The Western Jurisdiction’s College of Bishops offers a short video message for Epiphany. In it, they reflect on the season of change underway in The United Methodist Church and the promise reflected in the generosity and grace of ministries across the region as faithful disciples “respond to God’s call to be nurturing communities, ministries and churches where love lives.” Churches are encouraged to share this message and can download it for use in their local settings. The video features Bishops Karen Oliveto of the Mountain Sky Conference, Interim Bishop Sally Dyck of the California-Nevada ..read more

Beyond Weapons of War Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 November 22, 2022 Friends in Christ, Thanksgiving is Thursday and Advent starts next Sunday. My heart is anguished after the murders at Club Q in Colorado Springs last weekend. In “barely a minute,” five people died, 17 others were shot, and two others were injured. The 22-year-old shooter, carrying an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, stalked his prey in a place people came for sanctuary from anti-LGBTQIA+ hatred. They were unarmed in an enclosed space, like sitting ducks or fish in a barrel. No one has the right ..read more

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 s ..read more

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 th ..read more

“La muerte ha sido devorada por la victoria. ¿Dónde está, oh muerte, tu victoria? ¿Dónde está, oh muerte, tu aguijón?”                                                          1 Corintios 15:54b-55 Amados en Dios, Este es un pasaje bíblico muy fuerte. Hemos estado en la sombra de la muerte. Sentimos el aguijón. En la sala de urgencias hospitalarias En las calles devastadas por la guerra Mientras vemos a nuestros vecinos como acechan a los que  es ..read more

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” – 1 Corinthians 15:54b-55 Beloved of God, This is a hard scripture. We have stood in the shadow of death. We feel its sting. In hospital emergency rooms On war-torn streets As neighbors stalk joggers In a smoke-choked subway station As storm, flood and wildfire snatch the innocent. Death’s shadows – sorrow, fear, anger, despair – darken our days. How can we sing “Alleluia” when death is as close as your phone and the TV?  On Easter morning, I will look toward the east. The sun ..read more

By William D. Gibson Bi-vocational ministry is nothing new. Since the formation of the church, some level of bi-vocational “tentmaking” has allowed pastors to serve the local church while also providing for their families. Proudly, many licensed local pastors have represented this model in The United Methodist Church system. However, due to many factors, it is often hard for a United Methodist clergyperson to think in bi-vocational terms. Inevitably, this consideration leads to conversations around strategy. Rev. Kate Kilroy appointed to ministry in Marysville pictured with frequent collaborat ..read more

Lift Every Voice and Sing Prepare the way of the Lord, Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, all flesh shall see the salvation of God. — Excerpts from Luke 3 When he was still in elementary school, I took our oldest son, Walker, to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day rally at the Langston Hughes Center in Seattle’s Central District and the march downtown that followed. When the standing-room-only crowd broke into song, I was surprised to see our son rise, respectfully to his feet, and sing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by heart ..read more

A call to prayer and action for Tonga Thursday, January 20, 2022 Credit: Japan Meteorology Agency via AP. Beloved in Christ,  Last evening cabinet members and I gathered on Zoom with Tongan pastors in the Greater Northwest Area (GNW) to pray for the safety and recovery of the people in Tonga following the volcanic eruption and tsunamis. They shared the latest information they have heard through media and the few reports received from family and friends in Tonga. As a community, Tongans are dispersed around the world. “Tonga is home to 106,000 people, but more than double that number l ..read more

“Por la entrañable misericordia de nuestro Dios, Con que nos visitó desde lo alto la aurora, Para dar luz a los que habitan en tinieblas y en sombra de muerte; Para encaminar nuestros pies por camino de paz”. La Gracia de Dios este contigo esta mañana, estamos en la temporada de fiestas, la temporada de fiestas santas. Y realmente no he conversado últimamente mucho con ustedes, mi gente del Área del Gran Noroeste de la Iglesia Metodista Unida. Una y otra vez, he pensado que quiero dar un buen mensaje, compartir buenas noticias con las personas con las que sirvo. Y, sin embargo, las palabras n ..read more