Due to ongoing COVID-19 developments and in the spirit of Wespath’s commitment to caring for those who serve, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 in-person revItup! and Clergy Benefits Academy events. Instead, in November we will once again host “Delivered to You,” an online event open to all active UMC clergy members. This news was communicated in the Wespath Update sent out August 11 and 12. More information about dates, times, cost and registration is available at https://www.wespath.org/events. We look forward to the day when we can meet safely in person; for now, we anticipate a lively, informative online event in November with “Delivered to You!”
Events
Virtual District Gatherings with Bishop Fairley
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As we previously announced, the district gatherings with Bishop Leonard Fairley will be held virtually over Zoom. The dates and times that were originally published for each district are the same:
- Gateway: Wednesday, September 8
- Sound: Thursday, September 9
- Heritage: Friday, September 10
- Beacon: Tuesday, September 14
- Harbor: Wednesday, September 15
- Fairway: Thursday, September 16
- Corridor: Monday, September 20
- Capital: Thursday, September 23
There will be two gatherings for each district on the dates listed above. The clergy will gather at 3:00 pm, and the laity will gather at 7:00 pm. Clergy who cannot meet at 3:00 pm are encouraged to attend the 7:00 pm meeting.
You will need to register for the meeting you plan to attend. Once you have registered, you will receive the link for the Zoom meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your AADS or the District Office.
Changes to Upcoming Conference Gatherings
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As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 trends, including increases in cases and hospitalizations, and out of a desire to “do no harm” as we look ahead to opportunities to gather across our connection, the Cabinet and Conference Leadership have made the following changes to upcoming events.
Bishop Fairley’s Welcome Service and District Gatherings
Welcome Service
The September 19 Service of Welcome for Bishop Leonard Fairley and his wife Dawn has been canceled. In its place, Bishop Fairley will deliver a message to the Conference. As the details for this are finalized, we will share that information and an invitation with you.
District Gatherings
The in-person District Gatherings with Bishop Fairley will now take place via Zoom. The schedule for the gatherings remains the same. Look for more information on how to join the Zoom meetings (by computer, mobile device, or phone) soon.
Charge Conferences
This year’s Charge Conference sessions will be virtual. The Cabinet and AADSs are finalizing the details and will share the information with you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your flexibility and your patience with these changes. We base these decisions on a commitment to keep one another safe and seek the health and well-being of all involved. While we will certainly miss the opportunity to be physically present with one another at these meetings, we look forward to a time when we can once again be gathered together in our sacred spaces.
We continue praying for all who bring healing and wholeness to our world, those who give care to the sick, and those affected by COVID-19.
ACS Celebrates 70 Years
ACS (Annual Conference Session for youth) celebrated its 70th anniversary recently. The event, a parallel of the Annual Conference gathering held every year for clergy and laity, is a week-long youth event for senior high youth of the North Carolina Conference. For 70 years, youth have gathered for worship, fellowship, and mission in places like Duke University and Methodist University campuses.
At this year’s ACS event, held at Camp Rockfish, there was a special program on Tuesday night to commemorate the milestone anniversary. In addition to the youth attendees and adult staff, ACS alumni were invited to join in the celebration. Several alumni made the trip, taking the opportunity to remember and give thanks for the event and its impact, not only on their lives but on the North Carolina Conference and beyond.
A significant part of the program was a video compiled from interviews, pictures, and other footage shared by alumni. The video includes messages from past presidents who were unable to attend the event in person.
We give thanks for the ministry of ACS and its legacy among the youth and adults of our Conference. We pray that this good work, along with all of the opportunities offered by Conference Youth Ministry, will continue to impact and change lives, and we look forward to celebrating for many years to come.
Apportionments Workshop August 26, 2021
The Treasurer’s Office will hold an online workshop on Thursday, August 26, 2021, from 11:00 to noon on connectional giving and apportionment calculations. Apportionment reports were emailed to pastors in July. We will review the reports and discuss how information is gathered, apportionments are calculated, and funding is used for ministry. Please register for this event by clicking this registration link. More information will be provided to those who register prior to the event. We look forward to seeing you soon!
SEJ Conference Update (Updated 7/19/2021)
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UPDATE: Link to watch the special session: www.sejumc.org
Jurisdictional Conference session
July 21, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern (9:00 a.m. Central) time.
AGENDA
The call for a Special Session issued by Bishop Lawson Bryan on May 26, 2021, stated the following agenda:
In accordance with ¶521.4 of The Book of Discipline, the special session of the Jurisdictional Conference shall be limited to the following agenda items:
- Vote to authorize the formation of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church
- Receive a report from the Southeastern Jurisdiction on the pandemic response in the jurisdiction and the work of antiracism across the jurisdiction and the work of the jurisdiction moving forward into the next 18 months
We will begin and end our time together in worship.
We will be voting to unite the Tennessee and Memphis Conferences to form the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference. The resolution on which we will vote can be found here. Important information about the uniting of these two conferences may be found on the web site at www.twkumc.org. The “About” drop-down menu houses answers to questions you may have; also, you will find many articles and updates related to the uniting at https://twkumc.org/articles-about-our-new-conference/.
STATEMENT from SEJ Committee on Episcopacy Regarding Episcopal Assignments
You can find a statement from the Southeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy here.