General Conference E-news Update – April 24, 2008

 In The News - Thursday, April 24

Daily Wrap up: Legislative work begins, follows day of speeches
(UMNS) Delegates to the United Methodist General Conference began to sink their teeth into some 1,500 petitions during the evening of April 24. The 992 delegates gathered in 13 legislative committees following a day of speeches, presentations and reports. The morning began with the traditional Episcopal Address, delivered by Illinois Area Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher. The Laity Address was delivered by Lyn Powell, lay leader of the North Georgia Annual (regional) Conference, and the first-ever Young People's Address was presented by six youth and young adults. Most of the speeches tried to help delegates guide the 11.5-million member denomination to “A Future with Hope,” the theme of the 10-day gathering. Speakers lamented the loss of members in U.S. churches and celebrated the growth of churches in Africa and Southeast Asia . They called upon United Methodists in this nation to set aside their differences and to follow Wesley's three rules: Do no harm, do good and stay in love with God. More>>

Young people call church to action now
(UMNS) Six young people stood before United Methodists from around the world and challenged the church to listen, be bold and believe the church's future is in good hands. At times, delegates to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference cheered and clapped in response to the multimedia presentation, which included videos, photos, drumming and singing. At the end of the presentation, the young people were given a standing ovation. More>>

Pictured from left are: Matt Lockett, Becca Farnum, Andrew Craig, Kira Volkova, Jason Rathod and the Rev. Annie Arnoldy. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

Church focuses on poverty, health, people, leaders
(UMNS) Do United Methodists really want to welcome the poor and downtrodden into their midst? Or do they prefer those sitting in the pews to “look just like us?” That question was posed by Bishop Felton May to delegates at General Conference during an April 24 presentation on four areas of focus that will guide the future work of the denomination’s general agencies. “Somehow, in our 40 years, poverty became acceptable to us,” he told the legislative gathering. “We permitted ourselves to join the rest of the world in complacency. But here, at our 40-year anniversary, for the love of God, the United Methodist Church declares, no more!” That declaration drew applause from the delegates as May, who currently serves as the interim top executive for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, joined with the staff leaders of three other church agencies to explain the focus areas. More>>

Conflicting paragraphs should be reconciled, Judicial Council says
(UMNS) The United Methodist Church's top court, in a decision issued at the start of the denomination's 2008 General Conference, said that two paragraphs of the denomination's Book of Discipline are in conflict and should be reconciled. In Decision 1089, the Judicial Council ruled that the secretary of the 2004 General Conference, Carolyn Marshall, did not have the proper authority in ruling Paragraph 705.3 (a-g) of the Book of Discipline was “superseded.” Paragraphs 705 and 706 outline a complicated formula for assigning and nominating individuals to the many boards and agencies of the church. More>>

Finance report emphasizes abundance over scarcity
(UMNS) In a world that has embraced the “myth of scarcity” amidst a “culture of consumption,” God offers abundant life through Jesus Christ—a spiritual truth that the church must live out and reflect in managing its own finances. Speaking on behalf of the finance agency of The United Methodist Church, Los Angeles Area Bishop Mary Ann Swenson delivered that message April 24 to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference. “The idea that ‘more is better' … is an American idea that has spread around the globe, and it has become toxic,” said Swenson, president of the board for the General Council on Finance and Administration. “It is a turbulent, muddy river that has flooded and polluted our ability to see the abundance of what God has already given to us.” More>>

Invitation, personal ministry make disciples, laity told
(UMNS) If the laity of The United Methodist Church want to reclaim the Methodist heritage of winning communities for Christ, they have to invite people to church, carry the name of Christ with them and claim a personal ministry. That is the advice Lyn Powell, lay leader of the North Georgia Annual (regional) Conference, gave to the 992 delegates attending the 2008 United Methodist General Conference. More>>

Pathways can lead to transformation
(UMNS) Offering examples of positive ministries, Ohio West Area Bishop Bruce Ough told General Conference 2008 delegates how clergy and lay members are helping cast a vision for the people of The United Methodist Church. “Early in this quadrennium, (the Council of Bishops) looked across the landscape of United Methodism to seek out the best qualities of who we are and the most fruitful practices of our discipleship,” Ough said. The bishops found the practices and qualities aligned along seven basic pathways:

  1. teaching the Wesleyan model of reaching and forming disciples of Jesus Christ;
  2. strengthening clergy and lay leadership;
  3. developing new congregations;
  4. transforming existing congregations;
  5. ending racism as we authentically expand racial and ethnic ministries;
  6. reaching and transforming the lives of new generations of children; and
  7. eliminating poverty in community with the poor. More>>

United Methodist delegates receive message of hope
(UMNS) The 992 delegates and visitors attending the legislative assembly of The United Methodist Church were provided with a message of hope, reconciliation and a blueprint for Christian life. In a prayer for the church and the rest of the world, Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher of the Illinois Great Rivers Annual (regional) Conference said people "in God's human family" hunger for hope.
Hope was the theme of the Episcopal Address, delivered on behalf of United Methodist bishops to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference. That address, the Laity Address, along with a first-ever Young People's Address, are highlights of this April 23-May 2 meeting, which brought delegates and visitors from around the world together to discuss and handle matters for the denomination.
Christopher's April 24 message at the Fort Worth (Texas) Convention Center was filled with songs and provocative multimedia and multisensory images about how people received and experienced hope, gave hope and were transformed by encountering Christ and engaging in Christian community. The message allowed the delegates to experience hope rather than listening to the often-delivered message about the church. More>>

Request anticipates constitutionality questions
Petitions that would mandate the membership in decision-making bodies of The United Methodist Church have resulted in the 2008 General Conference's first request to the church's Judicial Council. Near the end of its business session late in the evening of April 23, delegates voted to ask the denomination's "supreme court" for a declaratory decision on the constitutionality of "various petitions that require mandatory membership levels for select groups of people" in the General Conference and on denominational boards and agencies. Kevin Goodwin, delegate from the Peninsula-Delaware Annual (regional) Conference, asked for the ruling in light of previous Judicial Council decisions where language about the makeup of membership using words such as "required," "shall" and “must" were ruled unconstitutional, while statements saying membership of certain groups was "recommended" has been upheld. More>>

In The News - Wednesday, April 23

Daily wrap-up: United Methodists begin legislative marathon with worship
(UMNS) Meeting once every four years, 992 delegates from United Methodist churches in the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe, opened their 10-day legislative sessions with the singing of “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and “Are We Yet Alive.” Some 5,500 visitors, conference officials and choir members observed the pageantry from the galleries of the Fort Worth Convention Center. The two-hour service featured praise bands, a full orchestra, choirs, music, prayers and Scripture in many tongues, and symbols of the Christian faith using ordinary elements of glass, wood, bread, fruit of the vine and water. More>>

Bishop opens General Conference with ‘resurrection hope'
(UMNS) On the 40th anniversary to the day of the creation of The United Methodist Church, and within 40 miles of where it happened, United Methodists from 129 annual conferences and 50 countries gathered at the Fort Worth (Texas) Convention Center for the start of the 2008 General Conference. Under the leadership of Marcia McFee of Truckee, Calif., and Mark Miller of Plainfield, N.J., co-music directors for the General Conference, more than 6,500 people filled the arena Wednesday night for a two-hour worship service. The rousing worship featured praise bands, a full orchestra, choirs, music, prayers and Scripture in many tongues, and symbols of the Christian faith using ordinary elements of glass, wood, bread, fruit of the vine and water. Bishops Gregory Palmer, Iowa Area, and Janice Riggle Huie, Houston Area, led the service of Holy Communion, with the Lords’ Prayer being offered by each worshipper in his or her own native language. More>>
UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey

Church can be key to fighting AIDS, speakers say
(UMNS)When it comes to solving the global AIDS/HIV crisis it is time to “pray and pay,” said the Rev. Donald Messer, author of Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence—Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis. Messer shared the sobering statistics of the virus during the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Committee's “Lighten the Burden II” event at First United Methodist Church, Fort Worth, April 22. On the eve of the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination has only raised $2.5 million of an $8 million commitment made in 2004 to help put a stop to the world's greatest health crisis, according to the executive director of an ecumenical global AIDS action network. More>>

Hope for Africa Children's Choir Makes Their Debut in the U.S.
The Hope for Africa Children's Choir made their performance debut in the United States on Tuesday, April 22 during the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Committee's “Lighten the Burden II” event at First United Methodist Church, Fort Worth. The twenty-three children choir from Uganda, East Africa will also perform at General Conference on April 28 and 29. After their performances in Texas, the children will tour and sing at United Methodist churches in Arkansas, Georgia, Wisconsin, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee until the end of July. The choir is scheduled to be in South Georgia June 4-June 23.


The Hope for Africa Children's Choir. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.
The Hope for Africa Children's Choir A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

Council accepts resignation of Bishop Edward Paup
(UMNS) The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church accepted the resignation of Edward W. Paup as a bishop in the denomination. Paup, 62, leader of the Seattle Area, is leaving the episcopacy to become the top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. In his letter of resignation, which was read publicly, he indicated that his resignation would be effective at the close of the workday on Aug. 31. His new job begins Sept. 1. He was elected March 11 by the governing members of the New York City-based agency. The action marks the first time in the 40-year history of the denomination that an active bishop has left the council to serve a churchwide agency. More>>

Delegates get oriented on ‘hows' and ‘whys'
(UMNS) The “hows” and “whys” of the United Methodist General Conference were the focus of several special orientations on April 23 before the opening evening worship of the legislative body. Orientations were offered for delegates from countries outside the United States as well as women delegates, racial and ethnic minority delegates and delegates under the age of 30. In the morning, a ballroom full of international delegates was ringed by a half-dozen people translating basic information about General Conference into German, French, Portuguese, Swahili, Spanish, Russian and Korean. More>>


Live Streaming
Watch live video streams of worship, special addresses and plenary sessions.

Archived Video and Audio Stories
Discover the sights and sounds of General Conference through video and audio stories.

April 24, 2008 - Video

  • Roger Hobson: "Four years from now we will say we have grown spiritually and transformed lives."
    Windows Media | QuickTime

April 24, 2008 - Audio

  • Young People's Address
    Six persons from across the church presented the first-ever Young People's Address on Thursday afternoon, April 24. Arthur McClanahan reports.

  • What has taken so long?
    On Thursday, April 24, the delegates of General Conference were introduced to the planned Four "Areas of Focus" by four General Secretaries of the church. The new initiative is designed to concentrate the ministries of the church for the next four years.

  • It's About Time for Areas of Focus
    The new "Four Areas of Focus" for The United Methodist Church are a way to concentrate the whole church on what it needs to do to stay healthy, and to make a big difference in the health of the world.

  • The Bishops Call Members to Action
    On Thursday morning, delegates heard about the “Seven Vision Pathways” developed by the bishops of the church, and how they can turn them into action. Mike Hickcox reports on the plan.

  • Episcopal Address
    Woven around the prayerful words of the Communion service, Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher invited the delegates to the General Conference to live a life grounded in hope.

April 23, 2008 - Video

  • Bishop Janice Huie: “What an extraordinary gathering.”
    Windows Media  | QuickTime

April 23, 2008 - Audio

  • Story 3 - Bishop Huie Calls for Unity of Spirit
    At the opening of the conference, the presiding bishop called for a time of unity as United Methodist delegates deal with significant issues over the next ten days of General Conference. Mike Hickcox reports.


Agenda Items for Friday, April 25

7 A.M.

Committee on Calendar and Agenda

Committee on Reference

8 A.M.

Choral music

8:15 A.M.

Plenary call to order

Morning worship

9:05 A.M.

Reports (as necessary)

Committee on Courtesies and Privileges

Committee on Calendar and Agenda

Committee on Presiding Officers

9:20 – 10:25 A.M.

Plenary—calendar items and conference business

Greetings from the City of Fort Worth

Nominations for the University Senate and Judicial Council

Introduction of affiliated and concordat church delegates

10:25 – 10:45 A.M.

Morning break

10:45 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.

Legislative Committees

12:30 – 2:30 P.M.

Lunch recess

12:40 – 1:10 P.M.

Service of Holy Communion

2:30 – 3:40 P.M.  

Legislative Committees

3:40 – 4 P.M. 

Afternoon break

4 – 5 P.M.

Legislative Committees

5 P.M.

Daily deadline for Daily Christian Advocate Printing

5 – 7:30 P.M.

Dinner recess

7:30 – 11 P.M.

Legislative Committees

Stay Connected Throughout General Conference
Stay up to the minute on General Conference 2008 news at www.sgaumc.org. Your conference site also contains a link to the main General Conference web site, www.gc2008.umc.org.

South Georgia Conference | www.sgaumc.org | 888.266.7642 | GC 2008 e-Newsletter Signup