Opening worship for the 2025 Annual Conference Session of the North Carolina Conference began with members of the Pilgrimage House Band leading the congregation in singing “Who You Say I Am”, “Move”, and “What a Beautiful Name”. The call to worship then reminded those gathered that love is needed to live and to sing.

Bishop Connie Mitchell Shelton opened her sermon with a celebration of Pentecost. She said that connections and relationships are important in faith walks and encouraged everyone to be humble and not to give into negativity.

Shelton spoke about her recent study tour to Greece and Turkey and how the experience transformed her understanding of Paul’s letters. “Early last week, a group of 35 United Methodists from across our North Carolina Conference returned from Greece and Turkey, after an immersion in the life, history, culture, and communities of the apostle Paul. I was moved when we read the Acts of the Apostles while at the physical sites described in the scriptures. I was holding tightly to the words of Jesus in Acts 1, before his ascension, ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses. In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”

She showed pictures of Ephesus, a thriving port city when Paul ministered there. “Our time of reflection [in Ephesus] is forever etched on my heart and mind. With the wind blowing through our gathered community as we sat on marble remnants of stones, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles … the story of Paul and the riots that erupted as he proclaimed the good news of Jesus … a direct threat to the Artemis cult and the craftsman’s trade. And we remembered together, it was from Ephesus, in the midst of riots and rejection, Paul wrote the first letter to the church at Corinth,” she said.

Shelton reiterated that Christians are Pentecost people who love boldly and reminded the congregation that Paul’s message challenged the powerful and liberated the oppressed. She then showed photos where Lydia, the first European convert, was baptized.  

Shelton expressed that pastors can be afraid to preach about current events because they may be criticized for promoting a progressive agenda. She emphasized that, “We are Pentecost people. We are the body of Christ because God loved us first. Diversity is not a threat but an expression of who God is.”

Shelton’s message echoed the denomination’s new vision statement: “The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.”

The service ended with the celebration of holy communion officiated by Shelton and Rev. Ben Roberts.