April 5, 2016
Annual Conference 2016 is quickly approaching! This year's theme is the fourth part of the SEND Model many in the conference have adopted. It is, "The Great Commission: Sending Disciples." We are most appreciative to Dr. Tim Thompson and his staff at Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery, AL, for hosting us again this year as well as Dr. Lawson Bryan and his staff at Montgomery FUMC for hosting the ordination and commissioning service. This year we welcome Bishop Gregory Palmer and Dr. Kevin Watson as special guests. We are honored to announce that Robert McMichael and Jarvis Wilson will be leading our music once again. Please note several changes to annual conference.
Annual conference is Sunday, June 12-Wednesday, June 15, 2016. The reservation system is available by clicking here. Use this system only if you or members in your group wish to reserve a meal, volunteer for the Upper Room prayer line, participate in the Biometric Health Screening (persons under the conference health plan), and/or reserve nursery care that is available during a worship service. This system is not registering attendance to annual conference. Attendance is marked and counted at the registration/check-in table inside the host church. On-site registration will open on Sunday at 3:00pm.
This year's missional offering is for the Alabama-West Florida Disaster Response & Recovery Ministry. We will joyfully collect this offering at opening worship on Sunday, June 12. A bulletin insert will follow in the coming days.
We are excited to invite choir members from around the conference to participate in the Opening Worship Mass Choir. Choir directors who are interested in bringing members to participate should contact Wayne Sigler at Frazer Memorial UMC. Details about the evening and music selection information may be found here.
Meals will again be served at Frazer Memorial UMC for Monday and Tuesday lunch as well as the Laity Banquet Tuesday evening. Please make a reservation by clicking here if you plan to eat meals on campus or attend the banquet. Traditional group lunches may also choose to have their gatherings on campus and will arrange their own catering.
Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church is offering nursery care for children for the opening worship and memorial services. The Frazer nursery will be open 30 minutes prior to these two services. Montgomery FUMC will provide nursery care for the ordination/commissioning service. Both facilities offer this care for children up to five years of age. There is no charge for nursery care. Child care can be reserved here.
Please note the ordination and commissioning service will be a combined service this year. It will be Monday, June 13, starting at 7:00pm at Montgomery FUMC.
In order to be good stewards of the conference budget, we will again forego printed worship bulletins for several services. Instead, a downloadable "Guide to Annual Conference" pdf will be provided several weeks before annual conference. In it will be worship bulletins, pages that were previously bag inserts and other relevant notes. You may wish to access it on your computer, tablet or phone, or print a hard copy on your own to bring with you. Printed worship bulletins will be provided to family members at the memorial service as a keepsake. The traditional ordination/commissioning service bulletin will be a printed version, as usual.
Should you or your agency wish to submit a digital "insert," it must be laid out and submitted no later than April 15. It will go in the "Guide to Annual Conference" behind the agenda and worship bulletins that will be electronically distributed to all clergy and delegates. All inserts must be one page, 8.5 x 11 submitted as a pdf to marycatherine@awfumc.org. Please do not submit a brochure repurposed. Digital inserts should be a general overview of your ministry. No late submissions will be accepted. All submissions must be affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Your Brochure of Reports will be sent to your district office and either distributed at a gathering or picked up by each pastor. Please look for instructions from your district office. It is essential that you review this publication before arriving to annual conference. Should you choose the pdf download option, it is recommended that you download it from the conference Website before arriving at annual conference. As we confirm more cost-effective methods to print/distribute our conference journal, we will provide an updated link with information and instructions for ordering as soon as it is available.
Alabama-West Florida boards and agencies have been given priority for the limited number of available display spots. The deadline for their response is April 15. Other pertinent inquiries may go to traci@awfumc.org to be placed on a waiting list. Should there be openings, our conference registrar will contact you in order of request. Requests must be affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
We are again anticipating a great response to the request for
UMCOR relief kits and supplies. We are encouraging local churches and groups to continue to assemble these kits or collect supplies to make up kits. A truck from Coleman American will accept donations in the parking lot at Frazer Memorial UMC. We appreciate any group that is willing to continue this ministry and will gladly accept these donations at annual conference.
Click here for more.
As a reminder, we encourage you to prayerfully consider nominating someone for one of our conference awards: The Alice Lee Award, Jane Walker Scholarship Award, Francis Asbury Award, Harry Denman Evangelism Award and the Local Church Heritage Award. Click here for more information.
Blocked rooms, some with special rates for hotels in Montgomery, have been posted. Click here for an updated list.
We look forward to seeing you at annual conference in Montgomery, AL, June 12-June 15, 2016!
Mary Catherine Phillips
Director of Communications
