Continuing our series on our reconsideration of becoming a Mission District of the Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church, I’d like to offer my perspective as a former member of the Mission District Task Force, a current member of the Leadership Team, and a member of the LGBTQ community. We’ve already heard about the work that the Mission District Task Force has undertaken to hone in on our conference values. And we’ve heard from our Leadership Team chair about the thoughtfulness with which we’ve considered the changing financial and administrative landscape of The United ..read more

Along with the Alaska Conference Leadership Team and our Mission District Task Force, your Alaska Conference Delegation to General Conference has been reexamining our move toward becoming a Mission District of the Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church.   We are in agreement that, though we don’t know what our long-term future might be, now is not the right time to seek to become a Mission District.   In large part, this is based upon the changes we’ve seen since we voted as a conference to seek Mission District status in February 2020. Nearly four yea ..read more

On February 22,2020, we gathered at the Alaska UM Conference Center at 1660 Patterson St. in Anchorage as laity and clergy for a Special Session of Annual Conference. We voted to approve a petition to General Conference asking for Alaska to be released from missionary conference status at the close of the 2020 Jurisdictional Conference, so that the Western Jurisdiction could include Alaska within the boundaries of another conference in the same Episcopal Area. This legislation was in response to the Special Session of General Conference in 2019. At the time, our Annual Conference feared that ..read more

When meeting to discuss our vision and work for the coming year, the Leadership Team came to the consensus that moving forward with a transition to become a Mission District of the Pacific Northwest Conference (PNW) was not in our best interest at this time. Instead, we agreed that remaining as a missionary conference and maintaining our identity as the Alaska United Methodist Conference (AUMC) was actually more aligned with our conference values. As a reminder, the Leadership Team coordinates the work of the AUMC. We support the implementation of our conference priorities including work in s ..read more

The Second Sunday of September has been designated as ALASKA CONFERENCE SUNDAY across the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church. This is a day to highlight and celebrate the unique ministries of the Alaska Conference and to take a special offering to support these missions and ministries. That coming Sunday is September 11, 2022. On that Sunday (or another Sunday during the Fall) it is hoped that our Alaska churches and those in our sibling conferences will collect an offering to support some of those ministries in Alaska which rely upon support beyond the local comm ..read more

When I reflect on previous Annual Conferences, I remember opportunities to personally connect with fellow members, many of whom I don’t get to see in person very often.  Through those connections I am updated with not only them and their lives, but also what is happening within their local church ministry setting.   The continuing impact of the pandemic and our need to meet virtually frames this reflection while at the same time we expanded this year’s Annual Conference as we gathered as one episcopal area (with Pacific Northwest – PNW, and Oregon-Idaho – OI) for our opening an ..read more

Mt. Susitina in the distance during the Little SU 50K race — By Superintendent Carlo Rapanut Words Matter I ran the Little SU 50K race this weekend. It was a beautiful day out in the Alaskan wilderness with breathtaking views of Mt. Susitna. It was also clear and cold with temperatures hovering in the negative single digits which made running in the shifty, dry snow even more challenging. At around Mile 20, I hit the proverbial wall. I had been running for a good 4 hours or so and my body was starting to give up. My brain and all my muscles were screaming, “What on earth were you thinking sign ..read more

Your Alaska General Conference Delegation has been hard at work throughout these winter months. We have been listening to voices of those outside of Alaska and working with others who have put much effort into legislation already submitted to General Conference. We have been discussing what we might offer to help our church move beyond the conflicts that have divided us. Therefore, along with a couple writing partners, our entire delegation has submitted to General Conference “THE ALASKA OMNIBUS PROPOSAL” WHICH YOU CAN FIND HERE. This is our attempt to offer a pathway so all of our churches ..read more