Statistician for the North Carolina Conference, Rev. Dennis Peay, shared the story behind the numbers during his presentation. He shared a membership snapshot of 136,130 based on 438 reporting churches. Rev. Peay celebrated 749 Baptisms with 518 children and 231 ages 13 and above.

In Mission Giving:

• NC Conference UWFaith gave $622,597, an increase of $26,523
• NC Conference Youth gave $585,430, an increase of $81,141
• UMM gave $635,817, a decrease of $1,048,565

In Mission Service:

• 1,237,280 persons were served with missions, an increase of 135,184
• 2,839 were served in outreaches focused on justice and mercy

Rev. Peay noted these were not lines in the budget; they were a mission field. He told the attendees, “when our church sizes were down, we gave more to serve and care for our neighbors. This is connectional church at its best.” 

Resolutions

Chairman of the Resolutions Committee, Rev. William Sabiston, brought forward several resolutions during the Thursday night Plenary session. 

Resolution XI: Access to Affordable Healthcare 
The committee recommended the resolution for approval. One person spoke in favor of the committee recommendation, and the resolution passed.

Resolution VII: Resolution Concerning Overly Restrictive Phone Policies in Schools 
The committee did not recommend the resolution for approval. Students speaking on behalf of the resolution passionately shared their concerns about a specific restriction used in Chatham County schools called a “Yondr Pouch.” Students believed the device was too restrictive. 

One former superintendent of schools and one educator also spoke from the heart against the resolution sharing the utmost concerns for the safety of students and staff, but noting the use of cell phones by students was a real issue during not only the regular school day, but when emergencies arise. 

The question was called, and the motion was not approved.

Resolution II: Repairing the Breach
The committee presented this resolution with a motion to refer it to the Committee on Christian Unity. After discussion from those who wanted the motion from committee not to pass because they wanted to stand firmly against the resolution itself, the question was called, and the motion from committee was not approved. 

The original resolution was then put to a vote, and the resolution was not approved.

Nominations

The Nominations Report found on page 63 of the workbook was presented by Dr. Christine Dodson. The report was approved as amended.

Article written by Kim R. Smith
Photos by Chris Daniel