AC Update no. 5 | Monday, June 5, 2023

Dear Annual Conference members,

This IS NOT the email containing your VOTER ID or the link for our Zoom participants for Annual Conference 2023 (that is coming tomorrow)! But this AC update does include important information you need to know before you arrive in-person in Meridian or online on June 8!

It's time to take a quick moment and thank our Annual Conference sessions planning team for all the time they've committed to planning this year's session! We're doing a new thing this year, and it's taken the collective brain power of this team to make sure we're honoring our theme of "Go and Do Likewise" with meaningful events, whether you're joining in-person or online!

See you in Meridian in some fashion or another!

The AC Sessions Planning Team: Rev. Todd Bartlett, Rev. Laura Jaquith Bartlett, Rev. Dan Benson, Rev. Laura Beville, Rev. Adam Briddell, Rev. Dr. Allen Buck, Etha Carruthers, Kristen Caldwell, Laurie Day, Rhondalei Gabuat, Sara Goetze, Rev. Ethan Gregory, Rev, Karen Hernandez, Lisa Miller, Rev. Steve Mitchell, Paul Nickell, Rev. Gigi Siekkinen and Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth.

NUTS & BOLTS

Schedule of events for Annual Conference

Check-in runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the narthex of Meridian UMC on June 8.
Pages will be available in the Family Life Center during registration time to assist newcomers with orientation to Annual Conference or provide tech support.
Opening worship begins at 2 p.m. MDT, 1 p.m. PDT.

View full schedule here →

Detailed information about Voter IDs + Zoom

Everyone will be using a Voter ID to vote at annual conference, whether you’re an online or in-person participant.

Voter IDs will be emailed to all AC members on Tuesday, June 6. Watch for an email from “Laura Jaquith Bartlett, Ministerial Services Manager.”
Zoom links will be emailed separately to those who registered as online attendees.
Please note that our Conference Rules require you to be “inside the bar of the conference” to be eligible to vote—which will mean that you’ll need to be on the zoom webinar or in the designated seats in the room at Meridian UMC. Persons watching the livestream will not be able to vote, even with a Voter ID.
If you have any concerns or questions, please use the AC Help resources: email ACHelp@umoi.org or call 503-802-9204 and leave a message. Both these tools will be monitored throughout the week.

Transportation in and around Meridian

Whether you're driving or flying to the Boise area to attend Annual Conference, there are plenty of things to keep in mind as you do.

There is no airport shuttle to hotels in Meridian (at least not at any of the hotels where the Conference held room blocks).
Ride share platforms such as Uber, Lyft or the local taxi service are all readily available.
We're relying on the connectional abilities we possess as United Methodists to help carpool any rides folks might need to the "Go and Do Likewise" workshops off-site. | Additionally, we're encouraging folks to use the Carpool App to offer to drive or request a ride for Go and Do Likewise workshops. More details are available through this link.
There is plenty of parking around and near Meridian UMC. Check out this map to learn more.
Meridian UMC has also provided a map of their facilities, including information on how to login to the Wifi if needed for voting purposes (though cellular connections work great on smartphones and tablets).

You can always visit our "Meet us in Meridian" page of the Annual Conference website to learn more.

AC OFFERINGS/WORSHIP

Give with joy during our worship services!

.We're encouraging everyone to give joyously to four important initiatives during Annual Conference. Offerings will take place during worship services. You can use this QR Code to reach our one-stop Annual Conference offerings website or you can go to www.umoi.org/acofferings. Learn more about what we're asking you to support here:

Installation of Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth: Support the GNW Circle of Indigenous Ministries

The Circle of Indigenous Ministries works with and on behalf of indigenous ministries across the Greater Northwest Area to encourage friendship, Indigenous-focused leadership, and the work of decolonization and healing. Help grow the Circle through your generous gifts and contributions during Annual Conference.

Opening Worship Celebration: Support Anti-Racism Initiative

We invite your commitment to eliminate racism through this giving opportunity to Oregon-Idaho’s anti-racism fund. These monies will support our efforts toward a more cohesive approach and intentional focus on ending racism. With your support, we will examine our policies, practices and behaviors that perpetuate racism, and engage in intentional training processes, so that we can make the changes and reparations necessary to create a just and equitable space where all are truly included in this neighboring enterprise. Join us on this journey!

Memorial Service: Support LEAP Housing in Boise

We are grateful to be partnering with LEAP Housing to help create more affordable housing opportunities in Idaho, such as the partnership that Collister UMC established on its property. Like LEAP, the Oregon-Idaho Conference believes “everyone should have an opportunity to access safe, stable, affordable housing.” We thank God for the work of LEAP Housing and hope you’ll give with great joy to this life-giving ministry in Idaho.

Celebration of Ministry with Commissioning and Ordination: Support OR-ID Conference Disaster Response Ministries

You don’t have to sling a hammer or muck out moldy insulation to respond to disasters. When floods, wildfires or heatwaves strike, our Conference disaster response team works quickly to get basic food, hygiene and cleaning supplies in the hands of those who need it. One hundred percent of what you donate goes directly to supporting survivors. Your generosity ensures that hope is not lost during some of the most challenging times for our neighbors.

Speaking of worship, here are the preachers!

We're grateful this year to have Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth leading us through opening worship. We'll also hear from Revs. Clay Andrew and Jorge Rodriguez during our memorial service as well as guest preacher Rev. Rachel Gilmore from the Desert Southwest Conference during our Celebration of Ministry through ordination and commissioning worship service. | Read more about guest preachers on the Conference website.

Follow along with worship bulletins

REPORTS + LEGISLATION

Download or print Conference packet

On Tuesday, we will publish a completed packet of voter information for everyone to review. It includes all of the pre-Conference reports -- including the nominations reports, correction form, Vitality Commission report, finance report -- as well as legislation and the agenda for the session. In an effort to conserve our resources and care for creation, we are not printing these packets for Annual Conference. If you'd like to have a hard copy of this information, we encourage you to print your own copy ahead of time. All of the materials will also be accessible on our website. Find the packet On Tuesday at www.umoi.org/ac (just below the scripture).

A quick note about the nomination report

Please be sure you’ve taken the time to read through the Nominations Report before Annual Conference. You can use this online form to submit any corrections. The final vote on the report will include an addendum with all corrections.

ENGAGING ONLINE

Materials you'll need for worship services

It is truly a goal of the Annual Conference sessions committee to make this a hybrid gathering in as many ways as possible. We are grateful for those of you who are choosing to participate with us online.

PRINT/DOWNLOAD THIS RIBBON for the opening worship service of Annual Conference. The online audience will be invited, specifically, to join in the activity related to this ribbon.
For the Celebration of Ministry Service, (Sunday, June 11) you're encouraged to have a small bowl of water in front of you as we remember our collective baptism.
For worship services being held in plenary sessions (opening, ministry transitions, and the memorial service) the chat feature of the Zoom webinar will be left open to engage in conversation around the worship service. Teri Watanabe will be leading those discussions.
You can livestream the ordination service Sunday morning at 9 a.m. MDT (8 a.m. PDT) on our website: www.umoi.org.

Virtual participation for a few "Go & Do" sessions

We're grateful for the many "Go and Do Likewise" workshops being offered in and around Meridian UMC during Annual Conference. Those of you participating virtually can still join three different workshops, which will be streamed to our website (www.umoi.org) from the sanctuary of Meridian UMC.

Faith and Facts: Friday, June 9 at 1:30 p.m. MDT. A representative from the General Board of Church and Society will be offering a presentation and learning event for participants.
Discipleship Ministries: Saturday, June 10 at 10:30 a.m. MDT. A representative from Discipleship Ministries will offer a presentation on the global agency and ways to engage in the work locally.
Western Jurisdiction Ministry Advocates: Saturday, June 10, 1:30 p.m. MDT. Missionaries serving in the Western Jurisdiction of The UMC will talk about the work of the General Board of Global Ministries and how to get involved.

LAST-MINUTE REMINDERS!

Join 'living rainbow' at Kleiner Park celebration

Thank you for registering for the district picnic on June 8^th at 5 p.m. at Kleiner Park in Shelter B1. After the picnic, you are invited to participate in a living rainbow that we will make with bandanas before separating into our different districts. This living rainbow will express our commitment to inclusivity and give us a chance to have a little fun. Mary Kienzle will bring her drone and take video and pictures. The resulting video might be something that could be used in worship services as an expression of our conference values. We will be joined by some locals from the Boise area and believe this will be a great way to have fun together and create something we can use in our churches.

Clergy: Bring robes for celebration of ministry

On Sunday morning (June 11), we'll be blessed to celebrate the ministry of our church leaders through a service of commissioning and ordination. The Board of Ordained Ministry is asking clergy to bring their robes along with red stoles for the occasion.

COVID precautions to consider in Meridian

We know how exciting it is to be coming back together for in-person Annual Conference for the first time since 2019! We want the session to be a fulfilling, engaging experience for everyone. At the same time, we know that the coronavirus is still active in our communities. Please keep in mind that this will be a large body gathered at Meridian UMC, and we’ll be coming from various locations where we could have picked up the virus. We hope you’ll hold tight to these values while in Meridian:

We encourage wearing masks in large group indoor gatherings and respect the masking choices of others.
Wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer.
We ask that if you are not feeling well or have been in contact with some who tested positive for COVID-19 to please not attend in-person. You can send an email to achelp@umoi.org to report your symptoms or results of a positive test and it will be held confidential. This will also allow us the opportunity to make sure you’re able to access the Zoom webinar to continue your participation from afar.
1. Knowing that you test positive will allow us to keep you in prayer and help us make adjustments to our plans as needed if COVID is, indeed, spreading.