News

Please Verify Name Badge Information!

Each year following church conferences, churches report lay member and alternate lay member data to the Districts Administration Center. That information then is entered in the Conference database, where clergy data also is maintained. For that reason, this year we have not required those groups to register for Annual Conference Session – in theory, we already have the information needed to create name badges for them.   We are confident about the accuracy of clergy data....

Reports, Resolutions Posted

Annual Conference Session Reports, the Conference Budget, Recommendations and Resolutions, and the Statistician's Reports all have been posted on line, on a new page called "ACS 2012 Resources." To download, click on "Annual Conference Session" (the first item under "Quick Links" on the right side of the Home Page at www.cnumc.org) and then select "ACS 2012 Resources" from the menu on the right.   Also on that page: the preliminary schedule and...

Used Book Tables at ACS

Annual Conference Session begins on Wednesday, June 20. Starting that morning, the Conference Archives and History Commission invites you, once again, to take your relevant books in good condition to the four used book tables, and donate them for re-sale to conference attendees.  The tables will be located on the third floor near the atrium space. They will be appropriately labeled and easy to find for first-timers. (The atrium space, where Cokesbury has been located, is...

It's Time to 'Change the World'!

Think your church can't do anything to change the world? Think again. Change the World 2012 challenges congregations to reach out and become involved in their community locally – while fighting malaria globally. The local event could be planting a community garden or cleaning a local park. As for helping eradicate malaria, a congregation could sponsor a walkathon to raise money and awareness.   Change the World is an annual event sponsored by Rethink Church. This year, the...

Tracking with Trak-1

There seems to be some confusion about the new Trak-1 system for background checks. Contrary to what some people have believed, Trak-1 is mandatory only for Conference-sponsored activities. It is offered to local churches solely as a convenience, but is not required for churches' own programs. In other words, while Trak-1 is the only system in use to provide clearance to take part in Conference-sponsored events such as working at camp, participating in UMVIM trips, etc. – churches that...

Young People Were a Presence at General Conference

At 2012 General Conference, a greying Church attempted to cede some ground and let young leaders emerge – attempted to prove that it means it, when it talks about being committed to young people. Indeed, young people were there – the California-Nevada delegation alone included two members still in their 20s and another who's younger than 35 – and at times, young voices were even heard: Cal-Nevada's Emily Allen and Yoshiro Nakajima, for instance, were recognized several times...

What's NEXT for Young People in The UMC?

United Methodist College Students Encouraged to Imagine What's NEXT, at New Student Leadership Event Imagine What's NEXT is a new collegiate student event that will challenge and inspire United Methodist college students to consider and plan the next faithful steps for their vocations, their communities, the Church, and the world.   Scheduled for Nov. 9-11, 2012, in St. Louis, Missouri, the new event is organized by a launch team of college students, campus ministers, chaplains, and...

Collegiate Ministry Certification Will Lift up Best Practices, Provide Best Training

By Vicki Brown Certification for collegiate ministry will lift up best practices with a vital ministry that differs in key ways from local church work, according to campus ministers, agency staff, and seminary administrators.   At its March meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Board of Directors approved a certification track for certifying those working in collegiate ministries, and several United Methodist theological schools already...

Hope for Tomorrow

By the Rev. John Oda* Coming into the 2012 General Conference my hope, at least in part, lay in the removal of the "incompatibility" clause from the Book of Discipline. It was at the 1972 General Conference that this anti-gay language was written into the Book of Discipline. Paragraph 161F states, "The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching."   Surely, 40 years was long...

Celebrating May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

The Hmong Hymnal By Dean McIntyre*   The Hmong United Methodist Hymnal was introduced at the Hmong Christian Community United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2003. The hymnal was the result of 17 years of preparation by a committee composed of members of the church, with Chou Yang as editor. It contains more than 300 hymns, including many from Southeast Asian sources, as well as translations of traditional and contemporary hymns that would be familiar to most...

GBOD's New Church Starts Leader Appointed to Lead Colorado Congregation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gary A. Shockley, executive officer of the General Board of Discipleship's (GBOD) New Church Starts (Path 1), has been appointed senior pastor at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky of the Denver Episcopal Area (and resident bishop of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference) made the appointment, which will be effective Oct. 15.   Under Shockley's leadership, New Church Starts (Path 1) has assisted episcopal...

GBCS Has Opening for Women's Advocacy Director

Work with and on behalf of women around the globe by advocating for passage of just policies by the U.S. Congress and the U.N. WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) is seeking a Director and Organizer for Women's Advocacy.   The opening is part of the board's Louise & Hugh Moore Population Project, the mission of which is to work with and on behalf of women around the globe, particularly those most marginalized, by advocating for...

GBOD Summer-Fall Seminars

The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church (GBOD) is offering free webinars this summer and fall for church leaders. Register at www.gbod.org/adultseminars.   June 5, 4:30-5:30 PM (PDT) How Do Adults Make Decisions? Authority and Issues of Faith Participants in this webinar will consider some of the traditional sources of authority (think quadrilateral) and what is happening now as the Church finds itself in a time of huge transition.   July 24, 4:30-5:30 PM...

PSR Announces Summer Session Offerings

Preaching, politics, radical Jesus, church renewal, LGBTQ theologies, "praying the body," Bishop Spong, community organizing, and much more: Do we have your attention yet?  It's all at Pacific School of Religion (PSR) this summer, and you and yours are invited! Take a weeklong class for personal enrichment, CEUs, or academic credit. Attend a free evening lecture. Worship, learn, explore … Head to Berkeley this summer!   PSR is a progressive...

Mind Your Vital Signs FAQs!

Every week, it seems, Vital Signs administrators get an email from one of our churches, asking if/how they can access back dates to add or correct information. The answer is … they can't! The system only allows entries for a four-week period. All data needs to be entered and perfected during that time frame, because on the fifth week, the earliest date will drop off and churches no longer will be able to enter information to that earliest date or make corrections there.   Administ...

Bishop Brown and Two Cal-Nev Clergy to Be Featured in PBS Documentary

A reporter and producer-videographer from the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) in the Bay Area spent two weeks in Tampa, documenting the activity surrounding the 2012 General Conference vote on human sexuality legislation. In the course of their work, they interviewed California-Nevada's resident bishop and new president-designate of the Council of Bishops, Warner H. Brown, Jr., for around half an hour. They also shadowed the Rev. Karen Oliveto of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church...

Week 1, GC 2012: 'Slow' Week Still Busy

By Kathy L. Gilbert* May 8, 2012 | TAMPA, FL The first week of The United Methodist General Conference – traditionally the 'slow' week – started with a bang and never stopped going. Marcia McFee, music director for the worldwide assembly, began the opening worship with loud claps of thunder and beautiful waves of sea green and blue images rolling across large video screens behind the worship area. The setting kept the seaside location of the Tampa Convention Center in mind,...

Week 2, GC 2012: Flurry of Motions, Ministry

By Linda Bloom* May 9, 2012 | TAMPA, FL (UMNS) John Wesley's followers have embraced the 21st century. That fact was demonstrated time and again as the minute-by-minute actions of the 2012 United Methodist General Conference, April 24-May 4, were watched by thousands online and tweeted, posted on Facebook, or spread through other social media platforms. While some participants in the denomination's top legislative body, such as 11-time lay delegate Ruth Daugherty, remembered a time before...

GC 2012: General Conference Wrap-up

By Rich Peck* May 5, 2012 | TAMPA, Fla. (UMNS) United Methodists from five continents addressed a wide range of challenging issues, including Church structure and human sexuality, and engaged in an Act of Repentance toward indigenous people during their 10-day legislative gathering. Meeting in the Tampa Convention Center, steps away from the waters of Tampa Bay, the 988 delegates recalled through worship, song, and sermon the healing and transforming ministry of Jesus beside the Sea of...

Leaders Announced for 'Leading Beyond the Walls' Workshop

"Church of the Resurrection really wants to help Cal-Nevada succeed in our vitalization efforts, and is sending two of its best leaders," says the Rev. Dave Bunje, in announcing leadership for next month's workshop, "Leading Beyond the Walls." The workshop will take place at First United Methodist Church of Loomis, 6:30-9 p.m. on Friday, June 8 and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, June 9.   "Leading Beyond the Walls" is being offered by the Great Northern...