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Nestled on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, Suttle Lake Camp is a special place where the vivid green of Western Oregon mingles with the sunny beauty of the east side. For more than one hundred years the camp has been sacred space for many as they have taken time to renew their spirits and nurture their faith under the towering Ponderosa pines and Douglas fir trees.  Grounded in Christian hospitality and learning, the camp provides year-round Christian programs for all ages as well ...

by Laura Beville   This month’s resource round-up is all about clergy taxes! As a clergyperson, it can be daunting to figure out your taxes. As clergy, we live in the balance between needing a W-2 and being self-employed. It can be complicated. Most tax preparers are not fully aware of the unique tax benefits available to clergy. Online tax services rarely can provide the correct algorithms for the nuances of housing allowances, Fair Market rental value of the parsonage, and all the extra state ...

Submitted by Debbie Mallis Each year at the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference Session, in among the budgets, appointments, reports, and celebrations are conference legislation items. Many of these actions and standing resolutions are intended to live out the values of The United Methodist Church as it exists in the Oregon-Idaho context. This article is one in a series to highlight legislative items related to social justice and values.   Last year, members of our Annual Conference voted to pass ...

Conference Secretaries for United Methodist Global Ministries from the Western Jurisdiction gathered together February 28-March 1, in Mill Valley, California, along with the California-Nevada Conference and Global Ministries staff members. The Conference Secretaries for Global Ministries (CSGM) are lay and clergy who promote relationships between annual conferences and Global Ministries. The CSGM has the important role of educating, connecting and partnering with local churches to share ...

Lay Servant Ministries Advanced Course The Method of Our Mission (UM Polity) May 9 – May 25, 2023   TIME: Thurs & Tues. 6 – 8 pm PDT May 9, 11, 16, 18, & 25   LOCATION:  On Line Zoom Course INSTRUCTOR:  Emilie Kroen,  Director of Lay Servant Ministries Oregon - Idaho Conference  COST:  The cost of the book REGISTER: By May 2, 2023  Email: ekroen@yahoo.com and provide your Name, Mailing address, Phone number, and your local church setting.   Required Book: The Method of Our Mission: United ...

Oregon-Idaho Methodist Federation for Social Action invites justice-seekers to its spring event, “Why Justice Matters – A conversation with Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth.” The zoom event will provide a time to hear from Bishop Bridgeforth on justice issues and explore justice in a Wesleyan context. The two-hour online event will be via Zoom meeting on April 22 at 3:00 PDT/4:00 MDT. As the church, the country, and the world face new challenges of racial, economic, and gender injustice, how can the...

This time of year, Keren Rodriguez is likely to show up for all sorts of appointments with Christmas trees in the back of her car. She’s not trying to carry off that authentic Christmas-tree-smelling air freshener, she’s simply busy helping her congregation at Aloha United Methodist Church provide Christmas cheer to families in need. “I really value the way our faith community shows up,” Rodriguez said. This is Aloha UMC’s second year of giving away Christmas trees thanks to a congregant who ...

With a degree in film, media studies and communications, John Shaw brings a wealth of experience to the position of multi-media communications specialist at the Oregon-Idaho Conference of The United Methodist Church. Shaw will serve in this position part-time, under the guidance of communications manager Kristen Caldwell. This is the position Caldwell held prior to her promotion as the communications manager in 2019. His primary responsibility will be to help tell the stories of the people ...

Growing up in rural Alabama, it was Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth’s grandparents who made sure he got to church – even on the days he didn’t want to be there. But it was in the church, Lakeview United Methodist and Oakville Baptist churches that he found purpose – even on the hard days. After serving in the U.S. Air Force and earning a bachelor’s degree in religion from Samford University and a master of divinity degree from Claremont School of Theology, he has found the joy, purpose and calling ...

Registration is open for a mission trip to Give Ye Them to Eat (henceforth to be known as a GYTTE) in Puebla and Tlancualpican, Mexico March 3-12, 2023. The trip will be led by Dee Poujade of First UMC, Portland. The Team Information flyer provides the pertinent information regarding qualifications for participation, the scope of the work and other activities, general cost and practical information.  The Program Overview tells more about what GYTTE is and does. To join the team, interested ...