The Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church

Crest to Coast Lay Leadership Gatherings
2026-04-13 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/crest-to-coast-lay-leadership-gatherings/2026-04-13/
Crest to Coast Laity and Clergy are invited to join District Superintendent Rev. Kathleen Weber at an upcoming Lay Leadership Gathering—a dynamic space for connection, inspiration, and practical sharing.
Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, eager to tackle challenges together, or simply want to see what others are accomplishing, these Zoom gatherings are designed for you.
Sign up for one or attend them all, then bring your questions, your energy, and your curiosity—or just listen in and be inspired by fellow laity from across the Crest to Coast district.
Upcoming Gathering Dates and Subjects:

March 9*- Council Chairs
March 16*- Lay Leaders
March 23*- Lay Speaker/Servants
March 30*- Finance
April 13*- Youth and Children Interests
April 20*- Day Care/Preschools

*All gatherings meet from 7 to 8 p.m.
Ready to be part of the conversation? Register at https://gnw-reg.brtapp.com/C2CLayLeadershipGatheringsW2026

Crest to Coast Lay Leadership Gatherings
2026-04-20 19:00 - 20:00 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/crest-to-coast-lay-leadership-gatherings/2026-04-20/

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 Hispanic/Latinx Leaders Meeting
2026-04-29 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-05-27 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-06-24 18:00 - 19:00 | 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 Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-05-05 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course-2/2026-05-05/
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.
CLASS DATES: May 5, 12, 18, 26, & June 2 from 6:30-8:30 pm (PST) on Zoom
*COST: Cost of the Book- $13.00 “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.
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
Class is limited to 16 participants. Registration closes April 28th, or until class fills.
Register at: Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course-May 2026

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-05-12 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course-2/2026-05-12/

United Women in Faith - Assembly 2026
2026-05-15 - 2026-05-17
United Women in Faith is excited to announce that the website for Assembly 2026 is now open! This year’s Assembly, themed “Dream it! Believe it! Do it!” will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 15-17, 2026. Registration for the event is now open.
What awaits you at this empowering event?
Opportunities to:

Be nurtured by deep Soul Care experiences.
Be equipped through cutting-edge workshops.
Be inspired by top women experts in their field.
Become influencers through networking connections.
Make an impact through action for justice.

Now is the time to start promoting Assembly with your circles, friends, and neighbors. Marketing materials are available on the site to help members invite persons to register. The more sisters we gather, the bigger we can Dream it! Believe it! Do it!
Come be transformed at Assembly 2026! Visit http://uwfaith.org/assembly

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-05-19 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course-2/2026-05-19/

GNW Opening Session
2026-05-20 | 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.

Memorial Day
2026-05-25
The PNW Conference Office is closed for the Memorial Day holiday.

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-05-26 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course-2/2026-05-26/

PNW Focus Sessions
2026-05-28 18:00 - 19:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/pnw-focus-sessions-2/2026-05-28/
During the Focus Sessions, conference members will discuss legislative items that have been submitted for consideration by the annual conference.
For more information, visit the PNWAC 2026 website.

PNW Focus Sessions
2026-05-29 18:00 - 19:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/pnw-focus-sessions-2/2026-05-29/

Lay Servant Ministries Foundations (Basic) Course
2026-06-02 18:30 - 20:30 | https://www.pnwumc.org/event/lay-servant-ministries-foundations-basic-course-2/2026-06-02/

Juneteenth
2026-06-19
The PNW Conference Office is closed for the Juneteenth holiday.

PNW Annual Conference Session 2026
2026-06-23 - 2026-06-25 | Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 115 N Raymond Rd, Spokane Valley, WA, 99206, United States
Our 2026 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference is scheduled to take place June 23-25 at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church. More details will be shared in the coming weeks and months.

S.L.A.M. Trip GNW Youth Collaborative week
2026-06-28 - 2026-07-03
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.
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 | 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.

Independence Day
2026-07-03
The PNW Conference Office is closed for the Independence Day holiday.

Labor Day
2026-09-07
The PNW Conference Office is closed for the Labor Day holiday.

Indigenous People's Day
2026-10-12
The PNW Conference Office is closed for the Indigenous People’s Day holiday.

Thanksgiving Day
2026-11-26
The PNW Conference Office is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Christmas Day
2026-12-25
The PNW Conference Office is closed for the Christmas holiday.
