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...Annual Conference 2011 Summary Report
6/16/2011
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton told 1600 members of the Western PA Annual Conference gathered at Grove City College from June 9-12 that churches can no longer afford to conduct business as usual. It’s time, he said, to focus on “what we need to do to equip ourselves for making new disciples, providing renewed opportunities for strengthening existing disciples and discovering once again what God’s REAL call is for our church in ministry and mission to the communities where we are...Delegates Elected for General, Jurisdictional Conference
6/11/2011
Members of the Western PA Annual Conference are electing seven laity and seven clergy to serve as delegates to the United Methodist Church’s 2012 General Conference. An additional seven laity and seven clergy, as well as alternates, will be elected to join the delegation for the Northeast Jurisdictional Conference.
Elected as laity delegates to General Conference during the June 9-12 annual session were: Conference Treasurer Pat Morris; missionary Tina Whitehead; Volunteers in...Church Future Depends on Change, Bishop Says
6/9/2011
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton called on clergy and leaders of Western Pennsylvania churches to place a moratorium on church meetings and instead focus on “what we need to do to equip ourselves for making new disciples and strengthening existing disciples.”
The challenge came in his State of the Church address during the opening of the Western PA Annual Conference session ,June 9 at Grove City College. About 1600 clergy and laity representing about 860 local churches and...Bishop Names New District Superintendents
3/1/2011
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton has selected the Rev. Bill Blair and the Rev. Joseph Patterson to serve on his appointive Cabinet as district superintendents, effective July 1.
The Bishop also announced that the Rev. Sharon Schwab, who is serving her 6th year as Indiana District Superintendent and the Rev. Dean Zeigler, completing six years as Butler DS will have their terms extended an additional year.
Patterson, who currently serves as pastor of Salem UMC in Wexford, will lead the...UM Advocacy PA Asks Governor to Save adultBasic
2/28/2011
United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania has joined with other faith groups in urging Gov. Corbett and leaders of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to save adultBasic, the state-sponsored health insurance program. It is due to expire today.
Here are some facts about adultBasic:
adultBasic covers over 41,000 Pennsylvanians. Most are employed, making too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to purchase insurance on the private market.
...Less Talk, More Action Needed to Fight Poverty
11/1/2010
Bishop Felton May says he is sick and tired of hearing people talk about addressing the causes of poverty, but doing nothing.
“We have been talking about this for a long time and the situation is getting worse,” May told participants in a statewide United Methodist Anti-Poverty Summit at Camp Hill UMC in October. “Somehow what we are doing as a denomination is not connecting with the hearts and souls and minds of those who are imprisoned by...Bishop Visits U.N. to Push Fight vs Malaria
9/22/2010
On a stage with world leaders at the United Nations, United Methodist Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton was the only participant wearing a clerical collar. It brought forth the question: “What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?”
The Pittsburgh-based Bishop heads the denomination’s Global Health Initiative. His presence Tuesday at events during the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals Review Summit showed both the power of partnerships and the need...Cox to Serve as Director of Connectional Ministries
8/30/2010
The Conference Connectional Network (CCN) has unanimously endorsed its former chairperson, the Rev. Gregory Cox, to serve as Director of Connectional Ministries. Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton said he will joyfully appoint Cox to the position, effective Oct. 1.
Cox, 39, currently serves as pastor of College Hill UMC and will begin transition to his new post in mid-September. His selection on Aug. 26 came on the recommendation of the Personnel Committee after a search and lengthly discernment...July 2, 2010 The Journey Continues...
7/2/2010
After 128 days at sea, the founders of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, arrived at Cape Henry, Virginia, on April 26, 1607. When they disembarked, these grateful settlers raised a large wooden cross and thanked God for their safe arrival on the soil of their new home.
It wasn’t all pleasant from that point forward. There were dark and dismal days for these new settlers. Disease-filled swamps, skirmishes with Native Americans, and untold challenges...Chabadza Key to Zimbabwe Partnership, Nhiwatiwa Says
6/27/2010
United Methodist Bishops Eben Nhiwatiwa of Zimbabwe and Thomas J. Bickerton of Western Pennsylvania signed a historic “chabadza” partnership agreement between their two areas at the 2010 Western PA Annual Conference in June.
“It is not a partnership that will start on material things,” said Bishop Nhiwatiwa in a rousing sermon. “Chabadza is based on relationships -- relationships which are built on strong love and a strong foundation. Chabadza takes place...Light of Life Rescue Mission: Changing Lives in Pittsburgh and Haiti
6/25/2010
Walter Van Clief is working toward recovery at the Light of Life Rescue Mission on Pittsburgh’s North Side, but after a nine-day mission trip to Haiti, he’s also focused on helping Haitian earthquake survivors recover and rebuild their lives.
Van Clief was one of three Light of Life clients and four staff members on the mission team organized by the Rev. Pam Armstrong, manager of Education and Employment at Light of Life. He and the other clients had to apply for the team, be...Bishops Sign WPA-Zimbabwe Partnership Pact
6/12/2010
United Methodist Bishops Eben Nhiwatiwa of Zimbabwe and Thomas J. Bickerton of Western PA signed a historic Chabadza Partnership Agreement between their two episcopal areas on Friday, June 11.
In a rousing sermon during evening worship at the Western PA Annual Conference session, Bishop Nhiwatiwa described Chabadza as a Shona word that describes a community spirit of helping someone you know who is already at work.
The agreement has been under development since the...Bishop Sees Hope in Western PA Church
6/11/2010
Acknowledging challenges faced by congregations over the past year, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton nevertheless noted several signs of hope in his 2010 State of the Church address at the Western PA Annual Conference. The gathering brought about 1800 clergy and laity from 863 local churches to Grove City College from June 10-13 to worship, conduct official business and celebrate the ordination of new clergy.
“We have had to navigate our way through some very treacherous waters...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...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...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...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...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...Evangelism Award Winner Blair Installed as District Superintendent
8/2/2011
The Rev. William (Bill) Blair, a second-career clergyman who was a dairy farmer in the Somerset area when he heard God's call to ministry, was installed as superintendent of the United Methodist Church's Connellsville District on July 31. The service was held at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Connellsville.
Blair is a second-career clergyman. ”I was a dairy farmer. At age 29, I started college and sold the farm to go to (Asbury) seminary,” he said.
The...