Annual Conference

To raise awareness of food insecurity in our part of North Carolina, our NCC Mission Team constructed models of iconic Eastern NC structures out of cans of food. These five thousand plus cans of food were procured at a discounted price by several major groceries in our state and will be given to the major Food Banks in Eastern North Carolina at the end of AC 2022. Additional donations of cans were received in the lobby bins. All of the food will be distributed to Food Banks in eastern and central North Carolina.

Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. USDA statistics show that 20-25% of people in our Conference Area are food insecure depending on the county in which they live. Contact Rev. Bill Haddock if you have questions at (910) 262-3831 or revbillh@nccumc.org.

At Saturday’s Ordering of Ministry worship service, members of Annual Conference and many special guests, friends, and family assembled to celebrate and honor 52 people who said to the Lord, “Here I am, send me.”

Bishop Leonard E. Fairley celebrated the call to ministry being answered, “Here we are gathered brothers and sisters, to give witness that in the community of faith, there are men and women, young and old, who have heard the answer to a deeper calling!”

He then asked all gathered: “If you had to say what is the most defining moment of an Annual Conference, what would you say? Is it passing the budget? Is it nominations? Is it resolutions and debate or reading of appointments? Let me suggest that this service is our defining moment – sending men and women into the world to take authority, to administer the sacraments, to order the life of the church and bridge the gap between the church and the world.”

Throughout his sermon, Bishop Fairley spoke of the relevance of theotókos (God-bearers) like Samuel and Mary who said, “Here I am.” He reminded those gathered of Isaiah’s Ministry of God when the Lord asks, ”Whom shall I send?” Isaiah responded, “Here am I; send me.”

Fairley reminded the candidates, “God will never cease speaking into your heart and in your soul and in your spirit. Please do not allow the distractions to make you miss the voice of God saying, ‘Do you love me more than these? Feed my sheep. Tend my lambs.’…Because the sheep belong to Jesus, you do not get to choose who is in and who is out. Remember, as my grandma used to say: ‘You have no Heaven or hell to put anyone in.’ Jesus has chosen you. Feed his sheep.”

As part of the service, candidates who were to be licensed, commissioned, certified, and ordained were introduced by leaders in their respective areas. Anggie Thompson, lay minister, and John Hall, Conference Lay Leader, presented the lay ministers. Brenda Brown, Deaconess, presented the candidate for deaconess (a vocational ministry for laity).

Rev. Laura Fine Ledford, Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, presented to Bishop Fairley those whose call to ministry was recognized and who had been approved by the Board to be licensed as local pastors, commissioned as part of the process of becoming ordained, and those who had completed that process and were to be ordained as deacons or elders.

“You have heard the call of God upon your life for this work, the voice of God saying to you, ‘Look! I have made you for extraordinary purposes,’” noted Fairley. “Today, we celebrate with joy that each of you have simply replied, ‘Here we are Lord. Send us.’ You have simply answered, ‘Speak Lord for your servant is listening. Here we are, servants of the Lord. Let it be according to your Word.’”

During the ceremony, Bishop Paul L. Leeland extended greetings on behalf of the denomination’s Council of Bishops. He referenced the spiritual gifts of Isaiah, and wished the Ordering of Ministry candidates wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength to do the right thing, spiritual knowledge, and fear of the Lord.

In keeping with the week’s emphasis on celebrating the diversity within our conference, Rev. Edith Salazar-Veliz, Rev. Tyler Muller-Yoder, and Rev. Seyun Hwang read Philippians 1:1-6 in Spanish, English, and Korean, respectively.

Bishop Fairley closed with this challenge, “Please don’t chase an appointment. Please don’t chase a pension. Please don’t chase a salary. Chase the more excellent way. Be God-bearers. Be theotókos.”

Commissioned as Deaconess

Josey Bridges Snyder

Certified Lay Ministers

Raymond Burkart
Sherry Coombs
Judith Curtis
Ann Davis
Jeanne Murray
Pattie Porter
Michelle Taylor Skipper
Ken Smith
Susan Usher

Licensed for Pastoral Ministry

Elias Ballew
William Radford Frazier
Coy Edwin Garrett, Jr.
Donna Hammond
Earl Hardy, Jr.
Amanda Hedden
David Helbig
Marisol Hernandez
Krysha Jamis
Kudakwashe Kagura
Eunsoo Kang
Michael Larbi
Kate Locklear
Pete Mace
Joshua Nichols
Tammy Taylor
Rebecca Turner
Jennifer Wise

Commissioned

Stephen Travis Bazan  
Jacob Marshall Dye  
Mark Edward Gustafson  
Rachel Elise Kwashe  
Stephan Thomas Margeson
Kathryn Michelle Medinas-Lockley
Rachel Marie Meyers
Brandon Jesse Miller
Willie Elmer Murray, Jr.
Catherine Earle Neal
Tobi Anne Nguyen
Donald Clayton Parker
Damion Taj Quaye
Elijah Mick Raynor
Cassidy Anna Salter
Britney Ann Toner

Ordained as Deacon

Hannah Nicole Bryn
Adam Kenneth Ledbetter-Bock

Ordained as Elder

Ernesto Enrique Barriguete
Constance Spence Belmore
Hope Elizabeth Ledbetter-Bock
Jason Bradley Leighton
Garrett Michael Rea
Jamie Lee Thompson

Special Called Session in November 2022

Special Called session of Annual Conference is set for Saturday, November 19, 2022 at Jarvis Memorial UMC: Greenville for the purpose of ratifying the disaffiliation agreements for local churches who have decided to leave the denomination.

Annual Conference 2023 Scheduled

Annual Conference 2023 is set for June 14-17, 2023 and is returning to the Greenville Convention Center.

On Saturday morning, the business of the Annual Conference returned to consideration of the last three resolutions as found on pages 94-97 in the Conference workbook.

Rev. Laura Johnson from Apex UMC, in a point of personal privilege, explained that people were asking her about the purpose of resolutions at Annual Conference. Johnson stated that resolutions are written “to raise awareness, to make statements, to seek out our call to justice. We are people, in our baptism vows, who commit to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. And resolutions are a way for us, as people of faith, to discuss those forms of evil, oppression, and injustice when we see them in our lives. These resolutions are prayerfully written and offered to us for consideration.”

5. Resolution 5 was submitted to Annual Conference from the Youth. It encourages equal pay between clergymen and clergywomen. This resolution does not provide a specific solution to this endemic issue, but it does call attention to it. Ken Smith from Angier UMC made an amendment to equalize housing allowances between men and women. However, Lisa Reynolds from the Corridor District made an amendment to the amendment to move that change to the “therefore be it be resolved” section of the resolution. That change to the amendment was accepted by the Annual Conference, and the resolution passed by a majority vote.

6. Resolution 6 came from a committee of the Annual Conference, UM Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM). It encouraged and commended all churches to support the work of UMVIM with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Because it was submitted by a committee, this resolution was presented automatically before the Annual Conference and was passed by a majority vote.

7. Resolution 7 came from the North Carolina Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action and encourages the Annual Conference to be a welcoming community of disciples that “shall continue to open the doors of inclusion of all God’s children, including LGBTQIA+ persons.”

• MFSA member and one of the authors of the resolution, Henry Jarrett, spoke on the resolution saying, “The intent of this resolution is to continue moving forward realizing that yes, we are going to continue to disagree with each other. Families have disagreements… we work through them, and we pray over them. But we move forward as a church, lovingly disagreeing with each other.”

• Rev. Paul Stallsworth from the Heritage District spoke against the resolution and stated that we are “citizens of a divided and polarized nation… and a divided and polarized church. We have been together this week, fellowshipping, eating, worshipping, and working together. It has not always been easy. But because of God’s help and forgiveness, and the Bishop’s good encouragement, we have persisted.” He said that the resolution, which calls for unity and inclusion, is excluding those who disagree.

• After further discussion for and against, the question was called, and Resolution 7 passed by majority vote.

Rev. Ben Wolf thanked the four laity and four clergy serving on the Resolutions Committee.

Wolf noted that the amended resolutions passed on Friday and Saturday would be posted at nccumc.org/ac2022/resolutions. He encouraged churches to use the resolutions as resources for discussion and study.

Early in the morning, before the sun fully rose, nearly 100 members of the North Carolina Annual Conference gathered for fellowship and exercise. The ‘Glow in Greenville’ 5k Run/Walk follows in a long tradition of run/walks as part of Annual Conference from the days of gathering in the Fayetteville area. There was particular joy of reconnecting in person after two years of virtual gathering.

The route, which winds through several neighborhoods behind the Convention Center, is flat and shady. Participants ranged from Boston Marathon competitors to casual walkers, including youth, conference staff, clergy, and laity. A total of 20 conference leaders, including Cabinet members, spread across the route to encourage racers and point them in the right direction toward the finish line.

A special highlight of the 2022 Run/Walk was the NC Clergy Spouse Association hosting a post-event refreshments table – open to participants and conference members – to foster space for fellowship and community building.

Many thanks to all of the planners and volunteers who made the event possible. We look forward to seeing you at the 2023 AC Run/Walk!