News

Light of Life Rescue Mission: Changing Lives in Pittsburgh and Haiti

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...

Northeast Areas Still in Recovery, Volunteers Needed

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...

School of Mission Draws a Crowd, Dates Set for 2012

The 2011 Western PA Cooperative School of Christian Mission (CSCM) drew more than 200 people of all ages to the four-day or weekend session in mid-July at Grove City College.  Others watched the spiritual growth study and other plenary sessions online. At the close of the School, leaders announced dates for the 2012 CSCM, which again will be held at Grove City. Dara Sterling of First UMC in Warren, who serves as dean, said the 2012 CSCM will start with a Weekend Mission Education Event,...

Come to Church Camp -- in Germany

Only two spaces remained as of mid-April on a team of youth who will travel to Germany for a summer camp session as part of our Conference's Eastern German Partnership. Our sister Conference in Germany will host a special week of church camp August 7-14 in Zeitz,near Dresden, for German teens to learn Christian faith and life while honing their English skills. They have asked the Western PA Conference to provide two adult staff (one to teach in English and one as support staff, e.g. kitchen)...

Volunteers in Mission: Why Not Send Money?

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...

Holy Land Missionaries Visit WPA

While “there is no moral defense for detonating a bomb in a crowded area, or any other act of violence perpetrated against civilians,” a United Methodist missionary serving in the Middle East told Western Pennsylvanians that there is a double standard that demonizes any Palestinian use of violence while legitimizing that employed by Israel.   The Rev. Alex Awad and his wife Brenda visited churches in Erie and the Pittsburgh area Sept. 17-18 to tell the stories of the...

Conference Young Adult Heads to Mongolia

The question of “what’s next?” is a frequent one for college students facing graduation. As a young adult who became a college graduate this past May, my answer to the” what’s next?” question has changed and shifted over the course of my final two semesters of college, finding its flexible and current home in the words, “I’m moving to Mongolia in mid-October .” Mongolia? Yes, Mongolia. Prayer, reflection, conversations with friends and...

June 5, 2009 The Journey Continues...

If you've visited our website (www.wpaumc.org) in the last few weeks, you’ve noticed a picture of me in a red windbreaker talking to a Hispanic woman. Contrary to some comments, I am not posing as a Domino’s Pizza deliveryman. Sally and I were privileged to go with a group of bishops and spouses to a Day Workers’ Church/gathering place in Gaithersburg, MD. Casa de Maryland, a migrant worker’s ministry sponsored by the Baltimore-Washington Conference, provides meals,...