If you’ve called your EPA Conference Office recently you may have noticed improved phone service. In January we moved to a better, more stable, more functional phone system with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. Our extensions are based on names …
Weekly prayer ministry still powerful after 2 years
There’s a growing number of small groups of United Methodists across Eastern PA who gather periodically online via Zoom, mostly for learning, dialogue and conference-wide ministry planning. But there may be only one that is devoted solely to prayer. The …
Project Restoration underway; seeks volunteers for disaster recovery efforts
Project Restoration is fully staffed and doing needs assessments, building strategic partnerships, finding resources and recruiting volunteers to help residents recover from the severe damages—physical, financial and emotional—wreaked by floods caused by recent hurricanes. The three staff members—Denise Shelton, director; …
NEWSpirit newspaper’s Spring 2022 issue is published
Read the new issue on our website and please share it with others. Check out these new articles and more: Project Restoration underway; seeks volunteers for disaster recovery efforts Prayers and provisions: EPA churches offer local support to war-torn Ukraine …
Direction: A Key Ingredient for Successful Leadership
Part 2: Mission
Successful leaders lead toward something. Churches, ministries and organizations without direction flounder and eventually fail. There are three things that are essential to successful leadership: vision, mission and goals…
EPA leaders learning ‘3R’s’ of dismantling racism
Dismantling Racism may start with learning a new form of “the 3Rs”: Relationships, Recognition and Revelation. Relating openly and lovingly to others who are different—especially cross-racially or cross-culturally—can lead to honest recognition of what one doesn’t know and then to …
Merged churches inspire hope through mission center
“Hope Starts Here,” penned in colorful letters, is a small sign on the door of a big room where food is prepared at Mission First, a ministry located at the former First United Methodist Church in downtown Pottstown. And that …
As JFON’s immigration cases grow, so does its need for help
Justice for Our Neighbors of the Delaware Valley (JFON-DV) has been operating immigration legal clinics for 13 months in three states, handling a growing docket of cases, as it looks for volunteers, especially language interpreters. The Eastern PA regional office moved …
Black and Brown Youth Retreat to build cross-cultural bridges
The EPAUMC Black and Brown Youth Retreat, April 1-3, an unprecedented spring gathering of 55 Black and Latino/Latinx young people at Gretna Glen Camp & Retreat Center in Lebanon, is designed to plant fertile seeds of relationship and revival. The …
Communications Learning Week to advance church leaders’ skills
United Methodist Communication (UMCom) announces a week-long ecumenical training opportunity launching this spring for anyone in ministry seeking to enhance their communications skills. Communications Learning Week: Taking the Next Step will be held May 9-13, and it is designed with busy …