Oklahoma Tornado Relief

  As we listen, watch and learn about the devastation left behind by the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, here is how you can respond: PRAY for the people whose lives have been torn apart and the people responding and caring for them Donate.  United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Advance # 901670.  100% of your donation will be used for disaster relief.  No overhead.  You can put a check in the offering plate with...

Community Service @ Annual Conference

Once again United Methodists will descend on Billings for Annual Conference and we’ll offer ourselves in service!  Join the fun and fellowship!  Sign up now at the site that suits you best.  All sites are family friendly, so bring your kids!  Go to this link to sign up: http://www.yacumc.org/pages/detail/175 If you signed up to volunteer when you registered, you will be receiving an email from me and I will ask you to go to the above link which allows you to...

Pendroy United Methodist Church Gets Creative with Music

Pendroy United Methodist Church Gets Creative with Music Most people, even in Montana, could not find Pendroy on a map.  It is 22 miles north of Choteau, and Pendroy United Methodist Church is the only congregation serving several small communities in the area.  On any given Sunday there are around 10 people in worship, but they are committed.  Like many small rural congregations we faced a challenge, music.  Nobody in the congregation plays piano, and while our...

Help Billings Free Store continue to grow...

380 families made 1100 visitis to the Free Store in 2012.  For 2013, we are on pace to see a 50% increase in that number.  Our store is run completely by volunteers, and we are seeking help to bring upgrades to the space we use. While the space the Free Store uses works well in many ways, it poses a challenge in the summer months.  The large size of the rooms and its location on the second floor lead to some very warm conditions when it is warm outside.  Fans alone...

Conference Merit Award scholarship application is now available!

2013-14 Merit Award The Conference Merit Award scholarship application is now available!  Please encourage any United Methodist students who will be attending a United Methodist School to apply!  The application deadline is June 1, 2013. The Conference Merit Award scholarship is based on a 10% rebate of what our conference contributes to the United Methodist Student Sunday offering and is typically between $500-$700.  In 2011, Hayden Forsyth from the Bridger United...

Young People's Ministries Convocation Video 2014

This video is announcing the Global Young People's Convocation in the Phillipines in 2014.  Read more about it at globalyoungpeople.org or email Tyler Amundson at tamundson@stpaulshelena.org if you have more questions.   ...

Church vitality: How do you define it? (Featuring our own Billings Evangelical UMC)

  7:00 A.M. ET April 26, 2013 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. To determine whether a congregation was doing well, church leaders used to count just two things — bottoms in the pews and dollars in the plate. Now many United Methodist leaders believe those metrics are not good enough. People and money do not capture whether a church is truly doing the vital work of making Christian disciples, said the Rev. Amy Valdez Barker.  Read more here...http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlne...

Pre-Conference Briefings Scheduled

  Lay circuit leaders will host pre-conference briefings to cover the issues and topics being shared at conference.  These briefings are a great time to orient yourself to the topics and raise questions about conference.  Please try and attend one of these to prepare for conference.  We try to have various places and dates for briefings.  The placement of a briefing in a particular circuit does not imply that only those circuit churches are invited –...

Moving from Scarcity to Contentment

  This is second in a series of articles provded in collaboration with the Yellowstone Conference Foundation   “If some is good, more is better.” That message echoes all around us, calling us to pursue more money, more things, more recognition, more power. Money is seen as the key to all the “more” we can imagine. At some level, this insatiable desire taps into a primal instinct on our parts: making sure we have enough of whatever we need to...

Colorado Christian Ashram May 17-19 Provides "Out of Box" Ministry Training

   The Colorado Christian Ashram is being held May 17-19 at Glacier Lodge, Estes Park.  The featured presenter is Matt Hansen, a UMC pastor doing out-of-the-box ministry in Illinois. Several of the people putting this together are United Methodists.  The United Christian Ashrams movement is in the process of reorganizing with Tom Albin, dean of Upper Room Ministries, providing assistance.  The Christian Ashram appeals in particular to those who have attended...

Commonly Asked Camp Questions

          Q: Is there a discount? A: This year, there is an early registration discount built into the camper registration. It expires on April 15, so please plan accordingly.   Q: Can I pay by check? A: Certainly. Please go ahead and...

Logo Design Contest Announced by UMITA

  The United Methodist Information Technology Association (UMITA) is sponsoring a contest for a logo design for their organization. The winning entry will receive a 16-gig I-Pad Mini. The UMITA logo will be used in a variety of formats, including but not limited to, forms of correspondence, website, promotion materials, etc. All entries must be emailed to logo@umita.org and received by 11:59 p.m. (EDT), July 1, 2013 and must adhere to the following...

General Commission on Religion & Race announces 3 staff openings

  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The General Commission on Religion & Race (GCORR) of The United Methodist Church announces three job openings: Communications Strategist, Research & Data Integrity Specialist, and Training & Development Specialist. All three positions are at the GCORR offices in the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill. GCORR is tasked with empowering The United Methodist Church to pursue racial equity and cultural competency to build a stronger, more...

Flathead Lake UMC Camp - Spring Newsletter

Click on the above page to read more of the newsletter. ...

Conference Trustees Propose Insurance Minimums for Churches

   Conference Members, The Conference Board of Trustees has submitted a petition for the 2013 Yellowstone Annual Conference recommending the adoption of a  “Tiered  Approach” for liability insurance for all churches, camps and  Conference facilities  with minimumrequirements in liability categories.  A guideline for property insurance is also included within the petition. As indicated in the conference email on January 15, 2013,...

Congregations Explore Oil Boom Ministry

The oil boom in Eastern Montana and North Dakota has presented a new set of challenges to our churches.  The Northern Rockies Institute of Theology(NRIT) wants to provide a forum to begin forumulating how churches can better serve in mission during this boom period.  Churches are invited to send clergy and lay to be a part of the discussion of how people of faith might engage this missional opportunity.     The following is a copy of NRIT advertising invitation...

Conference Updates From Your Assistant to the Bishop

  “Suppose someone wants to build a tower,” Jesus says in the 14th chapter of Luke, “Will that person not first sit down and estimate the costs to see if they have enough money to complete it?” (vs. 28)   We want to build a viable and vibrant Annual Conference so we can share the Wesleyan vision of Christ’s love with our 21st century world. Last Spring 2012, the Financial Advisory Consulting Team (FACT) from the General Church...

Worland UMC's Prayer Path

A Christ-centered labyrinth experience             A unique worship experience Worland UMC provided on Good Friday and Holy Saturday to guide participants towards a deeply personal encounter with God. Inspired by a spiritual tradition meaningful in church history throughout the centuries,  The Prayer Path is a fusion of the ancient and the postmodern- a symbolic journey of prayer,...

A Missional Maundy Thursday

           John 13:14   14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.   Epworth United Methodist Church celebrated Maundy Thursday in a variety of ways. In focusing in on the foot washing element of the story, members were challenged to find some way to be in humble service of others whether they came to worship in the evening or not. Visits to elderly care facilities...

ABC to broadcast United Methodist Easter service

  ABC-TV will broadcast an Easter Sunday service on March 31 taped at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan. Check local listings for broadcast time. The service, featuring the church’s choir and orchestra, includes a message, "Your Defining Story," by the Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor. Hamilton, a denominational leader and the author of 13 books, delivered the 2013 National Prayer Service message following the Inauguration of President...