Epworth News

Epworth All Church Retreat | May 3-5, 2019 REGISTER TODAY! Epworth’s Annual All Church Retreat, nestled among the redwoods of the Monte Toyon retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains, is for all people from our littlest to our elders. Whether you have never been on an Epworth Retreat or you’ve been attending since before you can remember, there’s something for everyone! You can participate in as many of the organized activities as you like, or take the opportunity to read,

Epworth United Methodists reaffirm commitment to LGBTQI inclusion following divisive global vote Church releases public statement in response to Special General Conference FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA - Epworth United Methodist Church, in Berkeley, announces its rejection of the decision at the Special Session of the United Methodist General Conference in February. Epworth will not adhere to the vote or church doctrine which restricts LGBTQI clergy and acceptanc

REPORT BACK FROM THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE UMC -BILL MILLER When I left for St. Louis my expectation was that the Traditional Plan would prevail. In the abstract or intellectual sense, this sensibility takes on some manner of dissociation. I saw that look on a number of people I presumed to be supporting the Traditional Plan. It was the effect of knowing and then waiting for an unwanted (in their case wanted) event to pass, without outwardly acknowl

Beloved Epworth Community, The special general conference has concluded and the Traditionalist plan has prevailed. After the vote, the deep sense of sadness and resistance was expressed in the singing of “This is my story, this is my song,” and a liturgy that proclaimed that We Are the Church! At the same time, delegates and supporters of the plan that passed began singing a different song. It was an image of a deeply broken church. I put my head in my hands and wept, surroun

But now, this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze… Forget the former things; do not dwell on

The early Methodist movement was powered by adherents gathering in small groups to encourage and support each other in daily living. This year, our Lenten study will adopt this model and several different small groups will be forming. Small groups provide support for living out our commitment to Christ in our daily lives, more than can be provided by attendance at weekly services. We will meet to learn from each other how we apply Wesleyan principles of do no harm, do good, s

For trips along the coast I typically pack my bag with books. Flying means I have to separate the wheat from the chaff and winnow it down to two. My wife is more clever than I as she uses Kindle. For St. Louis I will pack two books: The Book of Discipline and Sylvie Simmons’ I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen. In preparing for this trip theologically, I have been distracted by many fears. Primarily I fear becoming the prototypical dyspeptic traveler: anticipating bad wea

"Theology and Empire" is the theme for this year’s Winter Bible Institute, an annual lecture series featuring Epworth-connected scholars, professors, poets, teachers, artists, theologians and other vocations. Our scholars hail from a wide range of disciplines and will be using their own particular lens to look at the many questions that face us as people of faith in an age of unbridled and trans-national power. Each event opens with presentation and concludes with a time for