Conference News

Setting Your Pastor’s Salary: Although the 2020 Annual Conference has not met, the Conference Commission on Equitable Compensation issued its annual letter on how to set pastors’ salaries for 2021, including the minimum base salaries for those appointed to local churches. The commission is not recommending any change to the minimum salaries set for this year.  The letter will be emailed to pastors and local church leaders this week. See the letter. Orientation to Ministry, ZOOM Edition! God is ... read more

Bishop’s Tribute to Rep. John Lewis: Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi wasn’t born when John Lewis made his first march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, but watching him cross it for the last time he on July 26 brought her to tears. Read her reflection Bells for John Lewis: Houses of worship around the country will ring their bells for 80 seconds on July 30 at 11 a.m. EDT — during funeral services for Congressman John Lewis. The bell ringing honors the 80 years of the civil rights leader's ... read more

Church Reopening Tips: On Wednesday, Rev. Alyce Weaver Dunn, our Director of Connectional Ministries, had a chance to sit in on a Zoom conversation about Church Reopening with a nationally known expert from Harvard’s School of Public Health. In a blog post, she shares some of the takeaways from the conversation with Dr. Joseph Allen. See what they are. Clergy Pre-Retirement Seminar: If it can be done safely, the biennial Clergy Pre-Retirement Seminar will be held in person on Oct. 21-22 at the ... read more

Bishop To Lead GCORR: Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi was elected president of the board of the UMC General Commission on Religion and Race last Saturday. Learn more Race and the Church 2020: Five United Methodist bishops, including Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, explored the role of the church in this time on a Hip Politics discussion forum last weekend.  They shared scriptural and polity mandates to advocate for the oppressed, and explored a variety of subjects, including the need to advocate for ... read more

Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi has been elected President of the board of the United Methodist Church’s General Commission on Religion and Race. The vote took place during a July 11 virtual meeting.  As she took office, Bishop Moore-Koikoi acknowledge the opportunity and the challenge now before GCORR and The United Methodist Church:  “George Floyd’s cries of ‘I can’t breathe’ have brought us to an inflection point in the centuries-long quest for justice for people of African descent living in ... read more

Finding Peace in An Anxious World: Beginning July 21, Rev. Lisa A. Grant, pastor of Edinboro UMC,  will lead a 4-week Tuesday morning Zoom study Finding Peace in an Anxious World.  It’s an adaptation of the Spiritual Growth study planned for Mission u 2020, which was cancelled. The study uses the book of Proverbs and The Serenity Prayer as a guide to help Christians find their way through anxiety, worry, and fear and move towards God’s peace. Anyone is welcome to register.  Learn more. Fire Hits... read more

“Beginning a Culture of Generosity” is a new stewardship program offered in Western PA by Rev. Mike Ward of GSB Fundraising, one of the consultants to the “Deeply Rooted, Upward Reaching” camping campaign.  The program is designed to help congregations stabilize and grow financial giving, particularly in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic.  Based on Biblical principles, it will help church members discover generosity and provide a foundation for a generous culture. An informational ... read more

Early on Saturday, July 4, Pastor Lanfer Simpson of Mapletown United Methodist Church was awakened to news that his church was on fire.  The fire started in the parsonage, which is rented to a family with three young children, and quickly spread to the adjacent church. The family escaped through a bedroom window over the front porch while smoke and flames climbed the stairway. Two family members were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries at a West Virginia hospital.  Both the house ... read more

Tour the Camps Bike-a-thon! Since 2018, the Campership Bike-a-Thon has raised more than $44,000 to support the Deeply Rooted, Upward Reaching campaign for camping and retreat ministries. After two seasons of riding from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., the 2020 route will take in our three camps, Olmsted Manor retreat center, At the Lake Ministries and Healthy Village Learning Institute. The ride will be Sept. 26-30. Get details and register. Wesley Woods Restructuring: After receiving ... read more

Bishops Vow This Time Will Be Different! Watch and learn more about the official launch of the UMC’s renewed effort to dismantle racism and press on to freedom. Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi is one of five bishops in the video announcement on Juneteenth. See video and story Hear Bishop Cynthia discussing the initiative with Lynne Hayes-Freeland on her KDKA Radio 1020 AM show on Saturday, June 27 at 3:05 p.m.  Regional Ordination Services: The dates and times for the three regional ordination ... read more

Three years after its 168-year-old church was hit by a tractor-trailer and condemned, the congregation of Mt. Harmony United Methodist Church in Wellersburg, dedicated a new building on June 14, 2020. They had been worshipping at nearby churches since April, 2017 when a tractor-trailer coming down steep, winding PA Route 160 from the Pennsylvania summit of Big Savage Mountain missed the curve at the bottom and hit the church, which sat about 10 yards off the road. While the congregation was ... read more

Hope for Dismantling Racism: United Methodists should focus on dismantling racism in the church as a step toward doing so in the entire world, Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi said in an interview with UMNews about a major new antiracism initiative by the denomination. “We do live in hope,” she said. “We do believe that there will be a day when we will dismantle racism.” Read full story. Mark Your Calendar for Juneteenth: Bishop Cynthia and other UMC bishops and will launch the Dismantling Racism: ... read more

Updated June 12, 2020 Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, after consultation with her Coordinating Cabinet, Conference Secretary John Wilson and Conference Sessions Chair Alan Morrison, announced on April 3 that the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference session scheduled for June 11-13, 2020 at Grove City College had been cancelled. The celebrations and the necessary business of the Conference will be cared for in different ways and at different places, she said. "While much about the spread of ... read more

Pastors, Churches in Transition: Over the next few weeks, several clergy will be preparing to move to new appointments, despite the pandemic. Please join in prayer for pastors and congregations in transition. For churches receiving new pastors, consider some of these  50 Ways to Welcome a New Pastor.  Peaceful Anti-Racism Protests: United Methodists joined in peaceful protests in several Western PA communities over the past week, including in Beaver Falls, Pittsburgh, Meadville and Indiana, PA.... read more

Conference Announcements Updated June 12, 2020.  Read Bishop's Update on Reopening Churches See What's Next for Churches video with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and Dr. Jessica Price. Download our Guidelines for Church Reopening  Download Green Phase Guidelines    Get take-aways and other info from our twice weekly Covid-19 Clergy Conversations. See our Coronavirus Stimulus and Relief Package information for churches. Check our Covid-19 Church Planning Resources page on Facebook. Due to ... read more