How often do you get to invite the world to your place for nearly two weeks? This opportunity will be exactly what happens May 10-20, 2016. During that time, the quadrennial United Methodist Church General Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon. Approximately 5,000 United Methodists from around the globe will be here during that time to worship, pray, converse, and do the business of the church. Delegates from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Philippines, Latin America, and the United States will gather here to help set the direction and establish the policies for the United Methodist Church in the coming four years. This event has not taken place in our region for over forty years!
While our guests will come to Portland to do business, members of the Greater Northwest Area and beyond are being asked to volunteer to provide hospitality, so that our guests feel welcome…and will have what they need to conduct their business effectively in a warm and supportive environment.
In order to accomplish this, the 2016 General Conference Local Host Committee is encouraging congregations from throughout the region to invite their church members to be a part of the volunteer corps.
Sunday, November 22 has been specifically set aside as a time for congregations to focus their attention on General Conference volunteer recruitment. Some churches have already set congregational volunteer goals. As Bishop Hagiya and Bill Haden, the 2016 General Conference Local Host Committee Chair, wrote in a recent letter to all congregations, “We hope this special Sunday will be an occasion in which members of your congregation will learn more about the 2016 General Conference and sign up to volunteer.”
