The North Carolina Conference General and Jurisdictional C
As the delegation began preparing for the 2020 General and Jurisdictional conferences, the delegation met on June 27 to review the jurisdictional and annual conference procedures for nominating a clergyperson from the NC Conference to be considered for the episcopacy. Nominations were received and potential candidates were contacted with news of their nominations. These persons were given ten days to discern this nomination and submit a biographical statement to the delegation secretary to indicate their interest in being considered to move forward. Those who indicated interest were invited to be interviewed by the delegation on July 30, according to the process outlined in the NC Annual Conference Rules. The interview process consisted of four sections including a ten-minute presentation from the candidate, ten minutes to respond to questions sent to the candidates in advance, ten minutes of questions from the delegation, and a one-minute closing statement. The same process was followed with all nominees with the same questions being asked in each interview.
Following the interviews and voting, Rev. Gleaves was selected by the delegation to be the episcopal nominee from the North Carolina Conference. Christine Dodson, delegation chairperson, said, “The mission field is ripe and we need strong leaders in The United Methodist Church to lead us into God’s future for the UMC. We look forward to the opportunity for the Southeastern Jurisdiction to learn more about Edie and see what our Lord has done in her life preparing her for such a time as this.”
The next steps in this process will be providing information and opportunities for the rest of the Southeastern Jurisdiction to learn more about Rev. Gleaves. The delegation will work through a process to share information leading up to the 2020 Jurisdictional Conference. Rev. Gleaves accepted the nomination by the General and Jurisdictional Conference delegation and shared:
“What a blessing and honor it is to be selected as the episcopal nominee by this awesome North Carolina Conference delegation! We believe the best is yet to come for the life of The United Methodist Church. With the power of the Holy Spirit, and your support which I hope you will give, I will be a bishop who will help lead us to realize a brighter future for our Church.
With God’s people, I will strive to encourage pastors and congregations to follow the Holy Spirit, connect with each other, reach out to ALL unchurched neighbors, and work towards the full inclusivity of ALL God’s children at every level of the life of the Church.
Thank you for giving me the honor of this opportunity.”