SW District E-alert, November 4, 2015
For our Calendar of Events and the Fine Print about this publication, please scroll to the
end of this email.
This e-alert and past e-alerts are available on the SW District page of the Conference
website.
There will be no e-alert on November 11.
“In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and
small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets.”
― Cynthia Rylant, In November
This Friday! November 6, Open Enrollment Meeting, 10:00 am, Hempfield UMC. Our
health insurance is changing in 2016. Come to this important meeting to learn about the
new options. Retirees, however, should NOT attend this meeting. For details and to
register, click here.
This Monday! November 9, Christmas Card deadline. The DRA will be in the office from
10:00 am to 5:00 pm to receive Christmas Cards for those who are incarcerated. Please see
the Conference website for instructions/requirements for these cards.
Next Weekend! November 14, Adjourned Session of Annual Conference, Macungie campus
of Bethany UMC, 3801Brookside Road, Macungie, PA 18062. Walk-ins may register on-line.
Voting device instructions can be found by clicking here and scrolling down. Please review
these instructions before attending Adjourned Session.
Also please remember that Bishop Johnson has requested that all clergy and laity of
the Eastern PA Conference lift up Adjourned Session in prayer. Please pray for God’s
guidance as we consider our budget and elect general and jurisdictional delegates. Click
here to read Bishop Johnson’s blog.
New! Time to order your 2015 Annual Conference Journal. A limited number of 2015
Eastern PA Annual Conference Journals are available. Order yours today for $25 each. You
can pay online or send a check by U.S. mail to EPA UMC, Attention Ms. Gloria Knoeller,
PO Box 820, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0820. What’s in the Journal? Contact information for
Conference staff, clergy, Camp and Retreat Centers, Districts, and United Methodist
Church boards and agencies. Also clergy appointments, pastoral salaries and service
records; and conference board and committee assignments. Plus, all about the 2015 Annual
Conference; conference statistics for 2014; historical highlights; and conference policies and
procedures for clergy, staff, and others.
New! Six Months of Intentional Prayer for General Conference. Our conference is joining
together for six months of intentional prayer prior to General Conference. Six churches on
each of our six districts are setting aside a specific date and time to pray, and they invite
you to come and join them. The first prayer post will be at Thornton: Bethlehem UMC on
the Southeast District on December 6 at 6 pm. Rev. Tim Kriebel will be the host Pastor.
Rev. Kriebel had the vision for these prayer posts throughout the conference. Rev. Kriebel
shares: "For a few months now I've had the conviction that given all the tensions, divisions,
and problems not only our annual conference but also the entire UMC is facing right now,
none of us can truly expect any good outcomes from General Conference apart from prayer.
And so the Lord led me to the idea of having six months’ worth of prayer meetings spread
out over our annual conference, one per district per month. These prayer meetings are not
meant to be partisan but humbly surrendered to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Nor are
they intended to be geographically exclusive, that is, there's one on each district for
convenience, but if the date of YOUR district's prayer post is one you can't make, anyone
can attend ANY of the prayer meetings if you're willing to travel there."
Dates and Times for the Intentional Prayer Meetings Prior to General Conference:
Southeast District: Sunday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary of Thornton:
Bethlehem UMC
Northeast District: Wednesday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Bowmansville: Faith Alive UMC
Northwest District: February at Lebanon: Church of the Good Shepherd UMC
Southwest District: March at Manheim: Ruhl’s UMC
Central District: Saturday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m. in the Main Hall of the Community Center
(101 Woodside Ave. Reading, PA 19609) behind West Lawn UMC
East District: Sunday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m. in the Worship Center of Washington Crossing
UMC
Calendar of Events
For a schedule of Sexual Ethics Workshops, click here
For information about the Changing Racism training, click here
November 6
November 7
November 14
November 20
2016
January 8-10
January 12-14
March 5
March 19
Open Enrollment Meeting, 10:00 am, Hempfield UMC
Planting the Seeds of Ministry, Hopewell UMC
Registration for Planting the Seeds is now closed
Adjourned Session of Annual Conference
Location: Macungie campus of Bethany UMC,
3801Brookside Road, Macungie, PA 18062
LUMINA’s Annual Celebration, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Lititz UMC 201 East Market Street, Lititz
RSVP to office@luminaoutreach.org
Reminder: LUMINA is part of the Extraordinary Give
Pen-Del Youth Rally, Ocean City, MD
Midwinter Retreat for Clergy and Spouses
Tools for Ministry, Lititz UMC
Faith-Sharing Event, New Hanover UMC, Gilbertsville, PA
May 10-20
June 5 (Tentative)
June 16-18, 2016
July 10-15, 2016
General Conference, Portland, Oregon
District Conference, Location TBD
Annual Conference, The Marriott, Lancaster City
Northeast Jurisdictional Conference, The Marriott, Lancaster City
The Fine Print
Editorial Policy of the Southwest District E-Alert. The Southwest District E-alert is published on an
as-needed basis on Wednesdays. Articles will appear once as New information; thereafter, they will
be Reminders or Calendar Items. Spaghetti dinners, fundraisers, concerts, VBSs, bazaars, etc. are
included only on the Local Church and ConneXion Events page.
The E-Alert is sent to Pastors and Church Offices on the Southwest District and to lay people who
have requested having their names added to the distribution list. Please feel free to copy any article
for your church’s bulletin or newsletter. To unsubscribe, please send an email to
swdistrict@comcast.net with the word “Unsubscribe” in the subject line. Appointed clergy may not
unsubscribe.
All articles and announcements should be sent to District Resource Assistant Chris McLaughlin
at swdistrict@comcast.net by 3:00 Tuesday afternoon for consideration. Articles should be in the
body of an email or an attached Word document (please no PDFs). Submissions made by telephone
will not be accepted. Articles may be edited for clarity and space. All decisions regarding publication
are made by the District Office.
Past SW E-alerts are available on the SW District page of the Conference website: click here.