Western PA Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." -- Song of Solomon 2:12

The time of singing has come, so let us sing, create, and worship together as we seek God’s wisdom as a community in Christ!

This week's WPAUMC eNews is available now at https://wpa-email.brtapp.com/viewemail/4061035. Don't miss a Save the Date for a service celebrating our new Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball, registration for the fall 2024 Discipleship Speaker Series, New Places/New People Micro-Grant opportunities, denominational news, spiritual well-being resources for clergy, upcoming events, and more!

Join WPA-sponsored missionary Ellyn Dubberly for the next General Board of Global Ministries "Still in Mission" online event on Thursday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. Ellyn will be giving an overview of her work in El Salvador and share some current updates. Ellyn serves as the Leadership Development Coordinator with the Evangelical Methodist Church in Central America. For more information and to register visit https://umcmission.org/stillinmission.

Registration for the Fall 2024 WPAUMC Discipleship Speaker Series is now open! In this series, popular spiritual leader Daniel Wolpert will discuss his new book "Looking Inward, Living Outward," calling us back to a life of prayer and twelve specific spiritual practices that re-orient our gaze outward in acts of social transformation.

Join us on Thursdays, Oct.3, Nov. 7, and Dec. 5, for some lunch hour spiritual formation and learning. Read more and register at https://www.wpaumc.org/eventdetail/18571098. All sessions are noon-1 p.m. via Zoom.

It's not too late to join this fall's UMC Discipleship Ministries Prayer Partner Project! Deepen your faith, strengthen your prayer life, and build meaningful connections with others. Learn more and register at https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/pilot-prayer-partner

Yesterday afternoon at Christ United Methodist Bethel Park, the Western PA Conference celebrated and expressed gratitude and heartfelt thanks for the ministry of Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and Pastor Raphael Koikoi. With song, scripture, reflections, prayer, and dance, Western Pennsylvania thanked God for the blessing of Bishop Moore-Koikoi and the cherished memories and spiritual guidance she has provided.

As we hold these cherished memories, we pray for God's guidance as Western PA continues to move forward in faith, joyously preparing for an exciting new journey with Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball.

For more photos from yesterday's event, visit https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBENBh.

WPAUMC's PIIM (Pathways for Intentional and Innovative Ministry) retreat at Lakewood UMC today is progressing the goal of helping churches discover faithful pathways for proclaiming the good news of God's love in their communities. Lakewood UMC is one of two churches that have moved into Phase 2 of the process, which tells the church story, faith story, church demographics, and community demographics.

The PIIM process is a three-phase invitational commitment for clergy and lay participation, over the course of 18 months. If you are interested in exploring participation in the next PIIM cohort, contact Rev. Chenda Lee, WPAUMC's Coordinator of Clergy & Lay Excellence.

"...Everything we do, our whole lives, is an act of worship. We are in the presence of God always. When the service ends, and we head out into the sunshine or the rain we left behind, worship continues. That’s what Solomon’s prayer says. That’s the lived reality of the people of God, the blessing and the burden of worship, the joy and repentance, the praise and humbling hearing of the word, worship continues."
--Rev. Dr. Derek Weber, UMC Discipleship Ministries

This week's WPAUMC eNews is available now at https://wpa-email.brtapp.com/viewemail/4056539. Don't miss your last chance to register for Bishop Moore-Koikoi's farewell celebration, Safer Sanctuaries training opportunities, WAUMC Communications staff transition updates, denominational news, continuing education opportunities, and more!

Join Rev. Sally Jo Snyder for the Diverse Abilities Retreat, Sept. 8-10 at Olmsted Manor Retreat Center. This annual retreat provides an opportunity for those living with a disability, as well as those who support them, to engage in meaningful communication, build relationships, and grow spiritually together.

With more than 25 years of advocacy experience in local, regional, state and national campaigns, Rev. Snyder listens to, learns from, creates alongside and advocates with persons marginalized due to income, perceptions of ability, race, orientation, identity and perception of power.

Register today at https://www.olmstedmanor.org/diverse-abilities-retreat.html

Extending the grace and peace of Christ to others today, and every day.

May we ever seek to extend the grace and love of Christ to others.

Save the date! Don't miss this awesome weekend retreat for youth in 6th-12th grade and their leaders, featuring keynote speaker Shanterra McBride and music from Still. Details and registration coming soon!

This week's WPAUMC eNews is available now at https://wpa-email.brtapp.com/viewemail/4050003. Don't miss stories about Mission Barn's recent efforts amid hurricane season, an upcoming Autism Family Retreat opportunity, denominational news, ecumenical events, and more!

We join the connection in praying for those affected by storms this week.

Join us in prayer for Puerto Rico as they are in the path of this week.

UMCOR is in contact with the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico (MCPR), and our response partner Rehaciendo Comunidades con Esperanza (REHACE) is working on preparation, including an inventory of relief supplies and community coordination through case managers.

To support this and other U.S. disaster response efforts, give here: https://bit.ly/umcorusdr



ReHace IMPR
Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico

What an amazing connectional effort from United Methodists around the Western PA area! Read more about this incredible work, and how you can help, in this week's WPAUMC Missions eNews -- you can find it at https://wpa-email.brtapp.com/archivearea/88

The WPAUMC Disability Concerns Committee invites families with a child on the autism spectrum to fellowship with one another at the Family Autism Retreat, September 13-15 at Jumonville Camp & Retreat Center. The retreat, led by Rev Dr. Ed Saxman, will allow families of children living with autism to enjoy a mountaintop experience that combines parental free time with opportunities for quality family time. For details and to register, visit https://www.jumonville.org/event/autism/.

Hurricane season is upon us, and the Mission Barn has had a request to help replenish Mission Central with cleaning buckets after they sent 4,000 buckets to New England last month. Contact Katie Peterson at the Mission Barn for more information. Visit https://umcmission.org/umcor-cleaning-kit/ for the cleaning kit recipe.

"The benediction is a reminder that worship never really ends. The service might be over, but the worship goes on as we continue living as a witness to God at work in our lives. A benediction, then, is not a period at the end of our worship sentence, but a comma connecting us to whatever comes next." -- Rev. Dr. Derek Weber, UMC Discipleship Ministries

What comes next for you this week?

UMCOR has awarded two solidarity grants to support Hurricane Debby response in the Florida and South Georgia annual conferences. We are thankful for the ERTs across our connection who are deployed and responding. As flood waters rise and recede, continue to pray for those affected by this devastating storm.

To support this and other U.S. disaster response efforts, give here: https://bit.ly/umcorusdr

The Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church

ICYMI -- the latest WPAUMC eNews is available now at https://wpa-email.brtapp.com/viewemail/4041679. Don't miss stories about the recent Wesleyan Heritage Tour in England, a shared worship service with GCORR General Secretary Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo, a new blog post about "Why Prayer Matters", denominational news, upcoming events, and more!

Check out the new WPAUMC merch now available! A super soft fleece jacket with embroidered logo, plus an 80-pg. bound journal notebook -- just in time for fall and back-to-school! Order yours today at https://thechurch.shop/shop/wpaumc.

On the first Wesleyan Heritage Tour since 2019, ordinands from recent years (and their guests) joined with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, members of the Board of Ordained ministry, and Conference staff on an immersive pilgrimage to reacquaint themselves with John Wesley and the Methodist movement. Read the full story about this life-changing experience at https://www.wpaumc.org/newsdetail/ordinands-embrace-a-shared-heritage-during-wesleyan-pilgrimage-18546647. And for the complete photo collection from the tour, visit https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBBr1j.

Have you registered yet?! Join with youth leaders from the Western PA, Susquehanna, and West Virginia conferences as we gather to worship, learn, and fellowship with one another! Plus keynote speaker Charlie Conder will lead sessions about self care and burnout reduction, teen and ministry trends, and creative brainstorming! Read more and register today at https://www.wpaumc.org/youthevents

ICYMI -- Disability Awareness Weekend is this weekend, Aug 10-11. Disability Awareness Sunday calls the Church to celebrate the gifts and graces of persons with disabilities and calls the Church and society to full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the community. Looking for additional disability ministries resources? Visit WPAUMC's Disability Ministries at https://www.wpaumc.org/disability-ministries.

“Do you believe that God can make a miracle of what we have? Do you believe that you and your community of faith possess the skills, the tenacity, the passion, the conviction, the ability to begin creating and changing the community in which you are called to serve?” -- Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo

On Sunday, July 28, Warren UMC and First UMC Pittsburgh concluded a 10-day series of "wrestling with racism" events with a shared worship service at Warren, featuring a message from Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo, general secretary of the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR). Read the full story below.

GCORR General Secretary Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo preaches at unique shared worship services in Pittsburgh Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo preaches at Warren UMC in Pittsburgh at the conclusion of a 10-day "wrestling with racism" event schedule with Warren UMC and First UMC Pittsburgh.

It's the dog days of summer! WPAUMC's Discipleship Ministries encourages you to take another small step for Christian discipleship in August. Part of being in community is supporting those who cannot help themselves. This month, consider volunteering at a shelter or rescue, and raise awareness in support of the same.

Need more discipleship ideas and resources? Visit https://www.wpaumc.org/discipleship.