April 26, 2024

AWF in the News

Davis Participate in GC Morning Worship on Thursday

Rev. Ashley Davis, AWF Director of Connectional Ministries, Assistant to the Bishop and reserve delegate, offered the Call to Worship at Thursday morning's worship service. It was a monumental day in the life of the United Methodist denomination. Rev. Davis reflected, “It was such an honor to participate in worship yesterday morning. The Holy Spirit moved in Bishop Easterling’s message and into our plenary session. Representing our conference and delegation is a moment I won’t soon forget.” Photo by Joscie Cutchens

Reserve Delegates Serve as Key Part of Team

Reserve delegates are a critical component of any General Conference delegation. While they might not be in the spotlight like main delegates, many of them are behind the scenes supporting, researching, organizing and most importantly praying. Reserves are officially elected as jurisdictional delegates but also serve in this support role at General Conference. Jurisdictional Conference delegations are twice as large as General Conference delegations; therefore it provides a built-in team of support. The Alabama-West Florida Conference has eight General Conference delegates, 16 Jurisdictional Conference delegates (that number includes the eight GC delegates) and several reserves to the 16. A formula, based on lay and clergy membership, determines the number of delegates from each conference. Every conference is guaranteed at least two — one clergy and one lay. “I see our delegation as ONE team, regardless of our 'position' in the order of election,” stated Rev. Emily Kincaid, delegation head. “We have been working as a team since the day we were elected, and it shows. While there are eight of us sitting in the official seats in the voting bar, the other team members are ready to step up at a moment’s notice to lead. Our reserves will be needed as the long days take their toll. During these first days, our reserves have been phenomenal at organizing and stepping up to serve or observe in each legislative committee. They have also been researching, communicating, and simply being present to show support. We rejoice that each member of our team brings unique gifts to the table; our delegation is stronger together than we could ever be individually.” she concluded. More here. Photo by Joscie Cutchens

Praying Our Way Through General Conference

(Rev. Kelli Hitchman-Craig) - As the first week of the 2024 General Conference nears its finish, the delegates, reserve delegates, volunteers, staff, and observers from the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference have felt your prayers. Since the conclusion of the 2019 Special Called General Conference, United Methodists everywhere have been praying leading up to this occasion. Between the calls, texts, cards, e-mails, and daily devotions shared with the Alabama-West Florida delegates, the delegation has felt your heartfelt and sincere care! Perhaps more than anything else, though, they have felt your prayers. Three times now, the sign-up list to pray for General Conference has been filled completely! There are more than 45 United Methodists from Alabama-West Florida praying for the delegates, staff, and events of this conference. The staff of the General Conference has also provided materials for individuals to hold prayer vigils available digitally. Prayers from Alabama-West Florida and around the world have surrounded this conference and have been profoundly felt. More here. Photo courtesy of Rev. Richard Williams.

Connectional News

Regionalization gets General Conference go-ahead

(UMNS) - General Conference has now passed much of the legislation that aims to give The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions equal standing in decision-making authority. In what outgoing Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton called “a historic day for our church,” delegates voted 586 to 164 for an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that will now go before annual conference voters for potential ratification. A constitutional amendment requires at least a two-thirds vote at General Conference; the regionalization amendment received 78% of the vote. To be ratified, the amendment also will need at least a two-thirds total vote of annual conference lay and clergy voters. Annual conferences are church regions consisting of multiple congregations and other ministries. More here.

Bishop preaches Thursdays in Black message

(UMNS) - In many cultures, the color black is a symbol of mourning, an absence of light and hope. But on April 25, General Conference delegates claimed black as a symbol of resistance and resilience, calling attention to rape and violence against women and vowing to end the church’s silence and inaction. Thursdays in Black, an initiative of the World Council of Churches, encourages wearing black clothing on this one day of the week to witness to realities, like those reported by the United Nations. Among those is that globally an estimated 736 million women — almost one in three — have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life. One of these women, Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling, episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware annual conferences, stood before General Conference on Thursday morning and testified to the damage the church can do when it is silent on this issue. More here.

A journalist and a cartoon fish can point the way

(UMNS) - United Methodists seeking a way forward after a season of church disaffiliations could look to a photographer of the civil rights movement and the animated film “Finding Nemo” for inspiration, said speakers during the Laity Address at General Conference. Micheal Pope, vice president of the Association of Annual Conference Lay Leaders, explained the reasoning during the Laity Address, an April 25 morning presentation at General Conference. “Jack Corn reminds us that we ‘the people called Methodists’ can begin to answer our ‘how’ questions by becoming active witnesses,” Pope said. More here.

Praying for our Delegation and Bishop

As a way to help the delegation, the conference has asked clergy and laity from around the conference to sign up for a date to pray for our delegation and bishop. Thank you for filling up the calendar; additional slots have been added. Click here to sign up.

Resources

Guide to General Conference
An important resource for delegates, church members, and journalists, this guide contains information about the conference schedule, the legislative process, and background. View guide here.

Agenda
This agenda outlines the daily schedule of the 2024 General Conference in Charlotte, NC. View updated agenda here. View abbreviated agenda here.

Advance Edition of the Daily Christian Advocate
The ADCA contains all legislation submitted for consideration by the delegates at the upcoming General Conference. View ADCA here.

Agenda Highlights

The General Conference meets for 10 days. The agenda runs from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm or later with the exception of Sabbath on Sunday, April 28. The days include legislative committee meetings, reports, addresses, plenary sessions, celebrations, and worship. (Find the updated agenda here.).

Agenda highlights include, times below are Eastern.:

Elections to Commission on General Conference, General Agencies, Judicial Council - Monday, April 29
Celebration of 80th Anniversary of UMCOR - Tuesday, April 30
Closing Worship - Friday, May 3, 6 pm

Today's Schedule

*8:00 - 8:45 A.M. - Worship

*8:45 - 10:20 A.M. - Plenary Session

Monitoring Report
Connectional Table Report
Administrative Committee Reports
Calendar Items

Remainder of the day will be spent in legislative committees