Category: Updates

Under the theme "Love Boldly," the 153rd Pacific Northwest Annual Conference gathered June 23–25 in Spokane Valley with Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth presiding. Members elected 2028 General and Jurisdictional Conference delegates, approved clergy benefits legislation, celebrated New Connections UMC's merger, ordained five clergy, commissioned one, and endorsed the "No Hate in WA State" campaign. A special session will address the unfinished 2027 budget.

The Pacific Northwest Annual Conference concluded with a Service of the Ordering of Ministry, during which Joseph Lee was ordained deacon; Catherine Lyle, Drew Hogan, Mele Taumoepeau 'Aho, and Kate Crisci were ordained elder; and Wilma Reyes was commissioned. Bishop Mande Muyombo preached on countercultural love, calling candidates to serve as conduits of God's love and urging all to simply start: say hello.

The second full day of the 2026 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference moved through a full agenda of worship, business, and recognition — opening with a celebration of 70 years of women's ordination and closing with the completion of the election of delegates to the 2028 General and Jurisdictional Conferences. In between, the conference honored retiring clergy, debated budgets, and voted to endorse the "No Hate in Washington State" campaign.

The 2026 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference honored three #BeUMC Award recipients whose lives and ministries embody what it means to be United Methodist — loving boldly, serving joyfully, and leading courageously. From weekly community meals to courageous acts of faithful resistance, this year's honorees demonstrate how discipleship takes root in real communities and transforms the lives of those around them.

The first full day of the 2026 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference moved through a full agenda of business, awards, and reports before closing with a powerful presentation from the Circle of Indigenous Ministries — an invitation to truth-telling, repentance, and healing for the harms inflicted on Indigenous communities by colonialism and, in particular, the early Methodist Church.

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth set the tone for the 2026 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference with a word both unflinching and pastoral. Following a land acknowledgement honoring the Indigenous peoples of the Spokane region, Bishop Cedrick called the gathered church to something more demanding than cleverness: a love bold enough to take public form with moral clarity in a season that calls for courage.

On Tuesday evening, members of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference gathered for a memorial service honoring those saints who have departed in the past year. Led by Bishops Cedrick Bridgeforth and Dottie Escobedo-Frank, the service wove together scripture, song, and a moving act of remembrance — offering those present an invitation to grieve, to celebrate, and to find assurance in God's abiding love. Lynne Onishi has the story.

The Pacific Northwest Annual Conference holds its 153rd session June 23–25 at Spokane Valley UMC, with livestreaming available at pnwumc.org/pnwac. Key business includes electing delegates to the 2028 General and Western Jurisdictional Conferences, processing sixteen petitions, and receiving board reports. Worship highlights include preaching from three bishops, a Memorial Service, a Celebration of Ministry Transitions, and a closing Service of the Ordering of Ministry.

Electing our lay and clergy delegates to the 2028 General and Western Jurisdictional Conferences will be a top priority when members gather for the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference in June. Before we can start our election process, we need to have nominees to elect.