News

Earlier this month, the Oregon-Idaho Conference welcomed two new members to the team in order to better serve churches and ministry settings. Rev. Laura Beville of Silverton, Oregon, began her part-time appointment as the Conference’s new ministry resource specialist in the Office of Connectional Ministries on July 1. Beville will continue to serve Silverton UMC part-time as well. Utilizing existing financial resources, Beville’s position was created in the Office of Connectional Ministries ...

The 54th session of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference happened in a hybrid setting, as part of the Greater Northwest Area Episcopal gathering, June 19-25, 2022, with Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky presiding from both Des Moines United Methodist Church in Washington and Portland First United Methodist Church in Oregon throughout the week. The theme for the Conference “Called to Be: Alert, Faithful, Brave & Love” was based off scripture from 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14 and guided many of the reports and...

At last week’s Annual Conference, clergy and lay members approved the hiring of Candace Clarke as the Oregon-Idaho Conference Interim Treasurer and Benefits Officer. Clarke has been serving alongside current treasurer and benefits officer, Rev. Dan Wilson-Fey since June 1. Wilson-Fey is retiring effective July 1. “The Oregon-Idaho Conference mission and vision are an especially solid fit for me,” Clarke said. Clarke comes to the Oregon-Idaho Conference with a deep background in fiscal ...

Dear Annual Conference Members,   We are hopeful that our Western Jurisdictional Conference will meet in November 2022 to elect bishops. We anticipate selecting four individuals to consecrate as bishop who, together with Bishop Oliveto, will lead the West in this next chapter of our life together.   The WJ committee on episcopacy, in collaboration with the jurisdictional leadership team, inter-ethnic coordinating committee, and first elected delegates, are inviting the annual conferences of the ...

What’s the name of the camp that’s made for you and me?  C-A-M-P  H-O-P-E! One of the best kept secrets in the Oregon-Idaho Camp and Retreat Ministries is Camp Hope. Camp Hope, offered every summer at Camp Magruder, is a ministry space for adults with intellectual disabilities to experience God’s love in a camp setting. Campers are given the chance to participate in crafts, music, games, boating, beach time, worship and fellowship. For this group of campers, they may not have been able to ...

Though Sara Goetze may be new to the Oregon-Idaho Conference office as the staff accountant, she is by no means new to the Oregon-Idaho Conference. As a 9-year-old, Goetze became a PK (preacher’s kid) when her mom married her stepfather, now retired, Rev. Gary Powell. Growing up in Portland and then Eugene, Goetze was a longtime participant and volunteer at Camp Magruder. “The church has always been a big part of my life and I just wanted to expand my skills,” said Goetze of her application ...

To Whom It May Concern: My name is Rev. Fungalei Taufoou, and I am the pastor of the Lents’ Tongan Fellowship of the United Methodist Church. I am writing to you on behalf of our church families’ concerns for the people in Tonga who have suffered from the volcanic eruptions of January 14, 2022. A consequent tsunami wiped out several islands and destroyed many people’s homes, boats, farms, and produce. The ash from the volcanic eruption was and I believe is still causing breathing difficulties ...

Clergy and lay-persons assigned to the local church: Are you carrying too much in this season? Struggling to balance caring for your community, church, family, and self? Trying to find your way in the new normal? You are not alone and this workshop is for you. Three clergy coaches share simple practices to ease the burden and give time to go deeper and gain support. If you are longing for a deeper transformation, you'll have the opportunity to engage the topic of overwhelm in ongoing coaching....

For the last six years of a 30-plus year career as an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, Rev. Dan Wilson-Fey has been ministering to the people of the Oregon-Idaho Conference as a steward of their financial resources. On June 30, 2022, Wilson-Fey will retire as the Oregon-Idaho Conference Treasurer and Benefits Officer – a slight turn in the path he started on 40 years ago toward a career in medicine. “I feel like I’m called to turn my attention to my family and projects around the...

Together, Abundant Health teams across the Greater Northwest Area are offering a five-week Virtual Health Fair for anyone interested. The one-hour classes will focus on holy health, Tai Chi, meditation, and prayer as methods of improving overall health. The classes will begin on Thursday, Jan. 13 and run through February 10, 2022. Classes start at 5 p.m. Alaska Time, 6 p.m. PDT and 7 p.m. MST with guest presenters in each of the areas. Register for the classes here. If you have any questions, ...