The long-delayed 2020 General Conference began April 23 with another slight delay, this time by the fire marshal.
If not, he said, “Maybe you are in the wrong place.” He declared this General Conference a seminal moment.
Fewer delegates registered In the lead-up to General Conference, there had been a struggle to secure visas for central conference delegates.
After hearing about the smaller-than-usual General Conference delegates’ attendance, the delegates approved by 669 to 40 a resolution presented by the Rev.
The resolution also asked the General Conference secretary to submit a report on what happened and instructed the General Conference commission to ensure proportional representation in the future.
Standing committee advances regionalization petitions Meeting April 21-22, just ahead of General Conference, the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters advanced five petitions representing the bulk of proposed worldwide regionalization.
The last proposal for creating a U.S. central conference did not advance out of committee at the 2016 General Conference.
Because of complications from COVID, the last regular session of General Conference took place eight years ago.
With yet another minor delay, this time from the fire marshal, the much-delayed 2020 General Conference got underway on April 23. The plenary hall of the Charlotte Convention Center was found to be lacking in emergency exit signage, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers during an inspection conducted prior to opening worship.
United Methodist bishops marched to the altar to the tunes of Charles Wesley’s “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” as the General Conference, which had been delayed for four years and a few minutes, finally got underway after the issue was settled. “.
worship services beginning.
The President of the Council of Bishops, Thomas J. On April 23, Bickerton asked a daring question to start the legislative assembly: “Do you want to be in this room?”.
He was addressing delegates from the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. S. who’ve gathered to discuss important proposals that have the potential to drastically alter the denomination.
Bickerton posed the question, “Are you willing to work for a culture marked by compassion, courage, and companionship, commit to the revitalization of The United Methodist Church, and move forward in a spirit of hope and embrace a season of reformation?”.
If not, he remarked, “Perhaps you are not in the right place. “.
This General Conference, he said, is a turning point. “As a denomination, it’s time to move forward with new purpose and energy,” he declared.
A smaller number of delegates signed up.
Securing visas for central conference delegates had proven to be a challenging task in the run-up to the General Conference.
Kim Simpson, the commission chair, reported to the delegates in the Commission on the General Conference report that as of April 23, at noon, only 751 of the 862 delegates scheduled were registered and in attendance. She also mentioned that registrations continues to be accepted. In all, 273 of the 370 delegates are from central conferences, which are made up of church regions in the Philippines, Europe, and Africa. This quantity still surpasses the majority of allocated delegates necessary to ensure a quorum at the General Conference.
In contrast, Simpson pointed out that 91% of delegates attended the opening session of the 2016 General Conference. In attendance at the inaugural session this year is 87%.
Delegates who have passed away or left the denomination are among the many explanations given by Simpson for the higher number of absentees at the current General Conference. The consular section of each embassy refused visas to a number of delegates and reserves.
She also mentioned that compared to past General Conferences, the requirements for visas were stricter and there were longer wait times for interviews. The fact that some delegates lacked passports, which are necessary in order to obtain visas, was another complicating factor. According to the guidelines of the General Conference and the denomination’s constitution, a few conferences failed to elect delegates or reserves.
Upon learning of the lower-than-usual attendance of General Conference delegates, the delegates adopted a resolution proposed by the Rev. Great Plains Conference member David Livingston. Concerns expressed by central conferences and others regarding the significant disparity between the number of delegates assigned and the number of attendances were confirmed by that resolution. The resolution also directed the General Conference commission to guarantee proportionate representation going forward and requested a report from the General Conference secretary on the events.
The resolution emphasized that this General Conference is legitimate and rightly called, but it also urged delegates to hear and take into consideration the perspectives of underrepresented regions.
Petition for regionalization is advanced by the standing committee.
Ahead of the General Conference, on April 21 and 22, the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters advanced five petitions that primarily represent the proposed global regionalization. By making it out of committee, the petitions have thus overcome the first obstacle that all legislation at General Conference must overcome. The most recent plan to form a U. s. In the 2016 General Conference, the Central Conference failed to progress beyond committee.
As soon as this week, the full plenary could hear the regionalization petitions presented by the standing committee.
Additionally, petitions to create a new central conference and two new bishops in Africa were advanced by the standing committee. And as anticipated, committee members granted a petition that would allow four annual conferences in Eurasia to secede from The United Methodist Church and establish themselves as independent churches.
Following the committee’s decision to approve the enabling petition, Bishop Eduard Khegay, who oversees the Eurasia Episcopal Area and has made it clear that he intends to leave The United Methodist Church, addressed the group.
Khegay remarked, “This is like leaving home for us.”. As long as it’s feasible, I hope we can maintain our friendships and connections. Our desire is to continue being your siblings. “.
judgments made by the Judicial Council on church leadership elections.
The supreme court of the United Methodist Church declared that General Conference should decide how to conduct the court’s membership elections.
In a different ruling, the Judicial Council decided that agency board members chosen at the 2016 General Conference could be chosen again for a four-year term that would start at the end of this General Conference.
Regarding the elections of different church leaders at the recently convened assembly, the implications of delaying the 2020 General Conference are at stake in both decisions. The last regular session of the General Conference was held eight years ago due to COVID-19 complications.
The church court refused to rule on the Council of Bishops’ inquiries regarding the elections of Judicial Council members in Memorandum 1495. The General Conference “shall determine the number and qualifications of its members, their terms of office, and the method of election and the filling of vacancies,” according to the denomination’s constitution, which was cited by the church court instead. “.
The majority of the Judicial Council in Decision 1496 underlined that the church law stipulates that the terms of agency board members can only start following a regular session of General Conference. Those board members who were first elected that year may be re-elected because General Conference hasn’t convened since 2016, according to the church court’s majority. Judicial Council member Beth Capen dissented, arguing that the church court ought to have let General Conference decide on the issue of agency board member terms.
The goal of the AIDS conference is to remove obstacles.
On April 22, First United Methodist Church hosted a gathering of friends and United Methodists to hear updates on AIDS ministry, a significant and ongoing church issue.
In anticipation of The United Methodist Church’s much-anticipated General Conference, the day-long Breaking Barriers AIDS Conference was organized by the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee and featured worship, speakers, panels, and workshops.
Thanks to prescription medication combinations, more people with HIV are living longer—in many cases significantly longer. Nevertheless, 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2022, and 39 million people lived with HIV globally, according to UNAIDS.
The Rev. said, “I’m glad to see there is still interest in it. It’s still an issue.”. First United Methodist Church’s Val Rosenquist.
Earth Day vigil urges religious institutions to take care of the environment.
On April 22, First United Methodist Church in Charlotte hosted a candlelight Vigil for Creation to commemorate Earth Day and encourage the denomination to take better care of the environment. Among the attendees were delegates and observers attending the General Conference.
Ilka Vega, executive for economic and environmental justice at United Women in Faith, stated, “It’s about making The United Methodist Church commit to being stewards of creation.”. It’s about uniting our hearts to ensure that we are fulfilling our responsibilities to care for creation and to make peace with each other and all of God’s exquisite creation. “.
In addition to a vegetarian and vegan meal, worship, and Native American sacred storytelling, the event was supported by a number of United Methodist general agencies and climate justice ministries.
In other news.
On April 24, a committee will be tasked with reviewing a petition that the California-Pacific Conference filed to establish a United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of LGBTQIA+ People. Although it was filed after the official deadline, the Committee on Reference nevertheless proceeded with it.
All of the petitions from people, churches, and conferences that are no longer affiliated with The United Methodist Church were deemed invalid on April 22 by the Committee on Reference, according to a unanimous vote.
The coordinator of the calendar was chosen to be Susan Brumbaugh from the New Mexico Conference.
