Recent News

Opportunity for GNW Area folx to attend White Privilege Conference in Seattle next month

The White Privilege Conference brings together educators, faith leaders, healthcare professionals, and advocates committed to dismantling systems of oppression. This April, it comes to Seattle — and the Greater Northwest Area is helping make attendance possible, covering 50% of registration for the first ten people who sign up through Rev. Lisa Talbott's office.

Rethinking (how we track) online worship

Church statistics can tell a reassuring story: worship attendance in the PNW Conference looks nearly as strong today as it did in 2019. But look closer, and a significant shift has occurred in how that attendance is composed and whether the online portion of it reflects genuine engagement. Patrick Scriven writes that the numbers deserve a harder look.

Someone’s knocking at the door

When a woodpecker interrupted Sunday services at a most unexpected moment, Pastor Scott Rosekrans heard more than just knocking; he heard a sermon illustration in the making. Reflecting on Jesus's words in Matthew about asking, seeking, and knocking, he offers a warm and witty invitation to open the door to a life changed by Christ.

Resurrecting the Prophetic Voice

Delegates from the Greater Northwest Area returned from the Black Methodists for Church Renewal National Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, renewed and inspired. Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Byron Harris, the GNW's BMCR is entering a reimagined era — one rooted in equity, ethnic representation, and a prophetic call to serve migrants and communities of color. Rev. Dr. Troy Lynn Carr shares the story.

The log in our eye: Data, anecdotes, and loving our neighbors

When anecdotes contradict data, we must ask why. For example, studies show immigration actually reduces crime, yet a majority of Americans believe otherwise, shaped by a steady drumbeat of fear-driven stories. PNW Communicator Patrick Scriven writes that seeing our neighbors clearly, rather than through the lens of bias, is an act of both faith and love.
Conversation

What is your change theory?

In this reflection, Patrick Scriven wrestles with a deceptively simple question: what is your change theory? Drawing on a 2026 Pew Research study showing Americans are uniquely pessimistic about their fellow citizens' morals, Scriven argues that authentic relationships across difference — not social media debate — are the most credible path to changing hearts and minds.
Campus Ministry

Faith-driven protesters march against immigration injustice

When a pastor and three college students from Bellingham made the journey to Washington, D.C., they joined over 2,000 United Methodists from across the country marching for immigration justice. Together they filled three city blocks, proving that for people of faith, the call to love their neighbors doesn't stop at the church door. Malia Fraser, who attended with a group from Garden Street UMC, has the story.
Devotional

Don’t skip to Sunday

The oldest manuscripts of Mark's Gospel end without a resurrection appearance. No risen Christ, no tidy resolution. Patrick Scriven explores what that unfinished ending might offer us during Holy Week, and why lingering in the dark may be exactly where we need to be.
Patrick Scriven -

Alaska Conference

Oregon-Idaho Conference

Creation Care

Caring for God’s creation: 17 EarthKeepers commissioned across the Greater Northwest

Recently commissioned Global Ministries EarthKeepers completed training in environmental stewardship and faithful action. This cohort included EarthKeepers from both the Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences, who are now developing community-based creation care projects. A recording of the commissioning service is now available for congregations and individuals to watch.
Patrick Scriven -

Pacific Northwest Conference

Devotional

Don’t skip to Sunday

The oldest manuscripts of Mark's Gospel end without a resurrection appearance. No risen Christ, no tidy resolution. Patrick Scriven explores what that unfinished ending might offer us during Holy Week, and why lingering in the dark may be exactly where we need to be.
Patrick Scriven -

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