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The United Methodist Church’s General Conference will start on Tuesday, April 23, in Charlotte, NC. It is a long time coming (delayed for four years by the global pandemic) and much anticipated.
I am honored to be one of the clergy delegates representing the South Carolina Annual Conference in Charlotte. Over the past five years, our delegation of 8 laity, 8 clergy, reserve delegates, and 16 delegates to the Southeastern Jurisdiction Conference have met regularly. We have read legislative proposals. We have prayed for faithful outcomes. We hope to be as prepared as possible for the 10 days of General Conference meetings.
If you would like a basic introduction to General Conference, watch this video. If you’d like more information about this specific General Conference, click here. You can livestream large portions of the General Conference (beginning April 23 at 2 PM), by going to the
Livestream Link. Watch as much as you would like. The first week you’ll mostly be able to watch orientation and worship events as the delegates will spend a good bit of time in legislative committee work. The second week (beginning Monday, April 29) will be the more interesting sessions. That’s when the conference will bring all the delegates together for discussion about the proposals before the General Conference. By Friday, May 3, we will have a clearer sense of the direction of the denomination for the foreseeable future. The Denomination Education Team looks forward to sharing a review of what happens during this General Conference with the congregation on Sunday, June 2, at 3 PM. A helpful resource for General Conference matters and for United Methodist news in general is UMNews.
All of those links should give you plenty to review between now and Tuesday. In addition to reviewing this, I ask you to be in prayer for the United Methodist Church, the General Conference, the delegates and the many others who will be part of this major gathering, and for local churches.
The local churches provide, as the United Methodist Book of Discipline says in paragraph 201, “the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.” Our focus remains on disciple-making among our congregation, in our community, and in the places around the state, country, and world we are called to serve. That’s what we do now to participate in the eternal Kingdom of God.
Speaking of now, I encourage you to continually check the NOW button (linked below) on our website. That’s the best way to get the most up to date information about what’s happening, including with studies, fellowship opportunities, ministry service, and more. Always click the “Load More” tab at the bottom of the NOW page to see more of what’s coming.
You’ll find matters on the NOW page that aren’t necessarily calendar items. There are some other happenings that need your attention that might not fall on the NOW page. The pastors will try to draw your attention to a few of those each week with brief ministry notes at the end of our Pastor’s Notes. But we won’t be able to lift them all before you, so please continue to check the NOW page.
Ministry notes this week:
● Your Growth Group or class can support Foster Care families with baskets of fun
and encouragement - check with pastor Isaac Dusenbury for more details.
● Stephen Ministry is looking forward to its next caregiver training. Click here to
learn more: Stephen Ministry.
● Blessing of the Inlet t-shirts are on sale. Those interested in helping with this year’s
Blessing should contact Cherry Fisher-Bryan (cherrylee73@hotmail.com) or the church office (843-651-5099).
● Dinner for Eight is going well - delicious food and great conversation - register here.
I look forward to worshiping with you at Belin Memorial UMC this Sunday as we move into the Book of Exodus. Keep reading the Bible.
See you Sunday,
Will
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