Prayers, Petitions, Parties

What is General Conference all about? The title of a recent article summed it up this way: “Prayers, Petitions, Parties.” The 10-day global gathering of United Methodists in Fort Worth will involve each of these activities.

• Worship will begin and end every day’s session and prayer will punctuate all deliberations, presentations, debates and decision-making.
• General Conference will consider close to 1,600 petitions submitted by UMC lay and clergy members, local churches, annual conferences and church agencies dealing with everything from the creation of a new hymnal, changing the mandatory retirement age of clergy, approving the denomination’s proposed $642 million 4-year budget and wrestling with the UMC’s official position on gay and lesbian Christians.
• Several denominational anniversaries will be celebrated (that’s the party reference!): 100th anniversary of United Methodist Men, 40th anniversary of the merger which created the United Methodist Church and the 60th anniversary of the mission funding program the Advance for Christ and His Church.
  
  

During the first week of the General Conference delegates will meet in one of 13 sub-committees called legislative committees to consider the petitions related to a particular area. Pastor Bill is assigned to the “Ministry and Higher Education” legislative committee which will review the 229 petitions primarily related to ordained ministry.

Want more information? Go to http://www.gc2008.umc.org/.