January 19, 2012

Dear Reader,
Well, it seems to be time to plan mission trips. So we have several opportunities about mission trips in this week’s UM Connector. That’s a good thing because we know that (in most cases) healthy vital congregations are involved in mission. To learn more about United Methodist Volunteer in Mission (UMVIM) trips, go to the conference website at www.umoi.org/UMVIM.

There’s also more information about the church’s efforts in Haiti, opportunities, a resource for looking at how the Bible relates to immigration, and a commentary that helps us understand why we need to restructure the church.

Greg Nelson – Director of Communications

Heading – This Week in The Annual Conference

Thursday, January 19
Board of Ordained Ministry Meeting (Through Sunday)
Southern District Leadership Team

Saturday, January 21
CLD Training - Metro Eastside
CLD Training - Madras
CLD Training - Eugene, Wesley UMC
People Reaching People Training - Treasure Valley
Snake River District - Measuring Goals Seminar

Monday, January 23
Southern District Superintendency Committee

Tuesday, January 24
Metro Training: Measuring Our Congregational Vitality for Success (Sellwood)

Wednesday, January 25
SRD Retirees Luncheon

Thursday, January 26
Metro Training: Measuring Our Congregational Vitality for Success (Parkrose)

Friday, January 27
UMW Executive Team Retreat (Through Sunday)

Saturday, January 28
Metro District Leadership Lab

Details on these, and other conference events, can be found on the conference website.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEWS

Legislative Forms Available for Download
Forms for proposal of Action Requests and Standing Resolutions to the 2012 Annual Conference session are now available on the conference website. The deadline for submitting proposals is February 15. Click here to go to the forms now, or click on “forms” at the top menu of the website, then choose Annual Conference Legislation.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE

SHEBANG 2012!
The SHEBANG Ministry Team presents... SHEBANG 2012, a youth event open to all youth grades 6-12, regardless of religious affiliation. This year's event is co-hosted by The Dalles United Methodist Church and Zion Lutheran Church. SHEBANG is February 17-20, 2012 in The Dalles, Oregon. For more information and to register, visit www.SHEBANGonline.org. You can learn more and “like” us at www.facebook.com/youth.shebang.

First UMC of Portland has UMVIM Opportunity to UMCOR West
First United Methodist of Portland is sending a Volunteer In Mission team to UMCOR West and has room for other interested people to join them.

The trip will be June 3-9; there will be an option for folks to drive to Salt Lake City or they can fly. Cost of the trip is $600, which will include transportation, lodging at the Episcopal Retreat Center, most meals (prepared cooperatively at the retreat center and local restaurants), insurance and fees to the Supply Depot. Anyone interested can contact Dee Pougade at traveling.mimi@gmail.com or Sarah Baker at sarah.baker1915@comcast.net.

Whitney UMC Team Heads to Mexico – Join Them?
An UMVIM team from Whitney UMC in Boise, Idaho, is planning an Inter-generational Mission Trip to build houses (Casita’s de Christo) in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico the week of March 23- April 1, 2012. Plans are to have a Children’s Ministry component as well as the build project. San Luis recently won a National Award for being the safest Border-town in Mexico. This small city is about 20 min South of Yuma, AZ.

The current team has 7 people, leaving space for 5 more. If you are a small church/group interested in partnering with Whitney UMC, please contact Lesli McGowan at (208) 284-4585 or mcgowan@cableone.net. Cost for team members leaving from Boise is approximately $175.00 per person. Your group would need to fund raise independently for an investment in the project cost, in-country costs and host gift, totaling $6,000. A non-refundable deposit of $100 is due by Feb 2, 2012.

NE Speaker Series at Portland’s Rose City Park
The NE Speaker Series continues this month with Dr. Barry Glassner, president of Lewis and Clark College, who will speak on "The Culture of Fear:2012" on Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m.

In an age of 9/11, the War on Terror, financial collapse, and around the clock coverage of child abduction, our society is defined by fear. So, it's no surprise that three out of four Americans say they feel more afraid today than they did twenty years ago. Barry Glassner, author of "Culture of Fear" demonstrates through his impressive array of evidence that it is our perceptions rather than facts that shape our fears. Dr. Glassner offers compelling insights into why so many Americans persist in seeing increased rates of death, disease, and despair.

Rose City Park is located at 5830 NE Alameda in Portland. You can get more information on the church webpage.

Free Music Resource for February LARC Registrants!
The first LARC session (Liturgical Arts Renewal@Collins) features a special perk: each registered participant will receive a free copy of the new "Worship & Song" music resource from Abingdon Press. On Monday evening, February 27, Jackson Henry and Joe Stobaugh will lead a pre-LARC sing-through of highlights from "Worship & Song," and they'll share plenty of creative ideas for using it in worship. Rev. Henry served on the editorial committee for "Worship & Song." The evening session is free, and requires no registration (it begins at 7:15pm in the Chapel at the Collins Retreat Center). The LARC workshops begin the next morning, Feb. 28, as Joe and Jackson spend the day at Collins talking about passionate worship and singing--with topics ranging from worship curation to music beyond labels. This will be a great session for musicians as well as all those who design creative worship. Click here to learn more about the February session, or click here to see the schedule for all the 2012 LARC programs (a special discount is offered for those who register for all three 2012 session at once).

AROUND THE GLOBE

Haiti: Building Homes
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and Eglise Methodiste d’Hait (EMH) are working together to build 40 homes in two communities that were heavily affected by the 2010 Haitian earthquake. World Hands Alliance and Homes for Haitians are also partners in the project.

Each home has 40 square meters of interior space, a toilet, shower facility, kitchen facility, and water storage capacity. Twenty will be built in each of the communities of Mellier and Carrefour.

Beneficiaries of the homes are participating in the building by clearing the original home foundations before construction begins and also are providing support during the construction process. Learn more about what UMCOR is doing to help Haitians recover by watching UMCOR’s latest video on Haiti.

Agency Applauds Deportation Policy Change
The United Methodist Board of Church and Society sent a statement to the White House this week applauding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to enable some undocumented immigrant children and spouses to reunite with their U.S.-citizen family members. Considering the “record numbers of deportations by the Obama administration,” the agency said in a Jan. 11 statement, “we hope this change in policy will finally make it easier for thousands of American families with mixed immigration status to remain permanently together.” Read the rest of this General Board of Church and Society story.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITES

Register Now for the Northwest Academy for Spiritual Formation February 26-March 2
January 31 is the deadline to register for Healing: Personally and between Religions academy. The workshop is recommended for both laity and clergy and there is still room available. This five day Academy for Spiritual Formation begins Sunday evening, February 26 and concludes after lunch on Friday, March 2. This event, sponsored by the OR-ID Annual Conference, Pacific Northwest Conference and the Upper Room will be held at the beautiful Palisades Retreat Center in Federal Way, Washington. Scholarships are available for laity interested in attending.

Begin the Lenten season by spending time in community in the daily rhythm of study, prayer, rest, activity, solitude and fellowship. Dr. Le Zuan Hy and Dr. M. Thomas Thangaraj are the presenters for our timely topic on personal and inter-religious healing. View or download a brochure to learn more. You may also contact Roberta at Robertaegli@comcast.net or 541-688-3269.

DVD Connects Bible With Immigration
The United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas presents the DVD, “Gospel Without Borders,” which shows the experiences of documented and undocumented immigrants and examines what the Bible says about the treatment of the “stranger.” Individual copies are available for $10 on the Christian site EthicsDaily.com, which produced the documentary.

SSP Offers Mission Opportunities for Youth and Young Adults
Sierra Service Project (SSP) is excited to announce plans for our 2012 Central American Projects. Our long running Honduras Home Building Project and our Guatemala Study and Serve Project (piloted last year) are open to mature juniors and seniors as well as college-aged (and older) young adults.

In Honduras, participants will have the opportunity to be immersed in the culture and life of one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Volunteers work alongside Hondurans to build two simple (but safe and dry) homes. In Guatemala, volunteers will work in various communities, working for and learning about various different local organizations.

SSP will send volunteers for two different sessions in Honduras: Tuesday June 19th-Tuesday July 3rd, and Saturday July 7th-Saturday July 21st. The Guatemala program will run from Saturday June 2nd-Thursday June 12th. The Honduras program costs $2,550 and the Guatemala program costs $1,600. Visit the Sierra Service Project website for more details and registration information.

COMMENTARY

Will the Mainline Denominations Get It Right in 2012?
By Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

“…We can either have a hard decade or a bad century…”