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Columbia crossroads MAY 2016
...written for and about the Columbia District of the Oregon-Idaho An-nual Conference of the United Methodist Church—from west to east , from Portland to the smaller cities and towns in the Columbia Gorge,
and the eastern edges of our beautiful state of Oregon.
Bishop: Grant Hagiya [email protected]
District Superintendent: Rev. Erin Martin [email protected] Administrative Assistant: Sandy Lofy [email protected]
1505 SW 18th Avenue, Portland, OR 97201-2524 Phone: 503-249-1851
Fax: 503-226-4158
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
IT’S HERE!!!!
General Conference is nearly upon us! I don’t know about you, but I am incredibly excited to don the green volunteer vest and practice radical hospitality on behalf of our extraordinary District. I am thrilled that the world is coming to Portland, and we, with God’s help, will be ready.
Here are a few things that I am especially looking forward to as General Conference approaches: First, I decided that I wanted to volunteer in as many different capacities as possible. So, I am signed up to be a MAX rider shuttling guests from the airport, working the airport Welcome Booth, setting up the Prayer Room at the Convention Center, stationing myself at the Convention Center Infor-mation Booth on Opening Day, offering Lounge Hospitality (that sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?), and praying for delegates and others in the Prayer Center and during Plenary Sessions. I figure that the least I can do as we gather to work out our salva-tion with fear and trembling is to pray!
There are also several events in and around General Conference that I am excited about attending. On May 7, I am thrilled to be a part of a conversation being hosted with our African and Filipino brothers and sisters at Portland First United Methodist Church. The event is entitled, “What Can Portland Learn from Africa and the Philip-pines?” and the day will include precious sharing of our different ministry contexts
IT’S HERE!
Erin Martin, District Superintendent, Columbia District
TABLE OF CONTENTS
District Calendar......................2 Around the District……………....3 Imagine No Malaria……………….4 Annual Conference.............5&6 Around the Conference…………7 General Conference………………8 Portland Employment..............9 Conference Blogs...................10 Resources...............................11
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with several African and Filipino GC Delegates. Please join us for this significant Ministry Dialogue from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm with lunch included. What a gracious way to cross difference and experience the joy of mu-tual sharing! Also, on May 12, I am definitely planning on attending the General Conference Climate Vigil at 7:30 pm. My sons, Elijah and Rowan, and I each made a lantern, and we can’t wait to join the throng of those gathered to witness to the ways that climate change is affecting God’s creation. I hope to see you there!
I am especially grateful for the General Conference Local Host Committee who has dedicated hundreds of hours of their time to plan this massive event, and I can’t wait to experience the Pentecostal power of the Holy Spirit move across our gathering of nations, languages, and ethnicities so that we might embody Pe-ter’s vision from the prophet Joel, “When the time comes, I’ll pour out my Spirit on those who serve me, men and women both (young and old, gay and straight), and they’ll prophesy and whoever calls out for help to God, will be saved.”
It’s time, my friends! I’ll see you there!
Erin
May 2016 10-20-General Conference-Oregon Convention Center 15-Creation Care Gathering-Portland First
June 2016 16-18 Annual Conference-Salem Convention Center
Mark Your Calendar!
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AROUND THE DISTRICT
Creation Care Gathering and A Look at the Middle East
Portland First UMC Hosts Creation Care Gathering Sunday, May 15th, 2016 12 pm ~ Room 202 Portland First UMC 1838 SW Jefferson St., Portland 97201 RSVP here First United Methodist Church, Portland will host a gathering of “green” United Methodists from around the denomination during General Conference in May. The event will be held on Sunday, May 15th following wor-ship. We will have an opportunity to share what we have been doing for Creation in our congregations, as well as to learn what has been happening in the denomination. Rev. Pat Watkins (Caretakers of God’s Crea-tion) and Rev. Jenny Phillips (Fossil Free UMC) will be among those present, and a light lunch will be served. All are welcome!
A Methodist Missionary Looks at the Middle East Sunday, May 15th, 2016 12 pm ~ Fireside Room Portland First UMC 1838 SW Jefferson St., Portland 97201
Kristen Brown, a GBGM Missionary serving as Methodist Liaison to Palestine/Israel, will be sharing her per-spective on life in the Holy Land at forum to be held at First United Methodist Church, Portland, on May 15. Those attending General Conference are especially invited to attend services at 10:30 am, and stay for Kris-ten’s presentation, at which a light lunch will be served. A member of the Oklahoma Annual Conference, Kristen has served as coordinator of interpretation, educa-tion, and advocacy through the Methodist liaison office in Jerusalem since 2011. This office is a joint project of the UMC General Board of Global Ministries, the British Meth-odist Church, and the World Methodist Council. It relates to ecu-menical organizations, churches, and church-related institutions in the Holy Land, and it provides educational venues for Methodist pilgrims to the region. "God's call upon my life has taken me many places," says Kristen. "God's faithfulness in my life has enabled me to go where God leads." back to contents
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United Methodists Communications The United Methodist Church has chosen four areas of mission focus and one of those is improving global health. Thanks to the hard work and donations of church members, the Imagine No Malaria campaign has had a huge impact on reducing the death rates from this preventable disease. And now a song celebrates that victory and reminds us that "Our God is able." We went behind the scenes at a music studio near Nashville, Tennessee to talk with the songwriters and the performer, Jeremy Rosado, about their message and their hopes for this anthem. Rosado ex-plains, “What The United Methodist Church is doing now is something that we could consider a miracle, how many lives have been spared because of what you guys have done.”
READ MORE
Global Fund Affirms United Methodists As Key Partners in Malaria Fight Donations from Imagine No Malaria to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2015 were more than double that of combined donations in the previous four years, according to the annual re-port issued by the Global Fund to The United Methodist Church. That’s thanks to the generosity of United Methodists. According to the report, The United Methodist Church is one of the most significant non-government donors to the Global Fund and is unique within the global community of faith-based organiza-tions. READ MORE
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IMAGINE NO MALARIA
Song Celebrates United Methodists, malaria fight
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2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Annual Conference
Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference June 16 - 18, 2016
Salem Convention Center in Salem, Oregon
Volunteers needed for Annual Conference If you would like to help with the following at Annual Conference contact the district office at [email protected] or call 503-249-1851 and we will sign you up.
Ways to help:
Registration (Wednesday, June 15, 3:30 to 7:30 pm)
Hospitality (various times)
Reception Hosts (Thursday evening & Saturday mid-morning) back to contents
Registration and Lodging (deadline to register is May 31)
Conference Schedule
Laity Session and Workshops Salem Convention Center Information
Child Care Registration (deadline is May 13th)
Legislation Bundle
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MORE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Associate Conference Lay Leader and Youth at Annual Conference
Laity Session at Annual Conference 2016
Don’t miss it!
Greetings fellow OR-ID laity! While General Conference is right around the corner, please take a moment to think about our Annual Conference Laity Session at the Salem Convention Center, 8:45 am, Thursday June 16th. Between being greeted by Bishop Hagiya and taking off for our workshops, we have some work to do. As you know, we’ll be electing a new Conference Lay Leader. There has been interest shown by amazingly gifted individuals! I’m delighted to say I’ll leave this ministry in very good hands! What you may not know is that we will also have the opportunity to elect a new Associate Conference Lay Leader. Joshua Bynum, our intelligent and generous ACLL, will be nominated for the Sage District Lay Leader position. Josh has been an enormous blessing to our conference; the Sage District will be well served. Below, you’ll find a nomination form for Associate Conference Lay Leader. You may return this to me at [email protected] or present the nomination at the Laity Session from the floor. The Discipline offers very little guidance in duties for the ACLL. The primary responsibility is to provide voice for laity concerns, suggestions and insights. Other specific duties of the ACLL can be determined by agreement between the Board of Lay Ministries, CLL and ACLL. We have important work to complete. The next 4 years promise to be exciting in OR-ID. Please plan to attend the Laity Session at Annual Confer-ence! Download nomination form.
Youth at Annual Conference
The Annual Conference session provides a
number of ways for youth to connect to the
life of the greater church. From supporting
the meeting as a page, to being a voting
member of the Annual Conference, youth
are integral to our church's life together.
They are valued for their fresh voices, per-
spectives, and creative suggestions. We
have two youth coordinators, Anna Eckel-
barger Salas and Jill Mayer. Check out their
bios on the Conference website.
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AROUND THE CONFERENCE
Preparing our Churches for Disaster
Furthering the Church’s Mission / Preparing our Churches and Communities for Disaster – Connecting Neighbors Please join us at La Grande UMC on May 21 to discover ideas about how you and your church can further your ministry and presence within your local community. “Connecting Neighbors” is a program from UMCOR, the Methodist Church’s disaster organization, that has wide application to all phases of ministry within your community, not just those of the typical ‘disaster’ setting. The disaster of poverty or illness is no less a disaster than one of flood or fire. We seek to minister to and serve the least and hurting among us, no matter the source, and churches that are prepared and connected are better able to do so. The workshop runs from 9 am to 3 pm and lunch will be served; there is no cost for this workshop although donations will be gratefully accepted.
This workshop has four parts:
a disaster ministry overview that will help you to understand the language of disaster and the role you, your church, the United Methodist church, and its disaster response arm, UMCOR, can play
a “Ready Congregants” module that will help you, personally, to prepare for a community disaster and help your congregation to identify and minister to its congregants, especially those at risk, such as the elderly or mobility challenged
a “Ready Church” module that looks at risks to your buildings and the people who may be in them at the time, at ways to disaster-proof your current ministries, and at ways your church facilities might be used in a post disaster setting.
a “Ready Response” module that will help you identify ministries that might be appropriate for your church within your community and help you start building a plan to engage your church and to coop-erate with other churches and community resources in that ministry. Whether these ministries fill an on-going need, a food pantry, for example, or a disaster related need, shelter, for example, it is the connections within the community that make it possible and effective.
We’ll touch all four parts, but go into depth on “Ready Church” and “Ready Response”.
This workshop includes many handouts and links to resources for you to take back to your family and your church to aid in your planning and preparation.
La Grande UMC is at 1612 4th St, La Grande, OR 97850. We’ll start promptly at 9, so please try to arrive by 8:45. We’ll finish by about 3:30. Please pre-register by phone to 541-963-2498 (La Grande church office), email to [email protected] or by mail to the address above so that we have an approximate head count for materials and lunch. You may also register the day of the event, but we’ll have limited extra sets of material.
Contact Becky Platt at [email protected] / 503-680-5015 for more information. FLYER back to contents
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GENERAL CONFERENCE
Volunteer at General Conference
How often do you get to invite the world to your place for nearly two weeks? This opportunity will be exactly what happens May 10-20, 2016. During that time, the quadrennial United Methodist Church General Confer-ence will be held in Portland, Oregon. Approximately 5,000 United Methodists from around the globe will be here during that time to worship, pray, converse, and do the business of the church. Delegates from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Philippines, Latin America, and the United States will gather here to help set the direction and establish the policies for the United Methodist Church in the coming four years. This event has not taken place in our region for over forty years! Read below for volunteer positions that are still needed.
READ MORE DETAILS
As of May 1st, there is still a need for volunteers for: Hospitality at Hotels from May 2nd through May 22nd are our greatest need. Training for Volunteers The shifts are 6:30—11 a.m., 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2:30—7 p.m., and 6:30—10:30 p.m
Volunteer to help out at General Conference 2016
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PORTLAND AREA EMPLOYMENT
Sage District seeking Administrative Assistant Position will be located in Portland, OR at the Conference Center Synopsis of Position: The District Administrative Assistant is a 30 hour a week position that is responsible for supporting the ministry and mission of the District Superintendent of the Sage District, which includes 61 ministry settings (56 local) located in Eastern Oregon from La Grande throughout Southern Idaho (Boise, Twin Falls, to Idaho Falls and Ashton). Principle Duties and Responsibilities and Qualifications and Skills Resumes are due no later than May 9, 2016 by 5:00 PM.
St. Paul’s UMC Milwaukie seeking nursery worker
St. Paul’s UMC, Mliwaukie has an immediate opening for a nursery attendant. The nursery attendant provides a safe and caring environment for children (age 5 and under) who are placed in the nursery during church activities. Essential Functions: Provides an atmosphere for children where they know they are valued and loved Provides for the safety of the children following St. Paul’s Safe Sanctuary Policies
Interacts with children and their families in an open and positive manner Maintains a safe environment and ensuring that any unsafe toys or furniture are removed
Maintains proper hygienic standards for care of children Provides appropriate supervision of all children in nursery care
Minimum Qualifications: 18 years of age Hold current First Aid and CPR certifications or be willing to be trained in the first 3 months Capable of passing criminal background check and uphold requirements of the Safe Sanctuary Guide-
lines Email resume to St. Pauls: [email protected], attention David Smith back to contents
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Follow your favorite blogs…
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Bishop Grant Hagiya
Lowell Greathouse
Mission and Ministry Coordinator
Cesie Delve Scheuermann—
Inspiring Generosity
& Stewardship
Eilidh Lowery—
New Church Starts
Dan Moseler
Disaster Preparedness
Coordinator
for Oregon-Idaho
Beth Estock
Sacred Dirt
Mary Foote,
Conference Lay Leader
CONFERENCE BLOGS
Check out what’s going on throughout the Conference!
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Church Extension Society—Celebrate the Wonder of Shared Ministry
The Columbia District Church Extension Society has recently created a new Fund for Vital Ministries to encourage creative revitalization efforts in the local church. Here is a link to the criteria and application to consider if your congregation is interested. Their monthly meetings are open to all and they meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month at noon at the Conference Center.
STAYING CONNECTED
Please note: Deadline for submissions for the district newsletter fall on the 25th of each month. We welcome your stories and articles about what is happening in your local church—invite others to attend special events and programs! Thank you for allowing us to reach you by e-mail. It is our most efficient means of sharing information with the people of the Columbia District churches—lay people, clergy and leaders in the local church. Your e-mail address will only be used for communications to you from the District office; we will not share it with other organizations. Please send an e-mail message to [email protected] if you wish to be removed from the mailing list. To prevent e-mail filters from deleting messages from the District office, please add [email protected] to your address book or contacts list. Information alert: Remember to let the district office know of any changes in your church leadership, includ-ing all contact information every time someone resigns an office or position. We need current e-mail, ad-dress, phone numbers etc. in order that people receive important notices, invitations, and news from the district and the conference as well. Thank you very much! We strive to keep the data base as current as pos-sible, and we depend on you to keep us up-to-date. back to contents
RESOURCES
Columbia Extension Society & Staying Connected
Shared Ministries Summary (Apportionments)
You can look up your church’s apportionment status anytime you want. Simply click to see the Apportionments Paid Sum-mary. Thank you for your commitment to our common mis-
