News

July 2, 2010 The Journey Continues...

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...

Cordle: Listening to God, Sharing Faith Key to Discipleship

 Leading Bible Study during the 2010 Western PA Annual Conference, the Rev. Steve Cordle, founding pastor of the multi-campus Crossroads United Methodist Church in the  Pittsburgh area, stressed the importance of obedience-based discipleship. “Listen to what Jesus says and just do it,” he said, adding that spending time with God and God’s word is essential. “You are holding explosive material right now,” he added, holding his own Bible aloft. Augustine...

Annual Conference 2012 Summary

Dreaming God-Sized Dreams was the theme of the 2012 Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference session, held June 7-10 at Grove City College in Grove City, PA. Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton described a God-sized dream as “a vision of something that you and I cannot accomplish on our own.  It is bold, challenging, and just far enough out there that you can’t get there without the spirit’s help.  “On the way to fulfilling it,” he added, “You have to be...

Bishop Ordains New Clergy

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton ordained seven new elders and a deacon Sunday morning, June 10 during a service that included a baptism and Holy Communion at the close of the 2012 session of the Western PA Annual Conference.  On Saturday night, the Bishop commissioned five new provisional members. The newly ordained elders are:  Pamela Sue Armstrong, pastor of New Hope UM Church on Pittsburgh’s Northside and manager at Light of Live mission; Wade Reitz Berkey, pastor of the Bruin...

Bishop: It Takes God-Sized Dream to Get Out of Mud

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton told members of the 2012 Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference on June 7 that, despite some challenges, he senses “a little more joy and a little more hope in Western Pennsylvania than in previous years.” Because of that, he said in his State of the Church address, “it might just be a time for some God-sized dreams.” The Bishop defined a God-sized dream as “a vision of something that you and I cannot accomplish on our own.  It is...

Moving Toward Sunday to Save Lives: Week 1

While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.  When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.’  Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’  So he and all his household believed. --John 4:51-53 This Sunday marks the first of four weeks of Imagine No Malaria activity...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week #5

  Solicit someone famous!   Many household names and few “lesser-knowns” have survived bouts with malaria. Hollywood gossip has been abuzz lately with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Coles’ recent affliction with the disease, contracted while on vacation in Tanzania. Recognize a few of these other malaria survivors and victims?   ·           American Presidents: George Washington, James...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week #4

Just ask – you never know who might respond.   Sometimes extravagant generosity comes from unusual places, and not always from familiar faces.   When Pastor Tina Carter of Parker Lane UMC in Austin, TX set her goal to save 15 lives per attendee, she turned to 20-year-old Angel Campolo for inspiration. Though she hadn’t taken a leadership role in the church previously, Angel was willing to be open to God’s work in her life.    “[After...

Bishop Speaks at Boy Scout Jamboree, Scouts Save Lives Through Nets

 BOWLING GREEN, Va. ––   Nearing the conclusion of the 10-day National Scout Jamboree At Fort A.P. Hill, some 5,500 Scouts attended an August 1 UM worship service where Bishop Thomas Bickerton spoke about the spirituality of persons in African nations and the Nothing But Nets program to eliminate malaria. “We need to go to Africa to see people who are materially poor but spiritually rich while we are materially rich and spiritually poor,” said the...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week #3

 Imagine No Malaria can be a great outreach tool for your congregation. Just ask the folks of Salem UMC in Wexford. They have been using community events to educate church members and non-members alike on the devastating effects of malaria.   At the same time, they are moving closer and closer to their goal of saving 1,000 lives while simultaneously building awareness of their church in the community.   Activities, planned and completed, include:   A...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week

A little bit of spare change can equal a big difference!   Small = mighty in the fight against malaria. The people of Muhleman Memorial UMC in Braddock, PA may be few in number, but they are mighty of spirit and in generosity!   Over the last six months, the 12 faithful attendees of Muhleman have been collecting their loose change in support of Imagine No Malaria. What they couldn’t imagine was that this simple act would eventually net $1,250! This...

Chabadza Key to Zimbabwe Partnership, Nhiwatiwa Says

  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...

You Are Not Christ, Kusserow Reminds New Clergy

 “You are not the Christ! Remember this!” Bishop Kurt Kusserow told 11 clergy about to be ordained as elders at the Western PA Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in June. Kusserow, who leads the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s Southwest PA Synod, was invited to preach at the ordination service by his friend Bishop Thomas Bickerton in recognition of the new concordant agreement establishing full communion between the denominations. Kusserow...

May 7, 2010 The Journey Continues ...

Bishop Bickerton was in Africa recently to kickoff the Imagine No Malaria campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The experience both inspired him and made him ever more determined to work toward eliminating deaths from malaria by 2015. Here are excerpts from his Congo Journal, which was posted on www.wpaumc.org/blogs. From Lubumbashi: For several years, we have promoted a basic understanding of how to do effective ministry on a global scale that has been, for several, difficult to...

Bishop Travels to Africa to Fight Malaria

 Western Pa. United Methodist Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, a South African superstar, government officials and other religious leaders have been helping to distribute 30,000 insecticide-treated bed nets in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where malaria is a leading cause of death.  The net distribution began with a public event April 16.   According to the World Health Organization, malaria infects an estimated 23.6 million people in the DRC each year, and causes...

Nov. 4, 2009 The Journey Continues ...

One of my favorite sections of the Bible is the journey of God’s people from Egypt to the Promised Land. Inside each story is a consistent and crazy reality – the chosen people just don’t get it. They witness the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea only to grumble about not being fed well less than a chapter later. They lose patience with Moses’ absence and begin to melt down gold and construct idols. They exhibit a lack of trust in God’s direction and send spies...