Prayers of the People: Please join in prayer for the families and friends of the Rev. Roger Rulong and Cindy Raptosh, who passed away in the last week. Visit wpaumc.org/obituaries
Maximizing Hybrid Worship: If you’re offering both online and in-person worship, or planning to, you won’t want to miss our May 15 webinar with Jason Moore of Midnight Oil Productions. Watch video intro with Rev. Doug Dyson and get details.
How Much ___Do You Have? In a reflection posted on the Conference blog, Rev. Renee Mikell recalls reading that in the Gospels, Jesus asks more than 300 questions. She suggests focusing on one from Matthew 15 to help discover how Jesus wants us to live. She also offers some personal stories to illustrate how we might respond. Read more
Earth Day is Almost Here: In a blog post for the Abundant Health Team, Rev. Lynette Moran reminds us of the United Methodist Church’s commitment to care for God’s creation and suggests some resources for observing Earth Day in your church and ways to connect to Earth Day activities the weekend of April 20-22. Read more
WPAUMC Scholarships: Students can now apply for a WPAUMC scholarship for undergraduate education via an online form on the Conference website. The deadline to apply is April 30. See form with details.
Note: Printed applications received at the Conference Center by the deadline will still be accepted this year.
InFocus Online: The Spring issue of the InFocus magazine is available online in a PDF format. It has updates about Annual Conference, leadership changes, camping and retreat ministry, and a feature on campus ministry at IUP. Read it at wpaumc.org/InFocus.
Advocate to End Hunger! Learn more about the connections between racial inequity, policy, and wealth at this year’s Bread for the World Hunger Advocacy Workshop on Saturday, May 15 from 9:30 to noon via Zoom. It offers an opportunity to participate in an online version of Bread’s Racial Wealth Gap Simulation. It’s a tool that helps participants understand how federal policies created structural inequalities and how those policies have differently impacted black and while communities in the U.S. The session will also offer details of Bread’s 2021 Offering of Letters, an opportunity for churches to advocate to end hunger by reaching out to elected officials. Learn more and register.
Diversity Linked to Church Growth: A recent study of the United Methodist Church by Baylor University found that racial diversity is linked to church growth. In a UM News story, Dr. Mark DeYmaz and Rev. Chip Freed, leaders of the Mosaix House of Studies at United Seminary, shared why they are committed to growing the multi-ethnic church movement. Read UMNews story
Learn more about Mosaix House of Studies at United
Film Looks at Lives of Korean Americans: United Methodists Julian Kim and Peter Lee didn't see their lives represented in Hollywood films, so they did it themselves. Their film "Happy Cleaners" takes a look at the lives and struggles of working-class Korean Americans. Read UM News feature
The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song. The PA Council of Churches invites you to join them and WITF for a free virtual screening of selected clips from the PBS series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and a panel discussion on April 21 at 7 pm. Learn more, watch a trailer and register for this event
Ready to Accept Your Mission? “Too many times we want people to join us in what we are doing, Rev. Joseph Yoo writes in a commentary for Rethink Church. But being missional requires meeting people where they are and joining them in what they are doing. Read commentary
Discipleship and Social Justice: Baldwin Community UMC is hosting three discipleship events on the Biblical roots, history, and continuing importance of social justice for the Christian church. Scheduled on three Sundays at 4:30 p.m., two offer online and in-person options, while the third is online only. The first is Sunday, April 18 on The Biblical Roots of Social Justice with Dr. Justin Pearl. On May 2, there will be a movie screening of the 1989 film “Romero” and on May 16, 4:30pm an online event with Dr. Luther E. Smith of Emory University). Get details and register.
Celebrating Deacons: This week kicks off the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Order of Deacon of The United Methodist Church. Garrett Seminary is hosting a series of web events. The celebration includes several Zoom events, including a noon worship service on Saturday. April 17. Learn more and register.
Voices from Africa: While many in the U.S. consider Africa a solid political bloc within The United Methodist Church, African bishops currently are not of one mind about the denomination’s future or their place in it, according to a UMNews story. Read it.
Native American Ministries Sunday is April 18! Check out this infographic from the Commission on Religion and Race’s Resource library.