April 25 wrap-up: Regionalization gets go-ahead, Eurasia leaves

The plenary session on Day 3 of General Conference produced two historic moments: the passage of a constitutional amendment that aims to put The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions on equal footing and the approval of four Eurasia conferences’ official departure from the denomination.

Bishop Eduard Khegay, episcopal leader of the Eurasia Area, gave a moving farewell speech following the passage of a petition that will enable four Eurasian annual conferences to become autonomous. He expressed gratitude to the denomination, using the phrase for “thank you” in Russian: “Bolshoe spasibo.”

Read more at this link.

Young people share fears, hopes for future church

Young people have likened the current happenings in The United Methodist Church to a divorce with devastating effects on the children, but they asserted there is hope for a bright future.

To thunderous applause, Alejandra Salemi of the Florida Conference said the denomination’s lawmaking assembly is being held “in the midst of what feels like an emotional whirlpool that only something like divorce proceedings can stir up.”

“We’ve tried to call what our church has gone through over the past season many things — a schism, a separation, a split, disaffiliations … and no matter what we call it, it still feels, to me, like a divorce,” she said.

Salemi told delegates attending the postponed 2020 General Conference that the younger generation is feeling the weight of the emotional, mental and spiritual trauma that comes with separation and disaffiliations.

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April 24 wrap-up: Legislative committee work begins

The second day of General Conference shifted from the celebratory opening worship to getting down to the business of the church, as delegates began working in their legislative committees and electing their chairs.

Leaders presented a sober picture of United Methodist finances, including the need to reduce bishops. At the same time, delegates heard hope for the denomination to pivot from church exits to revitalization.

Against a backdrop of past conflicts and division, both the Episcopal and Young People’s addresses offered hope for the denomination that will go forward from this gathering.

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Delegates urged to ‘restart’ church with less

United Methodist leaders challenged General Conference delegates to chart a brighter future for the denomination — but to do so with significantly less funds and fewer bishops.

At the first gathering of the policymaking body since a quarter of the denomination’s U.S. churches left, the delegates heard sobering news about the financial state of The United Methodist Church.

Before the delegates is a proposed denomination-wide budget that would be its lowest in 40 years. It also represents the biggest budget drop in the denomination’s history.

“This is a General Conference that must send clear signals to the local church,” said incoming Council of Bishops President Tracy Malone, “that we are keenly aware that the loss of membership and the decline of sustainability has a direct influence on the amount of funds available to support ministry.”

Read more at this link.

Looking good!

Each Wednesday morning @ 9 AM, faithful servants of the church can be found tending to the St. Paul's UMC campus.

Wednesday with the Wesleys

 You want no direction from me how to employ your time. I thank God for his inspiring you with a resolution of being faithful in improving that important talent committed to your trust... I see nothing in the disposition of your time but what I approve, unless it be that you do no assign enough of it to meditation, which is (I conceive) incomparably the best means to spiritualize our affections, confirm our judgments, and add strength to our pious resolutions of any exercise whatever.

~Susanna Annesley Wesley (letter to son John, March 30, 1734)

April 23 wrap-up: After years of delay, General Conference begins

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton gives the sermon
 during opening worship

The long-delayed 2020 General Conference began April 23 with another slight delay, this time by the fire marshal. During an inspection before opening worship, it was determined there was a lack of sufficient fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and emergency exit signage in the plenary hall of the Charlotte Convention Center.

Once the issue was resolved, the General Conference, postponed by four years and a few minutes, finally began with United Methodist bishops marching to the altar to the strains of Charles Wesley’s “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”

Read more at this link.