News
News about or of interest to the United Methodists and friends in Western PA.
UM Advocacy Sets Feb. 7 PA Budget Prayer Day
2/2/2012
United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania urges all people of faith to pause in prayer on Tuesday, Feb. 7 when Gov. Tom Corbett unveils his 2012-2013 budget plan.
UMAdvocacyPA is leading an interfaith prayer vigil inside the Capitol that day. All in the region are invited to attend the vigil in the East Wing rotunda anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Our partners of the Interfaith Justice Coalition include the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, Pennsylvania Council of Churches,...Delegation Endorses Two for Bishop
2/2/2012
Western Pennsylvania’s delegation to the United Methodist Church’s General and Jurisdictional conferences has endorsed two of its members as candidates for bishop of the Church: Greensburg District Superintendent William B. Meekins Jr. and Washington District Superintendent Eric S. Park.
Both are “preacher’s kids” who spent their formative years in Western Pennsylvania, Meekins in urban areas around Pittsburgh and Park in Indiana, PA. What they...Church and Society Board Awards Grants
1/25/2012
The Conference Board of Church and Society has awarded grants to ministries and projects addressing social concerns. They include:
$2500 to UM Advocacy in PA to cover expenses above the amount each PA Conference is able to give them.
$750 to the Beaver County Marcellus Shale Awareness Committee. The Rev. Jim Hamilton, a retired elder and member of the church and Society Board is part of the Marcellus Shale Awareness group. They plan to hold an educational seminar this...Spring 2012 Licensing School, CLM Training Set
1/5/2012
Registrations and deposits are due Jan. 30 for the 2012 Spring sessions of Licensing School and Certified Lay Ministry training.
Completion of the Licensing School course is mandatory for all newly certified candidates for ordained ministry, as well as anyone seeking a license as a local pastor.
Certified Lay Ministry training is open to anyone who currently is a lay speaker and seeks to be assigned by a district superintendent as a Certified Lay...Northeast Areas Still in Recovery, Volunteers Needed
12/13/2011
Seven of 10 conferences in the Northeastern Jurisdiction (NEJ) are still in disaster response mode as the result of last spring’s flooding and need volunteers to help with recovery, Greg Forrester, NEJ United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) coordinator, told conference VIM coordinators at a jurisdictional meeting in Valley Forge on Dec. 9-10.
Susquehanna Conference has 91,000 people who have submitted applications to FEMA for assistance after the September flooding. Some...Church to Host Love,Respect Marriage Video Conference
12/8/2011
Mt. Hope UM Church in South Fork will host a Love & Respect Marriage Video Conference on February 10-11, 2012. The conference will be led by Dr. Emerson & Sarah Eggerichs
The cost is $15/person through January 30, and $20/person after January 30.
To register, go to www.LOVEandRESPECT.com.
For more information, contact bethmcqueen@comcast.net or call 814-535-7184.
...Council of Bishops - Summary Report
11/1/2011
FROM THE COUNCIL OF BISHOPS OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
A SUMMARY REPORT OF THE NOVEMBER, 2011 MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
To our sisters and brothers, disciples of Jesus Christ and members of The United Methodist Church around the world: Grace and peace to you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
More than 110 active and retired members of the Council of Bishops gathered at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina from Sunday, October 30 through Friday, November 4. The week...Join Messiah Sing-Along Choir at Historic Church
10/29/2011
Singers are invited to join the Renewal Choir of Calvary United Methodist Church on Pittsburgh's Northside to lead four Handel choruses for a Dec. 18 concert in which the audience and guest choirs are invited to sing-along in the 'Christmas' portion of Messiah with soloists and musicians.
The venue is the magnificently restored Calvary United Methodist Church, which features Tiffany window masterpieces, in Pittsburgh's historic Allegheny West neighborhood. The concert is the first of its...Summit Explores Living With Those in Poverty
10/26/2011
Christian activist and self-proclaimed recovering sinner Shane Claiborne shared his plainspoken theology at United Methodist Advocacy's Anti-Poverty Summit II on Oct. 9.
With his trademark dreadlocks hanging to nearly his waist, and dressed in a clean, but ratty sweatshirt and track pants, Claiborne shared his story to the more than 120 persons in attendance and set out a model of selfless Christian service for all of us.
He told of being called to serve Christ in...UM Advocacy Leader Backs Marcellus Shale Tax Proposal
10/26/2011
Pennsylvania's best hope for a fair Marcellus Shale drilling tax is coming from two Eastern Pennsylvania House members, according to Stephen Drachler, executive director of United Methodist Advocacy in PA.
Drachler spoke at a news conference in early October where Reps. Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks) and Tom Murt (R-Montgomery/Philadelphia) unveiled a proposal to implement a drilling tax in Pennsylvania.
"This legislation strikes a chord of fairness. In...Calvary UMC hosts Ireland's Shakespeare Nov. 6,7
10/24/2011
Poets Corner, the literary arts series at the historic Calvary United Methodist Church on Pittsburgh's Northside, presents two staged readings of Pittsburgh playwright, Michael McGoverns, Irelands Shakespeare, a farce about Restoration-era forgeries of the Bard's works. Yvonne Hudson, Poets Corner founder, directs a cast that includes Warren Ashburn, Elizabeth Chappell, Parag Gohel, Devin Malcolm, Mark Rehn, and Jennifer Schaupp, and Emily...Imagine NO Malaria: Vaccine Shows Promise
10/18/2011
Bickerton Says Prevention Efforts Must Continue
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton was among 300 global health leaders, leading malaria scientists, policymakers, government officials and advocates gathered on Oct. 18 at the Malaria Forum to discuss great strides in malaria control and address challenges that are impacting the long-term goal of eradication.
Significant progress was reported in development of a vaccine for malaria. Interim results from phase III trials of the RTS,S vaccine...Connellsville Area Community Ministries is Moving!
10/10/2011
Connellsville Area Community Ministries (CACM) is moving to a new building and they need volunteers to help with all phases of the move.
While CACM is able to purchase their new building, manpower, materials and money are needed to renovate the 10,980-sq.ft. structure for the various ministries. They hope to be able to move in early November, said the Rev. Shawn Goodwin, executive director.
A potential rent increase, coupled with unresolved problems with the heating system, forced the move...Community Builders Lab: Preparing Places for New Faces
10/3/2011
Leaders of congregations interested in development and revitalization are invited to participate in a Community Builders Lab in one of five areas of Western PA this Fall. The first labs launch Oct. 10 in the Indiana-Johnstown area and Oct. 13 in the Franklin area.
“This is NOT a program, scheme or attempt to solve the puzzle of what it means to be the church in the 21st Century,” said the Rev. Jim Walker, director of congregational development and revitalization for the...Church Brings Light to 9-11 Anniversary
10/2/2011
About 1,000 people stopped by McMasters United Methodist Church in Turtle Creek on September 11 to see a memorial display of luminaries representing each of the 2,977 victims of the terrorist attacks 10 years ago. Many were visibly moved and touched by the display.
From the Grant Street parking lot to the Church Street Lot, the luminaries lined the sidewalk with the names of the victims from the four flights and the pentagon. The Church Street lot, shown above, was filled with all World...Christians to Seek Peace, Not Retaliation, Bishop Says
9/12/2011
Although acts of evil like the 9/11 terrorist attacks naturally spur an Old Testament “eye-for-an-eye” desire for retaliation, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton reminded Pittsburgh area United Methodist Women on Saturday that Christians are called to be peacemakers.
“Peace always includes God’s vision of justice rather than human revenge,” the Bishop said. “We must remember however, that peace is not without pain. In the midst of far too many cries for war or...Bishop Speaks at 9-11 Service
9/12/2011
The innumerable life-changing acts of violence in the U.S. and around the world since then the terrorist attacks of 9/11/200 have shown that pain, suffering, injustice, violence, and retaliation likely will never end, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton said during an interfaith Prayer Service for Remembrance and Continue Healing in Erie on Sept. 11. Yet there have been blessings in the midst of violence.
“We have seen and been blessed in the last 10 years by those who have chosen a...Flight 93 Ambassadors Show Love, Compassion
9/5/2011
As Donna Glessner watched television footage of planes hitting the World Trade Center towers in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, a tremendous noise shook her house and rattled windows. Glessner lives about three miles from the reclaimed strip mine in rural Shanksville, PA, where United Flight 93 crashed. Like the families of the heroes who died on that plane, her life, like that of many, has not been the same since.
Immediately after the crash, clergy and laity from area, as...Walker Named to Congregational Development Post
8/31/2011
The Rev. Jim Walker has been living his dream the past nine years as one of the founding pastors of the vibrant Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community on Pittsburgh’s South Side. Now, Walker said, it’s time for him to pay it forward. He hopes to do that in his new appointment as director of congregational development and revitalization for the Western PA Conference.
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton said he is very excited about Walker assuming his new responsibilities.
“Jim...Volunteer Team Returns from German Camp
8/29/2011
Five youth and two adults from Western Pa spent much of August in Eastern Germany helping out and participating in a United Methodist camp for German youth who want to improve their English speaking skills. The team was recruited through the Western PA – East German Partnership Committee to go to the camp, held in a building that originally had been a castle in Droyssig, near Zietz.
The English camp ministry was developed by Rev. Albrecht Weisbach and the Eastern German...