June 10, 2018
Welcome to the 2018 session of the Holston Annual Conference, held today through Wednesday at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. This year’s Annual Conference is comprised of 1,948 clergy and laity representing 877 churches in nine districts located in east Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and north Georgia. Also attending are representatives of three related colleges, five Wesley Foundations, a children's home, a retirement community, five camps, and several seminaries and ministry teams.
The Annual Conference is the yearly meeting of Holston United Methodists for spiritual renewal, ministry, and business decisions. Ordaining, commissioning, recognition, and appointing of clergy will also happen here. John Wesley desired Annual Conference to be a means of God's grace through Christian "conferencing."
How to stay informed
The "Book of Reports" and "Worship Book" are posted and may be downloaded at AC.Holston.org. Please take these books to all of this week's sessions.
This newspaper, The Call, is Holston's main source of news and information. The communications staff is pleased to announce that they heard your requests for the daily newspaper to return this year to Annual Conference. (In 2017, we experimented with reduced printing and more online news.) At 8 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, The Call will be made available at Stuart Auditorium. Here are other ways to find news and information about this week's events:
Live stream: AC.Holston.org
News: ACNews.Holston.org.
Facebook: Facebook.Holston.org
Twitter @TheCall_Holston
Instagram: thecall_umc
Hashtag: #holstonac18
General information: AC.Holston.org
Today's schedule
2 p.m. Registration opens – Foundation for Evangelism Center
4 p.m. Laity Session – Stuart Auditorium
5 p.m. Clergy Session – Stuart Auditorium
5:45 p.m. Rehearsal for Communion Servers for Sunday Evening Service
5:45 p.m. Dinner served at Terrace Hotel and Lambuth Inn
7 p.m. Pre-Service Music
7:30 p.m. Opening Worship
The Laity Session and Clergy Session will be held today in Stuart Auditorium. Lay members will meet at 4 p.m. Clergy will meet at 5 p.m.
Music by the Chancel Choir and Youth Choir of First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge will begin at 7 p.m. in Stuart Auditorium. Worship with Holy Communion begins at 7:30 p.m. with Bishop Mary Virginia "Dindy" Taylor preaching.
In the past year, Holston Conference has been reorganized from 12 districts to nine districts. When you arrive at Stuart Auditorium tonight, please look for the sign with your district's new name and "sit with your district" in the designated area. Lists of each district with member churches are located on pages 3-24 of the "Book of Reports."
Following tonight's worship, rehearsals will be held in Stuart Auditorium for Monday-evening communion servers and in Memorial Chapel for the Conference Choir.