The Greenville Convention Center is the site of the 2009 Annual Conference of the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church from June 10 through 13. The theme for the 2009-2012 quadrennium is “A Future With Hope.” For 2009, the focus will be on Learning.
Bishop Al Gwinn will preside over the conference with the assistance of Conference Lay Leader Emily Innes and Conference Secretary Rev. Jerry Bryan.
The featured conference speaker will be Rev. Adam Hamilton of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. He is a highly sought after speaker and his church has grown exponentially. Rev. Hamilton will offer three teaching sessions on Friday on “Leading Beyond the Walls: Lessons in Leadership, Worship, Preaching, and Evangelism.” This year’s worship and music leader is Elise Eslinger. She has served in numerous congregations, Conference ministries, and helped found the Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation for which she compiled and edited the Upper Room Worshipbook, now in its third printing.
Other highlights include the commissioning and ordination of new clergy, early morning Communion, Bible Studies led by Rev. Grace Hackney, and workshops and a Taizé worship service that are new to conference this year. Finally, amendments to the Constitution of The United Methodist Church, already approved by General Conference, come before our conference this year for possible ratification. Clergy and lay members of the Annual Conference vote by ballot cards.