Giving to your local church means giving to your local communities. Passing the offering plate in church on Sunday mornings is a physical and symbolic reminder of Jesus’ commitment to ministering to all those around us.

When church attendance is slowed or completely stopped, though, to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, offering online giving is a way to continue to feel connected to your local church and its many ministries.

There are several easy steps churches can implement right now to create an online giving platform.

United Methodist Communications offers these suggested resources for online/electronic giving options.

Here are some examples of church “Donate” or “Give” web pages across the Greater Northwest Area of The UMC:

• Here’s the online giving page of St. John’s UMC in Anchorage, AK. They use EasyTithe.

• Here’s the online giving page of Lake Oswego UMC in Lake Oswego, OR. They use Vanco.

• Here’s the online giving page of Tigard UMC in Tigard, OR. They use PushPay.

• Here’s the online giving page of Pioneer UMC in Walla Walla, WA. They use Realm/ACS.
  
  
• Here’s the online giving page of Seward UMC in Seward, Alaska. They use SimpleGive.

• Here’s the online giving page of Edmonds UMC, in Seattle, WA. They use FellowshipOne.
  
  
• Here’s the online giving page for Magic Valley Ministries in Idaho. They use EasyTithe.

• Some churches use the “Giving” app from the Planning Center group.

Stewardship and finance experts from across the Greater Northwest Area recommend churches use direct bank transfers – electronic funds transferring – so that churches experience fewer fees than using a platform based solely on credit card donations. However, they acknowledge that credit card apps are sometimes easier for those who give.

Management of online donations may seem like a daunting new process for churches, but many who have already implemented such changes said churchgoers appreciate the convenience of online giving. Connect with Dan Wilson-Fey in the Oregon-Idaho Conference at dan@umoi.org or Rik Jamieson for the Alaska or Pacific Northwest Conferences at rjamieson@pnwumc.org if you have questions.

This is an opportune moment for the Church, called to serve in God’s world in new ways. After the Coronavirus is long gone, churches will have established a sustainable, flexible way to continue supporting God’s kin-dom.

By Patrick Scriven

The following local churches have communicated that they are canceling worship, or including a special online component this week, in response to concerns about the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Some will be livestreaming a special service at a set time; others are uploading prerecorded content.

Please note that in addition to COVID-19, we all lose an hour this Sunday due to Daylight Savings Time this week.

A general note to churches. Please make sure that your plan for this week is clear on the homepage of your website in addition to your primary social media accounts.

This page will be updated as information comes in. Please send additions or corrections to communications@greaternw.org.

Patrick Scriven serves as Director of Communications, Young People’s Ministry for the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.

By Patrick Scriven

Over the weekend, local church, district, and conference lay leaders from the three conferences of the Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church gathered at Des Moines United Methodist Church, 30 minutes south of Seattle. 

The 24-hour Lay Leader’s Retreat was initiated by the Conference Lay Leaders with the intent of bringing voices together from across the area to identify common challenges and opportunities to learn and work with one another. The event took place just a week after the Alaska Conference took steps toward becoming a mission district of the Pacific Northwest Conference (PNW).

An open forum encouraging questions and making room for common concerns was led by Directors of Connectional Ministries (DCM) Laurie Day and Rev. David Valera. Two sessions with the DCMs also served as an opportunity for lay leaders to know how to utilize them as resources for mission.

PNW DCM Valera shared that the task of a director of connectional ministry is one of alignment, adding that they strive to be advocates for the work of the laity. Day, a layperson herself, described the role as including “a lot of networking,” as they work to keep people connected to the many ministries across the conferences, area, and global church. Valera described it as one of “telephone operator” facilitating conversations between separate groups which have similar visions and conversations. 

Participants also received a preview of the Greater Northwest Area’s Shared Annual Conference Session being held June 11-14, 2020 in Puyallup, Wash. The DCMs fielded a number of questions about the session while also providing insights into the legislative process and goals. The session will happen a few weeks after the 2020 General Conference takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Developing healthy working relationships with pastors was an undercurrent in several table and group conversations throughout the gathering. Day encouraged the laity saying, “don’t wait for the clergy, they are not the keepers of the church.” Several participants acknowledged that the consumer-model of lay participation, where laity receive a product the clergy deliver, was a self-imposed barrier to lay empowerment.

Multi-generational engagement in lay leadership was a theme that arose on several occasions as well. “How do we help our young people feel that they are called to action,” provoked Teri Tobey who works in the PNW Conference as Program Associate for Ministries with Young People. Laity discussed the importance of training people of all ages so they can be successful, in addition to inviting them into meaningful leadership work.

Lydia Henry spoke on Saturday morning to some of the challenges of the lay speaking/servant program, unearthing a desire for more training and some areas that need development. Along with Emilie Kroen, they shared efforts underway in the Oregon-Idaho Conference to try to envision how to provide coursework and a framework to make lay education more interesting, inspiring, and accessible. 

PNW Lay Leader Nancy Tam Davis and SeaTac District Lay Leader Andy O’Donnell led a session on strengthening relationships between district lay leaders and district superintendents. Davis noted how impressed she was with the collaborative presence O’Donnell had with SeaTac District Superintendent Derek Nakano during district events. Good, bi-directional partnerships were named as a strong gift when present. The need for a shared vision and good communication at each level of the church was essential to missional alignment.

The event concluded with group work at tables facilitated by Davis strategizing on priorities for next steps. During the conversation, PNW United Methodist Women President Ja net’ Crouse offered the anecdote, “we develop leaders, we train dogs” capturing the hunger for meaningful, smart resourcing that laity in the room named as necessary for a vital church moving forward.

Networking, leadership development, and building a culture of gratitude were identified with participants when asked to consider what they would personally consider organizing around. Davis closed the day with words of gratitude and encouragement of Sabbath for all those who attended. She lifted up in thanks Angelina Goldwell, the PNW Associate Conference Lay Leader for her work in providing some of the logistical support that made the event possible.

Patrick Scriven is a husband who married well, a father of three amazing girls, and a seminary educated layperson working professionally in the church. Scriven serves the Pacific Northwest Conference as Director of Communications and Young People’s Ministries.

In this season of uncertainty and anticipation and about the future of The United Methodist Church, its heartwarming to see generosity flowing multiple directions across The Greater Northwest Episcopal Area.

This summer the Pacific Northwest and Oregon-Idaho Conferences committed to a special offering in the local churches to help lower the cost of Alaska Conference members traveling to Puyallup, Wash., for a shared Annual Conference this June. When a cry went out from churches in Oregon, Idaho and Washington located far from the Conference site, the Alaska Conference responded in kind for their siblings in Christ in the Oregon-Idaho Conference who will also endure significant travel costs to attend.

“People just really resonated with the idea that we want to come alongside in solidarity,” said Rev. Carlo Rapanut, Superintendent for the Alaska Conference.

This reciprocal giving from the Alaska Conference for a travel fund started after Rapanut received inspiration during a General Board of Global Ministries gathering in Atlanta earlier in the fall.

Bishop Hector Ortiz-Vidal of Puerto Rico asked for a moment of privilege during the gathering and called on Bishop Tom Bickerton, president of United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to stand with him. Churches and communities in Puerto Rico received massive UMCOR support in 2017 after Hurricane Maria.

“Bishop Ortiz takes out an envelope with a check in it and says, ‘this is a gift from the thankful people of Puerto Rico,’” Rapanut recalled from the presentation.

Ortiz said the check, a significant amount, was being presented to help those in the Bahamas recovering from Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

“Everybody was in tears. (Puerto Ricans) are people still in need, yet they wanted to help people in the Bahamas,” Rapanut said. “It was just a Holy Spirit moment for me.”

Rapanut came back from that meeting and wanted to inspire his church members — many of whom will travel hours to get on a plane to fly to Anchorage to connect another flight to Seattle – that are already financially strapped to extend their generosity beyond Alaska’s boundaries.

He personally promised $50 at each of his charge conference gatherings to raise fund to assist remote churches in the other two GNW conferences with travel expenses. To date the 29 churches in the Alaska Conference have given $4,271.

“The response has just been incredible,” Rapanut said.

The PNW and Oregon-Idaho Conferences have raised approximately $11,000 to date to assist with Alaska travel funds.

The GNW Area cabinet recently met and decided, because of distance, it would be up to Sage District Superintendent Rev. Karen Hernandez and Crater Lake District Superintendent Rev. John Tucker to utilize this gift. The two district superintendents in the Oregon-Idaho Conference are still working out exactly which churches will qualify for the support.

“In a time of crisis in the denomination, when the Alaska Conference is trying map out its future with limited finances, this is the most beautiful response I can imagine,” Hernandez said. “Because of the timing it’s so selfless of them.”

Homer United Methodist Church responded to Rapanut’s call with great enthusiasm, raising more than $1,000 for the other two conferences.

Rev. Lisa Talbott, pastor of Homer UMC said their church has been supported by churches in the lower 48 states for more than 70 years, allowing it to establish its ministries in Homer and the lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.

“[The churches] sustained us through really tight years.  Now that we are a financially self-sustaining church this is our response with gratitude toward the churches who may have supported us,” Talbott said. “For me this is also a way to remind everyone that mission and ministry don’t go in one direction in the Greater Northwest Area. We are all partners in ministry together.”

Conference treasurers report decision as Area Cabinet meets to begin appointment work for 2020

Story by Patrick Scriven, Photos by Rev. Dr. William Gibson

DES MOINES, WA — The three United Methodist conferences that comprise the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area have each committed to paying 100% of their General Church apportionments for 2019. The announcement, which comes toward the end of a tumultuous year where giving has slipped significantly across the denomination, was delivered by conference treasurers during the recent Greater Northwest Area Cabinet meeting.

For several years, the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho (OR-ID), and Pacific Northwest (PNW) Conferences have each stretched to honor this commitment to the General Church and our shared ministries, ministries which touch and save lives around the globe. The majority of the conferences in The United Methodist Church’s Western Jurisdiction have also met this commitment on an annual basis.

Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky welcomed the treasurers’ report while also acknowledging the pain and mixed feelings many are experiencing about the Church. “While I know that many faithful United Methodists across the Greater Northwest Area were hurt by the actions of the 2019 General Conference, it is important that we don’t allow our pain to do harm,” she said. “When Christians hear bad news, there’s always a good word coming. As we prepare for Christmas, I trust that Jesus is being born again in our hearts and in the world, and that he can even transform our Church.”          

The decision to fully pay the General Church apportionment involved many conversations and several leadership teams as each conference wrestled with new questions raised by the Special Session of General Conference held last February.

“As I worked with groups in the Alaska and PNW Conferences, we openly discussed the costs and benefits of continuing this practice,” said Alaska and PNW Conference Treasurer Brant Henshaw. “Ultimately, we decided that we would continue for this year in the hope that the denomination would make space for God’s movement as we are experiencing it in our ministry context.”

Apportionment giving from local churches across the area has been mixed as members also continue to wrestle with the serious questions raised by last year’s events. In the PNW Conference, giving hasn’t deviated much from previous years, currently at 81%, down .5% after 11 months. Giving in the Alaska and OR-ID Conferences dropped a few points more with OR-ID reporting in at 65%, down 3.5%, and Alaska at 78%, up 2.75% after 11 months.

To meet 100% of their General Church apportionment, all three conferences will need to rely on reserve funds or investment earnings.

“While giving is down modestly in the Oregon-Idaho Conference this year, we continue to see and hear an interest in being part of a church whose reach extends globally,” offered OR-ID Conference Treasurer Rev. Daniel Wilson-Fey. “There is a deep love for ministry abroad, as evidenced by the continuing tremendous support by our local churches of the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Advance Specials, as well as continuing Volunteers in Mission trips to countries like Kenya. The vote in February did make some people’s feelings toward the denomination more complicated.”

In other work, the Cabinet identified 14 openings in local churches and new ministries that will require some recruitment of gifted individuals. The audit, as it is often referred to, also identified thirteen clergy persons who are planning to retire in the coming year; it is common for this number to grow modestly as the new year begins.

Members from Alaska, OR-ID, and PNW will gather in a shared annual conference the second week of June in Puyallup, Washington.  Reports were offered regarding ongoing fundraising to ease the costs of persons traveling from Alaska, and those traveling significant distances in the two other conference.

It was also reported that over $14,000 has been raised for the Safe Harbor Fund, initiated by Bishop Stanovsky earlier this year. These gifts are helping the cabinet to be responsive to requests from LGBTQ+ clergypersons and candidates outside of the Greater Northwest Area endangered by the new provisions, prohibitions, and punishments of the Traditional Plan that come into effect January 1, 2020. 

Planning is also underway for a retreat in the Spring of 2020 to gather ethnic leaders together for deep and frank conversations about the denomination and our future together in the Greater Northwest Area. While smaller gatherings have, and will continue to take place, leaders aspire to offer more time for better, relational conversations to occur.

In this period of denominational uncertainty, the Greater Northwest Area Cabinet is committing to reporting out from their meetings, as appropriate, to provide transparency and information that people might be interested in. The Cabinet will meet again in January of 2020, when they will continue conversations about the year ahead, and explore new ministry possibilities taking shape by the Greater Northwest Innovation Vitality Team, in addition to their regular pastoral appointment-related work.

Patrick Scriven serves as Director of Communications and Young People’s Ministries for the Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church.