The Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church

Lay Servant Ministries: The Basic Course
2025-10-14 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-the-basic-course/2025-10-14/
The “Introduction to Lay Ministry: The BASIC Course” is the foundational course for Lay Servant Ministries. This is the gateway course for those who are called to be Certified Lay Servants, Lay Speakers, and Lay Ministers. And can also be part of a person’s discipleship plan to acquaint you with your gifts, calling, and responsibilities as a follower of Christ. The course is being offered this Fall (Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 PM PDT, September 9 – October 14 online for those interested in taking this next step in exploration.
While the course is offered for those who register at no cost, participants must secure a copy of the Lay Servant Ministries Participant’s Book (DR626 • 978-0-88177-626-3 • $11.00) by Sandy Zeigler Jackson and Brian Jackson. The participants’ book is available at Cokesbury and on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.
Participant Requirements: Have the book named above, read the 1st session before the first course meeting, and fully engage in all sessions with audio and video active. Additional assignments will be provided in your welcome letter.
Register Here: https://gnw-reg.brtapp.com/LayServantMinistriesBasicCourseSept

Lay Servant Ministries: Lay Pastoral Care Giving
2025-10-16 18:00 - 20:00 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-pastoral-care-giving/2025-10-16/
Lay Pastoral Care Giving offers insights into the life span and the dynamics of contemporary life, helping church leaders reach out with God’s love and care to others. Expressing care to someone in need, whether within the community of faith or beyond, may seem the most natural thing in the world. For some, it is, for others, it’s less so. All can improve.
The course is being offered online this October (Thursdays and Tuesdays, 6 to 8 PM PDT) for those interested in taking the next step in their exploration. The instructor is Billie Fitzsimmons, a Certified Lay Minister.
While the course is offered for those who register at no cost, participants must secure a copy of the Lay Pastoral Care Giving Participant’s Book (ISBN • 978-0-88177-554-9) by Tim. M Farabough. The participants’ book is available at Cokesbury and on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.
Participant Requirements: Each participant must have a book, read it, complete assignments, and be fully engaged in all five, two-hour sessions with audio and video capability active.
Register Here: https://gnw-reg.brtapp.com/LayPastoralCareGiving2025

Lay Servant Ministries: Lay Pastoral Care Giving
2025-10-21 18:00 - 20:00 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-pastoral-care-giving/2025-10-21/

Lay Servant Ministries: Lay Pastoral Care Giving
2025-10-23 18:00 - 20:00 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-pastoral-care-giving-2/2025-10-23/

Lay Servant Ministries: Lay Pastoral Care Giving
2025-10-28 18:00 - 20:00 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-pastoral-care-giving-2/2025-10-28/

GNW Hispanic/Latinx Leaders Meeting
2025-10-29 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-11-26 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-12-31 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-01-28 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-02-25 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-03-25 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-04-29 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-05-27 18:00 - 19:00 and 1 more date | Zoom Meeting
The Greater Northwest (GNW) Hispanic/Latinx Leaders Meeting is a monthly gathering open to all Hispanic/Latinx pastors and leaders serving in local churches across the GNW Episcopal Area.
We meet by Zoom on the last Wednesday of each month from 6:00–7:00 PM (PST) under the leadership of our chairperson, Aurora Pavón.
These meetings provide a space to:

Check in with one another and share updates
Discuss upcoming events, workshops, and activities
Plan collaborative initiatives
Lift up community needs and concerns

This is a valuable opportunity to connect, learn, and support one another in ministry.
For more information, please contact: cesantos@pnwumc.org

Lay Servant Ministries: Lay Pastoral Care Giving
2025-10-30 18:00 - 20:00 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-pastoral-care-giving-2/2025-10-30/

Thanksgiving Day
2025-11-27 | WA
The conference office is closed in commemoration of Thanksgiving Day.

What to Expect in the Appointment Process
2026-01-13 18:30 - 20:00 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/what-to-expect-in-the-appointment-process/2026-01-13/
Whether your church is a clear opening that’s expecting a new pastor on July 1, 2026, or you’re just curious about the seemingly mysterious appointment process that the cabinet uses, SPRC leaders from every church are invited to learn more about it. Columbia and Sage districts in the Oregon-Idaho Conference ran a pilot version of this webinar in January 2025. It was so helpful to participants that we are using it throughout Oregon-Idaho and the Pacific Northwest Conferences this coming January.
Who: Members of the SPRC (Staff Parish Relations Committee or equivalent leaders at churches with a single board structure) are invited to this webinar. Churches that have clear openings (due to receive a new pastor on July 1, 2026) are expected to have at least two SPRC members who participate in these sessions. If you believe your pastor’s appointment may change, attending would be an excellent and proactive step.
What: A 90-minute Zoom meeting with superintendents who will describe the appointment process, including the roles of the superintendent, SPRC chair, SPRC members, and the new pastor.
When/Where: The same information is being offered at two different times; you can choose which fits your schedule. *Zoom links will be emailed to Churches and SPRC chairs in January.

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. MT
Saturday, Jan. 24, 9 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. MT

Why: Since most churches don’t regularly participate in the appointment process, it’s normal to have many questions. Superintendents will be answering those questions—many of them before you even ask—during these Zoom sessions. Participants will receive all the information they need to work confidently with the superintendent during a time of uncertainty and anticipated transition.

What to Expect in the Appointment Process
2026-01-24 09:00 - 10:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/what-to-expect-in-the-appointment-process/2026-01-24/

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-02-09 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course/2026-02-09/
This is a foundational course designed to equip church leaders in the United Methodist Church. It explores: personal spiritual gifts; servant leadership; each leader’s role in developing future leaders; the importance of consistent spiritual practices; “God’s call to a life of servanthood” as a disciple of Jesus Christ; and the core ministries of Leading, Caring, and Communicating.
COURSE DATES: February 9, 16, 23, March 2 & 9.
TIME: Mondays 6:30 – 8:30 pm PST
Zoom Course: Save your registration; the Zoom link is at the top of your confirmation.
*COST: $13.00 for the cost of the book “Lay Servant Ministries: The Basic Course,” Participant’s Book by Sandy Zeigler Jackson and Brian Jackson • DR626 • 978-0-88177-626-3 • Available at Cokesbury and Upper Room. Ebooks are also available.
Participant Requirements: Have the book named above, read the 1st session before the first meeting, and fully engage in all five sessions with audio and video active. Additional assignments will be provided in your welcome letter.
INSTRUCTOR: Sheila Miranda, PNW Lay Servant Ministries. Any questions about this class or Lay Servant Ministries in the PNW Annual Conference should be directed to Sheila Miranda, smiranda@pnwumc.org
Register here by January 26, 2026.

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-02-16 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course/2026-02-16/

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-02-23 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course/2026-02-23/

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-03-02 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course/2026-03-02/

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-03-09 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course/2026-03-09/

Greater Northwest 5 Day Academy
2026-04-21 - 2026-04-26 | Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center at The Palisades, 4700 Southwest Dash Point Road, Federal Way, 98023
Registration is now open for the
Greater Northwest 5 Day Academy for Spiritual Formation
April 21-26, 2026
We’re taught to fear and flee darkness and dark times. But the gifts of God’s presence await when we learn to face and befriend the dark. We invite you to step away from the demands of daily life to enter into this enriching and transformative week of spiritual exploration.
The daily rhythm includes morning and evening prayer, worship with Eucharist, morning and afternoon study led by faculty, reflection time, silence, community sharing, listening circles, and free time.
Click here to register for this retreat.
Early Bird Registration $1030 through 1/15/26 | Full Price Registration $1130 after 1/15/26
Registration fee includes tuition, private room & bath and all meals at the beautiful Archibishop Brunett Retreat Center overlooking Puget Sound in Federal Way, WA.
Scholarships are available. Contact Karen Fisher, registrar for information.
We’re grateful to have received a generous donation toward the retreat center costs, and invite you to consider contributing to the Greater Northwest Academy for Spiritual Formation, or to sponsor a participant.
To contribute contact Winona Forme, treasurer.
THEMES & FACULTY
DESCENT FOR THE SAKE OF ASCENT
“In Jewish mystical tradition we ‘fall’ precisely in order to spur our spiritual rise,” writes presenter Rachel Barenblat, whose vocations include poet, rabbi, spiritual director, and parent. Co-founder of Bayit, a Jewish spiritual innovation incubator, she has blogged as the Velveteen Rabbi since 2003. She holds in MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars, and is author of several volumes of poetry, among them Crossing the Sea and Texts to the Holy. She teaches at the intersection of creative life and spiritual life. She serves Congregation Beth Israel of the Berkshires, and lives in western Massachusetts with her son.
EMBRACING HOPELESSNESS: LAMENT, CRITIQUE, & ESPERANZA
Presenter Juan Carlos Huertas is committed to practices that move communities to liberation through shared wisdom, communal leadership, and contextual action. Juan Carlos is a follower of Jesus, husband, father, spiritual director, and Minister of Proclamation and Practice of Justice at First-Plymouth CongregationalChurch in Lincoln, NE. He holds a Master of Divinity from Emory University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana College in Pineville, LA where he majored in Religion and minored in Spanish—his first language growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
For those who hunger for deep spiritual experience. The Academy for Spiritual Formation creates transformative space for people to be in communion with God, self, others, and creation for the sake of the world. The daily rhythm includes morning and evening prayer, worship with Eucharist, morning and afternoon study led by faculty, reflection time, silence, community sharing, listening circles, and free time.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Cathy Warner, Retreat Leader, Laity, Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
Carolyn Bowers, Worship, Clergy, Pacific Northwest UMC
Karen Fisher, Registrar, Clergy, Pacific Northwest UMC
Karen Nelson, Hospitality, Clergy, Oregon-Idaho UMC
Anne Schlesinger, Listening Circles, Clergy, California/Nevada UMC

GNW Opening Session
2026-05-20 15:00 - 16:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/gnw-opening-session/
The shared Greater Northwest Area Opening Session will allow members across the three conferences (Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, Pacific Northwest) to reconnect through shared storytelling and visioning shaped around area priorities and ministry achievements. Members will also receive the Episcopal Address from Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth.
For more information, visit the PNWAC 2026 website.

Repent and Repair: A Call to Disability Justice 36 Years After the ADA
2026-06-20 08:00 - 17:00 | Bothell United Methodist Church, 18515 92nd Ave NE, Bothell, 98011, United States
Description: This collaborative event will bring together churches from across the Western Jurisdiction to mark the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Gathering at in-person hubs and virtually, clergy and lay participants will learn about accessibility, anti-ableism, and disability justice through practical workshops led by Disability Ministry leaders across the Jurisdiction. Engaging in worship, fellowship over meals, and an optional documentary screening will equip participants to return to their congregations with new knowledge for practical and prophetic change. We will lament the sin of ableism and commit to working to build God’s inclusive, justice-filled Kin-dom on earth.
Click here to register | Download Event Flyer
The goal of this conference is to gather UMC leaders and congregations across the Western Jurisdiction for 2.5 days of community learning about disability justice in the church. Churches and their leaders will have the opportunity to participate in the full event or to just join worship onSunday July 26th, the 36th anniversary of the ADA. By offering the opportunity to worship together across space on Sunday we will reach more churches and will demonstrate for them how they can lead Disability Awareness Sunday in their own contexts next year.
Schedule:
Friday 7/24 (local time, in-person only, optional):
5pm-7:30pm Dinner, Documentary Screening and Discussion
Saturday 7/25 (in-person at a hub or virtually):
8am PT/9am MT: check in and light breakfast
9am-10:15am PT/ 10am-11:15am MT: Worship
10:20-11:20 PT/ 11:20-12:20 MT: Workshop 1 – Disability Theology Panel
11:30 PT/12:30 MT: Lunch
12:30 PT/1:30 MT: Workshop 2 – Universal Design
1:30 PT/2:30 MT: Break
1:45 PT/2:45 MT: Workshop 3 – Neurodivergence Panel
2:45 PT/3:45 MT: Break
3:00 PT/ 4:00 MT: Workshop 4 – Kids/Youth
4:00 PT/ 5:00 MT: Break
4:15 PT/ 5:15 MT: Workshop 5 – Anti-Ableism and Accessibility Audits
5:15 PT/ 6:15 MT: Closing Remarks and Invitation to Sunday Worship
5:30 PT/6:30 MT: Dinner
Sunday 7/26 (gathered at hubs or livestreaming from own church):
9:30am PT/10:30am MT: Worship

S.L.A.M. Trip GNW Youth Collaborative week
2026-06-28 - 2026-07-03 | WA
S.L.A.M. Trips is a service and cultural learning trip for youth hosted by the Yakama faith-based organization Mending Wings. This GNW Youth Collaborative week will bring United Methodist youth from WA, OR, ID, and AK together to learn about Native America culture; this year, the Yakama value of RESPECT will be the theme. Participants will also learn about the injustices the Yakama people have experienced from the U.S. Government and the Church over the years. Youth and adult leaders will spend 2½ days on service projects for native elders, and one day touring important cultural and historical sites, with an evening cultural celebration including music, dance, and a traditional Salmon Bake.
Click here to visit a page with information for the 2026 GNW S.L.A.M. Trip.
2026 Dates: June 28 (5pm) – July 3 (10am)
Other dates are available directly through S.L.A.M. Trips (slamtrips.com) if this week does not fit your schedule.
For more info, contact:
PNW – Rev. Sheila Miranda – smiranda@pnwumc.org
OR-ID – Rev. Drew Hogan – pastordrewhogan@gmail.com
AK – Rev. Murray Crookes – munrahcito@gmail.com

GNW Closing Session
2026-06-30 10:30 - 11:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/gnw-closing-session-2/
The shared Greater Northwest Area Closing Session will allow the members an opportunity to consider and celebrate reports from each conference, as they are sent out to do God’s good work in the world.
For more information, visit the PNWAC 2026 website.
