Call for UMCOR Kits! With flooding in many areas of Western PA and Hurricane Florence making landfall, the Eastbrook Mission Barn put out a call for cleaning buckets and hygiene (formerly known as health) kits. For up-to-date kit recipes, visit umcor.org/UMCOR/Relief-Supplies.
Drop buckets and kits off at the Mission Barn or one of its satellites. Locations are at www.wpaumc.org/missionbarnsatellites.
Disaster Response: Disaster Response Coordinator Calvin Cook reports that cleaning buckets and hygiene kits were sent this week to Meyersdale for distribution by the local UM Church and community agencies; to Washington Twp. and Brownsville in Fayette County for distribution through county EMS and local fire departments, and to Mahaffey, Clearfield County and the Turtle Creek-Pitcairn area of Allegheny County. Early Response Team volunteers have been asked to be ready for call out.
ERT Training: An ERT training class will be held Saturday at Crossroads UMC's Boyce Road campus. Register
#MeToo in Sacred Spaces: On Friday, Sept. 14, Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi will be one of four women who will share their stories of assault, harassment, manipulation and abuse in religious settings, and how they and their faith communities respond. The panel discussion, moderated by Dina Zingaro, associate producer at CBS’ 60 Minutes, is scheduled at 10 a.m. during the Religion News Association annual meeting. It will be streamed live on the RNA Facebook page. Learn more
Go to facebook.com/ReligionNewsAssociation
#SeeAllthePeople: September 17 is the last day to get the discounted rate for one of the two See All the People events with Jorge Acevedo. Get details and Register now for the Sept. 28 event at Glenwood UMC in Erie
Get details and register for Sept.29 event at Crossroad UMC, North Fayette campus.
Give Me Jesus! was the theme running through the music and message during the service to install Eric Park as Superintendent of the Butler District last Sunday afternoon. See photo album
Upcoming DS Installations: Rev. Dawn Hand, Pittsburgh District, 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15 at St. Paul UMC, Allison Park; Rev. Dennis Swineford, Erie-Meadville District, 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 30 at Edinboro UMC; and Rev. Sung Chung, Johnstown District, 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7 at Oakland UMC, Johnstown.
Making a Difference: Nearly 300 cyclists “pedaled for a purpose” at the Erie UM Alliance’s 19th annual Ride for the Refuge at Shades Beach or Albion Borough Park on Labor Day. Event proceeds, now totalling $16,000 will help end homelessness for families with children at EUMA’s The Refuge. Recent data shows The Refuge has sheltered and cared for 349 people, including 217 children. Of these families, 84% moved from homelessness into a permanent home of their own. Learn more about The Refuge
Ruck the Bay: Military personnel and civilians will join together on Sunday, October 14 to help end veteran homelessness at the 4th annual Ruck the Bay at Presque Isle State Park, Beach 11. Participants complete the 10k course carrying a loaded ruck sack (filled with personal care donations for homeless veterans. Registration begins at 1pm and The Ruck starts at 2pm. Proceeds will benefit EUMA’s Liberty House transitional shelter for homeless veteran men. Get details and register at www.ruckthebay.com.
UMW = Faith with Advocacy: The first call to action came in 1869, when eight women of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston raised money to send two female missionaries to address health care and educational needs in India. Nearly 150 years later, the mandate for United Methodist Women to care for women, children and youth hasn’t changed much. Read more.
Mission Ambassador Opportunity: The 2019-2021 WPAUMC Mission Ambassador(s) will have a chance to explore selected areas of the world tied to the 150 year history of United Methodist Women. Men and women, clergy or laity, are invited to apply to be a Mission Ambassador. Learn more.
Mission Round-Up: All God’s Children Ministries will hold its second annual Mission Round-Up at 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, at Glenwood UMC. Tickets are $15 each for an evening of fun, good food, and fellowship with a Western theme. Contact Rev. Debbie Hills at deacon.dhills@gmail.com.
Mission Trip to Guatemala: All God’s Children Ministries is forming a mission team to travel to Guatemala from Wednesday, November 21 to Monday, November 26. It’s over Thanksgiving break so youth and college students may participate. Another trip will head to the area in the Spring. For more info, contact Rev. Debbie Hills at deacon.dhills@gmail.com or 440-812-4624.
Congratulations! Two young adults with ties to Western PA are among 10 selected by the Council of Bishops to participate in United Methodist Ecumenical and Interreligious Training. They are the Rev. Jack Tickle, pastor of Fairview UMC in the Erie-Meadville District, and the Rev. Michael Mullin, who grew up at Ingomar UMC and now serves as a pastor in the Upper New York Conference. Learn more
Fixing Church Workshop: Rev. Bill Kemp will lead an Oct. 2-4 workshop at Olmsted Manor that will focus on using existing small groups and classes to promote positive change in the church. Pastors and church leaders will be equipped to make plans for their own church, as well as lead a seven-week study for their congregation. Get details
Motivate Your Donors! Church leaders must connect the dots between a donor's gift to the church and the church's ability to do life-changing ministry, says Dustin Cooper in an article on Horizons Stewardship website. Showing your donors how their gifts are making a difference in the world will motivate them to give again. Read more
Bike-A-Thon Update: For the latest figures on funds raised for camperships by the recent WPA to D.C. Bike-a-Thon, watch this video report.
Clergy Age Trends: Lovett Weems looks at six significant trends emerging from the 2018 Clergy Age Trends report conducted by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership in partnership with Wespath. See them
Young Clergy Effectiveness: There’s good news and bad news in data from the Lewis Pastoral Leadership Inventory. Learn more.
Older Adult Ministry Training: The Sept. 23-25 Older Adult Ministry Training at Olmsted Manor has been postponed until a later date.
5 Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month: UM Communications offers ideas for your congregation or group to celebrate Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. See what they are
Get worship resources
A Celebration of Spirituals: On Sunday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 in the Sanctuary, Christ UMC in Bethel Park will welcome Dr. Eileen Guenther, professor of church music at Wesley Theological Seminary, to present a program based on her book, "In Their Own Words: Slave Life and The Power of Spirituals." Spirituals will be sung by a festival choir under the direction of S.C. Toe, Christ UMC choir conductor. Get details at christumc.net/spirituals.
Resources for World Communion Sunday: On World Communion Sunday, Oct. 7, offerings support national and international students who rely on scholarships to pursue graduate-level education. UMC Giving offers social media tools, graphics, videos, bulletin inserts, offering talks, preaching helps and more to encourage your congregation to empower students who are following God’s call. Download now
New Places/New People Grants: Sept. 21 is the fall 2018 deadline to apply for New Places for New People grants. Get application.
Classifieds: One District Office is seeking an administrative assistant and churches are advertising for children and youth ministry leaders. For details, go to wpaumc.org/classifieds.