LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (June 12, 2018) -- Morning worship begins at 8:30 a.m with the Dance Ministry team from Fairview United Methodist Church. After Bible study and Holy Communion, we will sing, "Jesus, Draw Me Close," to prepare us for a day of inspired church business and celebration.
The first business of the day is to take the vote concerning The Connexion in Sevierville.
The Board of Pensions will then report $844 per month for the monthly direct invoice in 2019.
The leaders of our college ministries will share updates from Emory & Henry, Hiwassee, and Tennessee Wesleyan, as well as from the five Wesley Foundations.
At 11 a.m., the Annual Conference will recognize 24 clergy retirees and celebrate their 527 combined years of service. (Memoirs are published on pages 48-59 in the "Worship Book.") The Rev. Joe Green, retiring after 46 years of service, will symbolically "pass the mantle" to the Rev. Teresa Atkins McClure, who is scheduled to be ordained tomorrow.
If you have questions about the Commission on a Way Forward or the Special Session of General Conference in 2019, a Chat Room is open today from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Terrace Hotel, room 319.
Afternoon session
Following the lunch break, Annual Conference resumes at 2 p.m. with a hymn led by our music director, Wesley Rouse, with Bryan Underwood serving as organist.
The Board of Ordained Ministry will present licenses to 15 new local pastors.
Corrina-Sisk Casson from the Three Rivers District will be commissioned today as a Deaconness, following her consecration in May during the United Methodist Women's Assembly in Ohio.
Minta Ray, a member at Cokesbury United Methodist Church, will be commissioned as Holston's sixth Appalachian Trail Chaplain.
The Commission on Equitable Compensation will recommend a 2 percent increase in minimum clergy salaries for 2019. (See full report on pages 72-77 in the "Book of Reports.")
At 3:30 p.m., the Rev. Don Ferguson will report from the Task Force on Lay Abuse of Clergy, which was formed in response to a resolution passed during Annual Conference in 2015. In April of this year, the task force organized two well-attended workshops to help pastors respond to "antagonism in the church."
After the Outreach/ Advocacy Team's report, the Annual Conference will vote on whether to adopt the 2019 budget as proposed by the Council on Finance and Administration. (See pages 104-146 in the "Book of Reports.")
The Rev. Sandra Johnson, dean of the Cabinet, will present resolutions for closing St. Andrews UMC in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Bascom UMC in Lebanon, Virginia. (See pages 58-59 in the "Book of Reports.")
This afternoon, a 20-minute time slot has been reserved for "New Business," implemented after an action was adopted by the Annual Conference in 2017. Last year, one of the fruits of the inaugural "New Business" section was a requested apology for past segregation and racist policies at Lake Junaluska. The "Statement on Racism" from Lake Junaluska's trustees is printed on page 26 of the "Book of Reports."
Evening session
At 6:45 p.m., the Praise Team from Cokesbury United Methodist Church will kick off a night of celebration for Holston Conference mission.
At 7:15 p.m., worship begins with the Rev. Fred Dearing and Libby Dearing sharing their experiences and the needs of "Our South Sudanese Brothers and Sisters in Exile" in Uganda. The Rev. Nancy Robinson, mission advocate for the Southeastern Jurisdiction, will share information from UMCOR.