Annual Conference works towards extravagant hospitality
By Stephen J. Hustedt, Director of Communications
As United Methodists from around Arizona, California, and Nevada gathered in Glendale, Arizona, for the twenty sixth session of the Desert Southwest Annual Conference June 24-27, the quadrennial focus of “Extravagant Hospitality… God’s Abundant Grace” took center stage once again. However, this is not just a theme for Annual Conference, it is a focus for the Desert Southwest Conference and the entire Western Jurisdiction throughout the quadrennium. Some of the ongoing work was shared at the Laity Session and later during the laity report to the full Annual Conference.
The primary focus of the Laity Session was on a partnership between the Board of Laity and the Communications Commission designed to bring real tools for making disciples to local churches through training opportunities. Appropriately, the first round of training opportunities will focus on welcoming training, and the resources to make these training opportunities successful were ready in time for Annual Conference.
In April, dozens of Desert Southwest Conference volunteers were equipped at and certified as Communications Ministry Welcoming Trainers through United Methodist Communications. As a result of a successful recommendation to the body of Annual Conference that all Desert Southwest Churches make use of welcoming training, great use will be made of these trainers in the coming year. Plans for similar training opportunities around the Rethink Church Movement and Web Ministry were also revealed.
In support of The Rethink Church movement, the Communications Commission yielded their agenda time to Neelley Hicks from United Methodist Communications. Hicks shared the basics of the Rethink Church movement with the conference and encouraged continuing to embrace the movement. The Conference was also congratulated on their high participation rate in find-a-church. The Desert Southwest Conference has a participation rate more than 70% while most conferences are in the mid thirties.
Equipping leaders through training opportunities was also an important part of the twenty sixth session of the Desert Southwest Annual Conference. For the first time in the history of the Desert Southwest Conference a full day of annual conference, Saturday June 26, was dedicated to a time of learning.
The featured speaker was Clif Christopher, author of “Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate.” Christopher shared that today’s church is in competition with the secular nonprofits for the giving dollars of church members and that most churches are not prepared to compete. He further explained that givers are looking for stories of the good that has been done and communications should be targeted to particular audiences. More can be learned in “Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate” and Christopher’s new book “Whose Offering Plate is it?”
In support of the movement into full communion between The United Methodist Church and The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod was invited to take part in the time of learning with Clif Christopher. The ELCA was also invited to stay for the service of ordination on Saturday evening in which Bishop Stephen S. Talmage, Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, gave the sermon. The service of ordination saw two people commissioned: Elizabeth Rambikur and Eve Williams and it saw five people ordained as elders: Valerie Fairchild, Jennifer Lee Hageman, Robert Holliday, Saul Montiel, and Robert G. Rynders.
Anther important evening in the life of the Annual Conference was the Celebration of Ministry banquet held on Friday night. This year the banquet returned to being a formal affair that honored more than just those retiring from ministry. Conference awards were handed out at the banquet, and outgoing cabinet members were also honored.
This year there was only one resolution addressed at Annual Conference. It was Resolution 21.00, a resolution on “persons with special needs”. The result of this resolution passing is that the Conference Board of Church and Society petition the 2012 General Conference to replace the phrase “Persons with Disabilities” with the phrase “persons with special needs” in their writings and documents. A further result is that congregations of the Desert Southwest Conference have been asked to make accommodations for persons with special needs so that they can participate in the life and ministry of their church.
While there was only one resolution directly addressed at this session of The Desert Southwest Conference, there were six petitions to the 2012 session of General Conference that were shared this year. Those petitions will be voted on at the 2011 session of The Desert Southwest Annual Conference, and more information on these resolutions can be obtained by e-mailing the Conference Secretary at louie(at)desertsw.org. The Conference Committee on Youth Ministry also brought a reminder to the twenty sixth session of Annual Conference about a resolution that passed last year called the Oasis Resolution. This resolution called on all churches of the Desert Southwest Conference to have a plan in place to assist homeless youth if the need arises. Appropriately it is a resolution that lives out the theme of Extravagant Hospitality.
Editor’s note: Membership stands at 38,961, down 2.8% from the previous year. Worship attendance stands at 26,555, down 0.7%. Church school attendance stands at 5,585, down 11.5%.
Top left: Churches from across The Desert Southwest Conference brought pieces of fabric that were woven together into an altar cloth that was used during worship at Annual Conference. Top, second from left: Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey, Executive Vice President for Development at Africa University, shared about the desperate need for healthcare professionals in Africa. All Annual Conference Offerings went towards endowing a Health and Science Chair at Africa University in honor of Former Conference Treasurer Joel Huffman. Top, second from right: Neelley Hicks (left) visited the Desert Southwest Conference to share about the Rethink Church movement. Even while the Board of Laity and the Communications Commission are working on providing hospitality training to local churches, similar plans are being developed for training around the Rethink Church movement and Web Ministry. Top right: The California/Nevada Conference Director of Connectional Ministries, Linda Wiberg, spoke to the Desert Southwest Conference about the work of the Western Jurisdiction and shared about the response from the Western Jurisdiction to the earthquake in Haiti. A video on the response was shared, and that video can be viewed on the Western Jurisdiction website at www.westernjurisdictionumc.org. Center left: Having paid off the mortgage on the United Methodist Center last year, The Annual Conference celebrated with a Mortgage burning ceremony. Center, second from left: A full day of learning was devoted to Clif Christopher on Saturday, June 26. Christopher lead the Annual Conference in looking at how people choose to give in today’s society. Center, second from right: As Annual Conference was closing with worship, the children in attendance helped Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño remind everyone about their baptism by sprinkling water on those who were gathered. Center right: The Annual Conference commissioned Elizabeth Rambikur and Eve Williams. Bottom: The Annual Conference ordained five people as elders: Valerie Fairchild, Jennifer Lee Hageman, Robert Holliday, Saul Montiel, and Robert G. Rynders.