News

Philippines Central Conference Holds Clergywomen's Consultation

By Vida Grace T. Sison* Clergywomen are no longer outsiders – instead, they are "inside outsiders," the Rev. Dr. Kim Cape told 206 clergywomen from the Manila, Baguio, and Davao Episcopal Areas of The United Methodist Church in the Philippines, in her keynote address to a gathering of the Philippines Central Conference clergywomen.   Cape said that 55 years ago, "We were outsiders...we could serve churches, but we couldn't vote at annual conferences, we had no...

10-Fold Generates More Than $3k for Cal-Nev-Sponsored Philippines Project

The California-Nevada Annual Conference-sponsored 10-Fold Day 9, in support of Advance # 3021302, Comprehensive Community Development Project for Dumagat Communities in the Philippines, has generated 3,109 clicks of support so far – for which the Conference will donate an equal number of dollars. 10-Fold is a joint project of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) and United Methodist Communications, now in its second year. It aims to multiply ministry by mobilizing passionate...

Philippines Delegation Members Bear Witness After August Trip

By Lindsey Kerr PSR Student and delegation member A 10-member delegation from the Philippines Solidarity Task Force of the California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church was in Manila and surrounding areas in Luzon on a pastoral visit and solidarity mission, August 19-31. Hosted by the National Council of Churches, Philippines, the delegation team visited farming, fishing, and urban poor communities, and met with political prisoners and human rights violations...

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,...

Cal-Nevada's Philippines Solidarity Task Force Celebrates Release of 'Morong 43'

"The Philippines Solidarity Task Force celebrates with the people of the California-Nevada Annual Conference for a great work done," exults the Rev. Felicisimo ("Fel") Cao. The community health workers known as "Morong 43," whose arrest and detention by the Philippines military was widely condemned, have been released.   In June, 2010 the Cal-Nevada Annual Conference Session approved a recommendation submitted by the Philippines Solidarity Task Force to...

A Story Needing to Be Told

By Chaplain Sarge Wright John Taylor, now a retired United Methodist minister living near Shingle Springs, California, has been a longtime friend and colleague. He has a zest for living and an intense life mission that has been both interesting and productive.   John was introduced to Heifer Project International by the Rev. Bill Beck in 1970. His first service opportunity was to deliver pregnant cows to Korea in 1971. This experience introduced John emotionally to HPI, but also led...

Remember to Take Annual Conference Offering

Churches, please remember to take an Annual Conference Offering this year. The offering will be received on Friday, June 18 at Annual Conference Session in Sacramento. This year's donations will support the Gilead Center for Children and the Ethelou D. Talbert Shelter in Manila, established through the Annual Conference Offering 12 years ago in honor of Bishop Melvin G. Talbert's wife. The mission of the Gilead Center is to:   ·        ...

Cal-Nev Task Force Monitors Elections in Philippines

By The Rev. Felicisimo S. Cao CA-NV Philippines Solidarity Task Force The Philippines Solidarity Task Force of the California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church sent a five-member delegation to participate in the (3rd) People's International Observers' Mission (PIOM), to monitor the 2010 Philippine Elections, May 7-15, 2010.   The PIOM consists of 87 delegates from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Denmark, the...

Cal-Nev Sends Team to Philippine International Observers' Mission 2010

The Philippines Solidarity Task Force of the California-Nevada Annual Conference has sent a seven-member delegation to the Philippines to participate in the Philippine International Observers' Mission 2010 (PIOM 2010), May 5-17. The Task Force, working in partnership with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, and dealing specifically with the issues of human rights violations and extra-judicial killings, has responded to the...

2010 Annual Conference Offering Designated for Ethelou D. Talbert Shelter

Twelve years ago California-Nevada honored Bishop Melvin G. Talbert's wife, Ethelou, with a Conference Offering dedicated to establishing the Ethelou D. Talbert Shelter for Girls in Manila. Bishop Brown was then Chair of the Conference Board of Missions and represented the Conference at the dedication of the shelter. In 2001 the Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation, Inc., a United Methodist social development institution, expanded and improved its services by constructing the Center for Children and...

Churches Celebrate Bible Translation

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines (ENI) - Cooperation between Protestants, Evangelicals, and Roman Catholics is growing strong a century after the Bible was translated into Ilokano, a local language in the Philippines, say Christian leaders. "We now come and celebrate together for this great gift of God through which His word, through translation, has become alive in us since 100 years ago," said Evangelical Methodist Bishop Nathanael Lazaro, president of the Philippine Bible Society,...

Mission Leaders Deplore Massacre in Philippines

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Two United Methodist bishops have added their voices to those deploring the massacre of 57 people on their way to register a political candidate on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Bishop Bruce R. Ough of West Ohio, president of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, and Bishop Joel N. Martinez, interim general secretary of the agency, have commended Filipino Bishop Leo A. Soriano of the Episcopal Area of Davao for his courage in condemning...

Philippines Delegation Member Tells Her Story of July Trip

By Nicole Harris On July 21, 2009 the Philippines Solidarity Task Force of the California-Nevada Annual Conference conducted a pastoral and solidarity visit to the Philippines. Led by Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. and his wife, Minnie, the delegation of 10 members met with government officials, organizations, and families to document the extra-judicial killings, abductions, instances of torture, and other human rights violations that continue to take place in the Philippines.   The group...

New Conference Committee Begins Its Work With October 31 'Usapan'

The new Conference Committee on Filipino American Ministries (CCFAM), enacted into existence by the 2009 Annual Conference Session, will meet for the first time on Saturday, October 31, beginning at 9 a.m., at Sterling Park Recreation Center in Colma, California. The all-day gathering is, in the Tagalog language of the Philippines, a Kapamilya or KaFAMilya ("we are all one family") usapan ("time of conversation"). Kapamilya is a unique Filipino cultural practice deeply...

Download Linda Wiberg's Radio Interview

Listen to this week's Capital Public Radio interview with the Rev. Linda Wiberg, Director of Connectional Ministries for the California-Nevada Annual Conference, by visiting the REEL Witness page on the Conference website at cnumc.org.   Rev. Wiberg was a guest on the Tuesday morning broadcast of "Insight" on Capital Public Radio KXJZ, 90.9. Program Host Jeffrey Callison interviewed her about her recent trip to the Philippines as a member of the Conference pastoral and solidarity...

Bishop Brown Calls Visit to Philippines 'Illuminating'

By Kathy L. Gilbert* July 30, 2009 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) As President Obama prepared to meet with Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a team of United Methodists stood in solidarity with a U.S. citizen who has accused her government of kidnapping and torture last May.   A meeting between Obama and Arroyo was scheduled for July 30, the same day Melissa Roxas, a Filipino American, was set to testify at a hearing in the Philippines on human rights violations.   A...

Cal-Nev Philippines Delegation Arriving Back on Friday

The delegation from the California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church that has been on a pastoral and solidarity visit to the Philippines for the past two weeks is returning on Friday, July 31.   The group's return comes a day after the state meeting, in Washington, D.C., between Philippines President Arroyo and United States President Barack Obama - the first of his Presidency. Alleged human rights violations in the Philippines was not on the agenda for the meeting,...

Attend Vigil for Human Rights in the Philippines, Thursday, July 30 in San Francisco

The USA-Philippines Ecumenical Advocacy Network invites concerned United Methodists and others to attend a Vigil for Human Rights in the Philippines, Thursday, July 30 at 6 p.m. at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in San Francisco. The church is located at 756 Mission Street.   On the night of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's meeting with U.S.  President Barack Obama, the network is staging a gathering to remember human rights victims and to pray for meaningful change in the...

Cal-Nev Delegation Hears Stories of Persecution

During the pastoral and solidarity mission to the Philippines that is currently underway, members of the California-Nevada Annual Conference delegation have spent time at Harris Memorial College, passing out food to an indigenous group, the Dumagat people, and hearing their stories of hardship.   Harris Memorial College is a United Methodist-related school, established in 1903. Its Center for Community Development houses the Dumagat Program, an effort to reach out to the Dumagat people -...

Cal-Nev District Lay Leader Elected President of National Caucus

Group throws support to Philippines chief justice   DALLAS (UMNS) - Solidarity with missionaries and support for an embattled court justice in the Philippines were on the agenda at the recent biennial convocation of the National Association of Filipino American United Methodists, held at Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church in Dallas.   Some 200 adult and youth delegates from 17 states, the Philippines, and Canada approved resolutions to be in solidarity with former...