News

Celebration of Life Scheduled for June 25 for Burlingame Pastor

A Celebration of Life service for the Rev. Dr. Landon Tracy Archer Summers is being planned for Saturday, June 25 at 2 p.m. at Burlingame United Methodist Church. Summers, the pastor of Burlingame UMC since July 1, 2009, died peacefully early Sunday morning (May 15, 2011) following a sudden illness. He was 51. Rev. Summers leaves his wife, the Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, Associate Professor at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, and two teenage children, Clara Elaine and Landon Jack...

Conference Mourns Burlingame Pastor

The Rev. Landon Tracy Archer Summers, pastor of Burlingame United Methodist Church since July 1, 2009, died peacefully early Sunday morning (May 15, 2011) following a sudden illness. He was 51. A memorial service is being planned for Burlingame UMC at a date to be announced. Rev. Summers leaves his wife, Boyung Lee, and two teenage children, Clara and Landon Summers.   Archer Summers was born Dec. 31, 1959. He served as pastor of St. Mark's UMC in Orinda from July 1, 2003 to June...

Sac's Trinity UMC Is Site of Final Candlelight Vigil for Fabled Hmong Leader on Saturday

Trinity United Methodist Church in Sacramento will host a candlelight vigil this Saturday, Jan. 29 at 12 p.m. (noon), in honor of the late General Vang Pao. It is the final vigil in a month of services honoring the life of the celebrated Hmong leader.   Vang was a leader of the Royal Army of Laos who fought alongside U.S. forces in Southeast Asia and is credited with helping thousands of Hmong immigrate to the United States. He is revered within the Hmong community, where he is...

Bishop Edwards, Mission Leader, Dies

A UMNS Report By Linda Bloom* Retired United Methodist Bishop Marion Edwards, 71, who led the denomination's North Carolina Annual Conference for eight years, died Jan. 24 at Columbus (Georgia) Hospice House after a battle with cancer.   He was remembered as an ardent supporter of mission work by those who knew him.   "Bishop Edwards brought a passion for mission, and he led the denomination's campaign for the establishment of a seminary in Russia," said Bishop...

Candlelight Vigils at Three Cal-Nev Churches to Honor Hmong Leader General Vang Pao

United Methodist churches in the California-Nevada Annual Conference will hold candlelight vigils in memory of the late General Vang Pao on the three remaining Saturdays of this month. The Committee on Hmong Ministry reports that the vigils are to be a time of prayer for the Hmong-American communities and larger communities within the Conference. Candlelight vigils will take place:   1.  Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church,...

Bishop Ammons, Trailblazing Leader, Dies

A UMNS Report By Heather Hahn* Retired United Methodist Bishop Edsel A. Ammons, who helped lead the church during the transitional time of integration, died Dec. 24 in Evanston, Illinois, after a lengthy illness. He was 86.   Ammons was a professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary when he became one of the first African-American bishops elected to the episcopacy by the denomination's North Central Jurisdiction in 1976. He served the Michigan Area until 1984. He then served...

Bishop James K. Mathews, Ardent Missionary, Dies

A UMNS Report By Heather Hahn*   Retired United Methodist Bishop James K. Mathews, who had a lifelong passion for mission work and evangelism, died Sept. 8 in Washington, D.C. He was 97.   The son-in-law of noted evangelist E. Stanley Jones, Mathews traveled the world as a Methodist missionary. He made more than 60 trips to India, 28 to Africa, 16 to Latin America and a dozen to Korea and Japan during his lifetime.   Throughout his travels, he brought a commitment to...

Bishop Dew Memorial Service Video Uploaded to 'REEL Witness'

A video of the Saturday, August 7 memorial service for retired United Methodist Bishop William W. ("Bill") Dew, Jr. of Elk Grove has been uploaded to "REEL Witness," the online video library of the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Click here to play the Bishop Dew memorial service video (runs 80 minutes).   We invite you to visit REEL Witness frequently to play this and other videos of interest. Navigate to REEL Witness from the Home Page of the Conference...

Bishop Dew Memorial Service to Be Live Streamed

The memorial service for Bishop William W. ("Bill") Dew, Jr. will be broadcast live from First United Methodist Church of Loomis via computer, beginning at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 7. To watch, type or paste www.ourchurchvideos.com/livestream/cnumc into your web browser – or go to the Home Page of the Conference website at cnumc.org and click on the relevant headline....

Location Change for Bishop Dew Memorial Service

The location of the Memorial Service for Bishop William W. ("Bill") Dew, Jr. has been changed, based on seating and facility concerns. The service now will take place at First United Methodist Church of Loomis, 6414 Brace Road, Loomis, CA 95650 on Saturday, August 7 at 11 a.m. FUMC of Loomis is less than 30 minutes east of the Sacramento International Airport, with accessible parking and seating.     Bishop Dew died suddenly on July 14 at his home in Elk Grove,...

California-Nevada Conference Is Saddened by Death of Bishop Bill Dew

SACRAMENTO, CA | July 15, 2010—The California-Nevada Annual Conference today is mourning the loss of Bishop William W. ("Bill") Dew, Jr., who died Wednesday morning after collapsing at his home in Elk Grove. Bishop Dew leaves his wife of 52 years, Mitzie Eggers Dew, who was his college sweetheart; three children: the Rev. Linda Dew-Hiersoux, pastor of Central United Methodist Church and at The Table (both in Sacramento), William Waldo Dew, III, and Marilyn Jane Dew (along with...

Breaking News: Cal-Nev Mourns Passing of Bob Cary

The California-Nevada Annual Conference is mourning the passing of Robert J. Cary, 96, who died on Tuesday, June 8 at a convalescent hospital in San Francisco. He was Annual Conference Youth and Student Director, 1949-1967, and directed the Conference camping program and International Christian Youth Exchange and Missionary Education.   Bob Cary served on the staffs of several local United Methodist churches: Central UMC, Stockton; Burlingame UMC; and Wesley UMC, Fresno. He also was...

Services Set for Sam Dixon, Clint Rabb

Arrangements have been made for services for both Sam Dixon and Clint Rabb, according to Heather Wilson, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) Western Jurisdiction Coordinator. Dixon, the head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), and Rabb, who headed the Office of Mission Volunteers of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) of The United Methodist Church, died as a result of injuries suffered in the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.   Details of the...

Bishop Eugene M. Frank, Social Activist, Dies at 101

By Kathy Noble Oct. 14, 2009 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) Bishop Eugene M. Frank, the first president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, died Oct. 13 at Kingswood Manor in Kansas City, Mo.   At 101, Frank was the oldest United Methodist bishop. When he was elected in 1956, he was the youngest bishop in the Methodist Church.   A passion for racial equality in the church and beyond marked his ministry. During his 16-year tenure as bishop of the Missouri...

Del Brown, PSR Dean Emeritus and Voice of Progressive Christianity, Dies at 73

Delwin Brown, dean emeritus of Pacific School of Religion (PSR), died at his home in San Rafael, California on September 12, of colon cancer. As a lay theologian equally at ease in academia and in the public square, Brown was a leading national voice of progressive Christianity. Born in Indiana in 1935, Brown received a BA from Anderson College, a bachelor of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York, and a PhD from Claremont Graduate School in California. From 1983 to 2003,...

Memorial Service for Lee Williamson Set

Memorial service arrangements have been made for the Rev. Lee Williamson, a retired pastor in the California-Nevada Annual Conference who died suddenly on July 29 at age 70. He was the recipient of the 2009 Bishop Talbert Award for Racial Justice, presented at Annual Conference Session in June.   An informal memorial service with potluck is planned for Saturday, September 12 at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Hayward. The Revs. John Chamberlin, Sarah Hubinsky Phelps, Katie...

2009 Talbert Award Recipient Dies Suddenly

The recipient of the 2009 Bishop Talbert Award, the Rev. Lee Williamson, died unexpectedly at his home, early yesterday morning (Wednesday, July 29, 2009). He was 70 years of age.   He is survived by his wife, Arlene Williamson, along with two adult children, son Roy and daughter V.J. and their spouses, along with other family and friends. A memorial service will be planned and announced at a later date.   A graduate of Pacific School of Religion, Rev. Williamson served at...

Former Conference Lay Leader Pete Taylor Is Mourned

Pete Taylor, Lay Leader for the California-Nevada Annual Conference for eight years, died peacefully on Wednesday, April 29 at 11 a.m., according to his beloved wife, Veronica. He was 80 years of age.   Remembered as a man who loved The United Methodist Church, was deeply committed to racial justice, and was a passionate proponent for the next generation of leadership, Pete also was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and an avid outdoorsman.   He was a native of Houston,...

Bishop Melvin Wheatley Dies at 93

A UMNS Report By Linda Green* March 3, 2009 Bishop Melvin E. Wheatley Jr., a champion of gay rights in The United Methodist Church, died March 1 after a prolonged illness. Wheatley, 93, retired, had been residing in a private board and care residence in Mission Viejo, California but called Laguna Woods, California home. Bishop Wheatley received an award of appreciation in 1984 from Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. "Arrogant judgmentalism, as some have experienced by society, even...

Memorial Service Tomorrow for Member of Communications Commission

We have just received news of the death, last Tuesday, of Theresa Thibodeaux, a member of the Conference Communications Commission and of the Conference Committee on Nominations. Her Memorial Service is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, November 15, at 2 p.m., at her home church, Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church in Oakland, California. Theresa will be greatly missed. We are so thankful for her service and extend our deepest sympathy to her family. Our prayers are with...