The Alaska Annual Conference met May 30-31 in Anchorage at First United Methodist Church, with Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth presiding. Director of Connectional Ministries the Rev. Lisa Talbott provided leadership accountability and Conference Superintendent the Rev. Kristi McGuire provided support.
The theme of the annual conferences across the Greater Northwest Area is “Blessed and Broken.” It is based on the story from Luke 9:12-17 of Jesus feeding 5,000 with “five loaves and two fish.”
In his call letter, Bishop Bridgeforth said: “This story reminds us that being blessed and broken are two things we must simultaneously hold as followers of Christ. As we celebrate the blessings in our midst, so, too, must we recognize our brokenness. This year, we will talk about being blessed and broken as an act of multiplication, not depletion, and how it relates to our Wesleyan principles of doing no harm, doing good and staying in love with God.”
As per our current model, we had a “pre-Conference day of renewal, learning and connection” before our meetings. On Thursday, May 29,, our laity and clergy had the opportunity to participate in any of the following classes and activities:
- Yoga with Rev. Lisa Smith Feigel (ELCA)
- “Public vs. Private Relationships” (a launch-point for Boundaries Training) with Pastor Kelly Marciales
- Young People’s Ministry Priority Session
- Intercultural Competence & Anti-Racism with the Rev. Lisa Talbott
- Help with our online portal with Crystal Feaster
- Single Accountability Structure learning event with the Rev. Casey Banks
- Housing & Hunger Ministry project
Our Laity Session on the 29th was hosted by Conference Lay Leader Melanie Venables. (Our clergy session was held virtually on May 13.)
Four petitions were brought to the floor of the Alaska Annual Conference, and all four were approved. They were:
- Revising the Rules of Order for the Alaska Annual Conference
- Past Pension Service Rate
- Church Property Policy and Sanctuary Alignment for the Alaska Conference (clarifying what legal rights churches have in regards to property use)
- Conducting Complaint, Investigation and Judicial Proceedings through the Pacific Northwest Conference and Creating a Task Force for long term compliance
As always, part of our Annual Conference time together is remembering our connections with those outside Alaska, leaning into our connectional relationships.
On Friday morning, Bishop Bridgeforth invited the Rev. Mark Galang, superintendent of the Puget Sound District in the Pacific Northwest Conference, to share his experiences with the churches in his area. Galang shared that, like Alaska, many of the churches in his area are seeing a decrease in membership and participation. He named that several churches in his district serve folks who have been impacted by the abrupt shifts in work that relies on federal funding. Those churches are doing their best to adapt and serve the needs of their communities during this time of uncertainty. He also shared that churches are flourishing when they realize they do not have to go forward alone and partner with other community organizations and other churches in their area to create environments for fruitful ministry.
On Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, Bishop Bridgeforth invited the Rev. Dr. Allan Buck to share an update on the Circle of Indigenous Ministries and the Truth-Telling Project. Buck shared a video capturing an overview of the Circle of Indigenous Ministries and reiterated that this work is for the long-term reimagining of what going forward with justice and repair looks like for Indigenous Peoples and The United Methodist Church.
One example of justice and repair that Buck shared was the Land Return celebration in Lapwai, Idaho. The United Methodist Church returned the church and property of the Lapwai United Methodist Church to the Nez Perce Tribe. Bishop Bridgeforth asked about other conversations occurring in the Greater Northwest Area. Buck shared that a great deal of the work is relationship building and listening. This work is also highly contextual. A conversation in one place in the context of one relationship might be very different from the conversations in another place in the context of a different relationship. The Circle is in the midst of several Truth-Telling Projects that primarily are about telling the truth to ourselves (United Methodists). These Truth-Telling Projects might tie into those conversations in different ways. Buck reminded us that Spirit will lead the way — listening and telling the truth to ourselves is the first step.
Prior to Annual Conference, we had many discussions about the four constitutional amendments currently being voted on across the denomination. These amendments must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the worldwide church. Vote tallies were not shared in the session.
The delegation to 2020/2024 Annual Conference provided an overview of each of the proposed Amendments.
- Ballot 1 dealt with a proposal to regionalize the church.
- Ballot 2 dealt with adding “gender and ability” to the paragraph detailing who is eligible for membership in The United Methodist Church. If ratified, a person cannot be denied membership in The United Methodist Church based on their gender or their ability.
- Ballot 3 dealt with strengthening the language on The United Methodist Church’s commitment to racial justice.
- Ballot 4 clarified the educational requirements for voting on clergy delegates to General or Jurisdictional Conference.
Voting took place Saturday, May 31. We continue praying for those who are still in the midst of this work until late fall.
Saturday, we celebrated the licensing and commissioning of several people serving in our conference. Daniel Santos was licensed and commissioned to serve in the Alaska Conference (a Missionary Conference in The UMC). John Redmond and Blake Langston are already ordained elders and were commissioned to serve in Alaska.
The Alaska Annual Conference adjourned before lunch on Saturday, May 31. We will have a Special Session in Fall 2025 with an emphasis on our budget. While there is no call letter at this time, it is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22 or 23.
Next summer, we will meet at Anchor Park United Methodist Church in Anchorage. The location changed by action of the Annual Conference and we will need to change the proposed time accordingly.
After closing worship, we all scattered to our local mission fields across the 665,000 square miles of the Alaska Conference.
Membership stands at 2,515, up 10 from the previous year.
Worship attendance stands at 1,053, up 42.
Church school attendance stands at 818, up 29.
— The Rev. James Doepken, Alaska Conference communicator, and the Rev. Meghan Woods Lambert, Alaska Conference secretary.