The NTC annual conference mission project will help with costs of raising the Sabine Pass UMC buildings 16 feet above sea level, which is a code requirement for all buildings in the community following the devastation of Hurricanes Rita and Ike.
2009 Annual Conference logo proclaims invitation.
BY DR. JOAN G. LABARR
Editor
The 143rd session of the North Texas Annual Conference and the first under the episcopal leadership of Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe begins June 7 with the 3:30 p.m. Lity and Clergy Sessions and 7:00 p.m. Opening Worship Service at First UMC, Richardson.
As the denomination is challenged to “Rethink Church,” the Conference is rethinking the way we conduct our business together.
This year will bring numerous changes to the Annual Conference schedule and content as the June 7-9 (Sunday through Tuesday) event is shortened by a half-day and streamlined to focus on ministry priorities.
The 2009 Annual Conference Planning Committee worked with the intent of emphasizing emerging ministries and conference business, while eliminating on routine reports. There will be abundant information on the ongoing ministries of the conference and related agencies that will be available in other formats. Conference agencies have prepared written reports for the Annual Conference Workbook, which has been mailed to all lay and clergy members. Leaders of the various ministries have been working hard to make the display booths attractive and informational.
The 2009 Annual Conference theme is: “Let Every Soul be Jesus’ Guest.” Artist Donna Aldridge of Greenland Hills UMC, Dallas, designed the logo as an iconic presentation of the theme, featuring symbols of the Christian faith.
The 2009 Annual Conference Mission Project is “Adopting Sabine Pass,” an outreach to help Sabine Pass UMC, a little church with mission fervor and lots of heart that suffered devastating damage from Hurricane Rita in 2005, then soon after the church was repaired, suffered even more devastating damage from Hurricane Ike in 2007.
The NTC mission offering will help fund raising the church on piers to 16 feet above the ground. Once the church is up on piers, volunteer teams will be needed for other repairs. Rev. Kitty Key, pastor of Sabine Pass UMC, will be at the Volunteers in Mission luncheon following the close of Monday morning’s business session to share more of her church’s inspiring story. For more information on the mission project and luncheon, contact Associate Director of Connectional Ministries Rev. Marji Bishir at 972-526-5000, 800-969-8201, or e-mail: bishir@ntcumc.org.
The first conference events will be the Clergy Session, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday at First UMC, Plano, and the Laity Session, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at St. Andrew UMC, Plano. The Laity Session will be followed by the Laity Dinner.
Opening worship will be at 7:00 p.m. Sunday, hosted by First UMC, Richardson. Texas Conference Bishop Janice Riggle Huie will be preacher for the evening. The service will include the service of Holy Communion and commissioning of Project Transformation and Connect to the Kingdom (C2K) Interns. The choir from St. Luke “Community” UMC and soloists will offer a variety of musical styles. Following the service, the Episcopal
Committee will host a reception honoring Bishop and Mrs. W. Earl Bledsoe. Offering for the worship will go to support NTC camping scholarships. Holy Communion will be offered in the Northbrook I and II Rooms at 8:00 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday.
Business sessions will get underway on Monday morning,with opening prayer and song set at 8:30 a.m. Following the organization of the Conference, Bishop Bledsoe will present the Episcopal Address. Another highlight of the morning will be the report on the Africa University Initiative by co-chairpersons Lisa Tichenor, Highland Park UMC, and Rev. Tyrone Gordon, St. Luke “Community” UMC. Africa University vice president and development director Dr. James Salley will be present to receive the fi nal payment of the $1 million gift, half to fund the new AU health center now under construction, and half to fund scholarships for students in the health sciences.
Lay Leader Richard Hearne will present the Laity Address following the morning break, and the Young Persons’ Address will kick off the afternoon session. A very important order of the day will be introduction of the Strategic Planning Team, followed by small group discussions in which lay and clergy members will have the opportunity to share hopes, dreams and ideas, which team members will take seriously as they consider their work. On Tuesday afternoon, the annual conference will vote on whether to commit to the strategic planning process, and if the vote is affirmative, the 2010 annual conference will make a final decision on the plan developed by the team.
The Service or Ordination and Commissioning will begin at 7:00 p.m. Monday at Custer Road UMC. Bishop Bledsoe will be preacher for the evening. Pre-service music will be by the Highland Park UMC, Dallas, youth choir. Service music will be provided by the First UMC, Richardson, chancel choir. The offering will be divided between a global mission: Africa University, and a conference mission, Christ’s Foundry Fellowship.
Tuesday sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. and include the report of the Board of Ordained Ministry. The morning will include sharing by the newly ordained clergy and the afternoon sharing by retiring clergy.
The 11:00 a.m. Memorial Service will be the Order of the Day, with Dallas-Denton District Superintendent Rev. Larry George preaching. The lives of clergy and spouses who died since the last annual conference will be celebrated during the service. Candlelight, bells, fl owers and images of the departed will highlight this special service of remembrance.
Another important order of business on Tuesday will be the consideration of proposed amendments to the Constitution of the United Methodist Church. There are 32 amendments approved by the 2008 General Conference that must be approved by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the aggregate number of members of the annual conferences voting. The Delegation to the 2008 General and Jurisdictional Conferences has prepared a PowerPoint presentation, which members will present at the District Conferences to help explain the amendments and provide time for discussion. The vote will be by written ballot. The options are a yes or no vote. The final vote count will be reported to the Council of Bishops, which has the responsibility for canvassing the totals and moving toward implementation of the amendments that pass.
Once again, the Sunday opening service and Monday service of ordination and commissioning will be live streamed. Viewers will be able to access the services by logging on to www.ntcumc.org and following the prompts on the home page. DVDs of worship services, the presentations of the newly ordained and retirees, and other special events will be available for purchase. Check at the NTC Communications booth, or order online at www.ntcumc.org. NTC Communications is working with Christian Copyright Solutions to secure proper copyright permission for all webstream and DVD distribution.
For more information and background on the 2009 Annual Conference sessions, log on to www.ntcumc.org .
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