Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth was installed as the resident bishop of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church on Sat., May 20, 2023, during a worship service held at Aldersgate UMC in Juneau, Alaska. The Greater Northwest Area includes the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Annual Conferences. Representatives from each annual conference participated in person and virtually, with over 1,000 others tuning in to watch the live stream over the first 48 hours, with some gathering in local church watch parties<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bridgeforth offered a message based on Luke’s Gospel (10:30-37) during his installation service. The Greater Northwest Area’s 2023 Annual Conference theme, “Go and Do Likewise,” was central, with Jesus’ words providing both challenge and direction. The bishop encouraged United Methodists across the Greater Northwest to \u201cpray with our feet\u201d and \u201cget to neighboring\u201d among many other topics. If you would like to use his sermon as a supplement in your church, use this link<\/a> to download the sermon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also (re)watch the entire installation service and opening of the GNW Annual Conference sessions on the Installation event page<\/a> of the Greater Northwest Area website. A transcript is also available to download.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of the ritual of installation, Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth was gifted with several signs of the episcopacy, each one naming a way in which a bishop is called to serve. You can watch that specific portion of the worship service here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSigns of the episcopacy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n