As part of preparation for Annual Conference, lay and clergy members are asked to view the Nominations report for boards, committees and teams of the Conference, now posted online at http://nccumc.org/secretary/annual-conference/. The document is lengthy, providing names of persons who have indicated interest in serving and names submitted in the Nominations Committee. As a Committee, several criteria for service were taken into consideration, including the nominee’s expressed desire to serve and the commitment of the North Carolina Conference to inclusivity. Wherever possible, diversity of age, gender and race/ethnicity was considered. In addition, lay and clergy, representing churches of small and large membership are included among the nominees. These leaders also should be persons of faith and commitment to principles of discipleship in their everyday life. The Nominations report will be presented on Wednesday afternoon. Due to the volume of material covered, please review the nominations prior to Conference and be prepared to elect these persons for the term indicated, which for most, is four years. While on the Annual Conference webpage, take a few minutes to read through the financial information and view the pre-conference briefing videos. Familiarizing yourself with these items will ensure that your Annual Conference 2012 will be one of informed decisions and full participation in all that is scheduled to occur.