West Ohio Annual Conference - June 9 to 12 (Lakeside, Ohio)

Clergy and lay delegates from over 1,100 United Methodist Churches in the West Ohio Conference will meet at Lakeside, Ohio Sunday, June 9 to Wednesday, June 12. Brad & Alicia Niceswanger, our lay delegates along with Pastor Cheryl and I will be participating. You can watch the conference live by going to this link.

I believe there are over sixty Annual Conferences throughout the country and they typically meet around this time of the year. Our new Bishop, Gregory Palmer who spoke at our church this past October, will preside over our meetings. Bishops serve four year terms and Bishop Palmer is in his first year in our West Ohio Conference.

Annual Conference has a typical schedule that we follow each year. It always includes inspiring worship with powerful keynote sermons. Probably my favorite part of Annual Conference is when 2,500 United Methodists sing, "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" as well as other hymns and praise songs together.

In addition to worship and inspiring sermons, we also celebrate the ordinations of new Elders and Deacons, recognize clergy who are retiring this year, adopt a conference budget, officially set pastoral appointments, and consider several resolutions. This year, we will be addressing the following resolutions:

• Council on Finance & Administration for Calendar Year 2014
• Camp Sabroski
• Commission on Equitable Compensation
• 2014 Board of Pension & Health Benefits
• Global Maternal & Child Health through the Healthy Families, Healthy Planet Project
• Regional Missional Support West Ohio Conference Trial Advance Special
• Conference Education & Conversation on the Nature, Role, Authority, & Interpretations of Scripture
• Formation of a Rural, Town, & Country Task Force

As  United Methodists, we are reminded that we are not always of one mind on the matters that come before us but we are also reminded that we are united through our common faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Please pray for Bishop Palmer, the lay delegates, and clergy as we celebrate our connectional ministry as United Methodists in the West Ohio Conference.