Annual Conference concluded yesterday in a flurry of activity. Election of delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences consumed much of our time. Ken will be going to the Jurisdictional Conference in 2008 at Lake Junaluska. [In the United States, the UMC is divided into five areas or jurisdictions: - Northeastern, Southeastern, North Central, South Central and Western. These provide some program and leadership training events for constituent Conferences. Every four years the jurisdictional conferences meet to elect new bishops and select members of general boards and agencies.]
The budget for 2008 totaling $16,995,194 was adopted. This is a 2.8% increase over the previous year. This includes our World Service apportionment and other designated funds. Conference reports including the one from The Council on Finance and Administration are on-line.
As always, the fixing of appointments is the last act of Annual Conference and this is done in the context of worship. Ken, Scarlett and I will be at First UMC for the coming year. The Bishop’s sermon text was John 13 (foot washing passage). She very effectively reminded us of our call to servanthood in this sending forth service. In fact, I have ordered a tape of this sermon and will be glad to share it.
The 2008 South Carolina Annual Conference will meet in Florence on June 1-4.
3 comments:
It is hard to know which of your blogs to comment upon. I guess the simplest approach is to come on at the end and give an overall perspective. First, I must express my heartfelt thanks to FUMC for supporting my call to the ministry and praying for me as I have traversed the process and now find myself as a licensed local pastor. I cannot express how humbled I was to participate in the ceremony we call the ordination service. Thank you, First Church!
This Annual Conference was very inspirational. The worship services just seemed to get better and better. It was hard to imagine that the service on Monday with Ken preaching the best sermon I have heard him preach and the assembled choir, bell choir, and musicians under Tim's direction could have been topped. And I don't know that it was, but the power of the preaching on Tuesday and Wednesday seemed to build in a mighty crescendo.
No, there were no resolutions regarding the environment, but I believe that to be a grassroots issue. We need to be dealing with that in our local churches, not depending on Congress and the legislatures to solve our problems. That we were willing to take a stand against displaying the Confederate flag on the State house grounds was encouraging.
Most significant was the Day of Service. I participated in a prayer walk around the city of Florence. The people we met and the responses we received said that we were doing the right thing.
There may be much that is wrong with the United Methodist system, but I am proud to be a United Methodist. Our commitment to love God and love our neighbor is what will enable the church to realize the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Thank you for your comments. Your thoughts added important insight to my reflections. I agree that worship was truly the highlight of this Annual Conference.
Re: Environmental Issues. Resolutions should encourage the grass roots - the local church - to care for God's creation. We are one of the few UM churches across South Carolina that take this seriously. We need to encourage others to do so.
Blessings as you begin your ministry as a licesed local pastor.
While I certainly admire and appreciate your combined support of a "grassroots" approach to impending mass extinction, I don't recall "dealing" with it in my local church nor has anyone I have talked to dealt with it their local chuches. The individuals that make up the "grassroots" need to believe that a problem or threat exists before they begin to pour all their energies into fixing the problem. Something definitive, truthful and frighteningly hard hitting must first come from a powerful Governing authority that admits the degree of emergency that our planet is in. We have the "WORD" from a powerful authority already, but because God does not immediately affect the pocketbooks of an entire population, not everyone responds to the "Word".If we wait for the grassroots to realize that they have no crops and no water, then I believe we have waited too long. I am afraid that we need a very strong World power to step forth and let the cat out of the bag. Because Myrtle Beach is sea level, I am bemused by the lack of reason exhibited by planners who obviously have not allowed for an even two foot rise in sea level, when all indications are that a minimum of twenty feet is certain if only the Greenland ice sheet continues to melt. The word "continues" indicates that a process of deglaciation is ongoing. If grassroots is waiting for a twenty foot rise in sea level to start working on an answer, we are all in deep trouble. I am not so much concerned with the aspect of being a victim or dying in a catastrophe as I am with the guilt I will take with me to Judgement for failing to be a good steward, for contributing to the deaths of billions of people and the extincton of thousands of species, for being convicted of gluttony, avarice, pride, the rest of the seven deadlies, and the wholesale rape of a planet that I already knew had the potential to be a "Garden of Eden".
The meer hint that Earth might need better care should throw up an immediate recognition that even if the production of greenhouse gasses etc. came to an immediate and screeching halt, even a zero output would not stop the continuing process of ozone depletion caused by the agents already in our atmosphere which would continue to deplete levels for many years. That is why I have maintained for years that we are already thirty years too late to start repairing. When we do start, and I am convinced that when economies begin to fail that we will, to try to take care of the Earth, please don't put a band-aid on a sucking chest wound. The answer is "Daily Bread" to each and all, just enough and no more, a lower standard of excess if you will.
By the by, has anyone thought to research the possibility that an atmosphere gone awry might have a resounding effect on the magnetic field which is the only thing protecting us from cosmic radiation and solar storms. I know I have my eye on the Aurora Borealis for signs of deviation. Grassroots can not intellectualize the geometrically progresseive interrelationships of complex biosystems. Grassroots doesn't have a prayer.I know. Because my feeble attempts at spreading awareness have, like this comment, been issued through and aimed at, the "grassroots".
Mercifully prove me wrong, and initiate a meaningful start at your churches of at least a serious study group to look into the possibility of maybe finding enough evidence that might persuade us to, if it doesn't step on any toes, make a public statement of somekind to increase awareness. Maybe.
And don't even get me started on fragmented biosheres, or the assimilation of plastic into the cellular level of carbon based life forms, or pandemics, or the fact that humans are becoming a more fragile life form as opposed to a stronger one by virtue of our intervention with the programmed intent of the Creator for the requirements of an individual to sustain life. How many local churches do you know of that are fully prepared to "deal" with this iceberg tip? I think they all can. But, they had better wake up and fully comprehend that God said to be a good steward. Now. Tomorrow. Yesterday and forever. I don't just believe in God. I believe God.
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