News

A Lenten Social Experiment

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Sophia Agtarap, minister of engagement for United Methodist Communications' Rethink Church, decided that one way to approach the Lenten journey was with a Bible in one hand and a smartphone in the other. The result was an online community that shared more than 19,000 images reflecting different topics of Lent including silence, help and love.   Read blog about the project See images  ...

Free Choir Music from the General Board of Discipleship

MUSIC FOR LENT:  WITH OIL AND ASHES – SATB/organ choral introit for Ash Wednesday by Daniel Craig O LAMB OF GOD – SATB/keyboard setting of the Agnus Dei, suitable for anthem or Holy Communion, by Dean McIntyre BEHOLD THE SAVIOR OF MANKIND – words by Samuel Wesley; music Henry Purcell, Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas CHRIST, WE DO ALL ADORE THEE – from Dubois' Seven Last Words; SATB choral anthem or response, with Latin "Adoramus...

GBOD Resources for the Holidays

Worship resources for the holidays are available now to download from the General Board of Discipleship's (GBOD) Worship website. There are four free downloads of musical Christmas works by Kenneth Morrison:   Silent Night Prelude Arranged for piano, strings, and woodwinds.   In Excelsis Gloria Carol arranged for choir and instruments.    He Is Born Carol arrangement for choir, congregation, and instruments.   Angels We Have Heard on High Carol...

Save 20 Percent on EcuFilm Resources Through Dec. 22

Merry Christmas from EcuFilm! Brighten your holidays with new curricula that engage your audience. Now through Dec. 22, get 20% off all of resources when you use promo code EF20DEC12 (all CAPS) upon checkout through EcuFilm's convenient e-store! With more than 200 offerings, you'll find many items from which to choose – but to make it easier, here are a few of the newest resources: What's Christianity All About?   This 10-session study is a primer on Christianity – its...

Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Wesley Fan

There are still a few days left to purchase that special last-minute gift for your favorite Wesley fan – and get free shipping, to boot! Receive free priority mail shipping through Dec. 31, on orders at Wesley Shop – using coupon code FREESHIP12 (all caps). Top Gift Ideas:  Home DVD of the award-winning feature film, Wesley Autographed poster from the premiere (A collector's item!) The stunning coffee table book, Wesley Country, portraying the scenes of...

Reminder: Instant Connection 2012 Holiday Schedule

The 2012 Instant Connection holiday schedule is in effect. With the mailing of the Dec. 13 edition, Instant Connection is on hiatus until Jan. 3, 2013. During the holiday break, check recent additions to News, Events, and Classifieds, along with new obituaries and appointment posts, at http://cnumc.org/skimmer.   Please remember to submit materials for publication by 5 p.m. on Tuesday of the desired week of publication.   The United Methodist Center offices in West Sacramento...

Free Holiday Downloads

The General Board of Discipleship and United Methodist Communications have joined together to provide free downloads of piano accompaniments of familiar Christmas hymns, songs, carols, and much more – for use by churches that are unable to provide accompaniment for singing. You may find that you also can use them for choir, solo, or Sunday school use, Christmas caroling, or singing at any group setting. All accompaniments are provided without copyright. You may use them for any purpose,...

Instant Connection 2012 Holiday Schedule

There will be no Instant Connection email next week, Nov. 22, in observance of Thanksgiving. In December, Instant Connection will be emailed on Dec. 6 and Dec. 13 only, due to the Christmas and New Year's holidays.   During the holiday break, check recent additions to News, Events, and Classifieds, along with new obituaries and appointment posts, at http://cnumc.org/skimmer.   Please remember to submit materials for publication by 5 p.m. on Tuesday of the desired week of...

This Year, Reclaim Christmas

The United Methodist Church's Christmas advertising has begun – contrasting the usual sales ads with an alternative: Reclaim Christmas. How does your local church benefit from national advertising? Rethinkchurch.org highlights local church activities on the home page, allowing seekers to get a sense of your congregation's "personality." As you post information on www.find-a-church.org/advent, Rethink Church pulls that information into church profiles so...

Interfaith Worker Justice Offers Resources for Labor Day

Honor workers in your congregation and community this Labor Day It's been a rough few years for America's workers, so for this Labor Day, consider planning a worship service or educational event honoring workers and lifting up the cause of workers' justice in your community.   Congregations across the U.S. have been celebrating "Labor in the Pulpit" on Labor Day weekend for the last 15 years. This year, consider joining them – tell workers in your congregation and...

Easter People

We are an Easter People! This past Sunday – April 8, 2012, Easter Day – United Methodists gathered in churches and elsewhere to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Bridges Circuit 11 (Sacramento) and Temple United Methodist Church in San Francisco (in Bridges Circuit 1) celebrated their first-ever sunrise services, and each sent a photo to the California-Nevada Annual Conference Communications Office. We decided to create a photo gallery on the cnumc.org website to share...

Watsonville UMC Art Exhibit Is Aimed at Young People, Those Outside the Church: A New Faith in Action Story

In a new Faith in Action story, Hilary Orzel writes about a Lenten art exhibit at First United Methodist Church of Watsonville, aimed at connecting the church with the community – and especially with younger people. The exhibit features works by young Bay Area artist Drew McSherry, who has just recently begun sharing his paintings with churches.   "In history, churches have always been a haven for the arts," he notes. "Artists who laid the foundation for the...

Free Lenten Devotions Program from SoSA

The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) invites your congregation to participate in its 2012 Lenten devotion and giving program, "Living Proof" – a program of spiritual reflection, prayer, and giving, in keeping with the traditions of Lent. SoSA's Lenten devotion program challenges the reader to take seriously the Scriptural injunctions to care for the poor, while also providing an opportunity to feed our hungry neighbors. Each day during Lent, through Scripture and prayer, gifted and...

Bishop Kelly Is Featured in GCORR Story for Black History Month

In celebration of February as Black History Month, the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) has uploaded a story to its website, History Is Now, that features retired Bishop Leontine C. Kelly of the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Kelly was the first African-American woman to be elected a bishop of The United Methodist Church – or of any mainline denomination. Now 92, she resides in Oakland.   Henri Giles' story also features profiles of Dr. Kenneth Williams of...

Sierra Choral Festival in March Invites Participants

The annual Sierra Choral Festival (SCF), taking place in the Yosemite foothills in Oakhurst, California, is open to lovers of church choral music from all denominations, including United Methodist Church choristers in the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Whether United Methodist or not, lovers of choral music are urged to sign up now to participate in the festival – under the direction of widely praised conductor, composer, and arranger Allan Robert Petker.   The SCF...

Epiphany 'Chalking the Door' Blessing Launches Committee's Work in 2012

In certain parts of the world, it is customary to ask God's blessing on homes and workplaces – not only on the buildings themselves, but also upon all who live, work, and visit there. Last week, on Epiphany (Friday, Jan. 6) the Leadership Development Mission Focus team met and before getting down to "brass tacks," utilized a short liturgy, a Chalking the Door Service, to ask God's blessing upon its work in 2012. The night before Epiphany is known as Twelfth-Night. It is then...

Service of Christian Unity Is at Twin Towers UMC on Jan. 22

Each year the World Council of Churches (WCC) designates a week when Christians world-wide engage in prayer and shared worship, and realize that in spite of the great diversity in our denominations, we adore one God. Traditionally we celebrate the Week of Christian Unity from January 18 to January 25. At this time, all Christian churches pray for Christian unity and many hold special services. Each year the WCC chooses a theme for the Week of Christian Unity. This year's theme is, "We...

Rethink Church Lenten Series to Have Online Component

How will you reach people for Christ this Lent? United Methodist Communications is ready to help you with a free Lenten sermon series, online advertising, and a multimedia bundle to help you include the broader community.   The Journey to Hope series begins with Christ's journey to the cross, and connects with matters such as relationships, money, work, and suffering to share the hope that exists beyond life's most difficult issues. The sermon series was developed in 2010, and has...

Bishop Brown Posts Advent Message

Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. has posted an Advent message to the Conference website. In it, the bishop says that in the Christian tradition, Advent is a time of beginning – and says, "It begins with hope as we anticipate the coming of the Savior."   Read the bishop's message in its entirety. It appears on the Home Page at www.cnumc.org (scroll down to the Bishop's Greetings section), and in the Bishop's Articles section, located under the...

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...