SW District E-alert, March 16, 2016
For our Calendar of Events and the Fine Print about this publication, please scroll to the end of this email.
This e-alert and past e-alerts are available on the SW District page of the Conference website.
“All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer, when it is done in simplicity, according to the order of God, without either adding to or diminishing from it by his own choice.” – John Wesley, from A Plain Account of Christian Perfection
Coming Soon! March 30, Prayer Service for General Conference, 6:30 pm at Ruhl’s UMC, 4810 Elizabethtown Road, Manheim. All SW clergy and laity are encouraged to attend our district’s prayer service for General Conference. The quadrennial legislative meeting of 864 United Methodists from around the world will convene in Portland, Ore., May 10-20, to grapple with what may be some of the most conflictual debates and challenging decisions in the denomination’s 232-year history. Please hold all those who will attend this meeting in your personal prayers and also come to the March 30 event to pray together with your brothers and sisters in Christ for the will of God to be done in and through the United Methodist Church.
New! April 13, SW District Retired Clergy and Spouse Breakfast, 9:00 am, Oregon Dairy Restaurant. No reservations necessary. Order from the menu. All retirees and spouses welcome.
More Info and On-Line Registration! May 14, Mandated Reporter and Safe Sanctuary Training, 9:00 am to Noon, First UMC, 29 E Walnut Street, Lancaster. A representative from the YWCA Lancaster will be present to offer information on the new state laws that require all volunteers to be mandated reporters of known or suspected child abuse. Everyone attending will receive a certificate of completion for the mandated reporter training. This certification can be given to your church’s volunteer coordinator or other organizations for which you volunteer. We strongly encourage everyone to come to this training because it will help you recognize signs of abuse, know how to further protect children, understand your legal responsibilities, and give you instructions on how to report accurate information to the proper authorities. Rev. Eddie Cameron, the SW District Safe Sanctuary Resource Member, will conclude the training with a discussion on how the new laws affect our EPA Safe Sanctuary Policy. This event is free but on-line registration is required. This event is open to all UMC churches and leaders of groups that meet in UMC churches (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.) on the Southwest District.
New! Annual Conference Registration Is Open. Online registration is underway for the 2016 Eastern PA Annual Conference, June 16-18, at the Lancaster Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.Hard-copy materials have been mailed. All clergy and lay members to annual conference are urged to please register online now orwell before the May 13 deadline. The registration cost is $225 for all members. Registering after May 13 will incur a $50 late fee, with no exceptions. Also, please book your hotel room reservationsnow.Rooms are $129 a night and must be reserved by April 29.
The deadline to receive Annual Conference Resolutions and Reports is May 13, with no extensions. Click here for the PDF containing the instructions for writing and submitting resolutions.
You mayregister for display space onlineor e-mailLori Henningor call her at610-544-1400.
All districts will hold Pre-Annual Conference Meetings June 5, from 3 to 5:30 pm. The Southwest District’s meeting will take place at Leola UMC, 7 W Main Street, Leola, PA. To learn more visit the Annual Conference 2016 Webpageand read the news storyabout plans for this historic 230th annual conference session.
New! Denman Evangelism Award Nominations. Nominations are open for the Harry Denman Evangelism Awards, which honor United Methodists in each conference "whose exceptional evangelism brings people into a life-transforming relationships with Jesus Christ." Once again we want to recognize three deserving evangelists – a youth, a clergy member and a layperson – at our annual conference in June. The awards are intended to celebrate, inspire, and encourage all who feel called to be evangelists. As we recognize their efforts, we reflect on the multiplying impact evangelism can have on the lives of others in many places including churches, communities, and campuses. Please prayerfully nominate disciples you know who share their faith in bold, innovative, nurturing, uplifting ways. Learn more and download the nomination form. Please send your nomination form, byApril 30,to Suzette James, Eastern PA Conference Congregational Development Team, "Denman Award Nomination"in the subject line. You may also mail the form to the Eastern PA Conference Office, P.O. Box 820, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0820, to the attention of Rev.Dr. Christopher Kurien.
New! Eastern PA Conference Youth Rally. The next Eastern PA Conference Youth Rally will happen on Sunday, April 24, from 3 to about 7 pm at Hopewell UMC, 852 Hopewell Rd, Downingtown, PA 19335. This second annual rally will feature Todd Waites, an extraordinary one-armed keyboardist for the Christian music group ApologetiX, who often shares with concert audiences his story of how Christ enabled him to overcome adversity. Also appearing will be Hopewell's own #JesusTrending Christian youth band, and presentations from several remarkable youth and young adults. Watch for additional information from David Piltz, Conference Coordinator of Young People's Ministries, (814) 883-0118 or .
New! Experience the New Connectional Giving Training Course. United Methodist Communications has revised its training course, “Creating a Culture of Generosity,” which offers church leaders a chance to learn about holistic, meaningful giving experiences. “Connectional giving is vital to the church’s work around the world,” said Dan Krause, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. “It begins with local church members understanding the scope of church ministries that are made possible locally and globally because of their support.”
The course empowers training participants to become storytellers who can inspire others to give generously by sharing honest, compelling accounts of ministry opportunities.
The training is composed of three parts:
1. Why we give: explore the biblical and theological basis for giving
2. The United Methodist connection: understand more about how The United Methodist Church is a connectional church
3. Creating a culture of generosity: learn how missional storytelling impacts giving and how to ask others to contribute gifts as well as prayers, time, talents and witness
Sessions begin with a centering moment of inspiration and prayer, and include videos and interactive exercises.
The training is free and is available online.
As the communications agency for The United Methodist Church, United Methodist Communications seeks to increase awareness and visibility of the denomination in communities and nations around the globe. United Methodist Communications also offers services, tools, products and resources for communications ministry. For more info, please contact Laura Buchanan, , 615-742-5413.
More Info! UMW shortens 2016 Mission u schedule. The Eastern PA Conference UMW announces a change in the 2016 schedule for Mission u. This year the weekend learning experience will happen fromFriday to Saturday, July 22-23, and not extend to Sunday, particularly to encourage more clergy to attend. The theme is "Learning Together for the Transformation of the World," and the location, as usual, will be The Inn at Reading in Wyomissing, Pa. The general purpose of Mission u is to help all church leaders and members (lay and clergy, men, women and youth) understand and interpret the global mission of the church and the missional responsibility of Christians. The 2016 study topics are:
Spiritual Study:The Bible and Human Sexuality: Claiming God's Good Gift
Geographic Study:Latin America: Peopleand Faith
Issue Study:Climate Justice: Call to Hope and Action
Youth Study:JoiningVoices for Climate Justice
The academy begins on Friday at 4 PM, with onsite registration, dinner, worship and three class sessions that extend to Saturday evening. See thebrochurefor more information. You can completetheregistration formandreturn itwith your check toMary Ann Repsherby June 20.CEU credits and financial assistance are available.
Reminder! Gmail accounts created in 2015 for each church by the Eastern PA Conference must be checked regularly (preferably daily). All email from the Conference to churches is sent to that email address, and multiple persons must have access to it…at the very least the pastor and the remittance contact person. It is possible to forward the emails to your preferred email account, but you cannot eliminate the account from the Conference. If you do not know how to access this account please contact Gloria Knoeller at the EPA Conference Office: .
Starting in April! A Time for Listening and Discernment: General Conference Listening Sessions. Every four years in preparation for General Conference, the elected General – Jurisdictional Conference Delegation schedulesListeningSessions, to hear from the members of the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference the concerns and understanding regarding proposed legislation coming before the General Conference for action. Please save the following dates, choose a site, and plan to attend one of these sessions. Information regarding resolutions will be published prior to these sessions in the NEWSpirit and district newsletters. Guidelines and format for the sessions will be published closer to the dates.
April 11, 7 pm to 8:30 pm, Wesley UMC, 2540 Center St., Bethlehem PA 18017
April 16, 10 am to Noon, Simpson House, 2101 Belmont Ave., Philadelphia PA 19131
April 20, 7 pm to 8:30 pm, UMC ofthe Good Shepherd, 1500 Quentin Rd., Lebanon PA 17042
Updated! The format of the Call in SessiononApril 23, 9 am to 10:30 am, is being revamped. This session will now be a Telephone Outreach Listening Session. Details regarding registration and participation will be announced soon on the Conference website.
Reminder! Thank You! Tools for Ministry was a success! Main speaker Rev. Mike Mather inspired the group, and workshop leaders (as well as participants) shared their knowledge, resources, and experience. With 155 people in attendance, $916 was raised; this amount will be split between Imagine No Malaria and LUMINA. Thank you to the SW District Resource Team for their leadership for this event and to Lititz UMC and Pastor Jerry McGrath. A special word of thanks to all the people who worked so hard behind the scenes, including Patti Bergman and Sue Kepner, and all the wonderful volunteers at Lititz UMC – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Reminder! Possible Changes Ahead in our Districts and Conference. Click here to read the letter from Bishop Peggy Johnson.
Reminder! NEJ Souvenir Program Book. On July 11-15 of this year more than 300 leaders of the Northeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church will gather in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A souvenir program booklet is being created for this significant event. Our professionally printed booklet will include greetings from public officials, our agenda and organizational information, and appropriate ads in various sizes to promote vendors’ ministries, services and products. We invite you to consider purchasing space for a greeting or an advertisement. For complete details, please click here and scroll down.
Classifieds
Chalk Talk Artist. Do you have anyone in your congregation who does chalk talk pictures, or do you know of anyone who does? If so, please contact Richard Conner, Glossbrenner UM Church, Mount Joy, at or 717-572-8480. Thank you!
Calendar of Events
For a schedule of Sexual Ethics Workshop, click here
For information about the Changing Racism training, click here
March 19 Faith-Sharing Event
New Hanover UMC, Gilbertsville, PA
March 23 UMW Day of Giving
March 30 Prayer Service for General Conference, 6:30 pm
Ruhl’s UMC, 4810 Elizabethtown Road, Manheim
April 1-3 Changing Racism Workshop
April 10 4:00 pm (Corrected Time). LUMINA’s “Night of Light,”
Columbia UMC, 510 Walnut Street, Columbia
April 16 YES! Youth Retreat, Cedarville UMC
1092 Laurelwood Road, Pottstown
April 16 UMW InGathering/Day Apart, 9:30 am
Covenant UMC, 110 N Mulberry Street, Lancaster
Contact:
April 17 Certified Lay Minister Graduation, 3:00 pm
West Lawn UMC, 15 Woodside Ave., Reading
April 23 Cross Racial Cross Cultural Appointment Part 2 Training
Royersford UMC, 380 Church St, Royersford, PA
April 24 EPA Youth Rally, 3:00 to about 7:00 pm
Hopewell UMC, 852 Hopewell Rd, Downingtown, PA 19335
Contact David Piltz, (814) 883-0118;
April 25 Bishop on SW District, 7:00 pm, Hope UMC
3474 Rothsville Road, Ephrata
April 26 SW District Women in Professional Ministry
11:30 am, Brickerville Restuarant
Contact Cheryl Zegers at
May 3 Clergy Workshop and Luncheon, 8:30 am
DoubleTree Resort, Lancaster
$15; Register on-line (deadline: April 12)
May 14 Mandated Reporter & Safe Sanctuary Training
May 10-20 General Conference, Portland, Oregon
June 5 District Conference, Leola UMC. 3:00 pm
June 16-18, 2016 Annual Conference, The Marriott, Lancaster City
July 7-10, 2016 NEJ Youth Rally, Lancaster
More details to come
July 10-15, 2016 Northeast Jurisdictional Conference
The Marriott, Lancaster City
October 1 Adjourned Session of Annual Conference
Bethany UMC’s Macungie Campus
The Fine Print
Editorial Policy of the Southwest District E-Alert.The Southwest District E-alert is published on an as-needed basis on Wednesdays. Articles will appear once as New information; thereafter, they will be Reminders or Calendar Items. Spaghetti dinners, fundraisers, concerts, VBSs, bazaars, etc. are included only on the Local Church and ConneXion Events page.
The E-Alert is sent to Pastors and Church Offices on the Southwest District and to lay people who have requested having their names added to the distribution list. Please feel free to copy any article for your church’s bulletin or newsletter. To unsubscribe, please send an email to ith the word “Unsubscribe” in the subject line. Appointed clergy may not unsubscribe.
All articles and announcements should be sent to District Resource Assistant Chris McLaughlin y 3:00 Tuesday afternoon for consideration. Articles should be in the body of an email or an attached Word document (please no PDFs). Submissions made by telephone willnotbe accepted. Articles may be edited for clarity and space. All decisions regarding publication are made by the District Office.