May 26, 2016
 
Dear Reader,
 
With the 2016 General Conference behind us we know some things clearly:

• A team of nearly 700 local host volunteers offered extravagant hospitality to every guest that came to Portland, demonstrating a belief that God’s love is welcome and available to all.
• Ministry will continue every day in our local churches. It will be a ministry that shows God’s love to all as we work to share the message of justice and grace that exemplifies The United Methodist Church; a grace that is freely available to all who wish a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
• We are not of one mind. We never have been. So conversation and debate will continue. Not just about the inclusion of LGBTQ participation in our churches, but about many issues where the church intersects with society and culture.

Speaking of “we are not of one mind,” with General Conference over we now begin the battle of narratives. Many voices will begin to tell the story of General Conference and try to seize the key points that best support their organizational position or world view. I wrote about the efforts to seize the narrative in a blog post last February.
 
In an effort to help show the various narratives, I’ve included four commentary links in this week’s UM Connector. To be fully clear, I’m not trying to show everyone’s narrative, but rather to show some of the thinking that can come out of General Conference.
 
This will also be a very link heavy issue as I try to offer some wrap up resources and links for further learning about General Conference. Anyone who tries to follow all of them is a true MethoGeek.
 
Next week’s UM Connector will return to a more local focus, but I expect we will continue to hear outcomes from General Conference as they are presented.
 
Grace and peace to you,
 
Greg Nelson, Director of Communications

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CONFERENCE NEWS

Don't forget about Annual Conference

As General Conference comes to a close, the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference session becomes the next event in the conference. Clergy and lay members need to register before the June 1 late fee starts. Lay members and guests can look at the laity workshops list and select a workshop to attend. And learn more about a special opportunity to attend a church marketing pre-conference workshop. Everything about Annual Conference is at www.umoi.org/AC.

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GENERAL CONFERENCE 2016

 

Christ among us:
Spirit-filled moments at GC 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. (UMC.org) — Worship, prayer, and celebrations surround the work of the General Conference, and lift up God’s work through the people of The United Methodist Church. Read about some of the big and small moments that have celebrated the presence of the Holy Spirit among us. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.

Council of Bishops meets post-General Conference

Portland, Oregon: The United Methodist Council of Bishops met on May 21 following the close of General Conference for worship and prayer for the ongoing unity of The United Methodist Church.
 
The Saturday meeting was planned prior to presenting “An Offering for a Way Forward” to the 2016 General Conference, but recognizing the importance of moving forward with the proposal, the council utilized the opportunity to discuss the possible framework for forming a commission and identify some of the qualities and characteristics needed among its membership. Read their full press release.
 

Council of Bishops follows tradition
with letter to the church

Washington, D.C.: Reviving a tradition that is more than 200 years old, the United Methodist Council of Bishops sent this letter today to the people of The United Methodist Church following the 2016 General Conference, held in Portland, Oregon, May 10-20. Read the letter.
 

Daily Video Wrap-ups During the second week of General Conference a video wrap-up shared highlights of each day's events. Watch them online at umc.org.

GC2016:
Farewell, Portland. Thanks for the doughnuts

PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS) — Believe it or not, General Conference 2016 spent more than twice as much time debating a Rule of Order than the hot topic of human sexuality. After almost three days of considering an alternative method for discussing legislation, The United Methodist Church’s top legislative body referred its most difficult subject — sexuality — to a study commission and moved on to other matters. Read the United Methodist News Service wrap-up. 

Bid to divest from illegal settlements fails

PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS) — An amendment offered on May 20 during a General Conference debate on socially responsible investing that sought to divest from illegal settlements on occupied lands failed 559-167. But delegates adopted a petition on behalf of a Palestinian village, Wadi Foquin. Read the rest of this United Methodist New Service story.

Legislation promotes expanded health care

PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS) — A piece of legislation approved by the 2016 General Conference calls for The United Methodist Church to advocate for the improvement of health care in the United States. The legislation outlines a plan for the church to work with U.S. government officials to improve health care coverage for all citizens, specifically including ethnic minorities. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story.

Delegates choose engagement over divestment

PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS) — After prolonged, impassioned debate, General Conference 2016 chose not to add a fossil fuels investment screen for the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits. The question came down to divestment vs. engagement as the better way to influence companies to address climate change. Read the rest of this United Methodist News Service story,

Preparing for GC2020 MINNEAPOLIS (UMNS) — Most United Methodists in Portland, Oregon, were focused on General Conference 2016, but a dozen Minnesota and Dakotas United Methodists were looking ahead to General Conference 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more on the Minnesota Conference website.

NE Jurisdiction to keep 9 bishops

Thanks to a simple petition that passed through General Conference without floor debate, the Northeast Jurisdiction will keep nine episcopal leaders for at least the next four years. There also will be a study of leadership in the U.S. jurisdictions. Read more on the Baltimore-Washington Conference website.

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RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Bishops offer prophetic words

Sermons offered by bishops during daily worship proved to be some of the most powerful messages of the 2016 General Conference. You can view the sermons, and the entire worship services online or download them. One church plans to use the sermons as a weekly study. Below are links to all the worship services. Times listed are starting times of the sermon.
 
May 10: Bishop Warner Brown (24:00)
May 11: Bishop Gregory Palmer ( Episcopal address)
May 12: Bishop Christian Alsted (7:00)
May 13: Bishop Sally Dyck (13:00)
May 14: Bishop Suda Devadhar (12:00)
May 16: Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey (8:30) 
May 17: Bishop Ivan M. Abrahams (24:00)
May 18: Bishop James Swanson (13:30)
May 19: Bishop John Yambasu (14:30)
May 20: Bishop Elaine Stanovsky (19:30)
May 20 Closing: Bishop Bruce Ough

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COMMENTARY(IES)

But God was not In the wind...

By Rev. Carlo Rapanut
 
…  Yet God did not appear in the "wind" as some people had hoped. Nor did God show up in the "earthquake" or "fire" as others had expected. God was not to be confined to one person's or group's agenda or preferred outcomes. …
 

The rise of the 'Methodist middle'

By Rev. James Harnish
 
… In Portland, I experienced the Holy Spirit surprising the church in what one friend described as “the rise of the Methodist middle.” …
 

The ministry right in front of us

By Megan Kilpatrick

… with all that was General Conference–the unending legislation, the hurt and pain, the long days–we need to remember that that was not church. There is still so much work to be done, and so much good that we can do. …
 

Ancient sibling rivalries playing out in the UMC

Rev. Anthony Tang

… We’re not perfect and we’re not who God has created us to be. It’s hubris to think we can fix a dilemma of the ages in two years. It’s impossible. Perhaps we are on the separation phase of our ongoing story. …

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This week in the
Annual Conference

Tuesday, May 31

Last day to register for AC without a late fee
 

Wednesday, June 15

Church Marketing Workshop

Thursday, June 16

Annual Conference
Session Begins

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