General Conference News - #4
May 9, 2016
General Conference begins tomorrow with opening worship at 2:00 p.m. PDT. You can watch in person at the Oregon Convention Center or Watch Live online at www.umc.org/live.
Don't forget, if you coming to view General Conference, you should download the Hearing Hotspot application (see below) to get translation.
Greg Nelson, Director of Communications
Clergy share letter coming out as LGBTQ and committed to ministry
In a letter released today by Reconciling Ministry Network, 111 clergy and candidates for ministry in the United Methodist Church shared, "we, your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) religious leaders—local pastors, deacons, elders, and candidates for ministry—want to remind you of our covenant with you." The signatories include at least nine from the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference. The letter is part of a story on the Huffington post website, and can be read on the Believe Out Loud website.
we, your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) religious leaders—local pastors, deacons, elders, and candidates for ministry—want to remind you of our covenant with you. - See more at: http://www.believeoutloud.com/latest/love-letter-our-church-your-lgbtqi-religious-leaders#sthash.9d387OQ4.dpuf
we, your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) religious leaders—local pastors, deacons, elders, and candidates for ministry—want to remind you of our covenant with you. - See more at: http://www.believeoutloud.com/latest/love-letter-our-church-your-lgbtqi-religious-leaders#sthash.9d387OQ4.dpuf
we, your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) religious leaders—local pastors, deacons, elders, and candidates for ministry—want to remind you of our covenant with you. - See more at: http://www.believeoutloud.com/latest/love-letter-our-church-your-lgbtqi-religious-leaders#sthash.9d387OQ4.dpuf
we, your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) religious leaders—local pastors, deacons, elders, and candidates for ministry—want to remind you of our covenant with you. - See more at: http://www.believeoutloud.com/latest/love-letter-our-church-your-lgbtqi-religious-leaders#sthash.9d387OQ4.dpuf
Analysis: GC2016 tackling 44-year stance
on homosexuality
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Words that bind or hurt: “The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching.” Kathy L. Gilbert of United Methodist News Service looks back over 44 years of struggle and previews legislation going before the church’s top lawmaking body. Read the story.
Oregon-Idaho hats keep delegates warm
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For months volunteers around the Oregon-Idaho Conference have been knitting hats and scarves to give away to delegates arriving for the General Conference session in Portland, Oregon. Thinking especially of delegates from the African Central Conferences, knitters wanted to show them a warm welcome to Oregon, where temperatures will be cooler than they may be used to. The hats and scarves are an outward sign of the efforts by Oregon-Idaho Conference members to offer a warm and extravagant welcome to General Conference. (Jan Nelson photo)
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Portland host Global AIDS event.
In a world where 37 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, a budget of $62,000 for the United Methodist Global Aids Fund is “a sin, a scandal, an embarrassment and a shame” said Bishop Gregory Palmer at a fund event on May 9.
“AIDS is Not Over! ... Global Issues and the Church” was a daylong workshop featuring United Methodist leaders and laity from around the world, an AIDS scientist and people living with HIV/AIDS. The event was held at Rose City Park United Methodist Church, one day before the denomination’s 2016 General Conference.
What will General Conference mean for my United Methodist church?
While there have been many messages about volunteering to help host the General Conference next week in Portland, sometimes it's hard to know what the conference is really about. This United Methodist News Service story offers an overview of the key aspects of the conference and links to more information.
How to be connected
There are several sources for news about General Conference:
- Each day of conference there will be an email of Oregon-Idaho news
- Members of the Oregon-Idaho delegation have been writing blog posts about General Conference
- GC2016.umc.org is the starting place for General Conference information on the United Methodist Church website.
- You can download the official GC 2016 app to your smartphone.
- Follow the Oregon-Idaho Facebook and Twitter (@umoi) for feeds, pictures, videos, breaking news and activities at General Conference.
Download the apps!
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The official General Conference app
Download the GC2016 app to see features news stories, videos, delegate resources, sponsor and exhibitor information, and the daily schedule. With versions for Android and iOS, it will work on many devices. You can download it for free.
Hearing Hotspot
If you are planning to attend General Conference sessions, download the Hearing Hotspot app to be able to hear translations of speakers on the plenary floor and during worship. Delegates will be using dedicated headsets to hear translation into all languages, including English.
You can download via Apple iTunes and Google Play. Learn more in this story on the UMC.org website.
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Archive:
Did you miss Update #1? Read it here.
Did you miss Update #2? Read it here.
Looking for Update #3? Read it here.
