News

8/4/2023

Friends, members of the Council of Bishops were notified this morning that retired Bishop Melvin Talbert has died. Bishop Talbert served as Resident Bishop of the California-Nevada Conference from 1988 until his retirement in 2000. Bishop Talbert was known as a wise, compassionate, and visionary leader. Let us hold his spouse, Marilyn Magee, and their family in our prayers as they move through this time of loss. We will share additional information, including the formal obituary notice from the...

7/27/2023

Editor's note: Click here to access the letter on the Western Jurisdiction website. July 24, 2023 Dear United Methodist Siblings in Christ, As previously announced, a jurisdictional trial is scheduled to occur in August (21-25) to adjudicate complaints received regarding the respondent Bishop Minerva Carcaño. Recognizing the growing interest and speculation about this matter, we wanted to briefly address the competing values of confidentiality and transparency and share a related request that ...

7/20/2023

In this special "Meet a Bishop" episode of "Get Your Spirit in Shape," we talk with Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth about his faith journey that has led the Alabama native to his current appointment as resident bishop of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area in the Western Jurisdiction. When Bridgeforth was 9 years old, he prayed aloud at his small church, resulting in a standing ovation. His grandma then squeezed his cheeks and proclaimed that her grandson would preach one day. Though he was intent...

7/12/2023

Editor's note: Click here to see this posting on the Western Jurisdiction site and read past articles and statements around the proceedings. We are sharing the following details to update the Church and the public regarding the scheduled trial to adjudicate the complaints against Bishop Minerva Carcaño. Last week, we announced that trial dates had been set for August 21 through August 25. Today, we are sharing an update on the venue and the trial officers. First United Methodist Church of ...

7/12/2023

The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church is pledging their ongoing dedication to anti-racism work, both within the church and in our communities. A revival of the Dismantling Racism campaign, launched in June 2020, will strengthen efforts to recognize racism as a sin and challenge unjust systems of power and access. Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton shares a video message to assure all United Methodists that the Council of Bishops is committed to this vital effort, saying, “We will work ...

7/6/2023

 Dear Members and friends of the California-Nevada Annual Conference:   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, NRSVue)   Grace and peace to you in these summer days and may you find a time for rest and renewal in the days and weeks ahead.   I am writing to you because you may have seen that the Western Jurisdiction has announced that the process relating to Bishop Minerva Carcaño’s ...

7/6/2023

Editor's note: Bishop Sally Dyck, ecumenical officer for The United Methodist Church, has been named co-moderator of the World Council of Churches’ Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration. The ecumenical group’s central committee elected leaders for six commissions. The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, in its business proceedings, appointed 17 youth advisors; elected leaders for its commissions; and revised bylaws for the new WCC Commission on Climate Change and ...

7/1/2023

Editor's note: This update is the latest step in the case of complaints involving Bishop Minerva G.Carcaño. Please continue to pray for Bishop Carcaño, those bringing complaints, and our entire California-Nevada Conference. Let us continue to serve communities in California and Nevada that rely on our faithful action, especially in the months ahead.   The following update is for your information: Trial dates have been set for August 21st through August 25th to adjudicate the complaints against ...

5/11/2023

The Council of Bishops is recommending that The United Methodist Church hold a five-day session of its top lawmaking assembly in May 2026.  This gathering would be in addition to the regular General Conference sessions already planned for 2024 and 2028. “This also would be a regular session,” Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton, who also leads the New York Conference, told UM News. “But we are asking for it to be framed a different way to enable us to make the kind of shifts that ...

5/11/2023

Editor's note: In the photo, Interim Bishop Sally Dyck is pictured with Christian Unity & Interreligious Relations Committee members Roxanne Bucaria, Becky Goodwin, Jojo Gabuya and Akiko Miyake-Stoner (chair) at the National Workshop on Christian Unity.   2023 National Workshop on Christian Unity took place in Milwaukee, WI from May 8 - 11.    The theme for the 2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “Do Good; Seek Justice (Isaiah 1:17),”  served as theme for NWCU 2023. Theologian-in-Residence...