A Reflection on the First Year of the EPA LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Task Force On my way to Annual Conference this year, I stopped at an art supply store. I was running late, but on an impulse, I pulled into the …
Call for Service: EPA UMC Conference Board of Trustees Member
The EPA Annual Conference is prayerfully seeking a dedicated individual to serve on the Conference Board of Trustees. This is a meaningful opportunity to help steward the mission, property, and resources of the church while supporting ministries that impact communities …
Interview with Rev. Dr. Sang Choi, Interim Associate Superintendent
Late last summer, Rev. Choi joined the team here in EPA as an Associate Superintendent. In December, we sat down to chat about life in ministry and the parts of his job that bring him the most life and joy. …
Journey of Healing: From Lamentation to Praise
In a letter sent to thousands of United Methodists across Eastern Pennsylvania (EPA) and Greater New Jersey (GNJ) on New Year’s Day, Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi extended an invitation both audacious and humble: participate in a collective journey of healing. Titled …
A New Chapter for EPA&GNJ: A Conversation with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi
It was a crisp, sunny morning on the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend when Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi stepped into the Mission and Resource Center in Neptune, NJ. The air was filled with a sense of anticipation as the new episcopal leader began her first day…
Laity Session highlights lay leadership, ministry, Fresh Expressions
At their annual Laity Session, May 21, Eastern PA Conference lay members learned about how both the conference and the emerging Fresh Expressions movement are inviting and helping church laity to grow in discipleship through community engagement.
EPA treasurer Jo Fielding to retire Sept. 1, after 26 years
Jo Fielding, the Eastern PA Conference’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since March 2023, as well as Executive Director of Benefits and Director of the EPA&GNJ Mission Data Team, will retire September 1, 2024. Fielding, who has worked for the …
EPA&GNJ staff work together on Undies for Easter campaign
“Can you imagine a life with only one pair of underwear?” This poignant question, posed by the Rev. Marilyn Schneider of the Eastern PA Conference Prison Ministries & Restorative Justice Team, underscores the circumstances faced by incarcerated individuals in Philadelphia. …
Urban Summit Imagines New Horizons
In the serene setting of Jarrettown United Methodist Church in Dresher, PA, a groundswell of passion and purpose filled the air February 5, as over 78 clergy from the urban heartlands of Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey gathered for …
Leadership Academy Preaching Institute hires director, coordinator
The EPA&GNJ Leadership Academy’s new Lilly Endowment-funded Preaching Institute (LAPI) hired a new director and coordinator January 1. The Rev. Darryl Stephens, who chairs the Order of Deacons in the Eastern PA Conference and teaches at Lancaster Theological Seminary, will serve as director. …