News Archives - Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church

Conference treasurers discuss new Benefits/HR position and collaborative vision

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 • Interview by Patrick Scriven

This week, the Greater Northwest Area announced a candidate search for a new Director of Benefits and Human Resources. The position is the first step toward a vision of shared administrative services across the area, following several years of intense planning and conversations. Once hired, the Director of Benefits and Human Resources will resource and support the Alaska (AK), Oregon-Idaho (OR-ID, and Pacific Northwest (PNW) Conferences of The United Methodist Church and its local churches and ministries.

I spoke with Sara Goetze, OR-ID Acting Treasurer and Controller, and Brant Henshaw, AK/PNW Treasurer and Director of Administrative Services, to better understand this position and how it fits their larger vision for the area. Our conversation has been edited for brevity and to provide clarity.

So, thank you, Brant and Sara, for taking the time to explore this new position and the idea of shared services with me. How did we get to this point?

Brant Henshaw (BH): In 2018, we began to discuss overlap and collaboration, particularly in finance and administration. Dan Wilson-Fey (OR-ID Treasurer and Benefits Officer who retired in 2022), Sandra Reinemer, and I compiled a spreadsheet of common tasks and differences across our three conferences. We also considered the distinct ways each conference handled benefits because of increased cross-conference appointments.

Examining the similarities in our administrative work helped us see the opportunity for more collaboration. The pandemic also forced us out of our silos as we pulled together to resource churches during a crisis moment. It also highlighted issues that can emerge when we aren’t aligned.

As conversations progressed, our focus has been on aligning our resourcing, not a merger. A merger may happen someday, but it is not part of our plans.

Sara Goetze (SG): And our bishop (Cedrick Bridgeforth) has been clear about that.

In our discussions, we have been working on talking the same language and trying to solve the same problems. This has also included shifts for each conference regarding platforms and procedures, with everyone contributing some discomfort to the cause. Other changes, like an adjustment to align the dates when local church statistics are due, were painless, with churches in OR-ID receiving a few additional weeks for reporting.

I imagine this continuity is helpful for staff and also less confusing for clergy serving in a cross-conference appointment.

SG: Correct.

Our conversations have continued over the past two years, moving beyond staff to engage other key stakeholders. Currently, an implementation team with representatives from the OR-ID and PNW Conferences is meeting regularly to discuss each conference’s needs, review potential positions, and ensure that the staff of any shared administrative office works with and is accountable to existing conference boards. We expect the full fruit of their work to come before members of each conference sometime over the next 12 months.

BH: So, it’s kind of a stay-tuned moment. For now, let me say that more collaboration would allow us to offer more specialization and resiliency, meaning local churches would have access to more expertise and better service without an increase in apportionments.

Still, even if we move toward a shared office or team offering administrative services, we will continue to operate out of the existing conference offices with staff in both locations. For this new position, we are open to them working out of the office in Portland or Des Moines.

Brant, earlier, you mentioned Dan Wilson-Fey, who retired in 2022. I know there have been several other retirements and transitions since 2018. How have these impacted your strategizing for more collaboration and planning for this new position?

BH: Any change in staffing can be an opportunity to adjust and consider what is different and how an organizational shift might be practical to meet the moment better.

Director of Benefits and Human Resources

The Greater Northwest Area (GNW) of The United Methodist Church is actively seeking a Director of Benefits and Human Resources to oversee all aspects of the GNW’s Benefits and Human Resources Department. This role is responsible for benefit administration and programming for GNW active and retired clergy, Conference and Board of Camp and Retreat Ministries staff; budget coordination; cash, investment, and trust management. The ideal candidate will also be responsible for administering the GNW human resource policies in collaboration with the Area Human Resources Personnel Committee.

The deadline for receiving applications is October 1, 2024. If you know of someone who might be interested, please have them: Click Here to Apply.

GNW is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks and encourages applications from minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities. All offers of employment are subject to the applicant successfully completing background, reference, and other applicable checks.

Dan’s retirement and other experienced and foreseeable transitions have been part of our conversations. Over the past few years, both the OR-ID and PNW Conferences have had several impactful staff transitions. It isn’t coincidental that I submitted the first formal proposal for a shared office in 2022, the same year Dan and PNW Assistant Treasurer Rik Jamieson retired.

As we have been having earnest conversations about shared services in finance, administration, and benefits, we have been trying to make space, including leaving some positions empty, for the possibility of shared services to become a reality.

Another big retirement looming for the Alaska and PNW Conference was announced at our (PNW) Annual Conference, long-serving PNW Benefits Officer Bruce Galvin. How does this relate to that?

BH: Bruce’s plan to retire in 2026 goes a long way toward explaining why we are hiring for this position now rather than waiting for the completion of other ongoing conversations. Both conferences have some existing needs that are already unfilled that this position will cover, but right now, we also have an opportunity for overlap. We aim to provide continuity and avoid any disruption that might impact services.

SG: In the OR-ID office, our need for a benefits officer is more pressing as benefits have gotten more complicated with the adoption of the Compass Retirement Plan by General Conference. There is a need for more direct communication with clergy about that plan and for managing the three legacy plans. Some of the human resourcing elements of the position are more pressing for the Alaska and PNW Conferences. Moving forward now is a win-win for the area.

How are you going about this hiring process, and when do you expect whoever is hired to come online?

SG: We are working with GCFA (the denomination’s General Council on Finance and Administration) for the hiring process. Our goal is to have someone in place by the end of October or early November. GCFA will help advertise the position inside and outside the connection and support the interview process.

It is valuable to us to hire someone who can speak United Methodist if possible. Working with GCFA will help, as recruiting in this area with the Church is really hard.

How is this position going to be financed?

BH: The Director of Benefits and Human Resources will be funded by existing resources under the care of conference pensions boards, with no new apportioned dollars required. This is a blessing from the excellent stewarding work of our shared resources in the past.

How do this hiring and the efforts toward shared services relate to Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth’s conversations with each conference around setting ministry priorities?

BH: As we mentioned, these conversations around shared services have been ongoing for a long time. Of course, we will be respectful and responsive to what emerges from those conversations and are eager to see the results of those efforts.

That said, this new benefits/HR position will meet needs that exist today and will exist tomorrow, regardless of the ministry priorities each conference identifies.

Any last thoughts or hopes to share?

BH: We have learned that collaboration isn’t easy. Getting to this point has taken a lot of work, but we are starting to see the other side. While this work has asked a lot from us and a lot from those who have been having honest and direct conversations about our commonalities and differences, we know it will be a real benefit for those we are called to serve.

SG: Collaboration is the best path to sustainably resourcing our local churches and ministries and honoring our obligations. We see this position and the shared services office as an opportunity to provide more value while keeping costs neutral and saving money down the road.

In the short run, it would be easier to work in our silos. However, one of the strengths of United Methodism is our connectionalism. Why would we turn away from that?

Patrick Scriven serves as director of communications for the Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church.

A pastoral letter from Bishop Cedrick on the eve of the scheduled execution in Idaho of Thomas E. Creech

*Thomas Creech is a prisoner at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution outside of Boise and is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 10 a.m., local time.*

Thomas Eugene Creech is a child of God who was created in the image and likeness of God.

Life is a gift and blessing from our Creator. Life is not ours to take nor end. Even as the state determines it has the power to end a life, that does not mean it has the right, nor does that make it right. We have power and how much more powerful is life and love than damnation and death?

I have not met or spoken with Mr. Creech, but I have a bishop colleague who has met and engaged him in conversation. This bishop shared with me the humility and humanity he witnessed and felt in the presence of Mr. Creech. I imagine when one is aware that their life rests in the hands of a system that finds it easiest and more just to kill than extend clemency, humility is all that’s left alongside despair.

Mr. Creech’s execution is scheduled for 10 a.m. Mountain Standard Time tomorrow. I invite you all to be in prayer with me as we lament this action being taken by the State of Idaho. If you feel called, in an act of solidarity with other churches, please do ring your church bells at 10 a.m. MST to offer a physical manifestation of our collective grief.

May we work to end the death penalty, express humility, extend mercy, and expect grace in the face of the loveless acts that we now await and expect. God created each of us in God’s own image and likeness. We are all made of the same sinew and possibility as Mr. Thomas Eugene Creech.

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth
resident bishop, GNW Episcopal Area

Bridgeforth brings experience, collaborative mindset into new role as bishop of the Greater NW Area

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 that led him to become a newly-elected bishop in The United Methodist Church.

“Hopefully, people can see that the degrees, the titles, and the experiences are not where I began. That’s just where I’m on the journey right now,” Bridgeforth said. “I do that in a way to connect with people. My leadership style is about connecting with people.”

On Jan. 1, 2023, Bridgeforth will begin serving as bishop of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of The UMC. The GNW Area comprises the Alaska Conference, Oregon-Idaho Conference and Pacific Northwest Conference. He currently serves as the director of communication and innovation for the California-Pacific Conference.

When he was elected on the 18^th ballot at the Western Jurisdictional Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Nov. 4, he became the first openly gay African American male to hold the title of bishop within The UMC. His husband, Christopher Hucks-Ortiz, stood by his side as he was welcomed. It’s history he’s proud to make, but it is only part of his story and ministry.

Raised on a farm in rural Alabama, Bridgeforth has served churches in the California-Pacific Conference since 1999. He became an ordained elder in full connection with the church in 2006. He has served at Bowen Memorial United Methodist Church and Crenshaw United Methodist Church, before supervising many churches as a district superintendent in Cal-Pac Conference. He also has been a clergy coach and nonprofit consultant, has served on the board of the Black Methodists for Church Renewal, worked as the director of academic programs and outreach at the University of LaVerne and is a published author, to name a few things.

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth addresses the crowd at the WJC 2022 after being elected with spouse Christopher Hucks-Ortiz by his side.

“I want my story to be open and available to people. There are parts of it people will connect with immediately. There are parts that people will hear and say, ‘I don’t get it.’ And that’s fine. All of us have that in our lives,” he said. “My leadership style is very personal. I try to be accessible to people. I like to hear people’s story because it helps me connect with them.”

On Sept. 11, 2001, he met his good friend – who later became his colleague – Dr. Larry Hygh, Jr., when Hygh and others attending the Strengthening the Black Church conference were stranded in Los Angeles due to the terrorist attacks on this country. Hygh said then-District Superintendent (now Bishop) Grant Hagiya sent church leaders out to check on those who were grounded in Los Angeles. Bridgeforth was one of those pastors.

Hygh recalls a caring presence in that moment. The two became better acquainted when, less than a year later, Hygh became the communications director for the Cal-Pac Conference and got to see what Bridgeforth’s ministry was like up close.

“I think he brings a gift of strategic leadership. I also believe he’s a person who can work with folks from various theological perspectives,” Hygh said. “Even when he might not agree, he can find commonality for the sake of the gospel. Folks like him are what we need.”

Hygh said he’s always appreciated his friend’s ability to meet people – all people – wherever they’re at in life. Hygh watched Bridgeforth work, as a district superintendent in the Los Angeles area, with some of the most diverse churches, communities and neighborhoods in the country.

“He makes connections that sometimes other folks do not see,” Hygh said.

This past summer, Bridgeforth, an avid cyclist and supporter of HIV/AIDS research, encouraged Hygh to train for and participate in a 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for the San Francisco Aids Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

“He is a much faster cyclist than I am,” Hygh said. “I’m the caboose in the back.”

Nevertheless, Hygh said his friend rode with him in the back one day on the seven-day course and saw a different perspective.

“He’s a servant leader who walks the talk,” Hygh said.

Bridgeforth calls himself collaborative by nature and hopes to bring that work to his role as bishop. He describes it as “a necessity” at this time in the church’s life.

“For us to innovate at the rate we need to, we have to collaborate,” Bridgeforth said.

As he steps into the episcopal role in the Greater Northwest Area, he knows the church is at a critical point. Membership is in decline, and the church may be splintering as some churches seek to disaffiliate before the 2024 General Conference. He knows it’s something that the church will grapple with, and to do that, people must first maintain their hope in Jesus Christ.

“I’m not a person who believes divorce is a bad thing,” Bridgeforth said. “Sometimes divorce is necessary, and it is the only thing that will bring about healing.”

He said it’s a good thing for people to be clear about their values and to bless each other as they depart. But the faithful disciples who remain within the denomination need to be clear about why they have decided to stay – not just because some people they disagree with left.

“Did we remain United Methodists because we believe in the strength of Wesleyan grace? Do we believe in the strength of being connected? Do we believe that serving together is better than just serving on our own? Do we believe that there is truly hope in Jesus Christ? Do we believe we have a message of salvation and resurrection that can resonate in this season and in coming seasons? I’ll preach that; I’ll teach that,” Bridgeforth said. “I want to organize us so that we are delivering that message in every way possible. So that we examine our structures, we examine our policies, and our behaviors so that they align with this understanding of resurrection – of hope on the other side of division.”

*A transition team is working with Bishop Bridgeforth and his family to identify ways in which he will be introduced to our churches and communities over the next several months. We will keep you informed of those opportunities through our newsletter and social media channels as they become known.

RELATED stories from UM News: Western elects Cedrick Bridgeforth as bishop
RELATED: First-elected delegates excited for the gifts, graces Bishop Bridgeforth will bring to the GNW Area

Kristina Gonzalez to serve as GNW Executive Director for Innovation and Vitality

Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky has named Kristina Gonzalez Executive Director for Innovation and Vitality for the Greater Northwest Area. Gonzalez will continue to work with Rev. Dr. Leroy Barber, Director of Innovation for an engaged church. The Innovation Vitality (IV) Team supports local churches, innovation projects and boards and agencies to continue to embrace inclusion, innovation and multiplication as practices of Christian discipleship that are core to vital ministry in the region.

Gonzalez will step into this leadership role following Dr. William Gibson’s resignation as the IV Team Lead, effective March 31.

In making the announcement of Gonzalez’s new role, Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky affirmed that “Greater Northwest Area leadership remains committed to supporting new ways of being church, especially as IV projects help us learn where God is calling us today.”

“The United Methodist Church is struggling. We are declining, divided and constrained by white cultural norms,” Stanovsky acknowledged. “But Jesus continues to deliver good news and invites us into abundant life every day. Many of us struggle to keep pace with what God is up to. Kristina develops systems that foster disciples who look beyond decline to lead a new and bright future. We are blessed that she is willing to step into this role at this time.”

Gonzalez will be responsible for hiring and supervising the IV team staff and consultants, in collaboration with conference directors of connectional ministries, and providing strong support systems for innovation vitality projects and their leaders. She will also continue to ensure that intercultural competency leadership is at the heart of our efforts for this transformative work.

“The Innovation Vitality Team helped to position intercultural competency as central to vitality in our new and existing ministries. Our abilities to interact across cultural differences – race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identities, physical and mental abilities and more – will define us into the future. As Rev. Dr. Barber says, ‘innovation happens at the intersection of difference,’” Gonzalez said.

In her role serving three conferences, Gonzalez will report to the bishop of the Greater Northwest Area. As executive director, Gonzalez will lead during a transition period. The Vitality Commission formed by the 2021 Annual Conferences is reviewing the structure and operations of the IV Team to recommend changes to strengthen this work. The Commission will make a progress report to this year’s annual conference sessions in June and will bring recommendations to improve and streamline vitality work in 2023.

Gonzalez is a trusted leader and expert in intercultural competency with deep connections to United Methodism in the northwest and beyond. First hired as a Pacific Northwest Conference staff member by Bishop Elias Galvan in 1998, she joined the IV Team in 2018, bringing her gifts to the Greater Northwest Area.

“I’ve had the privilege of serving the Pacific Northwest Conference and the GNW Area of our United Methodist Church for more than 20 years. Despite title changes, restructuring and varied visions, my work has been about embedding intercultural competency at all levels of our complex church structure, from local church to the denominational Connectional Table,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez is a qualified administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and an associate with the Kaleidoscope Institute for diverse sustainable communities. She has served as faculty of the annual school for United Methodist supervising clergy for 19 years and consults and trains ecumenically in intercultural competency.

Gonzalez has professional experience in the public and non-profit sectors working in the arts and human services. Her community service work includes eight years on the curriculum committee of Leadership Tomorrow, a community leadership program serving the greater Seattle area, and a term on the board of trustees.

She served on The United Methodist Church’s Connectional Table, from 2004-to 2008 and chaired the Washington Association of Churches (now Faith Action Network) for two terms. She served on the board of directors for Bayview Retirement Center in Seattle for two terms.

“My new position title, Executive Director for Innovation and Vitality is simply an extension of my hopes and dreams over time,” Gonzalez said. “Those hopes and dreams; that we in the GNW Area of The UMC embed in our culture the practices of inclusion, innovation and multiplication, as a means of refreshing and renewing our relationships with Jesus Christ through our Wesleyan heritage in ways that are relevant and resonant today.”

Three practices for vital ministry

1. Inclusion – if WE – our ministries, leaders and members become more interculturally competent then we will learn to welcome, include, and partner with our diverse neighbors.

2. Innovation – if “WE” expands to include the variety of people in our neighborhoods, then WE will reach out with openness to join what God is already doing in sparks of innovation that come at the intersection of difference.

3. Multiplication – if our ministries make a difference in the lives of people and their communities, then we will follow Jesus to engage with more new people, and their needs, multiplying the people we partner with and serve.

BSA Extension Letter | Oct. 6, 2021

Grace and Peace to you,

In late August, you received a letter from Bishop Elaine Stanovsky regarding the ongoing Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy, with some guidance originating in our denomination’s legal advisors. This group of chancellors, advised by bankruptcy experts and in consultation with church leaders, is engaged in this very complex matter to ensure that any of our churches who act as chartering organizations, are protected to the fullest extent possible as we wrestle with the shadow of abuse in our midst over many decades.

Previously, the guidance was to pause the chartering/re-chartering of scouting troops with a reset on December 31, 2021. We have now received updated guidance to extend this pause until March 31,2022. With this additional time, the BSA and legal representatives of the UMC will continue work on a new chartering arrangement that protects both organizations appropriately. This means that whatever status (charter or facility use agreement) that your church now has with your troop, old or newly negotiated, can remain in force until the end of March 2022.

There will be a joint statement released this week that will outline this extension for the bankruptcy case to run its course and to give time for development of a new agreed-upon form of agreement for United Methodist organizations wishing to charter a Scout unit in the future.

The two organizations agree that whatever agreements are currently in place can be extended until March 31, 2022, after which a new charter agreement should be available to take the relationship into the future.

Today we ask that you extend your current relationship with BSA troops, at whatever CURRENT status it is, until March 31, 2022, and pray for the survivors’ healing. God has gifted us with compassion and wisdom to reach just settlements and faithfully steward the resources of the UMC.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us if you have any questions.

In Christ,

Brant and Dan

From the Bishop, RE: Boy Scout units chartered by local United Methodist Churches

Aug. 27, 2021

Dear Greater Northwest United Methodists of the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences:

We send this letter with heavy hearts, knowing that many young people have been harmed while participating in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), over many decades. While countless young persons have benefited from the different programs and levels of Boy Scouting, some have experienced demeaning and abusive behavior while participating in scouting activities and events and have taken their claims to the courts.

Many local United Methodist churches partner as charter organizations for Boy Scout units across the country. The United Methodist Church (TUMC) is committed to being a safe and nurturing place for all people, to healing harm that has been done and, to partnering with organizations that share this commitment. The United Methodist Church is reviewing its relationship with BSA to ensure that the Church is acting responsibly to protect the safety of children and ensure that it is not responsible for harm done during Boy Scout activities.

BSA Current Reality

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is overwhelmed with potential liability exposure from sexual assault allegations nationwide. The BSA has filed for bankruptcy protection. Under both of the proposed plans that the BSA has suggested as ways to continue after the bankruptcy, they are leaving their chartered organizations out on a limb by themselves. The chartered organizations are the local churches, schools, and civic groups that sponsor or host a Scout Troop, Pack, Crew, or other unit. The details of these plans are still being played out, but the BSA is placing all of our United Methodist churches who have ever been involved in Scouting in a very difficult position.

Despite their consistent past assurances that they held enough insurance to cover their chartered organizations in case of injured scouts, we now know that the BSA did not have enough or sufficient insurance. The local churches are at risk of having to pay significant sums to victims to compensate them for the damages they suffered at the hands of some Scout leaders. In addition, the local churches will have to pay for the cost of their own attorneys to defend those claims. All of this is because the BSA did not fulfill their promise to have enough insurance to protect the local churches.

Future Relationship with the BSA

Our team, made up of the Bishop, her GNW Area assistant, and the treasurers and chancellors of the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Annual Conferences, recommends that local churches change their relationships with Scouting units.

If your local church currently charters a Scout unit, we recommend that you NOT renew that chartering agreement when it is up for renewal or re-chartering this fall. Instead, we recommend one of three options, the choice of which is up to you:

Tell the local Scout council that you will NOT renew that chartering agreement but will only extend the current agreement until December 31, 2021.
Tell the local Scout council that you will NOT renew that chartering agreement but will enter into a Facilities Use Agreement with their unit until December 31, 2021.
Tell the local Scout council that you will terminate the existing charter agreement and replace it with a Facilities Use Agreement with their unit until December 31, 2021.

In options 2 and 3, the Facilities Use Agreement will act similar to a lease allowing the Scout unit to continue using your space, but they will be responsible for everything else, including the selection of leaders. A proposed agreement template can be found here. Also, please let your Conference Treasurer know if you are currently hosting a scout troop in any of the above described manners.

After December 31, 2021, we should be in a better position to see how the future will unfold. Once a reorganization plan is approved by the bankruptcy court, we will know better how to proceed.

If your local church does not charter a Scout unit at this time, we recommend that you NOT consider chartering a unit until the bankruptcy case is finalized and we have an understanding of how The United Methodist relationship with Scouts will continue in the future.

We understand that these suggestions are dramatic, but we think them to be the prudent course of action at this time. We want to protect our local churches from being accused of contributing to the abuse of children and to the resulting risk of costly litigation.

Closing Thoughts

Boy Scout councils have begun contacting local churches directly that host Boy Scout units. One such letter is attached here. If you receive any communication from a local Scout council or the BSA advising or encouraging you to contact a Boy Scout attorney, please report this at once to Rev. Carlo A. Rapanut, Assistant to the Bishop. His email is carlorapanut@gmail.com.

We know the value of scouting. It has played a very large role in the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church for a very long time. But the BSA is not proving faithful to The United Methodist Church as they leave us without the protections that they promised. We simply cannot currently commit to the relationship with the BSA as we have in the past. Until we know how the BSA will be organized and operate in the future, we must make some changes. Hopefully, we will be able to continue our long connection with scouting in some way, but we need to make some changes today to help prevent us from being dragged down with the BSA in the future.

May God’s mighty, surprising, Holy Spirit work a miracle of healing in the lives of people harmed by abuse. May God bless and keep us honest, diligent and wise through this process.

Faithfully,

Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky
Greater NW Area
The United Methodist Church

Rev. Carlo A. Rapanut
Assistant to the Bishop
GNW Area of The UMC

Brant Henshaw
Conference Treasurer
Pacific Northwest & Alaska Conferences

Rev. Dan Wilson-Fey
Conference Treasurer/Benefits Officer
Oregon-Idaho
Attached documents:
Facility use agreement template for Boy Scouts of America.
Letter related to BSA sent to pastor at Homer UMC in Alaska.

GNW Area creates Circle of Indigenous Ministries

As friendships and ministries with Native American and Indigenous peoples grow, the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church is creating the Circle of Indigenous Ministries. Developing mutual, healing, and life-affirming relationships with Native Americans and Indigenous peoples in and outside the church is part of the GNW Area’s ongoing efforts to heal historic trauma and dismantle racism.

Rev. Dr. Allen Buck, pastor of Great Spirit United Methodist Church in Portland and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is being appointed as the director of the Circle of Indigenous Ministries, beginning July 1. Rev. Buck will also continue as part-time pastor at Great Spirit.

The Circle will support Native American and Indigenous churches, fellowships, and ministry partners through resourcing, coaching, consultation, and friendship in the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences.

Rev. Dr. Allen Buck at the Wallowa land return ceremony in April

“The goal is to do what we have been doing, but do it more intentionally,” said Buck.

Since Buck was appointed to Great Spirit UMC in Portland in 2017, he has assisted the Oregon-Idaho Conference, as well as his colleagues in the Pacific Northwest Conference and Alaska Conference, in acts of repentance, land return and healing with Native American communities across the area.

“The Christian Church has done deep and lasting harm to Indigenous peoples and cultures around the world for centuries,” Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky said. “Rev. Buck is helping us learn our history, repent of our sins and form healing partnerships based on humility and mutual respect. ”

“The Circle of Indigenous Ministries will amplify Indigenous voices and their wisdom while also empowering more authentic leadership of Native American and Indigenous peoples within the church,” said Oregon-Idaho Conference Director of Connectional Ministry Laurie Day, who also serves assistant to Bishop Stanovsky.

For years, the Oregon-Idaho Conference has supported Huckleberry Camp for Native American youth at Camp Magruder in the summers as well as a Nez Perce culture camp at Wallowa Lake Camp in northeastern Oregon. In 2016, the unofficial spiritual home of Native American United Methodists in Oregon-Idaho Conference, Wilshire United Methodist Church in Portland, was on the verge of closing. Former Columbia District Superintendent, Rev. Erin Martin, recruited Buck, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, to serve Wilshire UMC and help grow its ministry into what is now Great Spirit UMC.

The Greater Northwest Area has moved recently into larger acts of repentance and healing, including returning a portion of Wallowa Lake Camp to The Nez Perce Tribe in 2018. In April, the Conference returned the former Wallowa UMC property to the Nimiipuu as well.

Day said Buck has also helped leadership across the Greater Northwest Area begin acts of land recognition, repentance and building more friendships with local tribes and native organizations.

In addition to its work with the Nez Perce Tribe, Great Spirit UMC took ownership of the Chiloquin United Methodist Church building in southern Oregon, when the congregation was officially closed in 2020. Great Spirit UMC has since turned building use over to The Stronghold, a Native-led organization which partners with the Klamath Tribe to provide culturally responsive peer support services to Native people in transition – be it homelessness due to natural disasters, domestic abuse, drug addiction or more.

Buck said there were no conditions placed upon The Stronghold’s use of the building, because as the church works to decolonize white spaces, it is important to listen to what the Native and Indigenous communities want or need.

“It’s all about relationships,” Buck said. “You can’t do Indigenous ministries without relationships.”

Buck said he is excited to mentor and walk with emerging Native and Indigenous leaders who could serve churches in Native communities. He is eager to partner with the GNW Innovation and Vitality Team to help identify and train culturally responsive leaders in the church.

Day said financial support for The Circle of Indigenous Ministries is coming from across the GNW Area and beyond. This work of recognizing and partnering with Native American, Alaska Native and other populations often marginalized by the church is ongoing.

Nez Perce tribal leaders and Oregon-Idaho Conference leaders exchange words and greetings during the Wallowa UMC land return ceremony in April.

“All of these opportunities are growing, which is why we’re creating the Circle of Indigenous Ministries and we believe Allen Buck is the right leader to continue developing these strong friendships and healing bonds,” Day said. “The need and ministry have grown so much that we cannot wait any longer.”

Grant funding and conferences support will not be enough to develop and sustain the project long-term, which is why the Greater Northwest Area has established a Circle of Indigenous Ministries fund so that individuals may contribute to this growing ministry in the life of the church.

As the incoming director of the new Circle of Indigenous Ministries, Buck said he could use everyone’s prayers as he embarks on this exciting new journey in ministry.

“Pray for us and help us make sure this becomes the priority it needs to be,” he said.

Learn more here

Where Love Lives: Fair and equal ordination for all!?

A person in a robe stands before a baptism font.

Should there be a question mark, or an exclamation point at the end this statement about being a fully inclusive United Methodist Church Where Love Lives.

When it comes to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life and ministry of our United Methodist Churches, is ordination fair and equal yet or is it still something to which we aspire?

A person dips bread in the communion challis

As the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church continues its “Where Love Lives” campaign this month, the Greater Northwest Area of The UMC will explore our LGBTQ+ siblings’ call to ministry in a denomination where, by and large, they are still not welcome.

The Western Jurisdiction has made many strides when it come to ordaining and appointing LGBTQ+ individuals to serve in our local churches. After the 2019 special called General Conference adopted the Traditional Plan, which created great harm to our LGBTQ+ siblings as well as our churches, leaders from the Western Jurisdiction quickly declared we would be a “Home for All God’s People.”

The Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops followed that statement up in November of 2019 by i ssui ng a Safe Harbor declaration saying we would not abide by the Traditional Plan, nor persecute our LGBTQ+ siblings simply based on orientation and identity.

We have made many bold statements and acted with nobility in the Western Jurisdiction. But as you will read in the unfiltered, unedited stories being shared this month, we are not finished yet.

You’ll hear from our LGBTQ+ clergy how they react to the statement “Fair and Equal Ordination for All,” based on their own call story, experiences in local church settings, our communities and our respective conferences. Each of these stories is unique to the individual who was invited to share their perspective.

We ask that you honor and respect the courage it takes for some people to publicly tell their stories and offer their honest feedback so that we might – one day soon – be able to say, “fair and equal ordination for all is here.” No questions asked.

Bishop Stanovsky announces new dates for online annual conferences

Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky asks today that clergy and lay members of the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences hold the dates of June 20-24, 2021 open for online Annual Conference sessions.

The three conferences will gather for opening and closing worship experiences, but they will meet separately to conduct the respective business of each conference. This is a change from the previously announced dates of June 9-12, 2021.

The new dates were set in response to unfolding plans at the global and jurisdictional levels, amid a global pandemic. Today, the Commission on General Conference announced that General Conference will be moved, again, to Aug. 29 – Sep. 6, 2022.

The Council of Bishops also called today for a special online General Conference session on May 8, for the sole purpose of allowing the use of paper ballots for delegates to act upon 12 amendments to the Book of Discipline that would enable the church to effectively continue its work until the postponed 2020 General Conference is held in 2022.

“The COVID-19 pandemic forced a pause in a process of separating one United Methodist Church into two or more church bodies, based on theology and human sexuality. We cannot wait forever to release the tension that currently distracts our attention and compromises our effectiveness,” Stanovsky said. “With the shifts in denominational decision-making timelines, it’s crucial that Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences meet this summer to listen to God and to each other as we carry out the important work of our mission and ministry.”

While Bishop Stanovsky has set the dates for online annual conferences, the timing of each conference’s session during the week is still being discussed. Members can expect to see sessions extend beyond the essentials-only structure held last fall, but there will still be limitations on how robust each session can be, given the constraints of online conferences.

Registration information, a more thorough schedule of sessions (including plans for clergy and laity sessions ahead of June 20), deadlines and procedures for submitting legislation and reports in each conference will be announced in early March.

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Bishop’s COVID-19 notice #9, Nov. 10, 2020

The circumstances and risks from COVID-19 vary from place to place and from time to time. Therefore, the COVID-19 Crisis Management Team has adopted a new Phase 2.1 addendum to Reimagining Life Together, which opens the possibility of gatherings of up to 25 for worship and other activities. In places where data shows a low risk of spreading the virus a church or other ministry can present a ministry plan for approval to move to Phase 2.1 as long as the risk remains low.

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across America in what one public health doctor called a “raging firestorm.” The highest number of daily new cases of COVID-19 since March occurred yesterday in Alaska. Idaho, Oregon and Washington and have been rising since September 8. This is not the time to let down our guard against this highly contagious, deadly disease.

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. Galatians 6: 9-10 NRSV

Although states have not always held religious organizations to the same gathering restrictions as other organizations, I have held United Methodists in the Greater Northwest Area to strict limits. For most of our churches, this is not the time to loosen these restrictions. Most churches have moved successfully to holding worship and other activities online, either live streamed, or pre-produced. If I were a pastor of a local church today, I would not move toward more and larger in-person gatherings at this time and I do not encourage our churches to do so.

Some, however, are located in areas without reliable internet, some do not have the technical ability, and some members and leaders simply will not and do not use online church options.

This pandemic, and our knowledge about it, have grown and changed over time:

Since February, science has learned and taught us about how the virus spreads and how to limit its spread by wearing masks, keeping 6 feet apart, limiting the length of time of gatherings, and washing hands and using hand sanitizer.
Just today we heard hope that an effective vaccination may be available by the end of the year.
The incidence and danger of spreading the virus is very low in some places and extremely high in others, and
The longer we live with restrictions on our freedom of movement and gathering, the higher the risk of mental, psychological and spiritual suffering.

Churches seek to balance the harm caused by continued spread of the virus and the harm done by continuing to restrict in-person gatherings for worship, prayer, fellowship and study. How do we weigh the risk of COVID-19 spread and deaths against the risk of loneliness, depression, despair, substance abuse, domestic violence and suicide as the months wear on, the days grow short and dark and the weather pushes us indoors? No gatherings are risk-free, but as we strive to balance competing harms, some gatherings with strict safety practices under certain conditions may be prudent.

Phase 2.1 Addendum to Reimagining Life Together guidelines allows a church or other ministry setting, with the consent of their pastor, to present a plan for holding in-person gatherings of up to 25 persons with physical distancing, and facemasks in use for approval by their District Superintendent, in the case of local churches, or Director of Connectional Ministries in the case of other ministries. All church or ministry settings and all District Superintendents and Directors of Connectional Ministries will use data from www.CovidActNow.org to determine their county’s risk level, based upon 5 risk indicators.

If a church or other ministry is located in a county where the risk is found to be in either the green or yellow zone, and if the designated supervisor approves the ministry’s plan for Phase 2.1, then it will be allowed to gather up to 25 people for worship or other ministry activities, following the practices approved in the plan. If a church has moved to Phase 2.1, but the risk reported by COVIDActNow increases to levels orange or red, it will need to retreat to Phase 2 levels of activity.

Read the Phase 2.1 addendum – an option within phase 2

As we watch daily reports of a pandemic that is out of control, and consider loosening the restrictions on church gatherings, remember these thoughts from Reimagining Life Together:

As we reenter life together, we must allow for our dream or memory of community to fade to make room for love to emerge in new and different ways. The task we have is to reimagine church – and all we are and do – so that we can be what God dreams us to be. After all, church isn’t a building; it isn’t doors or a steeple. Church is the people in ministry and service. If we can’t do this ministry in the ways we have in the past, we will find new ways to do it. We will find a way. Our imaginations can show us what is possible.

God will open a new way before us.

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43: 19

May God guide our feet into the way of peace!

Elaine JW Stanovsky
Bishop, Greater Northwest Episcopal Area


Treasurer Alaska & PNW Conferences bhenshaw@pnwumc.org	Treasurer/Benefits Officer Oregon-Idaho Conference dan@umoi.org