COB Press Release: Bishops call Special Session for May 8, 2021

Press Release
February 25, 2021
 
Bishops call Special Session of General Conference, create timeline for moving forward

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the further postponement of the 2020 General Conference, the Council of Bishops (COB) is calling a Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC) to be convened online on May 8, 2021.
 
According to the call letter signed by COB President Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, the Special Session will be held in accordance with Division Two - Section II - Article II of The Constitution of The United Methodist Church as recorded in Paragraph ¶14 of The Book of Discipline (2016).
 
The purpose of the 2021 Special Session of the General Conference will be limited to gaining a quorum in order to suspend the rules for the sole purpose of allowing the use of paper ballots to act upon 12 pieces of legislation that would enable the church to effectively continue its work until the postponed 2020 General Conference is held in 2022.  While other potential amendments were considered, it was agreed that these 12 pieces of legislation would enable the church to continue its administrative functions appropriately.  Click here to read the 12 pieces of legislation.
 
All decisions will be limited to paper ballots and confined to the designated twelve (12) amendments to the Book of Discipline in order to fulfill the mandate of ¶511.4.d., which calls for the Commission on the General Conference “to assure full participation of all General Conference delegates,… ” 
 
Bishop Harvey stated, “The exclusive use of paper ballots will allow for the fullest participation of delegates from across the denomination.  Full participation on the part of all elected delegates is a justice issue that must not be ignored or sacrificed. This is why the convened session online must be confined solely to gaining permission for the mailed in paper ballots.”
 
The decision to call the Special Session came in conjunction with the Commission on the General Conference’s announcement of a further postponement of the 2020 General Conference to August 2022.  The General Conference had been previously postponed to August 2021 due the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is now scheduled to take place August 29 to September 6, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Click here to read the Commission’s announcement.
 
“Our current Book of Discipline was never written with a worldwide pandemic in mind.  When we became aware of the need for a further postponement, we knew that some action needed to be taken in order to free the church to operate and continue to fulfill its current mission until we could gather in person,” Bishop Harvey stated, noting that substantive issues related to separation and regionalization should be reserved to an in-person forum where debate, amendment, and discernment could be conducted with integrity and full participation.
 
The Council of Bishops and the Commission on the General Conference have been working collaboratively to determine the best way for the General Conference to meet and maintain the Church’s current commitment to mission and ministry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
According to the Constitution of the Church, the Special Session of the General Conference shall be composed of the delegates elected to the postponed 2020 General Conference or their lawful successors.
 
The Secretary of the General Conference will communicate with annual conference secretaries regarding the logistics of the Special Session.
 
In addition, The Council of Bishops and the Commission on the General Conference have agreed on a timeline of events that will create a pathway for the church in this liminal time.  This timeline includes Special Sessions of the Jurisdictional Conferences to be held virtually in July 2021 (for the purpose of retiring bishops, announcing coverage of areas, and determining if or how many bishops will be elected in each Jurisdiction) and regular in-person Sessions of the Jurisdictional Conferences following the postponed 2020 General Conference in the Fall of 2022 (for the purpose of electing bishops, making assignments for the new quadrennium, electing members to General Boards/Agencies, etc.).
 
Under this timeline, General Boards & Agencies would maintain their current memberships until after the postponed General Conference in 2022.
 
Click here to read the full letter sent to the Secretary of the General Conference, the Chairperson of the Commission on the General Conference, heads of delegations to the 2020 General Conference (or successors) and conference secretaries.

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Media Contact: Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga

Director of Communications – Council of Bishops

The United Methodist Church

mmulenga@umc-cob.org

202-748-5172 

www.unitedmethodistbishops.org

General Conference Postponed to 2022

Commission on the General Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2021

General Conference Postponed to 2022

Meeting on February 20, the Commission on the General Conference made a decision to further postpone the 2020 General Conference until August 29 – September 6, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minn. as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the safety of mass gatherings and travel.

It is the Commission’s responsibility to select the site and set the dates of General Conference. Further, the Book of Discipline requires the Commission on the General Conference to "take necessary measures to assure full participation of all General Conference delegates." The Commission concluded that mandate was not achievable by means of either an in-person meeting in 2021 or a virtual meeting.

In making the decision, the Commission determined that it was not feasible to safely hold an in-person meeting involving all delegates as currently scheduled for August 29 - September 7, 2021 due to a number of barriers:
 
•    The number of COVID cases continues to rise, with nearly 2.49 million confirmed cases the week of February 15.
•    Vaccine is not expected to be widely available this year in many countries, and new variants of the virus which may be resistant to vaccines are emerging globally.
•    International travelers to the U.S. must show proof of negative COVID-19 test results no more than three days prior to travel, but in many places, testing is not readily available or provided free of charge. 
•    Visa services remain limited in some areas.

There also remains the possibility that a temporary six-month visa bond program which requires bonds of $5,000 - $15,000 per person for residents of some countries could cost up to $2.5 million in bonds for affected delegates if the program should be extended beyond June.

The Commission’s decision was informed by the report of the Technology Study Team appointed to explore the implications of options for accommodating full participation at General Conference, including but not limited to the possibility of utilizing technology and online voting, in considering whether the meeting should be held virtually.

According to their report, “The study team considered a number of challenges and implications, including how to keep participants safe, providing for global participation, safeguarding the integrity of the voting and credentialing process, and meeting legal requirements …”

The Technology Study Team analyzed a variety of options, including an entirely electronic General Conference with participation from individual locations; an entirely electronic General Conference with delegates gathering at regional satellite hubs; and two sessions, with the first part being electronic and the second part in-person when it is safe to convene. None of these options were determined by the study team to be viable. 

The study team did find that a more traditional method—utilizing mail ballots to vote on emergency actions—could help The United Methodist Church to address important, urgent matters through the General Conference. Their report recommended utilizing mail ballots for making a limited number of “Emergency Interim Actions” on which the General Conference delegates would indicate a yes or no vote for each item. 

“The Commission shared the study team’s findings and recommendations with the officers of the Council of Bishops in a collaborative effort to jointly explore how this alternative might be utilized to address critical matters until an in person gathering of delegates can be safely convened next year,” said commission chair Kim Simpson.

Some of the concerns mentioned in the report regarding having a virtual session include:
•    Lack of infrastructure in some areas, including Internet access, Internet speed, and electricity
•    Lack of technology for equitable Holy Conferencing
•    Complexity of the legislative committee process
•    Concerns about accurate credentialing and verification of identity
•    Difficulties in seating reserve delegates properly
•    Security of voting
•    Safety concerns about regional satellite gatherings

Simpson said the August-September dates in 2022 will mean that General Conference will be one day shorter than planned for 2021; however, these dates were the only option available. Simpson said that the Commission regrets the fact that these dates once again conflict with the start of the academic year in the U.S. which a group of young adults had asked the Commission to avoid, but there were no other dates available.

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About General Conference
General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The assembly meets at the beginning of each quadrennium to consider revisions to church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs for the next four years. 

Media contact:
Diane Degnan ddegnan@umcom.org
615.742.5406 (o) 615.483.1765 (c)

Empty & Filled - Lent Series Week 3

Imagine the disciples for a minute. This man named Jesus said, follow me, and they stopped everything they were committed to and followed. If we experienced that today, we would look at someone like they were crazy and keep on with what we were doing. I want to think that I would drop my nets and leave my family and follow, but would I? And then, as they would have been learning from Jesus, suddenly he starts to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer and be rejected and even killed as we read in Mark chapter 8. I would probably be right there with Peter beginning to speak of how that couldn’t be true and indeed wouldn’t happen. Who would want to kill Jesus?

One of my favorite scriptures is in this passage, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8:34-35. Or find it in the end. To find your life means letting go of yourself and living as Christ did.

Take space this week for that verse to speak to you. Ask the Lord to shed light on where you are struggling to take up his cross. Ask for areas in your life to be illuminated that you need to let go more of. How can you continue to die to yourself as you become more Christ-like?

Scripture to Meditate on:

Mark 8:31-38, ESV

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Others to read: Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16, Psalm 22:23-31, Romans 4:13-25

Songs of Meditation:

This is True Life by Justin Rizzo

*The NWTX Conference does not own the rights to this song or video. If you reproduce in your services, please follow licensing rules.

Most Merciful God by Greg LaFollette

*The NWTX Conference does not own the rights to this song or video. If you reproduce in your services, please follow licensing rules.

2021 Winter Weather Disaster Response

The recent weather across Texas has been a significant disaster for most Texas cities, some within our NWTX Connection. Our NWTX Disaster Relief has already received requests for help, assistance, and response from individuals. Here are some things we have already begun doing.

So far, we have responded to several homes of the elderly needing immediate repair, conducted feeding, shipped hygiene kit materials to the Lubbock Salvation Army, and reached out to other conferences to coordinate and deliver aid.

Our NWTX Disaster Relief has people in every district to assist and coordinate resources and management. Please coordinate with them as needed. Ways churches can help are always changing, so contact Charlie Brown, the NWTX Disaster Relief Coordinator, to see how your church can assist those around your community and beyond. Charlie Brown 806-789-0791 or Charlie.m.brown@gmail.com.

For individuals and businesses in need, the State of Texas has established a link called the Texas Disaster Impacts Self-Reporting Tool to help those receive assistance. You can access that tool through the link below. That resource and several others can be found in a letter from Senator Charles Perry below. Lubbock County was recently added to the list of counties able to request assistance. There is also a link in this letter to report scams or price gouging. You can also call 211 to get connected with local assistance.

How to help today:

• Check on members of your church, especially senior and home-bound members or those with special needs. If they need help, have them contact the church with their needs. If their needs exceed the church's ability to provide, support is available to anyone in Texas via disasterassistance.gov, calling 211, or contacting Charlie Brown.

• We need care teams, cleanup teams, and possibly repair teams for plumbing, infrastructure, and repair to be ready to respond statewide, including where you live.

• We still need East Texas teams and can accommodate any size group, including Youth Groups during Spring Break.

• We plan to offer local training in groups of six to 12 max people for ERTs. One-day training for those able and willing to respond immediately, sometimes with as little as 24-hour notice. Please contact Charlie if you are interested in training as an ERT.

Links:

Texas Disaster Impacts Self-Reporting Tool

Letter from Senator Charles Perry

The Office of Senator Charles Perry, P.O. Box 12068, Austin, TX 78711

UMCOR Kits 

The Advance – For UMCOR Kit Material Resources 

The Advance – For UMCOR US Disaster Response & Recovery

Financial donations may be sent to the NWTX Conference Office marked “2021 Winter Disaster Relief”

Empty & Filled - Lent Series Week 2

How often do we try to rush through a season in the wilderness or plain ignore that we are there? When Christ performed his first miracle, he made his presence known. It was the beginning of the end of the story the people of Israel had known. Even though they did not immediately recognize Jesus as the Messiah, each interaction that followed more and more began to see what was to come in Christ.

Hope began to arise for those in the wilderness. Psalm 25:4 – 6 says, “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you, I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.” After Christ was baptized and the Spirit came down on him, Mark 1:9-15 tells us that the Spirit sent him into the wilderness. Not to the temple, not to the people, but to the wilderness where he was tempted for 40 days and the angels ministered to him.

How often do you find yourself ready to move forward in the direction you know you are supposed to go towards but feel like God is holding you back and asking you to wait? How can you dive deeper into a season of waiting during Lent? How can you seek the Lord in a journey through the wilderness?

Scripture to Meditate on:

Mark 1:9-15, ESV

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[a] with you I am well pleased.”

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;[b] repent and believe in the gospel.”

Others to read: Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22

Song of Meditation:

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

*The NWTX Conference does not own the rights to this song or video. If you reproduce in your services, please follow licensing rules.

New Resources from the NWTX Hispanic/Latino Movement

The Hispanic Latino Movement of the NWTX Conference has created a new Facebook page with the name "Growing in Christ".

Throughout this pandemic, while everyone’s thoughts and conversations have been filled with talk of COVID symptoms & hotspots, there has been a different kind of outbreak that not many people are talking about. We are talking about a critical spiritual condition.

The Hispanic/Latino Movement of the NWTX Conference has created a new outlet called, Growing in Christ, which we trust will be a balm that provides spiritual soothing throughout this crisis that we are experiencing.

Each week a small video, like the one below, will be presented with life’s experiences, testimonies, and creative ideas in this time of the pandemic.

Watch a recent post by clicking the image above!

We hope you will follow this page and share it with your friends or congregations.

Blessings,

Rev. Dr. Jorge Ochoa, Director of Hispanic/Latino Movement 

Empty & Filled - Lent Series Week 1

Growing up in the church, Lent seemed so watered down of just giving up chocolate or sodas for 40 days. (Disclaimer: Not from the pulpit – sorry, Dad – but probably from my youth leadership, which was up and down inconsistency and depth). It was almost like we would pick things that we knew we could easily do, or we would give up on day one and move on—kind of like new year’s resolutions. As I have grown as an adult, I have tried to sink deeper into what this season is preparing us for. I love the Christmas season. It is not hard at all for me to dive into the waiting and anticipation of Christ’s birth. But anticipating his death, even though it is ultimately his resurrection, just always seemed more challenging to me. Bringing back an Ash Wednesday service in our home church brought space to open myself deeper for the journey. The journey to the cross. To the ultimate sacrifice. Wondering what new story was on the horizon to the end of the story. It has become one of my favorite services that I look forward to, with my top two still being Good Friday and Christmas Eve. Don’t get me wrong, I love Easter, but there is something in the waiting through the journey that brings great growth and strange joy to my soul. Plus, I am always drawn to a good song in a minor key.

Through Lent, this mini blog series will provide a space for reflection, scripture, and a song or two to meditate on. Feel free to share each week! I hope it brings you peace and depth and strange joy as we continue living in ministry together in a season of isolation and distance.

Scripture to Meditate on:

Psalm 51:1-17, ESV

1 Have mercy on me,[a] O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right[b] spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Others to read: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16- 21

Song of Meditation:

Brokenness Aside by All Sons and Daughters

*The NWTX Conference does not own the rights to this song or video. If you reproduce in your services, please follow licensing rules.

Enneagram Workshops - Canceled!

Enneagram Virtual Workshops

These workshops have been canceled.

Enneagram Stances:  How You Respond To People And Perceive The World

March 8 | 10 am - 12 N CST    $50

Lisa Hancock, Presenter

 Have you ever wondered why people don’t see things the way you do?  The Enneagram is an ancient and powerful psychospiritual resource used to promote self-awareness and understanding others.  Exploring Enneagram Stances provides information about self, others, and differences regarding leadership styles, communication, and conflict management.  Knowing these variants can allow for greater compassion and deeper understanding toward those we work and live with.  If you work, lead, or live with others, this workshop will be a vital leadership and relational tool.

The Thinking, Feeling, Doing Church:  Bringing Balance To Our Congregations

March 15 | 10 am - 12 N CST      $50

Lisa Hancock, Presenter                  

 Each of us takes in and processes information differently.  Churches tend to offer programs and experiences dominant in one area and repressed in others. This can leave members disengaged and apathetic.  Areas of church focus that are affected by this imbalance are:  staff development, church growth, website design, preaching, community outreach, and more.  

The Enneagram provides a platform to explore our church culture and the different ways people experience worship, community, and relationships.  Learn more about how to intentionally address areas of your church community that are underrepresented so all are engaged.

To register for these workshops please email Joyce at office@amarillodistrict.org to RSVP and receive the zoom link.  Send a check to Amarillo District PO Box 108 Amarillo TX 79105.