News

Bishop Announces Cabinet Change

Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. has announced a Cabinet change, effective July 1, 2012. After six years, the Rev. Jerry Smith (upper right) will be completing his service on the Cabinet. Rev. Smith is superintendent for the Great Northern District. "I am extremely grateful for Jerry's faithful leadership during some challenging years for the California-Nevada Conference," the bishop said. "He has led the formation of the Great Northern District and has a deep love for that region...

Greg Bergquist Is New Conference Superintendent for Leadership Development

Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. has announced that the Rev. Greg Bergquist has been named the new Conference Superintendent for Leadership Development for the California-Nevada Annual Conference. He will join the staff July 1, 2012. The position currently is held by the Rev. Ted Virts, who has been appointed to a local church. "I am delighted to welcome Greg Bergquist to my Cabinet," the Bishop said. "He will coordinate our work in developing lay and clergy spiritual...

Conference Superintendent for Congregational Vitality Is Hired

Following a nationwide search, Bener Agtarap has been named the new Conference Superintendent for Congregational Vitality for the California-Nevada Annual Conference.   Agtarap will join the staff July 1, 2012. Originally from Manila, Philippines, he is an ordained elder in the Wisconsin Annual Conference and since 2009 has served as a new church strategist for Path 1 and New Church Starts Division of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD).   "We are excited for what the...

Conference Offices Will Be Closed for Veterans' Day

Offices in the United Methodist Center in West Sacramento will be closed on Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 in observance of Veterans' Day....

Great Northern District Lay Discipleship Classes Available in August and November

Register now for the Great Northern District Lay Discipleship Training, August 27 and November 19. Classes will be offered in each of the Great Northern District regions: Coastal, Mountains, Valley, and Lakes. All classes are $10 plus the cost of the textbooks. Scholarships are available. Meals and drinks are not provided, so pack a sack lunch.   For locations and class detail, download brochure/registration form here.   Advanced registration is required. Classes will be...

Cal-Nev Seeks Applicants for New Conference Staff Position

Do you want to make a huge impact – reaching more people, more diverse people, and younger people, through vital congregations? Do you have a passion for the Gospel, compassion for God's people, and experience equipping leaders and starting systems that start and grow faith communities? If so, we want you to apply to be the Conference Superintendent for Congregational Vitality, a new staff position in The California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church....

Longtime Conference Employee, Pam McKee, Retires

The time has come to celebrate and give thanks for the work of Pam McKee, longtime administrative assistant for the San Jose District and now, the El Camino Real District.  On July 1, Pam retires from her work with the California-Nevada Annual Conference. (The work of the district offices has been consolidated into a Districts Administration Center, located at the Conference offices in West Sacramento.) She plans to keep busy teaching business courses as adjunct faculty at Foothill...

Cal-Nev Cabinet Structure Reflects New View

At least two of the questions in the Call to Action survey relate directly to changes taking place within the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Those who viewed the April 6 webinar live or who watched the archived version (at www.umcleadershipsummit.org) were asked to respond to questions about the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church.   35.4% of respondents "agreed" and even more (38.7%) "strongly agreed" with the statement, "The adaptive...

Cal-Nev Communications Contributes to GCORR Conversation

The Communications Office of the California-Nevada Annual Conference received two mentions in the February, 2011 CORR{ageous}! Times – an electronic newsletter from the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR). In How to Communicate – Telling Your CORR Story, readers are invited to listen to a Jan. 25 webinar in which Cal-Nev Communications Director Cate Monaghan contributed to a discussion about how a Conference's Commission on Religion and Race can increase its recognition...

DCM's Assistant, Dina Stenwick, Retires

A great partner in ministry Dina Stenwick is retiring at the end of this year after seven years as Administrative Assistant for the Rev. Linda Caldwell, Director of Connectional Ministry, and for the Conference Board of Missions.   "She has been a great partner in ministry," Caldwell says. "Dina has kept me mindful of tasks that needed attention and has handled others with great skill, with little or no direction from me. She has been a valuable link to Conference...

Special End-of-Year Instant Connection

Today's is the last regular Instant Connection of 2010. However, there is one other special story we want to bring you before the end of the year. Next Wednesday, December 15, the Bay View and Golden Gate District Offices will close – and with their closure, two longtime employees of the Conference will begin new chapters in their lives. We will honor Ivania Miranda and Bruce Pettit next week. Watch for the story on line and in your Inbox....

A Day of New Beginnings

Four new districts came into being on September 1, 2010 – their day of birth following one of transition, in which two district offices closed their doors. At Annual Conference Session in June, members approved a resolution sponsored by the Cabinet and Conference Committee on District Superintendency to reduce the number of districts within the California-Nevada Annual Conference from seven to four. The bishop, in accordance with The Book of Discipline (Paragraph 415.4), then drew...

Extrum-Fernandez to Head Board of Pensions

OAKLAND, California—The California-Nevada Annual Conference Board of Pensions has announced the election of Paul Extrum-Fernandez to the position of Executive Secretary (Conference Benefits Officer), effective August 1, 2010. The appointment follows the July 9 announcement of Grady Knowles' retirement. After 31 years of service, Knowles stepped down as Executive Secretary on July 31, but will continue on the staff of the Board as a consultant over the next several months, to assist in...

Discipleship Agency Names Schwarzentraub as Director of Stewardship

The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) has named the California-Nevada Annual Conference's own the Rev. Dr. Betsy Schwarzentraub as Director of Stewardship. The position becomes effective June 1. Schwarzentraub currently is the owner of Schwarzentraub & Associates, a stewardship consulting firm in Garden Valley, California. She has served as the Director of Stewardship and Director of Development for the California-Nevada Annual Conference, and continues to be a consultant here. She...

GCORR to Church: Membership Decline Connected to Impact of Racism

The latest statistics show a declining membership within The United Methodist Church – and racism continues to permeate the denomination, inhibiting the growth of the Church. That's the report from the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) Board, which met March 10-12 in Arlington, Virginia.  "The decline of the Church can be set side by side against the demographics of the Church. A Church that is 91 percent white in a country where non-whites are rapidly...

New Procedures in Place for Cal-Nevada Boards and Agency Heads

The California-Nevada Annual Conference has instituted new procedures for heads of boards, agencies, and committees to follow regarding meetings and maintenance of data. Due to financial cutbacks, the hours worked by Conference administrative assistants have been reduced by as much as 50%. To accommodate this reduction, duties have been reassigned and some tasks traditionally performed by assistants have been shifted to the board, agency and committee chairs.   A letter outlining the...

Cal-Nev's Karen Foster Is Subject of Profile in Davis Enterprise

Karen Foster, Accounting Manager for the California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, is the subject of a profile piece published January 6, 2010 in The Davis Enterprise newspaper. Titled "Fostering Success," the article by Enterprise staff writer Bruce Gallaudet centers on Foster's involvement with youth basketball teams in Davis.   Coach of the Davis High School freshman women's team, the Blue Devils, as well as the Davis Hoops eighth-grade girls'...

Much of Shalom "Summit" This Week Will Be Broadcast Live

Two Cal-Nevada Conference leaders to be in attendance By Elliott Wright GBGM Information Officer   COLUMBIA, SC - Major portions of the seventh national "summit" of Communities of Shalom, a movement of faith-inspired community development, will be broadcast live and free of charge via Internet from the summit's meeting site in Columbia, South Carolina, this week.   Seven general sessions are set to be video streamed through the online facilities of the General...

Former Cal-Nev Communications Director Affected by Agency Reorganization

GCORR Eliminates Five Positions Oct. 12, 2009 | WASHINGTON (UMNS) - The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race has announced a restructuring plan that eliminates five executive positions, including that of Jeneane Jones, formerly Director of Communications for the California-Nevada Annual Conference.   The five positions constitute nearly 60 percent of the small agency's staff.   Erin Hawkins, GCORR chief executive, said six new positions are being developed that...

New DS, DCMs Urged to Provide Leadership, Not Management

By Vicki Brown Associate Editor, GBHEM Office of Interpretation   New district superintendents and directors of connectional ministries should be critical boundary negotiators who can help local churches, districts, and Conferences align with mission, said a senior consultant for the Institute for Clergy and Congregational Excellence.   But the Rev. Gil Rendle warned the new group of leaders not to expect to make anyone happy. "Don't forget [that] you are not going to be...