Ordained Ministry

Protection of Children

Greetings to the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference,
One of the important responsibilities of our churches is the maintenance of a Safe Sanctuaries policy. This newsletter is full of helpful information. Please read this carefully and make sure your church is on board.
Bishop Peggy Johnson

Greetings:
The recent headlines about child sexual abuse allegations at Penn State and Syracuse Universities have reminded us abuse can happen anywhere.  Our Conference requires all churches to have a Safe Sanctuaries Policy in place.  It is a lot of work, but considering the damage to one victim it is a worth it.  Of course as serious as committing child sexual abuse is, failing to report accusations of abuse is every bit as serious.

Self-care and Prevention of Sexual Misconduct

Click here to read and print Self-care and Prevention of Sexual Misconduct, a guidelines paper for clergy.

Celebrate Deacon Sunday in your church

 

Bishop Peggy Johnson encourages everyone to use this bulletin insert on June 5th and lift up the ministry of the Deacon in the conference.  We hope that this will encourage more people to consider becoming a part of the Order of Deacons:

Click here for bulletin insert

For more information on becoming a Deacon, go to: www.gbhem.org

by Rev. Doris Kung

Board of Ordained Ministry Website (for Resources and Information)

When I was first considering my call to become an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church, my initial reaction was one of being highly uncomfortable.  I only knew of one type of ordination, and that was the ordination to become an Elder.  I sought out almost every United Methodist Elder that was within my reach, and everything I was told about being an Elder just did not sit well with me.  Simply put, the roles and work of an Elder did not match what I felt God had called me to do.  This made me nervous: was there something wrong with me?  Was it just that I was not correctly interpreting that restless calling inside of me?  How could I make myself fit into this paradigm of Elder in order to fulfill the ordination role that I was sure God had called me to become?

Local Seminaries Receive Official Reinstatement

 

Palmer Theological Seminary is reinstated to approved UM list

Clergy Nominations for General and Jurisdictional Conference

The 225th session of the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference will elect delegates to the 2012 General Conference of The United Methodist Church and the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference.  

UPDATED INFORMATION:  The clergy delegates to the General Conference and to the Jurisdictional or regional conference shall be elected from the clergy members in full connection and by the clergy members of the annual conference who are deacons and elders in full connection, associate members, and those provisional members who have completed all of their educational requirements, and local pastors who have completed course of study or an M.Div degree and have served a minimum of two consecutive years under appointment immediately preceding the election.

Scholarships offered to next generation of seminary professors

 

GBHEM Names 2011-2012 Dempster Scholars

Thirteen students have been selected for the Dempster Graduate Fellowships, which support students who are committed  to serving the church by becoming seminary professors who will educate the next generation of United Methodist pastors.

Board of Ordained Ministry

Information on exploring your call to ministry or how to contact someone from the Board of Ordained Ministry.  Board of Ordained Ministry website

El Cristiano como Ministro/Spanish-language resources for ordained or licensed ministry in UMC

El Cristiano como Ministro Available Now

By Vicki Brown*

 

EL MINISTERIO DEL...EN ESPANOL

Acrobat File El Ministerio de Capellanes y Consejeros Pastorales 

Acrobat File El Ministerio del Diácono 

Acrobat File El Ministerio del Pastor Local Licenciado

Acrobat File El Ministerio del Presbítero

 

El Cristiano como Ministro completes the list of Spanish-language resources published by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry for those who are exploring ordained or licensed ministry in The United Methodist Church.

“We are pleased to be able to offer 12 new resources in Spanish, including the Spanish translation of The Christian as Minister, which will supplement the corresponding English editions,” said the Rev. Sharon Rubey, GBHEM’s director of Candidacy and Conference Relations. “Many Hispanic candidates for ministry speak and read English, but it is not their first language. So these materials will allow them to complete the process of ordination without a language barrier.”

I-CARE TEAM Information

ICARE: Intervention Care Advocacy Resolution Education

The ICARE Team responds upon request to situations involving sexual misconduct related to congregations and/or clergy of The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

ICare Information (Printable version)

ICare Brochure (Printable version)

 We affirm that sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We call everyone to responsible stewardship of this sacred gift…2008 Book of Discipline ¶161.F

News

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Bishop's Blog

Bishop's Blog

Read thoughts on faith and life from Bishop Peggy Johnson.