lower than the year-to-date average. Also, CAP creates a two-year trends chart that shows whether overall attendance is rising, declining, or flat. A CAP seasonal attendance chart su-perimposes the 52-week average over actual attendance, revealing peaks and dips. To help make sense of it all, Weems explains on a CAP video segment how to interpret and use the data from these charts. He says, “Churches have shown major improvement in attendance by acting on lessons learned from CAP.” CAP is de-signed for churches with a single worship service as well as those with many.

CAP begins shipping on February 1, 2012, and more information is available at http://www.churchleadership.com/CAP.

Back to the Table of Contents

Cokesbury Announces New Children’s Curriculum

“Grow, Proclaim, Serve!” will be available this Fall

Cokesbury has announced their new children’s curriculum, Grow, Proclaim, Serve! Visit the website (www.growproclaimserve.com) to watch videos, preview sample lessons and learn more! Grow, Proclaim, Serve! incorporates Bible stories, activities, crafts, media, and games into a full faith experience for children. Children will develop the skills to unlock the Bible and grow their faith by leaps and bounds. Grow, Proclaim, Serve! will nourish and enrich children, from birth through tweens, in their faith. They will be able to proclaim the good news of God’s love and serve God and neighbor. Children will realize that their faith goes with them as they grow. Parents can get involved too! You can sign up for the Grow, Proclaim, Serve!

email newsletter to stay up-to-date.

Back to the Table of Contents

The Western Connection 9 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

District Superintendent for New “50 District” Announced

The Reverend Margaret “Peg” Lofsvold to be appointed

CONFERENCE CONNECTIONS

Our life together as an Annual Conference

Effective July 1, 2012, the Western District will be no more. On that date the Annual Conference will be di-vided into four districts rather than the current five. For the time being each new district will be known by the number of churches in it. All current Western District congregations will be part of the new “50 Dis-trict,” which will consist of 50 churches in the Northwest corner of Oregon encompassing both the Oregon coast and the Columbia River; stretching down to the central Willamette Valley and east into Central Ore-gon. Also in the “50 District” will be Tigard UMC, Clatskanie UMC, Rainier UMC, First UMC-Bend, Madras UMC, John Day UMC, and Fossil UMC. During the 2012 Annual Conference session, each district will have a time to gather and form themselves as a new group of leaders. Among their tasks will be the selection of a name that represents the district as it moves forward.

Also effective July 1, 2012 the Reverend Dr. Kate Conolly will complete her term as District Superintendent/Assistant to the Bishop for the Western District. Kate will have served in this role for 8 years, the maximum allowable under The United Methodist Church Discipline. The Bishop will appoint Kate to a local church be-ginning July 1st.

Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata has announced that he intends to appoint the Reverend Margaret “Peg” Lofsvold as the District Superintendent of the new “50 District.” She currently serves as the senior pastor of Montavilla United Methodist Church in Portland, an appointment she has held since 2009. Rev. Lofsvold has also served at Eugene FUMC, Nampa: Southside Blvd., Lake Oswego, and as a chaplain. She is married to Rev. Leland Hunefeld, currently senior pastor at Tigard UMC.

In his Jan. 9th E-lumination announcement, Bishop Hoshibata stated: “Rev. Lofsvold brings many important gifts to her ministry and is well respected by her colleagues for her leadership. Recently she has demonstrated her desire to see the church grow and expand its ministries with a focus on new disci-

ples and new faith communities. She is creative and has a passion for healthy vital congregations as well as skill and experience in the processes that lead congregations to fruitfulness.”

More information about the district re-alignments can be found on the Con-ference website: http://www.umoi.org/news/detail/39. Back to the Table of Contents

The Western Connection 10 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

Dear Friends, The final tally of the appor-tionment numbers are in - through the extraordinary generosity of the congregations of the Western Dis-trict, in 2011 we succeeded in paying the highest percentage yet of our apportionments! We have worked our way up from 67.6% paid in 2008 to 82.9% paid in 2011! This is a metric not just of health but also of the strength of our connection to one another and of our commitment to be in ministry with a truly global church that multiplies many times over the impact of one single congregation. I am so grateful to be in min-istry with you all - the finest laity and clergy in the annual conference! I celebrate those congregations who achieved 100% or more - and those who made progress this year over last year. Those congregations are below: Bay City UMC McMinnville Coop Seaside UMC Canby UMC Mt. Home UMC Sheridan UMC Carus UMC Nehalem Bay UMC Silverton UMC Clarkes UMC Newberg First UMC Stayton First UMC Cornelius UMC Oregon City UMC Tillamook UMC Dallas UMC Salem First UMC Tualatin UMC Falls City UMC Jason Lee UMC Warrenton UMC Forest Grove UMC Morningside UMC Willamette UMC Grand Ronde UMC Trinity UMC Woodburn UMC Hillsboro First UMC West Salem UMC Yamhill UMC Jefferson UMC Keizer-Clear Lake UMC McCabe Chapel UMC Marquam UMC Thank you so much for your faithfulness to our covenantal relationship with one another and your commit-ment to support the work of Christ through The United Methodist Church! In ministry with you, Back to the Table of Contents

Western District Shines in Shared Giving

Western District Churches Fulfill 82.9% of Apportionment Responsibility in 2011

CONFERENCE CONNECTIONS

Our life together as an Annual Conference

What is Connectional Giving? (also called apportionments or shared giving) It’s as simple as people coming together, combining their money to accomplish something bigger than themselves. United Methodists support apportioned and designated funds through their connectional gifts. The General Conference establishes budgets for the denomination’s general funds. These are divided among annual conferences, based on a specific formula. Each annual conference, using its own approved formula, divides these fund requests, along with conference administrative and benevolence fund requests, among local churches. By combining several smaller gifts into a larger amount, we can effect change across the world. Individual churches can minister to a small area; however, as a connectional church, we can do big things, all in the name of Jesus Christ. Learn more at www.umcgiving.org

The Western Connection 11 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

Here are some tantalizing notices of mission trips and needs your congregation could support: Christ’s Church: Methodist and Presbyterian United (Monmouth) is planning a mission trip to Tanzania

this summer. This will be the 2nd annual trip in support of Orphans Foundation Fund, working in north-ern Tanzania (based in Arusha, near Mt. Kilimanjaro). Contact Denvy Saxowksy, denvygail@saxowsky.com, for more information.

Newberg FUMC is planning a trip to Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota May 11-21, 2012 with the Tree of Life Ministries. Contact Rev. Bob Flaherty, bob_newbergfumc@frontier.com. More folks are welcome on this trip!

Forest Grove Youth will go to the UMCOR West Depot June 30- July 7, 2012. Contact Emily Tabb, emily.tabb@gmail.com, for more information. Others planning to go to the UMCOR West Depot in Salt Lake City this year are Coburg UMC May 7-11, Portland First UMC May 6-12, and Clatskanie-Rainier UMC August 27-31. If you would like to go along and some of those dates work for you, or if your church has UMCOR kits you’d like to send along with these folks — contact the churches or Chuck and Betty Pritchard (see below). Lake Oswego UMC is planning to take a team to the Sager-Brown UMCOR site in Louisiana October 21-26th.

Chuck and Betty Pritchard at 503-200-4830, b2c2m2@gmail.com are the Western District Volunteers-In-Mission Coordinators. They would love to hear from you about mission your congregation is planning, and to support you as you explore possibilities! Back to the Table of Contents

Lots of Opportunities to Volunteer in Mission!

News of Volunteers-in-Mission from our District and across the Annual Conference

What are UMCOR, depots, and kits? The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the not-for-profit global humanitarian aid

organization of the United Methodist Church. UMCOR is working in more than 80 countries

worldwide, including the United States. Their mission, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, is to

alleviate human suffering—whether caused by war, conflict or natural disaster, with open hearts

and minds to all people. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering funds the cost of doing business

for UMCOR. They do not receive apportionment funds or any other world service funds. Particular

projects are funded through The Advance giving.

UMCOR Supply Kits help to care for the most vulnerable people during times of crisis. They also

help to sustain everyday life by providing basic necessities to people who lack ready access to

essential supplies. These kits provide vital support for the work UMCOR does throughout the world.

By donating kit supplies or financial gifts to purchase the supplies, you make a direct, tangible

difference in sustaining people's lives. Find out more about kits online: www.umcor.org, then “Get

Connected” and then “Send Relief Supplies”

The depots are physical locations, one in Salt Lake and one in Louisiana, where the work of sorting

and shipping relief supplies to locations in the US and around the world is done.

United Methodist Speak 101

The Western Connection 12 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

Prayer Calendar

A resource to help us support each other in prayer

Please support one another as the family of God through intercessory prayer. A letter or a call can be a part of our prayers! It is also appropriate to lift these folks up during worship. Week of Congregation Pastor/Family Lay Leader Feb. 6 –12 Newberg FUMC Bob Flaherty Pat Runyon Sandra Flaherty Feb. 13-19 Oregon City UMC Gerry Hill Marvin McElroy Robyn Morrison Zachary Hill (1997) Feb. 20-26 Salem: Englewood UMC Jon Langenwalter Laurel Langenwalter Feb. 27 - Salem First UMC Dan Pitney Mary Ann Robinson March 4 Jennie Pitney Chuck Hudkins March 5 –11 Salem: Jason Lee UMC Edson Gilmore Shirley Cross Nadine Gilmore

Back to the Table of Contents

I have heard about your

faith in the Lord Jesus

and your love for all of

God’s people. So I never

stop being grateful for

you as I mention you in

my prayers. My prayer

is that light will flood

your hearts and that you

will understand the hope

that was given to you

when God chose you.

Then you will discover

the glorious blessings

that will be yours

together with all of

God’s people.

Ephesians 1:15-16,18, CEV

General Conference is The United Methodist Church’s top legislative body. It meets every four years. When General Conference gathers April 24-May 4 in Tampa, Florida, nine hundred and eighty-eight delegates from around the world will set policy and direction for the church, as well as handle other business. General Conference is the only entity that speaks for The United Methodist Church as a whole. Westside UMC (Metro District) is overseeing a conference-wide prayer covering for our Oregon-Idaho dele-gation to General Conference and for the proceedings of this event. This week, they invite us to just begin to pray for our delegation. Here are their names:

Rev. Laura Jaquith Bartlett Jan Nelson Rev. Clay Andrew Rev. John Go Rev. Donna Pritchard Rev. April Hall Cutting David Armstrong Mark Bateman Bonnie McOmber Vincent Myers Rev. Scott Harkness Norm Dyer Remember, representing us at General Conference is a huge burden on our behalf that they have taken on in addition to their regular lives and ministries. Pray for them to have perseverance in the reading of pages upon pages of legislation, discernment for how to support or not support each, direction from the Holy Spir-it, peace and joy in the undertaking. Pray for them to be able to go about their work in the service of Christ. Thanks for praying and leading your congregations in prayer. Our delegation thanks you!

An Invitation to Pray for General Conference

And for our Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference Delegation

The Western Connection 13 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

Scholarships for higher education -- undergraduate, graduate, and seminary -- are available for members of The United Methodist Church through a variety of channels. The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church offers both loans and scholarships. Loans are available up to $5,000 at 5% interest and there are a variety of scholarships. You can find more information at www.gbhem.org. The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation also offers scholarships. Their website is www.umhef.org. The same minimum criteria exist for both agencies: you must have been a member of a local UMC for at least one year, and be enrolled full-time in an accredited institu-tion of higher education. But beyond that there may be other criteria for specific scholarships. The deadline to have all scholarship application materials in for both programs is March 1st each year. There are three general education scholarships available through the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference. Ap-plicants for any of the three scholarships must intend to be a full-time student and must have been a mem-ber of a United Methodist church within the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference for at least one year. Applica-tions and all supporting documentation must be received by the Conference Scholarship officer no later than Friday, April 6, 2012 for the academic year 2012-13. More information and the application forms are availa-ble on the Conference website: www.umoi.org. Select “Resources” along the top menu bar, and then select “Scholarships” in the left hand column menu. Applicants who have questions can contact Linda Grund-Clampit, Conference Scholarships Officer at 503-581-3969 or office@westerndistrictumc.org That same webpage lists information on scholarships offered by the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry for persons attending seminary and the Conference United Methodist Women for women attending semi-nary or other graduate-level education and planning church-related careers. There are even scholarships available through the United Methodist Federal Credit Union! You must be a member of the UMFCU. The application deadline is Feb. 29, 2012. Follow this link to the information and application form, or request it from the Western District Office. Be sure to also ask if your local church offers scholarships. Check it all out!

Scholarships Available!

Now is the time to explore for support of education endeavors this Fall

One-Room Sunday School Materials Needed

Do you have materials you aren’t using that you could share?

Sharon Graham-Laraene is a retired associate member of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference who is

now living in the Lincoln City area. There are no United Methodist churches in that immediate area, but

Sharon has become involved with a group of young families who have asked her to provide Christian educa-

tion for their children. She would love to have some One-Room Sunday School materials to use with the

children who are between the ages of 3 and 9. If you can help, please contact Sharon at 541-921-5600.

Thank you!

Back to Table of Contents

The Western Connection 14 February 2012, Vol. 15, No. 2

CONNECTIONS

Where to go to find out more

Western District website: www.westerndistrictumc.org

Office e-mail: office@westerndistrictumc.org Office phone: 503-581-3969

Office fax: 503-480-7599

Western District Church Extension website: www.umoi.org/pages/detail/116

Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference

website: www.umoi.org Office phone: 503-226-7931 or 1-800-593-7539

Oregon-Idaho Camps & Retreats

Website: www.gocamping.org

Regional Media Center E-mail: media@regionalmediacenter.org Office phone: 1-800-755-7710, ext. 313

Cokesbury

Website: www.cokesbury.com Kirkland, WA store phone: 1-800-605-9403

The United Methodist Church

website: www.umc.org

UMC Vital Church Project Website: www.umvitalcongregations.org

Infoserv (for all questions re: UMC)

www.infoserv.umc.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief website: www.umcor.org

Back to Table of Contents