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Jeopardy -- Cooperative School of Christian Mission |
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ANSWER: The best continuing education event of the summer for clergy and educators!
QUESTION: What is the Cooperative School of Christian Missions?
ANSWER: Everyone, male and female, clergy and lay, adult, youth, and children.
QUESTION: Who can attend?
ANSWER: Study classes led by trained teachers three topics, worship, fellowship..
QUESTION: What will happen at the school?
Music and Mission: Songs of justice, love, mercy, and freedom have changed many situations of hopelessness. Today, the sounds of mission hymns take on the rhythms and languages of peoples around the world. God's love is alive and singing in Africa, Latin America, Asia and North America.
Globalization--Its Impact on People's Lives will focus on "free trade" policies, "out-sourcing or off-shoring" and their effects on ordinary people. As local/global citizens we will look for opportunities to be the change that we want to see using tools like solidarity, fair trade and human rights to build global community in our own communities and around the world.
Israel / Palestine will help the participants to learn about the history and complexities of relationships between Israel and Palestine. You will explore and understand the concepts of security and freedom that dominate the lives of these peoples. This study will challenge participants to move through tolerance and respect to achieve a just peace.
WHERE & WHEN? Whitman College, Walla Walla , July 13-15, 2007 and
Trinity Lutheran College, Issaquah, July 23-26, 2007
HOW TO REGISTER? Registration form, scholarship application, and flyer are available through your church, UMW, or conference website www.pnwumc.org/CSOCM. |
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I Like to Attend the School of Mission ! |
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 When I attended School of Mission for the first time, I learned many things about the Bible. During that time, I made some new friends and did some fun things. I learned about India and Pakistan, and different problems that they faced in order to understand each other. In the second year, I was in a class talking and learning about globalization, and how it affected our everyday life. We watched a movie about Wal-Mart. This movie had many different ideas, which I had only heard about, but never had seen in a movie before. We also had a great guest speaker from the Middle East who talked about how each person had different ideas about the world. We talked about many problems that the Middle East faced to overcome the differences. The School brought me closer to understanding the world, and what some people would do to each other. Both of the years, the School of Mission brought me closer to God in my faith, and helped me understand what I might want to do when I go to college. I like the idea of learning about other cultures and what they do in their everyday life. That is why I like to attend the School of Mission.
<Rodney Evans - Bellingham: Garden Street UMC Youth>
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Mission Speakers Available |
| Alifeleti Atiola, Principal of Tupou High School (where GBGM Missionary Mary Kelly serves) is expected to be visiting the U.S. in May and June.
Linda Beher, GBGM Executive Secretary for Communication for UMCOR
Available to preach and present a program on Sunday, July 22 in Seattle/Tacoma area.
She will speak also at the Cooperative School of Christian Mission in Issaquah.
Una Jones, GBGM Executive Secretary, Mission Education
Available to preach and present a program on Sunday, July 29 in Seattle/Tacoma area.
Janice McLain, GBGM Missionary from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Itineration dates: Sept. 9 ~ Oct. 11
Paul Jeffrey, GBGM Missionary based in Eugene, OR, but covers around the world
Itineration dates: Sept. 9 ~ 24
Note: For Janice and Paul, top priority will be given to their covenant churches, next to those considering beginning a covenant relationship, then to others. |
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Called by God |
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 My journey to be a deaconess started five years ago. I was being called by God into service; I didn't know what he was asking of me. I prayed every day for some kind of direction. This was an almost urgent feeling that overwhelmed me. One day I got online and was looking at the United Methodist Web site. I was on the missionary page, I was feeling pulled there. Clicking on the deaconess link, I read through the page and just knew that was my calling.
An email to the deaconess office for more information got me invited to a discernment event in New York. While there I just knew that a deaconess was what I was called to be, to serve God by working with those marginalized by society.
It has been a quite a journey. All of the training took place in New York. Travel was hard to plan due to job duties. There were three sessions that included Theology of mission, Old and New Testament, History and Polity and Doctrine. The final trip to New York took place at the end of April. A group of ten Deaconesses and one Home Missioner received training in the structure and connectional system of our church, administrative guidelines for our position, racial issues, safe sanctuaries, self care and much more.
The time was finally here; after all of our hard work we were prepared to be commissioned as Deaconess. The ceremony was beautiful, and to my surprise the sermon was preached by Bishop Paup of our conference.
As Deaconesses we are commissioned to a lifetime of service in ministries of love, justice, and service in the US. The Deaconess motto says it all "I serve neither for reward or for thanks, but out of my gratitude and love; my reward is that I may serve". I am happy to be home and am looking forward to serving my community for years to come. My current appointment is Food Service Director at Olympics West Retirement and my second appointment is Director of Volunteer Ministries at Centralia First United Methodist Church.
Yours in Christ
Deaconess Angel Ray |
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The Face of Today's Missionary: Is It Yours? |
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The United Methodist Church is launching a missionary recruitment campaign. It covers regular, or 'standard support,' missionaries as well as persons in special categories, including short- term young adult service, Hispanic ministries, and Church and Community Workers program. It also includes a new category, Global Health Missionaries, which is currently focused on sub-Saharan Africa.
Are you a devoted follower of Christ and his Church?
Do you have skills in the fields of Medicine, Accounting, Agriculture, Teaching, or Community Development/Organizing?
Can you devote three or more years of your life to plying these skills somewhere in God's world?
Do you have a passion for women's and children's ministries?
If so, learn more about what it takes to be a missionary of the United Methodist Church at www.ummissionaries.org, and start the process by contacting David Zaske, Chair of the Conference Committee on Mission Personnel. |
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Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform |
Recently the White House revealed its plan for reforming the broken immigration system and it looks to be neither comprehensive in its scope nor reformed in its basis. The plan includes exorbitant fines of $3500 every three years, mandatory returns to home countries for every immigrant, and payment of another $10,000 before an immigrant can apply for legal reentry.
Fines for a family of five add up to more than $64,000 with a 25-year wait before they could begin the process of applying for citizenship. This is not a path to citizenship but a roadblock to humane and meaningful reform.
Please take time now to remind the President to do the right thing and to fully support comprehensive immigration reform. Workable and humane comprehensive immigration legislation will:
* Provide an earned pathway to citizenship for all undocumented migrants with minimal obstacles,
* Protect the rights of new workers and provide an earned pathway to citizenship with minimal obstacles for those who wish to remain,
* Reunify families separated by migration, and most recently, detainment and deportation from ICE raids, and
* Initiate humane and effective enforcement of laws which will prevent trafficking and exploitation as well as secure ports of entry.
It is imperative that President Bush hears from people of faith, especially United Methodists. The need for comprehensive immigration reform is now and the need for leadership on this issue is greater now than at any time in the past.
For more information, visit General Board of Church & Society website at www.umc.gbcs.org. |
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UMVIM News |
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Save the date: Aug. 16~19 for Western Jurisdiction UMVIM Rally at Templed Hills UMC Camp in Woodland Park, CO.
Teams have been requested for Tonga (Mary Kelly is the missionary there) and various locations in Mexico. Mexico is looking for all types of teams and for almost any date. Contact the UMVIM Coordinators for more information.
If you are leading a UMVIM Team or are thinking about leading a team be sure to let the UMVIM Coordinators know so that they can put the trip on the official UMIVM list, pray for your team and later 'Celebrate'.
If you are interested in UMVIM Team Leader Training, contact the UMVIM Coordinators for future dates.
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Wintering with NOMADS * * * * * |
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 Imagine around 300 RVing couples scattered across the southern sunbelt states to be in mission at Methodist churches and church related agencies as they worked 3 weeks at a site! This year, we were more like Numerous Old Methodists Avoiding Deep Snow (instead of Nomads On a Mission Active in Divine Service) !!
Our calling took us to Hope UMC in Tucson, where we led a team of four couples repainting, restoring, building a choir handrail, cleaned and sealed sanctuary floor tile grout, traced and repaired the underground irrigation system, replaced 3 doors with steel security ones, picked up trash, trimmed bushes, remodeled storage area with new ceiling and expanded secure area, painted large daycare room, refurbished the youth room, cleaned, vacuumed and replaced foot pads on the 110 sanctuary chairs, and cut a new flame for the cross in the chancel area!!
We had great fellowship with the congregation and our team members, and on one Saturday we visited Kit Peak Observatory. Also took in a Korean Concert Choir at 1st UMC and an organ recital at another UM church. Made new friends, shared with old ones and enjoyed the warm weather and sunshine. Departed our project knowing we had left the church in a better condition to have a warm, inviting and welcoming environment in which to worship!
Projects coming up in the Northwest this summer are Ocean Park Camp, Randle UMC, Wallowa Lake Camp and Camp on the Boulder, MT.
For NOMADS information: Go to www.nomadsumc.org or contact
Tom Hager, WA state coordinator (425) 485-0744 or
Carla Kinsey, NationalNOMADS Administrator (866) 466-6237 |
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H.A.I.L. - Q & A |
Q: I read a hard copy of H.A.I.L. How can I subscribe to it?
A: Go to the Conference website and enter your email address in the box near the bottom of the home page. If you are already subscribing to other conference newsletters, you may be told " You are already a member of the PNW Annual Conference mailing list. If you would like to update your profile, please re-type your email address bellow and instructions will be emailed to you." Just follow the instructions.
Q: How can I get past issues?
Q: I have received a forwarded copy of H.A.I.L. How can I receive next issue directly?
A: Click on Join Our Mailing List box under the Quick Links and enter your email address.
Q: I clicked on "unsubscribe" by mistake. How can I "subscribe" again?
A: You need to go to the Conference website and enter your email address in the box following "Sign up for our Email Newsletters," and re-register when you receive email from Anna Conklin of the Conference office.
Q: How often does the H.A.I.L. come out?
A: H.A.I.L. is published as needed, that is, whenever there is enough news. So, please send your articles that you want to share with our community.
Q: To Whom shall I send my article? What are the guidelines?
A: Please send your article to the editor at norikolao@cs.com. The article should have less than 250 words, but can refer to a longer article or website by including the URL. The picture accompanying the article needs to be in JPEG or GIF format and sent separately. | |
