Author: Patrick Scriven

June 13-16, hybrid with in-person locations in Richland, Washington

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The 151st session of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference was held in a hybrid format on June 13-16, 2024, at Central Church in Richland, Washington, with its Clergy Session (May 29) and legislative Focus Sessions (June 7,8) preceding online. Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area presided. 

Click here to watch/download videos from #PNWAC24  |  Click here for photos

During the opening worship, Bishop Bridgeforth read an apology to the victims of sexual misconduct in the church, recently approved at General Conference, which included a promise from the Church to educate leaders, provide healing resources, and develop a trauma-informed response. A lovely service of music, liturgy, and Holy Communion encapsulated this apology and the bishop’s sermon that followed.

The bishop also delivered an enlivening sermon introducing the conference theme, “Being Well,” based on John 4:4-17, to members. In his message, Bridgeforth spoke pastorally, “Beloveds, our theme is ‘Being Well;’ it is about us taking a pause, looking for those spaces and places where we can care for ourselves and those around us … We want to check in on ourselves, and each other. We’ve been through a hard time.”

Encouraging members to continue their work on the M.I.L.E., Bridgeforth humorously contrasted ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Methodists, noting that ‘bad’ Methodists were taking risks and not waiting for permission. He encouraged ‘good’ Methodists to look outside the window, look for a need, and then “open the door and step outside.”

The bishop also challenged members to create spaces and opportunities for people to exhale, let go, name their needs, repent, and bring about repair. Considering the historic progress of the recently concluded General Conference, he said we must continue to work to change hearts and minds as “all we did was just change the words on a page… It’s important. But that’s not the work; that just opens the opportunity for the work to get done.”

Opening motions and a new conference lay leader

An abbreviated opening session followed directly after worship allowed for a mix of opening motions, instructions and procedural items to lay the ground for the work to come. Members were reminded that the budget was not before them to make space for conversations about values and mission as we consider funding for the annual conference and collaboration across the Greater Northwest Area. Upon the recommendation of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration, members overwhelmingly voted to approve Brant Henshaw as Conference Treasurer for the upcoming quadrennium.

The opening session was followed by a laity session, during which outgoing conference lay leader Nancy Tam Davis oversaw the election of the next conference lay leader, Falisha Hola. A member of First Tongan UMC of Seattle, Hola is the first Pacific Islander and, at 24, likely the youngest lay leader elected to that role in the Pacific Northwest.

“I’ve always been passionate about advocacy and representation because many of the spaces I’ve been in, even in our conference, are places I’ve been the only young person or Pasifika woman in the room,” shared Hola during the election process.  “At times, I felt uncomfortable and a sense of imposter syndrome, but I learned how important it was to be in these spaces.”

Worshipful opportunities

Members participated in a Memorial Service on the first evening of the annual conference. In her sermon, Rev. Katie Ladd shared how saints, including several of those being remembered in the service, took on the work of Jesus, bringing people together despite and sometimes because of their differences.

“They agitate and stir us with their wisdom … and they leave us with work to do.”

Appropriately subdued and beautiful music, organized by Worship Team chair Rev. Justin White and conducted by soon-to-be commissioned deacon Rev. Joe Lee, accompanied reflective moments for members to remember those they have lost.

The second day of the conference started with devotional time led by Cascadia District Superintendent Tim Overton-Harris, a guest from the Oregon-Idaho Conference. In a brief message, Overton-Harris encouraged self-reflection as a healthy practice. He also shared candidly that he hasn’t always been the best at it. He named this new skill as critical in helping him see his privilege and hear and learn from others.

Later that day, retiring clergy members were celebrated in a worship setting, allowing the conference to recognize their years of service. In her message, retiring local pastor Rev. Sheila Marie considered her second career call to ministry in light of the story of Jesus and the women at the well.

A symbolic mantle was passed from retiring elder Rev. Bo Bryant to Rev. Ashley Creek-Skinner, part of this year’s ordination class. Members also received a message from the retiree class interviewed before the conference over Zoom.

Legislative actions and table conversations help to identify values and areas of work

Conference members approved annual updates to conference advances and several other administrative support items, including increasing the moving allowance for those under appointment. The conference also voted to close three churches—Lapwai UMC, Nezperce UMC, and First Korean UMC of Seattle—and celebrated the ministry these congregations accomplished over the years.

In new work, members approved two petitions affirming the conference’s care for the environment. Together, the petitions will help enact some of the commitments made in 2023 by tasking churches with climate-related items, establishing a PNW Conference Commission on Environmental Stewardship, and naming environmental stewardship as a Missional Priority.

Another petition was approved to establish common work expectations for pastoral leaders. To affirm healthy work/life balance as essential to clergy health, the conference supported an average work week between 35 and 40 hours, two days off, vacations and leaves, and educational work for local church staff parish committees.

In a petition accepted from the floor, members affirmed their solidarity with the Filipino people and their struggle for human rights. The action calls on U.S. political leaders to support H.R.1433, which would suspend military aid to the Philippines until specific reforms are made to its military and police forces.

Click here for a full report of Actions approved by the 2024 PNW Annual Conference.

In place of the normal budgetary process, Bishop Bridgeforth invited members to prayerful conversations discussing ministry values and goals for our conference and considering future opportunities to collaborate within the Greater Northwest Area. Similar discussions will occur at the Oregon-Idaho and Alaska Conferences when they meet in the coming weeks. Additional opportunities are being planned for late summer and into the fall before a special session is called to approve a budget for 2025.

Ministry reports received by members

Throughout the sessions, members received ministry reports on conference, GNW Area, and General Church efforts. Nomination processes were navigated to populate conference boards and agencies for the quadrennium and to create a pool to serve on General and Western Jurisdictional committees.

A significant report from the conference delegation to the General Conference provided an overview of the legislative accomplishments. Delegates echoed the bishop’s message that legislation was just an opening. In addition to changing hearts and minds, as the bishop encouraged, conference members were also informed members that critical changes to the United Methodist Constitution, particularly those to support regionalization, required ratification at next year’s annual conference session.

A joint report from the Board of Congregational Development Chair Rev. Kathy Hartgraves and the GNW Area’s Innovation Vitality director updated members on continuing new church start projects. Kristina Gonzalez, GNW Executive Dir. for Innovation & Vitality, presented a video providing an excellent summary of the Equity Cohorts that have occurred over the past six months.

During its report, the Board of Ordained Ministry introduced the candidates for provisional and full membership before the bishop asked Wesley’s Historic Questions of the candidates. Church and Society announced this year’s Peace with Justice and MLK, Jr. award recipients, and reports were received from Ethnic Ministries, with videos prepared by the Hispanic/Latinx Ministries Committee, S.L.A.M. Trips, and the Christmas Institute. An additional report was received from the Circle of Indigenous Ministries director, Rev. Dr. Alan Buck.

Revs. Kathy Neary and Sheila Miranda offered a time to recognize the gifts and witnesses of certified lay ministers, Hispanic lay ministers, home missioners, deaconesses, and licensed local pastors while also announcing a new worship planning workshop series with Marcia McFee to support small churches served by lay persons.

Other reports included an update on the Bishop’s Task Force on Church Properties offered by Rev. Kathy Neary, Rules Committee by outgoing chair Jim Odiorne, Rev. Paul Mitchell and Sophia Agtarap (and guests) provided a summary of Creation Justice work in the conference since 2023. The body heard updates from Global Ministries co-chairs Kathy Bryson and Marilyn Reid about its efforts and the excellent work of our disaster response teams.

Members also received a positive report from PNW Executive Camping Director Alan Rogstad and a llama-filled report from Faith Foundation NW highlighting ways to invest aligned with one’s faith. A report from PNW Pensions Board chair Rev. Shane Moore elicited much approval as he highlighted ways the board was working to support cash-strained local churches.

Toward the end of its plenary sessions, appointments to the conference’s five districts and extension ministries were read. Dates and a general location for the 2025 annual conference were also announced – June 26-29 in the Inland or Seven Rivers District.

Celebrations and new and renewed activities

On Saturday morning, members took a break from plenary and worship to celebrate ministry in different ways. The Central Kids Run, an annual outreach event sponsored by Central Church, provides children in the community with a fun place to run while clouds of color fly through the air. Bishop Bridgeforth participated with a playful spirit as children and adults joined the fun.

The PNW Ministry Fair returned after several dormant years due to COVID. The event, held in the church’s gymnasium, allowed United Methodist ministries in the area to present displays and for conference members to learn about new ways they can get involved in ministry beyond the local church.

In a plenary session, Bishop Bridgeforth honored outgoing PNW Conference Lay Leader Nancy Tam Davis with a Bishop’s Award for her years of service and advocacy on behalf of the laity. Brant Henshaw and Rev. David Valera also expressed gratitude for Davis’s gifts and commitment to the conference. Davis and her husband, Rev. Jim Davis, have served as conference leaders and consultants.

Dan Krause, chief executive of United Methodist Communications, visited the conference to deliver a surprise Epikoinonía Award for excellence in communication ministry to PNW Communications Director Patrick Scriven. Staff conspired to keep Scriven unaware as he was also gifted with a t-shirt and lightsaber by DCM Rev. David Valera, Teri Tobey, and Amanda Tobey, dressed as the Star Wars character Rey.

Members also thanked Kristina Gonzalez, who announced that she would retire before the next conference session. Gonzalez received a certificate recognizing her 26 years of service to the conference and a piece of fine art. In his remarks, Bishop Bridgeforth shared a memory of Kristina’s impact on his ministry decades earlier.

“So, thank you because people like me have been treated better and had spaces to speak in because of your work.”

With wellness as part of the conference theme, it was fitting that Dr. Glenn Paraso and his spouse were present to mark the beginning of a new partnership between Mary Johnston Hospital and the Greater Northwest Area. Mary Johnston is the only Methodist hospital in the Philippines and has been serving for 118 years in Tondo, where many patients are poor. 

Paraso gave Bishop Bridgeforth a shawl representing sacred leadership and a bamboo flask from a tree representing flexible faith. “This is the shawl that starts the partnership,” Paraso said.

Conference offerings were taken for Mary Johnston Hospital, Riverton Park UMC’s migrant support, and Martha’s Cupboard, a ministry of Central Church.

Commissioning, ordaining and welcoming new pastoral leaders

During worship on the following morning, members and guests celebrated the commissioning of three provisional elders – Kate Crisci, Drew Hogan, and David Owsley – three provisional deacons – Denise Ann Belista, Jackie Celin, and Joseph Lee – and the ordination of three elders –  Kellen Corliss, Ashley Skinner-Creek, and Gayle Tabor. The congregation also received with gratitude Rev. Megan Madsen into full membership as an elder. Madsen had been transferred into provisional status in 2022 from the Church of the Nazarene.

Guest preacher Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz delivered a personal, genuine message of hope for the church. She reflected on the recent changes in the denomination, the well at the center of the conference theme’s scripture, and our call to offer living water. “If you invite people to drink, you need to make sure it is safe to drink,” she said. Deep wells must be built so that “…church is a place of equity and inclusion so the healing and cleansing Spirit of God can flow through us.”

In words directed to those being commissioned and ordained, Muñoz advised three things: “1. Be part of a covenant group to pray with. 2. Get a good therapist. 3. Find a good vacation club.”

• Membership stands at 27,454, down 1359 from the previous year.
• Worship attendance stands at 8,858, down 18 from 2022. Reported online worship is up by 1051.
• Church school attendance stands at 1,915, down 219.
• Professions or reaffirmations of faith for 2023 were 140, down from 2022 by 15.
• Adults and young adults in small groups for 2023 were 321, up from 2022 by 15.
• Worshippers engaged in mission for 2023 were 7,311, up from 2022 by 220.

These numbers reflect the disaffiliation of 13 congregations who left the denomination during special sessions held in 2023.

— Patrick Scriven, Director of Communications, Pacific Northwest Conference

The first day of the 2024 Pacific Northwest Conference began Thursday afternoon with an opening worship service. The service got the conference off to a good start with familiar hymns and a strong message from Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth. A liturgical response blending the traditional song “Are we yet alive?” was particularly moving. Rev. Grace Ncabani M’Mujuri served as liturgist for the service, and a group of musicians, capably directed by Rev. Joe Lee, led the congregation through the service’s musical moments.

Bishop Bridgeforth’s sermon focused on the Gospel message (John 4:4-17) that the annual conference theme, “Being Well,” is based upon. The bishop encouraged attendees to take care, noting some of the exhaustion leaders and congregations feel. He shared some insights the cabinet has developed from traveling to meet in every district across the Greater Northwest Area over the past year. In many places, churches serve as an essential part of the safety net that keeps vulnerable persons in their communities afloat. 

Speaking about engagement with the M.I.L.E., Bishop Bridgeforth humorously contrasted ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Methodists, noting that ‘bad’ Methodists were taking risks and not waiting for permission. He encouraged ‘good’ Methodists to look outside the window, look for a need, and then “open the door and step outside.” Talking about how Jesus’ engagement with the woman at the well transformed her, and Jesus as well, he continued, “Don’t be a good Methodist! Don’t! We don’t need any more good Methodists.”

Turning back to the theme, the bishop said, “Beloveds, our theme is ‘Being Well;’ it is about us taking a pause, looking for those spaces and places where we can care for ourselves and those around us … We want to check in on ourselves, and on each other. We’ve been through a hard time.”

At the end of the day during the Memorial Service, Rev. Katie Ladd reflected on the same gospel story, pointing out Jesus’s important work in re-membering the body. Rev. Ladd shared how saints, including several of those being remembered in the service, took on the work of bringing people together, despite and sometimes because of their differences.

“They agitate and stir us with their wisdom … and they leave us with work to do.”

Reflecting on the church post-General Conference and discussing the chalice broken at the 2000 General Conference, Rev. Ladd shared that it wasn’t time yet to pretend that we had put that symbolic chalice back together again.

“We have work to do, and it is holy work.”

The day’s plenary was primarily a mix of opening motions, instructions and procedural items to lay the ground for the work to come. Conference members received a report from Rev. Joanne Coleman Campbell, who serves on the Council on Finance and Administration (CF&A). Rev. Coleman Campbell and Bishop Bridgeforth reminded the body that the budget was not before them to make space for conversations about how values and mission as we consider funding for the annual conference and collaboration across the Greater Northwest Area. Upon the recommendation of CF&A, members overwhelmingly voted to approve Brant Henshaw as Conference Treasurer for the upcoming quadrennium.

After the plenary concluded, in-person clergy moved into a gathering while lay members held their Laity Session. During that session, lay members elected a new conference lay leader from a pool of three candidates. Falisha Hola, a young adult lay member from First Tongan UMC of Seattle, was selected to follow Nancy Tam Davis, whose term is ending after eight years. Hola is the first young adult and Pacific Islander to hold that position in the PNW Conference.

“I’ve always been passionate about advocacy and representation because many of the spaces I’ve been in, even in our own conference, are places I’ve been the only young person or Pasifika woman in the room. At times I felt uncomfortable, and a sense of imposter syndrome, but I learned how important it was to be in these spaces.”

Members and guests of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference will meet online and in person at Central Church in Richland, WA, from June 13 to 16 for its 151st regular session. A successful Clergy Session was held on May 29, and members will gather to discuss legislation this weekend at Focus Sessions held online this Friday and Saturday from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

From almost anywhere, you can watch the Focus Sessions and much of our Annual Conference Session live on the PNWAC website at https://pnwumc.org/ac2024! Please review the Annual Conference Schedule for an overview of the sessions and to learn what will be livestreamed. You can also view conference materials, including legislative updates and worship materials, on the Downloads page.

As they do their work, lay and clergy members will explore our theme, “Being Well,” which builds on the 2023-24 theme of “Go and Do Likewise.” The Gospel of John, chapter 4, verses 4-17, is our grounding scripture. Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth wrote in his call letter, “Being Well is our call to be as Christ would have us be in this time and space. Being well emotionally, physically, spiritually, and ecologically is a daily pursuit.”

Some expected highlights

This year’s annual conference sessions will open on Thursday, June 13, with worship and an episcopal address from Bishop Bridgeforth. The bishop will also help guide four opportunities for members to consider ministry values and goals as they look toward future opportunities to collaborate for better outcomes and greater efficiency within the annual conference and across the Greater Northwest Area. To allow space for these conversations, the bishop has announced that members will consider the budget at a special session later in the year.

In a laity session following the opening plenary, lay members will elect a new PNW Conference Lay Leader, with Nancy Tam Davis stepping down after eight years. During the conference, members will also approve nominations for a host of other positions on conference boards and agencies for the upcoming quadrennium.

Rev. Elizabeth Ingram Schindler and Skylar Marston-Bihl will deliver their report on the historic (and postponed) General Conference 2020 on Friday afternoon. The first-elected delegates will highlight the significant legislative changes the General Conference enacted and some of the work that lies ahead. They are reporting on behalf of the delegation that returned from Charlotte just over a month ago.

Members will receive updates and reports from conference boards, agencies, and area-level ministries. One celebration will be a new partnership between the GNW Area and Mary Johnston Hospital, a United Methodist hospital in Tondo, Philippines, where most patients are poor. The partnership is one of three offerings that members will have an opportunity to support.

Kristina Gonzalez will report on the innovation and vitality work happening across the GNW Area. A significant portion of her report will focus on the Equity Training that has been ongoing over the past six months. Members will take some time to recognize Gonzalez for her decades of service in the conference as she has announced her retirement early next year.

The body will also consider 14 recommendations submitted during the spring. Among the petitions are several typical pension-related actions, a recommended increase in moving expenses for pastoral leaders, the approval of three church closures, two petitions asking the body to lean into environmental stewardship, one focused on clergy wellness, and finally, a revision of the conference rules.

After a short plenary on Saturday morning, members will have the opportunity to participate in support of a community Kids Run sponsored annually by the host church. At the same time, a Ministry Fair returns for the first time since Covid-19 disrupted many conference traditions.

On Saturday afternoon, the body is anticipated to finish its legislative work by reading ministerial appointments and assignments, marking additional celebrations and adjourning its business. If time is needed, members may hold an extra session before worship on Sunday.

Closing with worship

Throughout the weekend, members and guests will be blessed with several opportunities to pray and worship together beyond the opening worship. Rev. Katie Ladd, pastor at Queen Anne UMC, will offer the message during a Memorial Service on Thursday evening, during which we will remember significant passings over the past year. On Friday morning, Cascadia District (OR-ID) Superintendent Rev. Tim Overton-Harris will join the body to offer a devotion. Later that morning, members will celebrate the retirement of pastoral leaders with Rev. Sheila Marie, retiring local pastor of Redeemer UMC in Kingston, WA, offering the message.

On Sunday Morning, the Annual Conference will conclude with a Service of Commissioning and Ordination with the Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz, executive director of the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, preaching. Members and guests will invite the Spirit to join them in blessing new leaders and sending all out to bring the Gospel of life to the communities in which God has embedded us.

One of the tasks of the Western Jurisdiction Conference, when it meets this July in Spokane, is to select lay and clergy persons to represent the jurisdiction as directors of the general church agencies, like the General Board of Global Ministries or General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. They also will select persons to serve in leadership positions in the Western Jurisdiction (WJ), like the WJ Council on Finance and Administration.

To complete this task, we need your help to create the ‘pool’ of persons to be presented to the WJ Nominating Committee. Are you interested in serving, or might you encourage someone to consider serving?

Click this link or the button below to access the form and self-nominate. Please consider whether God is calling you for this purpose. Nomination forms are due on May 31, 2024.

The Pacific Northwest Conference will consider the ‘pool’ when it meets in June. The WJ Conference will draw from the pools of all conferences in the WJ to fill the positions available. Thanks for considering this opportunity.

As the high season of United Methodist conferencing approaches, we must prepare for several elections and nominating processes. While some focus will be on potential episcopal elections at the jurisdictional conference in July, our PNW Conference session will include several nomination and election votes, which will help shape our lay and clergy leadership for the next quadrennium.

Electing a new PNW Conference Lay Leader

Members will elect a new Conference Lay Leader during the 2024 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Sessions. This vital position can provide a meaningful lay voice during and in between annual conference sessions as resourcing is offered and decisions are made. The current lay leader, Nancy Tam Davis, will complete her service after two quadrennia.

A page detailing the position’s responsibilities and an application have been published on the PNW Annual Conference Sessions website – https://pnwumc.org/ac2024/lay-leader-election/. Applications filled out by May 1, 2024, will be published alongside other pre-conference materials. Additional nominations can be made on the floor at annual conference during the laity session where the election will take place.

The Episcopal Elections Process starts at annual conference

The Western Jurisdiction expects two bishops to retire this year, leaving two openings in the WJ College of Bishops. Conferences have been invited to nominate up to two people who meet the basic qualifications for the episcopacy as described in The Book of Discipline 2016, Paragraphs 401, 405, and 414. That said, decisions made at General Conference may reduce the number of openings to one or none.  

Individuals who wish to put their names forward should complete the following tasks:

1. Prayerfully discern your readiness to serve in the episcopacy. 
2. Complete the profile form on the WJ website at https://westernjurisdictionumc.org/episcopal-candidate-profile.
3. Submit your name to PNW Conference Secretary Rev. Shirley DeLarme –  shirley.delarme@gmail.com – after you have completed the profile form. 

Candidates who complete the steps above by May 1, 2024, will have their profiles shared with conference members along with other pre-conference materials.

Per our rules, we will also receive nominations from the floor at annual conference, but no materials will be circulated for candidates named at that time. Per our practice, no one should be nominated without their consent. If someone is nominated who has not submitted a profile, they will be asked to do so after their election to honor the WJ’s process.

Other nominations and elections

When it gathers in June, members of the 2023 PNW Annual Conference Session will elect a slate of new and returning leaders for all our conference boards and agencies at this year’s annual conference session. Now is the perfect time to express your interest in serving in an area that aligns with your passions and gifts. If you aren’t already connected to a specific board or agency you want to serve (you can find the current rosters here), consider contacting your pastor, District Superintendent or District Lay Leader.

During its clergy session, PNW Clergy Members will also elect new leaders to serve in the coming quadrennium. Of course, the clergy session will do this while navigating its usual work of approving ministerial candidates and marking various transitions and status changes.

Whether contemplating a calling to the episcopacy, service in lay leadership, or support of the work of different conference boards and agencies, prayer is a necessary part of the process. Even as you pray to contemplate how you might serve, consider praying for others as they do the same.

2023 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Report

June 13-15, hybrid with in-person locations in Tacoma, Wash.

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• Watch PNWAC 2023 Video Showcase on Vimeo
• Watch M.I.L.E. – 2023 AC Sermons by Bishop Bridgeforth

• View/download photos from #PNWAC23, Day 1

• View/download photos from #PNWAC23, Day 2

• View/download photos from #PNWAC23, Day 3

• View/download photos from Commissioning/Ordination

United Methodist Followers of Christ in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference,

With this letter, I call the regular 2023 session of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference to meet on the dates listed within to attend to its regular business, gather in worship and explore impactful service opportunities.

This year’s theme for the Annual Conference Sessions held across the Greater Northwest Area will be “Go and do likewise,” centered on the familiar story of “The Good Samaritan.” In this parable (Luke 10:30-37), we find characters who exhibit attributes of servanthood, piety, mercy, and grace. Their intent and impact make a difference, especially considering the religious and historical context and societal norms present when Jesus first shared this story. These characters hold up mirrors for us to see ourselves more clearly and open windows to possibilities beyond our imagination.

As we come together this year, we continue our quest to find ways of gathering that will support our need to tend to our spirits, be in community, conduct business, and honor the space we may need between us at times. The world is changing. We must be nimble and attentive as we live within the parameters of our new realities. To this end, we will host AC2023 in person, with hybrid options available for those who choose to join online. All voting members will have the same access and privilege of participating regardless of the member’s choice to be in-person or online.

DATES and LOCATIONS

Our Area-Wide Conference will begin with the Bishop’s Installation and Opening Session at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Juneau, Alaska, which will be livestreamed on Saturday, May 20th (in-person participation will be by invitation only due to limited church capacity). The closing session for the area will be on Thursday, June 15, 2023, in the evening. The closing session will be livestreamed.

The Pacific Northwest Conference will host the main portions of its annual conference session June 13-15 in Tacoma, Washington, at Mason UMC and on the campus of The University of Puget Sound. We will commence with worship at 9 a.m. on Tues., June 13, and conclude early in the afternoon on Thursday, June 15, with the Commissioning and Ordination Service. A Memorial Service will take place on Tues, June 13 at 7 p.m., and a celebration of retiring clergy and recognition of Deaconesses, Home Missioners, CLMs, and Local Pastors will take place on Wed., June 14. 

More details can be found on the PNW AC2023 website. Please contact the District Service Center if you’re unsure of your status as a lay member of Annual Conference.

Before these dates, Clergy Session will be held via Zoom (with GNTV voting) on May 24. Focus Sessions will also be held in advance of the conference via Zoom on June 2 and 3 (as needed) from 6-8 p.m.

Registration will be sent to members along with more information at a later date. Registration will be required to receive voting credentials, and the deadline will be firm because it is essential as we prepare for a new model of conferencing. Guests will be able to watch the proceedings livestreamed via each conference’s YouTube channel. As your new bishop, I am grateful to have this opportunity to serve with you in what will be my first regular session of conference.

SPECIAL SESSION

There will be a Special Session on Sunday, May 7^th, for the sole purpose of voting on the approval of churches that wish to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church. That is a painful reality, but it is their choice to do so. We will work diligently and faithfully with each of those faith communities and our conference trustees to ensure they complete their due diligence in advance of the Special Session. We will release a separate call letter and registration information for this session with more information closer to the scheduled date. 

When we gather, it is possible that there will be several disaffiliating congregations unable to complete the process this Spring. That may necessitate another session in the Fall to allow all others who are ready to complete their process and leave The United Methodist Church before December 31, 2023, when the special provision in the Discipline allowing their departure expires.

PREPARATION

As you might imagine, we have many details to work out between now and when we meet in Special and Regular Sessions. I solicit your prayers and your patience. I also hope you will consider how you and those in your ministry setting view yourselves (mirror) and look into your communities (window) as you live out the teachings of Jesus in Luke 10:30-37. What are you learning and sharing about service to and among others? Where is God calling you to show up and do good? What impact are you having in your community or through your organization?

I have faith that our conference leaders and staff will continue in stellar service to you. They will answer your questions as they arise. My request is that you “go and do likewise” in all the places God calls you to serve.

Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth