LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (June 11, 2018) -- Good morning! We hope you're feeling well on this first full day of Annual Conference. But just in case, a nurse is available this week in room 100 of Terrace Hotel -- on the ground floor across from the elevator.
If you're hungry or in need of coffee, Bojangles is scheduled to be outside Stuart Auditorium each morning this week at 7 a.m. Gifts & Grounds, located upstairs in Harrell Center, will be open Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. with coffee and pastries.
At lunchtime on Monday and Tuesday, Bojangles and Lenoir Creek Farms will offer food for purchase between Stuart Auditorium and Harrell Center. Gifts & Grounds will have sandwiches available at noon. Lambuth Inn and Terrace Hotel will serve three meals a day.
A.M. session
Got an idea for "new business" that should be considered by the Annual Conference? On Tuesday afternoon, our schedule allows 20 minutes for new business items. However, the proposals must be written, signed, and submitted to the Conference Secretary by the end of this morning's session. The secretary is Rev. Daniel Taylor, and he sits on the stage at the table with Bishop Dindy Taylor.
A highlight of every Annual Conference is the celebration of the Hands-on Mission Project, collected and sent with a blessing (and a blast of the truck horn!) to Zimbabwe and Liberia. Another highlight is the "State of the Church" report by Bishop Taylor, followed by the Lay Leader's Report by Del Holley.
The Rev. Jeff Lambert, president of the Council on Finance and Administration (CFA), will submit a proposed 2019 budget of $9.25 million. Refer to pages 104-146 of the "Book of Reports" for details. CFA members will be available to answer questions about the budget today at 5 p.m. in room 316 at Terrace Hotel. The budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Prior to the lunch break, the Congregational Development Team will present a proposal to purchase The Connexion facility and property in Sevierville, Tennessee. A Chat Room is offered at 12:30 today in the Harrell Center's Susan Todd Lounge. The vote is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
P.M. session
At 2 p.m., the Rev. Jeff Wright will preach at a service memorializing 39 members and spouses. A 60-member Annual Conference Choir will sing, "How Great Thou Art."
After the Discipleship Team report, the Petitions and Resolutions Committee will address three resolutions that are printed on pages 230-233 in the "Book of Reports."
The Denman Evangelism Awards and Francis Asbury Award will be presented before the dinner break.
At 7 p.m., the Annual Conference will vote on a UMC constitutional amendment dealing with women's equality. This is a revote on an amendment proposed in 2017 that was later discovered to contain a mistake in wording.
Alice Williams, a member of the Commission on a Way Forward, will share an update on the work and decisions leading to the Special Session of General Conference in 2019. A prayer for Holston's delegation and a Service of Unity with Holy Communion will follow.
Tomorrow: Take your Change for Children offering to the table outside Stuart Auditorium between 8:15 a.m and 10 a.m.
See complete Annual Conference schedule