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P R E V I E W 2 0 0 3
Ballots & Bishops Head up Annual Conference Agenda
By Annette Bender
They’ll vote.
They’ll worship.
They’ll sing.
They'll complain about the heat, the food, the parking.
They'll hug old friends, laugh at the bishop's jokes, and some will even shed tears over a testimony or hymn.
It's that way every second week of June, when more than 1,600 clergy and lay members of Holston Annual Conference gather at Lake Junaluska Assembly in North Carolina. Representing 931 congregations in southwest Virginia, east Tennessee and north Georgia, this year members will meet Sunday through Wednesday, June 8-11, under the theme "Empowered by the Spirit."
Bishop Ray Chamberlain will preside over an agenda of business and worship featuring church groups from all over the conference as well as guest speakers and musicians. With sessions beginning at 7:45 a.m. and concluding as late as 9:30 or 10 p.m., the schedule promises to be fuller than ever – especially in the year preceding Jurisdictional and General Conferences. This year's agenda will include balloting every few hours to elect delegates to next year's meetings, held every four years in the denomination.
Highlights during the four-day meeting include a Service of Ordination with Bishop Violet Fisher, United Methodist bishop of the New York West Area, serving as preacher on Monday. Bishop Ricardo Pereira Diaz of Cuba will preach during a camp-meeting worship on Sunday as well as the final Sending- Forth Service on Wednesday.
Annual Conference members will be asked to approve an $11.21 million budget, reflecting reductions resulting from a direct billing proposal as well as eliminated pre-1982 clergy pensions. They'll also be asked to approve a revised health-care benefits package for retirees and spouses eligible for Medicaid.
The conference will seek to raise $125,000 benefiting Kenya Methodist University and send off two truckloads of supplies destined for children's missions in Zimbabwe, Liberia and Kenya.
On Tuesday, June 10, Children's Day at Harrell Center will include activities celebrating John Wesley's 300th birthday. In addition to participating in games from Wesley's era, Holston kids will eat cake and ice cream and collect gifts for residents of Asbury Place. Other highlights:
Worship: The Rev. Grace Imathiu- Jones of Kenya will preach during Tuesday night's Service of Repentance and Healing. Holston's own Rev. Mark Flynn, pastor at Kern Memorial United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge District, will lead a service for deceased clergy and lay members with Holy Communion on Monday morning.
Chapel devotions will be held each morning by Holston ministers including the Rev. Will Shewey, pastor at Hiltons Memorial UMC in Big Stone Gap District; the Rev. Rochelle Maxwell, pastor at Pruitt Hill-Tate Chapel UMC in Morristown District; and the Rev. Van Sanks, pastor at Virginia Avenue UMC in Knoxville District.
Music: At the opening worship service on Sunday night, Annual Conference members will hear a 150-member choir comprised of youth from First Maryville, Brainerd, Munsey Memorial, Mountain View, and the Conference Council on Youth Ministries. Also participating in the Sunday night service will be Adoram, a Hispanic praise band from the Chattanooga District.
On Monday morning, a clergywomen's choir will sing an original piece by the Rev. Lynn Hutton, director of music at Central UMC. A 48- member all-conference choir, with voices from all 12 districts, will sing at Tuesday night's worship.
On Wednesday morning at a service honoring Holston's 24 retiring clergy, music will be provided by the Altar Boys of Oak Ridge District and the Howard Brothers, a trio of Holston ministers.
Honors: From a field of 14 total candidates, the Rev. Sandra Johnson of the Witness Ministry Team will present Harry Denman Evangelism Awards to one clergy and one lay member during Tuesday morning's activities. Also on Tuesday morning, the conference will recognize George Freeman, general secretary of the World Methodist Council. The Rev. Karen Albers, chair of Higher Education, will present the Francis Asbury Award on Monday morning.
Workshops & chat rooms: On Monday afternoon, members may choose to attend one of 10 workshops or two chat rooms. Workshop topics include "Budgeting and Finance in the Small Membership Church," "Prison Ministry in Holston Conference," and "Rotation Workshop Model Sunday School."
A special Board of Pensions chat room will be held for retirees in Harrell Center Auditorium. A second chat room includes representatives of the Council on Finance and Administration, Board of Pensions, and Personnel Resources Team in Terrace Auditorium.
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More AC information
- Bishop Ray
- Chamberlain writes on this year’s theme, “Empowered by the Spirit.” See page 2.
- The Clergy Session on Sunday at 6 p.m. will be held in Harrell Center Auditorium, contrary to infor- mation published in the program.
- A special Board of Pensions chat room will be provided for retired clergy and spouses in Harrell Center Auditorium on Monday at 3 p.m. A second chat room with the Council on Finance & Administration, Board of Pensions, and Personnel Resources Team will be held in Terrace Auditorium, Monday at 3 p.m.
- Clergy and lay representatives: Remember to bring your congregation’s offerings for Kenya Methodist University and Change for Children to Annual Conference. Church trea- surers received special envelopes for these offerings earlier this month.
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