News
News about or of interest to the United Methodists and friends in Western PA.
Time to Form Teams for Haiti Recovery Work
3/9/2010
It's time to form teams, raise funds and decide when you can volunteer in Haiti recovery work, according to the five United Methodist Volunteers in Mission regional coordinators.
Pending approval of funding for a U.S-based calendaring office and staffing in Haiti to assist with planning and hosting volunteers, teams may be on the ground in Haiti by April 1, the five regional UMVIM coordinators said in an e-mail. They encouraged all potential teams to notify their Conference...Get the Latest on Finance/Administration Issues
3/5/2010
Conference Treasurer Patricia Morris has scheduled workshops in each of the 10 districts during March and April to update church treasurers, finance teams, trustees, and interested members on issues that are key to Healthy Church Finance and Administration. No pre-registration is required and anyone is welcome to attend. One breakout session will focus on personal finance and credit information.
The 2.5-hour workshops include sessions focused on:
TREASURERS –...Rethink Church - Change the World
3/5/2010
By Jackie Campbell, WPAUMC News
It’s time to shine the light of Christ around the world – and let others see it!
On April 24-25, United Methodists will participate in Change the World, a movement to connect church members and friends across the world in service on one weekend to make a difference locally and globally.
The weekend coincides with World Malaria Day, April 25. It’s the day our denomination kicks off the Imagine No Malaria campaign to eliminate the killer...UM Colleges Offer Strong Connection to WPA Students
3/1/2010
The United Methodist Church is connectional in countless ways. One of those ways is the connectional nature of United Methodist higher education. At the Christmas Conference of 1784, Bishop Francis Asbury had a vision that Methodists could educate the masses, opening their minds and forging an educated and enlightened population of church and community leaders for generations to come. Bishop Asbury’s legacy lives on in the 21st Century through church agencies and over 120 United...Haiti Prayer Service Offers Hope, Celebrates Response
3/1/2010
Tootsie Pops were distributed along with the communion elements at a Feb. 28 Service of Prayer for those affected by the Haiti earthquake and those who are responding to their needs.
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton gave the candy in memory of the Revs. Sam Dixon, head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and Clint Rabb, leader of UM Volunteers in Mission, who were trapped in the rubble of the Hotel Montana when the Jan. 12 earthquake hit Haiti . The two were pinned...Conference Offers College Scholarships to Western PA United Methodists
2/26/2010
The Conference provides scholarships for undergraduate education to members of local churches. Some scholarships are provided in the annual budget of the Conference, while others are supported by individuals.
Criteria to win these scholarships are may include academic performance and potential, financial need, and past and future service to The United Methodist Church and the community. Full-time enrollment is required for all scholarships listed.
The WPA Higher Education Scholarship...Award To Recognize Church Health Ministries
2/5/2010
The WPAUMC Health As Wholeness Team invites congregations with a functioning Health Ministry to participate in our first Pathways to WHoly Living Health Ministry Recognition program.
The purpose of the award is to recognize intentional health ministries that promote the spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and environmental health of congregations and the communities, and to encourage other congregations to develop their own health ministries.
To participate, a health ministry...United Methodist Witness Becomes United Methodist Advocacy in PA
1/27/2010
HARRISBURG – United Methodist Witness in Pennsylvania has a new name: United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania.
“Communication requires quick, clear messaging,” said the Rev. Keith Benjamin of Carbondale, PA, chair of the UM Advocacy PA. “Changing our name from witness to advocacy removes any confusion about our role. We are advocates for the church and Jesus Christ.”
As he announced the new name, Benjamin said the organization has a new website,...Advanced Training for Leaders Set: CLM and Licensing
1/27/2010
As part of efforts to develop principled Christian leaders for the church and the world, the Western PA Conference will offer Advanced Training for Church Leaders in 2010.
The courses include tracks for those pursuing Certified Lay Ministry, licensing as a local pastor, or ordained ministry. As of July 1, 2009, completion of the licensing school course for local pastors is mandatory for all newly certified candidates for ordained ministry.
“All...Slain Trooper Was Active Church Member
1/14/2010
Murder Victim Also Tied to Christ Church in Franklin
A Pennsylvania state trooper slain while responding to a suspected domestic incident was an active member of Christ United Methodist Church in Franklin, PA. The woman whose body was found inside the home where he was ambushed was a member of the same church.
Trooper Paul Richey, 40, who helped with junior church and regularly attended the second worship service at Christ Church with his family, was killed by a single...Volunteers in Mission: Why Not Send Money?
1/8/2010
Sunday, Jan. 10, will be Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Awareness Sunday in Western PA United Methodist congregations. It’s a day to recognize participants on VIM teams, let the congregation know about VIM opportunities and receive a special offering. The offerings help to fund “VIMships” for participants who need help to pay expenses for their VIM experience.
“Volunteers in Mission are not paid to do the work they do. It’s costly to take a...Help Build the Body at Healthy Church Leadership Days
12/30/2009
Healthy Church Leadership Days, scheduled this winter and spring at various locations around the Conference, are aimed not so much at improving individual health as at energizing and revitalizing the body of Christ in Western PA.
“It would be an understatement to say that I’m tremendously excited about what these healthy church events might mean to the vitality of our annual conference,” said Washington District Superintendent Eric Park, who will serve as a keynote...Bishop Welcomes Confirmands to Tour UM Center
12/23/2009
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton invites Western PA confirmands to join him for a tour of the United Methodist Center in Cranberry Twp.
Thousands of youth have met and asked questions of their bishop and Conference staff and learned of our United Methodist heritage, resources, ministries, programs, outreach and scholarships.
Good news! Many students and adults have even said they loved the day. Each leader and youth gets a gift, too!
Morning tours are 9:30 am-12:30 pm and afternoons run...Change Needed in Churches, Bishop Says
12/7/2009
If United Methodists want to make new Christian disciples, things will have to change in many local churches, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton told clergy and laity during visits to each of the 10 districts in Western Pennsylvania.
Citing declining statistics on worship attendance, baptisms, and church membership in each district, the Bishop said that to change the current downward trend, “we have to: realize that what we are currently doing isn’t working; organize ourselves around...Girl Talks Turkey to Raise Giving
11/27/2009
District Superintendent Eric Park’s call for creativity to encourage giving spurred 5th-grader Mikayla Mirich to action.
Shocked to learn that her church had paid just a small percentage of its Mission Share to support regional and global United Methodist ministries, Mikayla, 11, decided to talk some turkey—and sell feathers to raise money.
With permission from her pastor, the Rev. Keith Simmons, and help from her parents, Mikayla, 11, erected a large...Mission Gala Benefits Three Agencies
11/22/2009
Nearly 100 United Methodists and guests gathered in Cranberry Township on Saturday, Nov. 21 for a Mission Gala to support and recognize the work of three United Methodist mission agencies who are making a difference in the lives of those in need in the Johnstown, Pittsburgh and Erie areas. The three agencies are:
Bethany House Academy, which provides early childhood education, mentoring and life skills training for youth and other support to residents...Partnership Offers Advent Devotional in English, German
11/10/2009
United Methodists in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Germany have published an Advent Devotional in English and German. The annual denotional is prepared each year by clergy and laity in both areas as part of a Partnership formed in 1988 before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
To download the 2009 devotional, click the link at right.
Members of the partnership shared memories and greetings Nov. 9 to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall. The...Bishop Calls for Change at Appalachian Ministry Event
11/4/2009
The Appalachian Ministry Network, like the United Methodist Church and other mainline denominations, has a narrowing window of opportunity to shed some baggage, make substantive changes, and grow into the future, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton told participants at the 2009 Appalachian Assembly in Bethany, WVA on Oct. 28.
Developing new leaders and adapting to reach new people in changing culture are key, he said in the keynote address of the gathering at Bethany College.
“In my...United Methodists Seek End to Budget Crisis
10/6/2009
United Methodists in Pennsylvania are praying for a just end to the Pennsylvania budget crisis and calling their state legislators to urge them to end the stalemate, which is nearing Day 100.
Millions of people are affected by the cutoff of state funding to help children, families, elderly persons, and those in need of vital social services. United Methodist are part of an interfaith effort to convince legislators to move quickly and to ensure...UM Teen Liturgist for G-20 Prayer Service in Pittsburgh
9/30/2009
Standing in St. Paul’s Cathedral in Pittsburgh before about 500 Christian, Muslim and Jewish people and their leaders at an Interfaith Prayer Service for the G20 Summit, 9th-grader Jeannie Choi said she was so nervous her legs were practically shaking. But Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton said Jeannie did a wonderful job representing United Methodist youth in proclaiming Paul’s message from 2 Corinthians 1: 2-4 in Korean.
Although it was somewhat intimidating, Jeannie said,...