Holy Conferencing

Report from Sheila Cunningham, Lay member to Annual Conference:

 I found the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference to be an uplifting call to action to reach more people through every single United Methodist Church.  It began with the fiery opening message of Dr. Lloyd P. Terrell, whose cadenced words instructed us to make life count and asked if we are giving God our best? As he put it, “God wants our best.  Ninety nine and a half percent won’t do.” 

Dr. Terrell was followed by the flat Midwestern twang of Rev. Adam Hamilton of the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. The message was similar in its baseline, that “we need to move beyond the people in our church to reach out to others.” But Hamilton’s message was also urgent. He told us that we must act now, today — this minute — or our churches will be dead in 10 years. His church’s policy, in fact, is change, innovate or die.

Hamilton spoke during three of the sessions; he is speaking to all the annual church conferences through the United States. It’s part of an effort to spread techniques that have worked there, to take that inspiration and let Methodists around the country grab it, too. I should note that his is a mainline Methodist church, not one on the edge of our denomination.

We are purchasing the DVD of Hamilton’s address to the conference. Please make time to watch it and be inspired to act.  His story is a reminder of the awesome God we serve, and what can happen when we allow God to use us.  He started with 4 people and no building — and now serves a congregation of 16,000.

I also sat in on the Natural Church Development luncheon.  There continue to be many churches that have experienced growth through this program.

That was the inspiring stuff; we also had the business of the church.  We voted on national amendments to the Book of Discipline and concerns in our GNJAC; the results nationally won’t be known for awhile yet. Check the UMC.org website for results.

Annual Conference was streamed live this year on the GNJAC website, and there were Twitter updates from many of the attendees.  Pastor Glenn, formerly of the Matamoras United Methodist Church, was one of the Twitterees.

Finally, I ask you to pray now and daily, for our pastors; that they would be refreshed and feel a new call and commitment to the Lord, that they would be reminded of why they were called to the ministry, that God will lift them up on angels’ wings and give them supernatural energy and drive, because there is so much to be done as they lead our congregations.

To learn more about Rev. Hamilton and the Church of the Resurrection click here.  For a complete rundown on Annual Conference check out the website here.

Here are a couple of photos of our team at annual conference.

A sampling of the crowd.

The Bishop!

Our own Dick Weifert.  It was difficult to get a photo of Dick, he was a volunteer usher at the conference, and often on the move!

Our youngest attendee J.J. at lunch keeping us all amused.

Pastor Dave, the J-Man and Barbara taking a lunch break on Friday.