General Conference 2008 Delegate Reports

GC Delegate Reports Day 1 - Chuck Schuster,  April 24, 2008 Day 2 - Judy Hill, April 25, 2008 Day 3 - Eric Smith, April 26, 2008 Day 4 - Youngsook Kang, April 27, 2008 (UPDATE 5/8) Day 5 - Gheeta Smith, April 28, 2008 Day 6 - Josh Davies, April 28, 2008 Day 7 - Carolyn Waters, April 29, 2008       Day 8 - Philip Cardin, May 1, 2008 Day 9 - Kunle Taiwo, May 2, 2008 Final Report, Janet L. Forbes, Delegation Leader, May 7, 2008 Final Delegation Report   Reflections on Holy Conferencing Janet L. Forbes The 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church adjourned minutes before midnight on Friday evening, May 2.   Just hours later, I caught the shuttle to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport and flew home, exhausted from the physical and spiritual challenges of holy conferencing.    Every four years, the global assembly of The United Methodist Church meets for holy conferencing, to “discern wisdom in the midst of theological and spiritual tension and to focus on God’s will for us amid the conflicting issues of the day”.   That statement from the General Conference Rules of Order catches the ambivalence of the experience so well!    Our holy conferencing in Fort Worth seemed more sacred than in previous gatherings with attempts by most delegates to honor relationships across difference.   Though we continued to wound each other by the winner/loser dynamics of legislative voting, there were commitments to live the Wesleyan way: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God (Three Simple Rules:  A Wesleyan Way of Living, Rueben Job). In the moments between waking and sleeping since returning home, I have wondered about this question:   what difference will this General Conference make to the day-to-day faithfulness of our congregations?  GRATITUDE!  The broken shard of pottery from a destroyed worship vessel from a church in Louisiana or Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina reminds me of the depth of our connection.  When one of us suffers, we all show up to help!   In a moving expression of gratitude, the churches of the Gulf Coast said THANK YOU to all of us.    MISSION!  We celebrated the NOTHING BUT NETS campaign to end death by malaria globally by providing insecticide treated bed nets for all children under the age of five.  My prayer is that this General Conference will mark our transformation as a church because we made a promise to walk with communities world-wide who suffering in disease and poverty. WITNESS!  Every time someone becomes a member of the United Methodist family, the question posed will now be:  As a member of this congregation of The United Methodist Church, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your services, and your witness?   Our lives are a witness to a future with hope in all the places that God leads us.  WELCOME!   In a constitutional amendment that passed by a close 67%, we make it clear that ALL persons shall be eligible to attend worship services and, upon taking vows, become church members.  I’ve been imagining this radical possibility!    It seems to me that this is exactly what church is for…for all of us who need help being made perfect in love…for people who want to claim a new identity in the body of Christ…in the sense of belonging together, flaws and all, as we seek to live into our calling from God.  Denying membership to anyone seems to make the church irrelevant as a church!   I prefer to think of us as a place where we belong from the beginning, whose welcome comes from the God of infinite grace, who has power to transform us all into something more loving and beautiful than we could possibly have been on our own! GRATITUDE, MISSION, WITNESS, WELCOME!   Lasting ripples of the experience in Fort Worth! Go to umc.org for summary articles of other legislative actions regarding the world-wide church, leadership, social justice, inclusiveness, and ecumenical relationships. Thank you, Delegation!  Thank you, Bishop Brown!  Thank you, communicators, lobbyists, witnesses, guests, prayer partners, families, and friends! Day 9 - May 2, 2008   Delegate Reflections from Ft. Worth May 2, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Kunle Taiwo, Third elected lay delegate, Denver, Park Hill UMC My reflections for day 9 of General Conference May 2, 2008 As I prepared for General Conference 2008, I was not sure what “Holy Conferencing” would be like for the people called Methodist. Day 9 of General Conference signaled HOPE for the church.  Phil Cardin’s reflection on day 8 reported in detail the slow movement toward “perfection” for the here and now.  Although some may feel disappointed or discouraged, I am very hopeful for the future of our church.  We have made some progress at the 2008 General Conference. The highlight of the day came when Bishop Thomas Bickerton announced that the Council of Bishops had received and granted a request for a fifteen minute witness on the floor of the plenary session. As it was previously reported, in the center of the plenary room is a communion table crafted out of the remnants of hurricane Katrina.  The witnesses for the inclusion of those left out of our connection, processed in to the assembly. Delegate sympathizers, for full inclusion in the church, rose to their feet in support.  A good number of people were on their feet as the witnesses formed a human cross on the plenary floor singing the song, Jesus Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom.  Many of those standing were in tears. My hope for the future of the church was further heightened when I saw tears of some who did not rise in support of this witness.  Because of this, I’m assured the Holy Spirit is in this place. The not so highlight came when a delegate from the East Angola Central Conference compared full inclusion to “allowing the devil in” to the church.  I was not upset by this comment as some might have been.  This comment points to the opportunity for teaching moments.  If we are to move the church forward, we have to avail ourselves of these opportunities.  Our sisters and brothers in the African Central Conferences seem to be fundamentalists in their understanding of the word.  What an opportunity to engage them, not only in mission work, but, also in theological discussions.  Perhaps we can explore together the meaning of John Wesley’s quadrilateral – scriptures, tradition, reason and experience.  Wesley also calls us to do no harm, do good and stay in love with God. I wonder where we will be as a church if we engage our sisters and brothers in the Central Conferences in these Holy conversations. The real highlight of the day was the speech given by Louise Short, the 102 year old widow of Bishop Roy Short.  She walked to the podium with little or no help to deliver her speech. When she lost her place in the script, she ad-libbed. What a remarkable presence of mind. Speaking of the retirement home where she resides, she stated, “They don’t let us die here”.  She also said, “I may be old, but, I’m not dead”. The United Methodist Church has a great future with hope.  We may be old, but, we are not dead, the Holy Spirit is alive. I am honored to be at General Conference representing all you. We have a way to go on this last day of General Conference 2008. Thank you for your prayers for us and the General Church. Kunle Taiwo, Layman, Member of Park Hill UMC. SEE Kunle on VIDEO May 1, Delegate Report Day 8 - May 1, 2008   Delegate Reflections from Ft. Worth May 1, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Philip Cardin, First reserve lay delegate, Christ UMC, Salt Lake City, Rocky Mountain Conference For Thursday, May 1 “Continuing to Flog the Same Old Dead Horse” Greetings to every one in the Rocky Mountain Conference! I am writing this to you during the dinner break on Wednesday evening. It has been a trying day for most of the folks in the hall. The title above reminds me of a very famous scene in one of the all-time classic movies, “Gone with the Wind”. Remember back with me to the movie when Scarlet O’Hara is trying to return to Tara, to try to return to the old, genteel life that she had there. However, she is almost literally swimming up-stream, with the human wave of refugees leaving Atlanta, and the Union troops burning the city. Scarlet commandeers a horse and buggy to facilitate her trip, except that this horse is on its last legs (pardon the pun), yet she continues to whip the horse to get him to press on. As she nears her beloved Tara, she takes the whip to the horse one last time, and he drops dead on the spot. I won’t get any more detailed with my explanation than that. Over the last few days here in Ft. Worth, we continue to beat the same old horse(s). I have witnessed Parliamentary Obstruction at its finest with amendment after amendment being proposed by a well-orchestrated group to try to kill, neuter, or just wear-out a petition. We discussed the use of the words “shall”, “should”, or “may” for three hours one evening in the Legislative Committee that I was monitoring. We were told earlier today, that we needed to spend just 10 minutes on each of the 120 remaining items on the calendar in order to finish by Friday night. We took three hours on the very next item. That “very next item” was a biggie. The Church and Society Committee had done very good work taking the myriad of petitions on the issue of Human Sexuality (paragraph 161.G), rolling them into one piece of legislation that passed the committee by a vote of 39 to 27. It dropped the odious “incompatible with” language, and carefully crafted a compromise that appeared to meet the needs of the body. Out of the blue, came a minority report, championed by the same old group, lead by the same old people. It was a very interesting presentation. The chair of the committee was a very articulate attorney from New York, who was exceptional at presenting the necessary argument (I want this guy as my attorney, if I need one!). He got so “into character” at one point that he referred to the presiding Bishop as “Judge”. He presented the majority report, as the committee’s work was called. The minority report was presented by one of the leaders of the usual group. After about three hours, when the dust settled, the minority report had become the majority report, and had prevailed, as amended. There was some softening of the language through amendments, but the “incompatible” wording remained. While many of the delegates and gallery stood and sang “Jesus Loves Me”, the Secretary of the General Conference read yet another mind-numbing opinion from the Judicial Council, saying that petitions trying to limit the scope of the Council, or have the General Conference limit their powers, were unconstitutional. At least, that’s what I think I heard. By then, the singing of “Jesus Loves Me” had almost drowned out the Secretary. More on that later. Friends, don’t get me wrong. There is much to be thankful for. We have experienced some powerful worship times, with some outstanding sermons from some of the great speakers of the day. We heard from Bishop Mark Hanson, President of the Lutheran World Federation, and the leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with who we are now in full communion. We have heard from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, the only democratically-elected woman head of state in Africa, and an active United Methodist, to boot. (An invitation was extended to the other United Methodist head of state, but he just sent a letter. You can all guess.) We have elected what appear to be rational, reasonable people to the Judicial Council, one of who is a Westerner, Angela Brown of the California-Nevada Annual Conference. We were not so lucky in the University Senate elections. C’est la Vie! We will continue to work for our church. As many of you know, I was born in one of the many towns named Decatur, after Steven Decatur, hero of the War of 1812. There is a famous quote attributed to Commodore Decatur that I would like to paraphrase and adapt to the situation right now. “My Church. Right or wrong, my Church.” Blessings to all of you. In Christ’s Love, Philip Cardin 1st Lay Reserve Delegate Christ UMC – Salt Lake City, Utah See Philip Cardin in VIDEO May 1, Delegate Report Day 7 - April 29, 2008   April 29, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Carolyn Waters, 1st Clergy Reserve Delegate, Christ Church, Denver, Rocky Mountain Conference Reflections from General Conference As I take a few minutes to reflect on Tuesday April 29th, the discussion of Episcopal Leadership is happening on the floor of the General Conference. I desire to give you some sense of feeling and emotion about being here.  The Two-Stepping Team has done such a great job of giving you the agenda and content of each day, I’d like to give you a little of the heart and soul. There are moments of feeling extreme pride about being a part of such a wonderful connection.  It’s the same feeling I’ve had all of my adult life when driving past any sign that has “Methodist” or “United Methodist” on it and responding in my heart by saying “I’m a part of that!” But there are also moments of hanging my head and responding, “Am I really a part of that?”  My response thus far at being present at General Conference is to say: “The United Methodist Church is Not For Sale!”  We will hold true to the intention and spirit of  our Wesleyan tradition that represents the social gospel and a ministry of justice and compassion. All of what we are doing here is good and all of it is important.  Even the parts that make me angry or sad matter greatly.  The most encouraging symbol of this General Conference is the presence of newly elected delegates and “young” or “youthful” delegates. This group of delegates has a true vision of “hope” that transcends our years of tradition and individual agendas. Yesterday I saw a lay delegate from the Oklahoma Conference that was the first elected lay delegate when I was in Oklahoma 35 years ago!  I said: “What are you still doing here? You should give this up to the new generation!”  To which he said, “I’ve been thinking about that!” Our church has to move forward.  We have to move on.  The world is moving forward, and we are dragging our feet in the sand.  The “Future with Hope” starts by letting go of the control we only imagine to have. There is amazing hope facing my home community of Denver.  There is amazing hope facing the Western Jurisdiction.  There is a wonderful hope facing the people called United Methodist.  We will welcome that hope if we walk into it without fear. We will embrace that future if we walk into it with God in our lives. Carolyn Waters 1st Clergy Reserve Delegate Christ Church, Denver, Co (Rev. Waters can be seen in a digital video HERE April 30, Delegate Report) Day 6 - April 28, 2008   April 28, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Josh Davies, First Elected Lay Delegate, Denver, Trinity UMC, Rocky Mountain Conference Livin’ On A Prayer Today was a big day for us – both as the entire body, and for the Rocky Mountain delegation.  Monday marks the official half-way point of the conference – as (not so) noted theologian John Bon Jovi would say, “We’re half way there, livin’ on a prayer.”  From this point on, every day of General Conference will be nothing but plenary sessions where we make final decisions on resolutions and petitions presented from the various committees.  While the format changes, the hours don’t – again we started this morning with a worship service at 8am and didn’t finish until 11pm.  It is a schedule that is as demanding physically as it is mentally.  It also means that everything we do from here until Friday is final.  The decisions we make here impact the future of everything we do as a church. I am proud to say that not only was today a turning point for the conference, it was a good day for the Rocky Mountain Conference and the Western Jurisdiction.  Bishop Brown presided over both the afternoon and evening sessions, doing an exceptional job of dealing with some challenging issues and delegates.  Youngsook Kang once again played a prominent role as chair of the Agenda Committee, and Janet Forbes presented several resolutions as Sub-committee Chair of the Superintendency Committee.  In addition to having an exceptional presence in leadership roles, the results of our actions today were also very positive.  We were able to elect a slate of Judicial Council members that is diverse, moderate, and includes a member from the Western Jurisdiction.  Given the recent actions of the previous Judicial Council, this complete change of the body is a positive sign for the future of the church.  In addition, we passed legislation that reinforced our world-wide mission work, including town and country ministry, our global AIDS fund, Darfur awareness, and both Hispanic and Native American ministries.  Additionally, we established task forces to encourage our agencies to invest money in a socially responsible way and to look at the global nature of the church. The most important resolution I believed we passed tonight though was the authorization to allocate funds to assist in the creation of a national memorial for the Sand Creek Massacre.  This event, and its ties to our denomination, conference, and to my local church are a dark cloud over us all.  I hope that this will help us continue to grow and reach a deeper understanding of the relationship we have to our Native American brothers and sisters.  Speaking on the floor of the General Conference in support of this resolution was one of my personal highlights so far. As we look back on the past week, it is clear that we have laid a solid foundation for positive change within the church.  It is also clear that we have a lot of work to do, and only four more days to make it happen.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to do God’s work here in Ft. Worth. Josh Davies, April 28, 2008, General Conference Report Please see the interview with Josh on VIDEO (Delegate Reports April 29). Day 5 - April 28, 2008      April 28, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Gheeta Smith, Lay Delegate, Rocky Mountain Conference Friends, There must have been some divine guidance in the prayer by Bonhoeffer that I selected for this day.  I had chosen it at random about 2 weeks ago and I wondered if the words would seem too harsh for inspiration once we arrived at General Conference--after all, we'd been exhorted to be in an attitude of Holy Conferencing.  I didn't realize how naive and idealistic I was about the personal and corporate agendas of other individuals and delegations. As a Lay Reserve Delegate to Jurisdictional Conference, I am attending General Conference as one who's role in Legislative committee meetings is to be a "silent observer."  (Those of you who know me are probably chuckling already, for on subjects about which I am especially passionate I tend to be neither silent, nor strictly an observer.)  I have been set to monitor the proceedings of the "Others" Legislative Subcommittee on Church and Society 2.  In other words, our committee was a catch-all for must of the "less-polarizing" petitions regarding subjects such as human rights, women's rights, immigration, healthcare (universal, USA, and specific to the UMC), Native American Rights, and other issues specifically dealing with the Social Principles and the Social Creed of the UMC. I had no idea how difficult it would be to sit on my hands and trust that God's will would play out on many of these discussions.  The voting committee itself appeared on the outside to be pretty diverse: 2 white men from the US and 1 from the Central Conferences, 2 white women from the US, 1 African American, 2 African women, 1 African man.   Unfortunately, as the process of legislation ensued it became apparent that personal agendas, and conscious or unconscious acts of racial and gender prejudice were occurring at the very table where we were to address these issues. At times it became very difficult to remain a silent observer at the table.  This enforced voicelessness--despite my desire to stand up, share my knowledge, and bear verbal witness to issues weighing on my heart--forced me to sympathize with our many brothers and sisters who for various reasons are disenfranchised, or even completely disallowed a place at the table.  There have been several times over the past 36 hours that this realization has threatened to completely overwhelm me, and it was especially at these times that I was thankful for the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: I Cannot Do This Alone O God, early in the morning I cry to you. Help me to pray And to concentrate my thoughts on you: I cannot do this alone. In me there is darkness, But with you there is light; I am lonely, but you do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help; I am restless, but with you there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience; I do not understand your ways, But you know the way for me… Restore me to liberty, And enable me to live now That I may answer before you and before me. Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer Though I will head home on Monday afternoon I will do my best to remain present in prayer with my fellow delegates and friends who'll remain in Texas for several more days.  I invite you, our friends and cheerleaders in and around the Rocky Mountain Conference, to continue the race with us in prayer together. Blessings, Gheeta Smith Lay Reserve to Jurisdictional Conference Please see the interview with Gheeta on VIDEO (Delegate Reports April 28). Day 4 - April 27, 2008     Nurturing Hope April 27, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Rev. Dr. Youngsook Kang, Rocky Mountain Conference As morning worship begins, my eyes are fixed upon the beautiful banners hung high up on the stage.   Today’s worship theme is Nurturing Hope, and I see an astounding image of trees connected to the roots on the banners.  “As leaves are connected to the roots, we are connected to the spirit of Jesus Christ,” Bishop William Hutchinson proclaims in his sermon.  The rural celebration which followed worship was an extension of the theme of Nurturing Hope.  Don Ford (yes, our own), as one of the presenters for the celebration talked about planting seeds of hope in every place.  (See Town & Country VIDEO with Don's remarks). This time I am experiencing the General Conference through the eyes of a person who is “responsible” for guiding the order of the General Conference business.  I was elected as the chairperson of the Committee on the Agenda and Calendar for the General Conference, therefore, am deeply involved in the decision-making process for daily proceedings.  I am learning first-hand what it takes to determine and guide a very complex schedule of the general conference.  It is a tremendous amount of work, but I feel privileged to serve the general conference in this capacity. The work of legislative committee began yesterday (Friday) and will continue through Sunday.  This time we have 13 committees dealing with almost 1600 petitions.  Some of the highlights of the work of my Ministry and Higher Education Legislative Committee are as follows:     * The Committee has adopted a petition to consider all current petitions that will affect the ordering of ministry.  In other words, the petition to refer them was rejected.  This reflects a prevailing sentiment that the United Methodist Church needs to streamline the ordination process, especially for young people.     * The Committee has adopted a petition to continue the Study of Ministry Commission through the 2009-2012 quadrennium.     * The Committee has adopted a petition that pastor in charge may request that the bishop grant local sacramental authority to the deacon to administer the sacraments, in the absence of an elder, within a deacon’s primary appointment. Of course, these petitions will still need to be adopted by the plenary, and yet, these decisions may be part of a milestone for the ordering of ministry of the United Methodist Church.  The church is an active movement, not just a static institution.  I pray that the wind of the Holy Sprit continues to move us as we deliberate the petitions before us for the rest of the conference.  Thank you for your continued prayers. Youngsook C. Kang Clergy Delegate District Superintendent Metropolitan District (Youngsook is serving in the important role of "Chair of the Agenda Committee" for the General Conference.  She is before the whole of the conference each day guiding the legislative process.) SEE Youngsook's comments on VIDEO (April 23 - "Two- Steppin Report"). Day 3 - April 26, 2008     A Glimpse At Future Hopes April 26, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Rev. Dr. Eric Smith, Rocky Mountain Conference      A Future With Hope is the theme of the 2008 General Conference and so far my hopes for future of the United Methodist Church have been revived.  I have had glimpses of a church that truly wants to lay claim to the promises of Jeremiah 29:11:   “For I know the plans I have for you,” saith the Lord, “Plans for good, not evil.  Plans to give you a future with hope.”      As the Conference proclaims, we, the Worldwide United Methodist Church have a future filled with hope.  I am happy to report that Hope may be battered and worn but Hope is not on life support.  I saw glimpses of Hope in the opening worship as she joyful danced in with the Bishops and laity in the opening worship.  I saw glimpses of Hope symbolized in the Communion Table that was made from trees that had been destroyed by hurricane Katrina’s rampage through the campus of the Historic United Methodist Gulf side Assembly Retreat Center in Mississippi.  The communion table symbolized the hope we have in the promise,  “Behold, I make all things new.”  (Revelation 21:5)      I glimpsed Hope as she stood around the Communion table and blessed the elements for our first Communion together.  At the Communion Table Hope reminded us, “what unites is stronger than the issues that threaten to tear us apart.”  (My thanks to one of our lay delegates Kunle Taiwo for this statement)      I glimpsed Hope as she gave us the Youth and Young Adult report.  The youth and young adults who gave that report were Hope’s children and they reminded us that we do have a future with Hope.  I glimpsed Hope in a Legislative Sub-Committee as the delegates with sensitivity and reverence discussed a petition that wanted to make “Transgenderism Among Clergy” a chargeable offense.  The sub-committee voted to disapprove that petition.      Yes these are small steps toward a truly, united, inclusive and diverse church but it is the beginning of our dance with Hope.  It’s early in this General Conference, but I pray that our conferencing will truly be Holy and that we continue to see glimpses of Hope for our future. Please see the interview with Eric on VIDEO (Delegate Reports April 26). Day 2 - April 25, 2008     April 25, 2008 General Conference Report, Forth Worth, Texas Judy Hill, lay delegate, Rocky Mountain Conference After reading the comprehensive reports from Olon, Skip and Chuck, I give our two steppers the right to edit and even combine my thoughts with theirs. Getting into the rhythm of General Conference 2008 the Western Jurisdiction began the morning by meeting to get acquainted and to identify areas for our focus on significant legislation.  Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher, representing the Council of Bishops, gathered us around the General Conference theme “The Future with Hope” for our opening worship. She led us through the development of the Council of Bishop’s Seven Vision Pathways to the Connectional Table’s Four Focus Areas From there we heard a collaborative report of General Secretaries from Four General Agencies: General Board of Global Ministries, Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Board of Discipleship and United Methodist Communications around how they will work to accomplish the Four Focus Areas giving a clear picture of how we as a church can work together to accomplish our mission.. Maybe someone does know what time it is.   Bishop Mary Ann Swenson challenged us with the report from General Council of Finance and Administration....”let us be the cup overflowing in a thirsty world.” I would say she put her heart and soul into this report and challenged us to not “ live from a paradigm of scarcity” Witnessing the first young people’s address was met with great joy especially by our delegation as   Andrew Craig and Rev. Annie Rigo Arnoldy contributed to this historic event. The entire body welcomed the challenging remarks only young people can convey...They are  not  the church of the future, but they are the church of today I attended the laity lunch where we affirmed  Lyn Powell, presenter of the Laity Address, with prayer and best wishes. She then opened the afternoon session speaking on “ Disciples Transforming the World,”reminding  and challenging the laity to “Invite, Invite, Invite” , “Share Jesus wherever you go” and “Choose one special ministry.” She reminded us of our Wesley heritage and the important  ministry of the laity This afternoon the  thirteen Legislative Committees  met to organize and elect legislative officers in an upbeat two step fashion. We then had our dinner break only to return and begin working at 8 pm on our legislative work. This work continued until 10:30 p.m., and finally we ended our first full day of General Conference 2008. Now that is some of the nitty gritty . Many of you have heard me say if we could just sing all the time at the General Conference the Church would be better off. This morning we again experienced a rousing meaningful worship  experience....dancers, visual effects, well chosen music from the old favorites to new compositions along with the beat of the African drums.  The rhythm continued with a future with hope.  “ Do no harm, do good and stay in with love God” became the chorus for the day..With this as a rhythm in our daily lives, what a difference United Methodists can make toward making disciples and transforming the world Yes I am physically tired, but I will continue to be refreshed and filled as this 2008 General Conference worships, sings and learns new dances. A little child shall lead us---- a special child of God was introduced to us — she has raised $40,000 to purchase malaria nets and wants us to provide a net for every child who needs one..She believes we can do that .She is a disciple we can follow, and she is doing her part to transform the world.        Day 1 - April 24, 2008     Is This a Jurassic General Conference? By Charles Schuster Sitting there where it said on my badge I was supposed to sit I began to wonder what I was watching. I began to speculate on the first worship service in which our church held nothing back. Singing with 999 others “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and observing the parade of bishops and dancers and banners I began to wonder what was happening. We, the delegates, were caught up in the flow of the moment, and General Conference was whistled in. The music was loud, the clapping in syncopation, and the swaying back and forth made me think of the early days of Methodism when our denomination was mostly emotion turned loose. Are we at a crossroads looking down the future of our church? Is the Episcopal pomp a throw-back to a time when our church was a mover and a shaker; reduced now to have become motion that is spastic and adherents who are shaken? Will we come away from Fort Worth looking like the south end of a bull going north to slaughter? Will the pomp lead us to a circumstance that will be a prediction of good things to come? Will the old guard (people my age and younger) give way to new blood so there can be better circulation and an unclogging of the hardening of the categories so our Methodist muscle can be activated in mind and corporate body? Is it possible that our church will end its ten-day marathon with the look of a body of believers who are more resurrected in spirit than a group of the defeated who look cadaverous and entombed? I, for one, am not fooled by the presumption vision that we witnessed, but neither have I succumbed to an immediate reduction of cynicism. Tonight a little bishop whose name, Janice Riggle Huie, is bigger than she is, delivered one of the most compelling and powerful sermons I have heard on the first day of a General Conference. She said to us, “hope is the nerve center of the Christian life, and we must remember how hope transforms lives and how resurrected lives transform the world.” One other thing I would like to report. Up on the platform in this auditorium they had some usual chancel furniture. It was beautifully carved wood. The pulpit and the Communion Table were remarkable. The grain of the wood was dramatic and could be seen as far back as the cheap seats where they put us Rocky Mountain people. They let the word out to us; quietly, unpretentiously, subtly. That wood that became the center for our worship service was made out of broken trees taken down by hurricane Katrina. I’m beginning to think there is a chance that this General Conference is not Jurassic in its vintage, and we are not looking back toward the days that were; we are looking forward to the days that have yet to be. Yeah, it’s good to be here. Please see the interview with Chuck on VIDEO (Delegate Reports April 27).

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