Friday morning, the NCC General Conference delegation offered their report in the form of prayers. The Rev. Gray Southern, opened the presentation, saying, “Your sisters and brothers who were honored to go as delegates…have come back to ask you to pray with us as we offer prayers of thanksgiving for what God did through that… Continue Reading→
connections: A Tradition after General Conference
Bishop Ward explains a tradition, begun in 1812, of the bishops sending a letter to all churches at the conclusion of General Conference.
General Conference 2016: May 20 Wrap Up
General Conference delegates on May 20 approved a general church budget of $604 million for 2017-2020, a slight increase over the $603.1 million approved at the 2012 General Conference. It is also an increase over the $599 million budget proposed to the 2016 General Conference delegates, which would have been The United Methodist Church’s lowest… Continue Reading→
General Conference 2016: May 19 Wrap Up
A day after tabling potentially contentious legislation on human sexuality, General Conference 2016 moved through its calendar at a steady clip, possibly noticing that time to finish its task is running short. Though discussion on the difficult subject was avoided, that other difficult subject — money — had to be addressed. Would the “way forward”… Continue Reading→
Delegate Stories: Ellen Beasley and Tim Reaves
During General Conference 2016, we are going to feature delegate stories from our NC Conference delegates, so you can learn more about them and the committees they will be serving. Here are the questions we asked: Tell us about how you came to know Jesus. Tell us about your committee. What do you feel is… Continue Reading→
General Conference 2016: May 18 Wrap Up
Last week it was debating how to debate. Today, it was voting on whether to vote. A day of tension, frustration and confusion ended in a decision to “put a pin in it.” Delegates to General Conference 2016 spent most of the day deciding whether to move forward on dozens of petitions regarding the denomination’s… Continue Reading→
General Conference 2016: May 17 Wrap Up
General Conference 2016 may have started off slowly, but it’s full steam ahead now. On a day with a full docket, delegates considered whether to give $20 million to a group of church growth consultants, whether to eliminate lifetime tenures for U.S. bishops and whether it’s time to create a new hymnal. All that while… Continue Reading→
Delegate Stories: Jacob Beasley & LaNella Smith
During General Conference 2016, we are going to feature delegate stories from our NC Conference delegates, so you can learn more about them and the committees they will be serving. Here are the questions we asked: Tell us about how you came to know Jesus. Tell us about your committee. What do you feel is… Continue Reading→
General Conference 2016: May 14 Wrap Up
Worship, an address by young people and a silent protest for LGBTQ inclusion began Day Five of General Conference 2016, which ended with final legislative committee meetings. Young people’s address inspires While only two young people spoke on the General Conference stage Saturday morning, thousands more stood with them. Chelsea Spyres of Detroit and Peter… Continue Reading→