Greetings from Charlotte! 

General Conference has started here in the “Queen’s City,”

and so far it’s going well!

We started with an Orientation for all delegates, explaining what to expect from the conference agenda, where legislation could be found, how the voting devices worked, etc.  Also – how to get around the Convention Center – which is a VERY large facility! 

Our IGRC (Illinois Great Rivers Conference) delegation is 5 clergy and 5 lay people. We’re missing one in this photo because she had to go get coffee! But Bishop Beard joined us instead. Here are our reserve delegates; do you see anybody you know?

Opening worship was wonderful (Worship at General Conference is always amazing!) – although we had a brief delay at the start, when the fire marshal decided there weren’t enough fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in the meeting hall for so many people.

Once the service started it was so inspiring. “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” sounds really amazing when there are actually a thousand tongues singing! Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the New York Annual Conference, gave an extraordinary sermon that got us ready to work together, and to be the Church together.

Bishop Thomas Bickerton

We did have a moment of regret early on, as we acknowledged that, of the 862 delegates who are supposed to be here, only 751 have so far arrived.  We lament the absence of so many members of our Body, and passed a resolution promising to do what we could this week to listen especially closely to Central Conference voices and concerns.

Wednesday morning we received several formal reports: 

• Episcopal Address, by Bishop Holston of South Carolina
• Young People’s Address, by Alejandra Salemi of the Florida Conference and Senesie T.A. Rogers of the Sierra Leone Conference
• Reports about the work done on the Revised Social Principles and Regionalization
• Financial Report (proposing a 41% reduction in budget for the next quadrennium)

Bishop Holsten

Young People's Address

Revised Social Principles

Financial Report

Then we were off to meet with our Legislative Committees for the first time – although many of us had been meeting in advance by Zoom: getting to know one another, and getting familiar with the legislation. This is the most well-prepared I feel like I have ever been for General Conference, because of these pre-Conference meetings.

Our delegation

reserves!

Pastor Sara and

Magrey DeVega

My Committee is called “Faith and Order.” Today we gathered for the first time in-person, and elected a chairperson, vice-chair and secretary, as well as two subcommittee chairs. I’m planning to volunteer tomorrow to be a subcommittee secretary; I’ve done that job before.  

There are 71 delegates on this committee, which deals primarily with issues of Doctrine, Theology, and Ordination. One of the most important items of business we will be covering this week is the removal of language prohibiting LGBTQIA+ persons from being ordained. First the petitions will be voted on by Subcommittee – probably tomorrow and the next day (Thursday and Friday).

By the end of Friday petitions will move from Subcommittee to the Full Faith and Order Legislative Committee, and be recommended, or not recommended, on Saturday. The recommendation of the committee will then be sent to the full General Conference plenary next week.

Be praying for us as we work together to make the United Methodist Church a place where all are welcome and God rejoices in us!

Love you all!

Pastor Sara