News

Register Your Church to Change the World

In 2012, the Church will come together – not only for General Conference, but also to change the world. United Methodists will extend justice and compassion in community on May 19 and 20.  In 2011, 25 Cal-Nevada churches participated and more than 2,000 events were registered worldwide: everything from developing/enhancing community gardens to fighting human trafficking. Think now about how your congregation will Change the World!   Your event will be charted on the...

Ministry in Action: 'Mission Saturday' at San Ramon Valley UMC

When San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church in Alamo, California set out to make a difference to its community, more than 200 volunteers turned out. "Mission Saturday: The Church Has Left the Building," Oct. 1, 2011 had such a dramatic impact that the church was recognized for its service by the town of Danville. But the best part is how many of the volunteers plan to return, for future mission work.   Read all about it in the Ministry in Action story, Mission Saturday at...

Sign up for 'Growing' Local Mission Opportunity in January

Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore invites teams to take part in a combination training time and work effort on Saturday, Jan. 14, on behalf of its "Garden of Grace" mission program. The training/work day is designed to teach people about organic gardening and winter crop planting, and efforts to grow into a steadily expanding space on the church's five acres of property. Asbury's Garden of Grace program is about 16 months old and involves raising free organic vegetables to...

SSP Offers Four Winter 'Weekend of Service' Project Opportunities

Sierra Service Project (SSP) is offering four "Weekend of Service" projects to churches throughout northern California this winter. Like the summer projects, the weekend sessions combine Christian fellowship with challenging renovation service opportunities to provide an intense, fun, and unforgettable experience for youth and young adults from all denominations. The Sacramento Weekend of Service projects run from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon – making them ideal for youth...

Give Gifts of Hope This Christmas

As you are looking for the perfect Christmas presents this year, think about giving gifts that will make a difference and be treasured long after the holiday passes. Choose a project from the Global Ministries gift catalog as an alternative to a traditional gift. Help vulnerable populations and support vital United Methodist mission projects all around the world, while honoring someone special in your life. And remember, with a gift through The Advance, 100% of your donation reaches its...

11 Women Bishops Head to Holy Land

Four Christian denominations represented By Wayne Rhodes, Editor, Faith in Action   WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eleven ecumenical women bishops from the United States, West Indies and Africa will leave Nov. 12 for a 10-day trip to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. The trip is sponsored by the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) and the denomination's Council of Bishops.   Goals of the trip are to stand in solidarity with women from Christian, Muslim and...

Read Blog Posts of the Bishop's Delegation to Fiji

The delegation currently in Fiji, led by Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr., is blogging about the experience. Read the posts at www.calnevumcfiji2011.wordpress.com. The Rev. Michael Love has been sending back photos of the trip, which have been posted to the First UMC of Palo Alto website at www.firstpaloalto.com....

Cal-Nevada Is 10-Fold Sponsor: Watch for Philippines Project on Oct. 18!

The California-Nevada Annual Conference is one of the sponsors of 10-Fold – a 10-day online event that will mobilize passionate people to stand up and be counted for causes in which they believe. Mark your calendar and spread the word! Each day, Oct. 10-19, 10-Fold will feature a different United Methodist ministry supported by the General Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Through live webcasts, streaming video, online chats, and other media,...

Lodestar Mission Experience, Sept. 12-16

By Cynthia DeLand Lynnewood UMC "We are small, but we are mighty," as our leader, Steve Elliott, said. Six of us from three Tri-Valley United Methodist churches spent five days working on the two top maintenance items at Camp Lodestar, one of two retreat centers for The United Methodist Church's California-Nevada Annual Conference. Our team consisted of Donna Lundquist from San Ramon Valley UMC, Cynthia DeLand from Lynnewood UMC, and Dick Crawford, Steve Elliott, Roger Everett, and...

Reminder: Register Soon for SSP Weekends of Service

Register by Oct. 10 to take part in one of the November Sierra Service Project (SSP) Weekend of Service sessions, being offered in Sacramento for junior and senior high youth groups. The program was introduced last winter and proved popular and very successful.   SSP has scheduled six sessions for weekends in November 2011 and January and February 2012, all at Oak Park United Methodist Church in Sacramento.   Registration Deadline is Oct. 10, 2011 for the following dates:...

Society of St. Andrew Advent Programs

The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA), the national gleaning ministry, has two Advent programs for you and your church. First, the free Advent devotional booklet, "Passing the Peace," will guide you toward Christmas with daily readings to aid in preparation for Christmas Eve.   During the season of Advent, the Society of St. Andrew devotional booklet asks participants to prayerfully reflect on the Scriptures and devotions, and also to join in the ministry of feeding America's...

'Shaving It or Saving It' for God's Kingdom

On Pentecost Sunday, the Rev. Laurie McHugh, one of the pastors at First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, made a bold announcement: that she is putting her head – um, make that hair – on the chopping block for the sake of the Church's mission. A spirited process of "voting with dollars" is underway, with donations going to "shave it" and "save it" tallies. Depending on the outcome, this Sunday (September 18), Pastor Laurie may be shaving her head...

SSP Schedules Youth Service Weekends

The Sierra Service Project (SSP) has scheduled six Weekend of Service sessions for junior and senior high youth groups this winter. The sessions will take place at Oak Park United Methodist Church in Sacramento. Last winter's pilot programs were very successful, according to Executive Director Rick Eaton.   The Weekend of Service sessions run from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Youth engage in challenging local service work, learn about Sacramento, and worship and grow...

Sierra Service Project News

By Rick Eaton, Executive Director Sierra Service Project The Sierra Service Project has just completed a wonderfully successful summer of service! A total of 1,915 volunteers served for a week in South Los Angeles and on Indian reservations in Northern California, Arizona, and Idaho. In total, our volunteers completed 138 repair projects on 100 homes! In addition, 48 volunteers built six houses in Honduras and participated in community service projects in Guatemala.    A...

East Timor Religious Outreach Launches Annual Scholarship Campaign

Editor's Note: East Timor Religious Outreach provides an annual educational scholarship and emergency relief appeal for young women, youth, and children of East Timor. By John Chamberlin, National Coordinator East Timor Religious Outreach   I begin this year's East Timor Religious Outreach (ETRO) appeal with some encouraging news. In the report of the 2011 United Nations Development Program, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, cites statistics...

Churches: Go Global Through Covenant Relationships

Can your church expand its ministry globally through a covenant relationship with a GBGM missionary? A minimum of $5 per member or $2500 per church results in a personal and direct partnership in overseas ministry. For more information visit http://cnumc.org/missionaries or contact Laddie Perez-Galang, Conference Secretary for Global Ministries, at laddieg@pacbell.net or 707.290.6825.   Download flyer here....

Conference Offering Video Is Now Available to View and Download

A new three-minute video promoting the 2011 Annual Conference Session offering – designated for the Methodist Mission in Cambodia – has been posted to the ACS 2011: Methodist Mission in Cambodia page (click on Annual Conference Session, the first item under "Quick Links" on the right side of the Home Page at cnumc.org, and select ACS 2011: Methodist Mission in Cambodia). A February 2010 visit to Cambodia by a California-Nevada leadership team led by...

High Schoolers: 'Meet Jesus in the Streets' This Summer

By Kelly Newell Director, Young People's Ministries and Camping  "See to the welfare of the city where I have sent you…" (Jeremiah 29:7)   Urban Camp is brand new this year! It's based on this simple idea: Most of what Jesus did – whether in the big city of Jerusalem or the surrounding rural areas – happened in the streets, in the houses, in the public places, on the highways and byways of his world. We want to meet Jesus in the streets,...

Missionary Katherine Parker Reports on Visits

In a letter from Cambodia, General Board of Global Ministries' missionary Katherine Parker, a member of the California-Nevada Annual Conference, writes about two significant visits: hers to the Cambodia Consultation in her home Conference, and a visit from a Finland Annual Conference delegation. Read her complete letter here.   Katherine T. Parker is a General Board of Global Ministries missionary, assigned to Community Health and Agricultural Development, Methodist Mission in Cambodia....

Cal-Nevada 'Change the World' Participation Doubles This Year

Twenty-five (25) churches in the California-Nevada Annual Conference are planning events to "Change the World" this weekend (May 14-15). That's more than double the 12 churches which participated in the inaugural event last year! From cleaning – to building, painting, repairing, and landscaping; from fundraising for worthy causes to distributing food and planting gardens; from visiting shut-ins, to praying and tutoring – these are just some of the many ways that thousands...