Day Two: May 11, 2016
Alabama-West Florida Delegates Gather at Conference
The Alabama-West Florida General Conference delegates proudly gather at a break at Tuesday's Opening Worship service. With them are Bishop and Mrs. Paul Leeland and other conference friends. The group is using a GroupMe app to organize, gather and relay pertinent information to one another. The delegation is led by Dr. Steve Furr and Dr. Lawson Bryan. Photo courtesy of Pat Luna, lay delegate.
AWF Delegates Elected to Lead GC Committee Work
Today began the legislative process of General Conference with delegates meeting in their assigned committees. Each legislative committee elects a chair, vice-chair and secretary. In addition, if the legislative committee votes to have subcommittees, chairs will be elected for those. Rev. Robin Wilson, co-senior pastor at Dauphin Way UMC in Mobile, AL, was elected as the chair of the Discipleship Committee and Dr. Lawson Bryan, senior minister at Montgomery FUMC, was elected to chair one of the three sub committees of the Financial Administration Committee.
Primary sources of legislation are petitions and proposals from churches, agencies and organizations. Petitions must be submitted 210 days before the opening of the conference. Any organization, ordained minister or lay member of the church may petition the General Conference. Approximately 1,000 pieces of legislation are expected at the 2016 assembly, down slightly from the 2012 conference.The bulk of General Conference happens in legislative committees, which receive petitions and proposals, debate them, and determine whether to approve, amend, combine or disapprove them for recommendation to the full body of General Conference. To learn more about the legislative process, click here.
The Alabama-West Florida delegates are on the following committees:
Steve Furr, laity: Church & Society 2
Pat Luna, laity: Judicial Administration
Beverly Maddox, laity: Faith & Order
Clara Ester, laity: Church & Society 1
Dawn Hare, laity; General Administration
Lawson Bryan, clergy: Financial Administration
Larry Bryars, clergy: Ministry & Higher Education/Superintendency
Jeremy Pridgeon, clergy: Conferences
Robin Wilson, clergy: Discipleship
John Brooks, clergy: Local Church
Frank Moore, laity alternate: Independent Commissions (no vote)
June Jernigan, clergy alternate: Global Ministry (no vote)
Legislation by committees can be found here. Click here for full AWF release.
Track AWF Legislation
Click here to see a list of petitions that were approved by the voting body at the 2015 Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference session. You may use the five-digit number beside each legislation piece to track the progress.
Rule 44 With Committee Until Thursday
In ordering their work on Tuesday, May 10, the 2016 General Conference delegates adopted all but one rule recommended by the commission that plans The United Methodist Church’s legislative gathering. This rule, known as Rule 44, has been put forth by the commission as a Discernment Process that might provide a template for dealing with contentious issues in the life of the church. After discussion this morning, an initial motion to indefinitely table the rule was approved by a narrow margin of eight votes. A follow-up motion was then made to "untable" the rule. This vote passed by thirty votes, yet proposed amendments came from the floor. Because of these suggested amendments, it must go back to the rules committee for a recommendation tomorrow. More discussion about Rule 44 will begin at approximately 8:45am (11:45 EST). Click here for more. Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.
Episcopal Address Given by Palmer, Guest Preacher at AC 2016
(UMNS) - Bishop Gregory V. Palmer laid out a path for the 2016 United Methodist General Conference: humility, humility, humility. “Everyone here is a child of God. Any behavior to the contrary of that truth undermines the gospel and is a choice to live beneath our privilege,” Palmer, who serves the West Ohio Episcopal Area, said in the episcopal address on May 11. The Council of Bishops chose Palmer to deliver this speech, which he said was an opportunity to try to set the tone for the gathering. Full story here. Click here to read transcript of sermon. Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.
AWF Delegate Prayer & Profile
"Almighty and everlasting God, we ask for your wisdom and guidance as we engage in discussions and make decisions for the general church. Our church has spent the last four years preparing for this general conference. Help us to move in the right direction, so we can accomplish the business that's before us. Fill us with your grace, so that we can bring light to those in darkness and prepare a table where all of your children can be fed. We pray that all delegates will have open minds, open hearts, and a spirit of love; so that, we can move forward in building Your kingdom. In Christ's name we pray. Amen."
-Clara Ester
Clara is a deaconess and a member of Toulminville-Warren Street UMC in the Mobile District where she is the district lay leader. She serves on the district board of trustees and the district CORE team. She is also on the conference board of laity and committee on episcopacy. This is her first time to serve as a general conference delegate and was on the 2012 jurisdictional delegation.
Tomorrow's Highlights
Streaming Schedule (Reminder: All times are Pacific Standard, UTC-7)
- 8:00 AM: Worship (10:00 CDT)
- 8:45 AM: Plenary Session (10:30 CDT)
Stay Connected
Live stream: Follow the action with live streaming video. Don’t miss a minute of the big event.
Social Media: The GC Twitter account will show a real-time conversation. Follow @UMCGC to get the 4-1-1 and join the global conversation using the hashtag #UMCGC. For AWF tweets, use #AWFGC. Follow General Conference on Facebook to stay well informed.
Digital Lounge: Stay clued in by visiting the digital lounge to watch interviews with notables and newsmakers, as well as folks who are out of the spotlight but critical to the event’s success.
Mobile App: The General Conference mobile app has everything you need in the palm of your hand.
United Methodist News Service: United Methodist News Service will be posting breaking news stories all day, every day, as well as in-depth coverage and analysis. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter or, subscribe to the UMNS daily digest and get the news in your inbox; then click to learn more.
GC Website: Find everything in one place at the General Conference website for an easy, user-friendly experience.
Miss One?
If you were unable to catch the action of General Conference, click on the daily archive below for Alabama-West Florida Conference daily updates.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
