Friends,
I know that there are lots of questions about the called General Conference that will take place beginning Saturday in St Louis. Delegates to the highest rule making body in the United Methodist Church are coming together to consider the report of the Commission on a Way Forward, a group requested by the General Conference meeting in 2016. The Commission on a Way Forward was given the task of studying and presenting a way for the United Methodist Church to move ahead on the specific issue of human sexuality, a subject that has vexed us since 1972. There are 16 delegates who will represent the Holston Annual Conference (12 plus 4 reserves). I ask that you be in prayer for the delegation in the days to come.
Our Holston Conference media team created a website with all of the information that you need to help you understand what is going on. You can visit that website at Holston.org/GC2019 . Tim Jones and Annette Spence will be reporting back to us in the days ahead as they work diligently to keep all of us in the Holston Annual Conference informed about what is happening at the General Conference. You can subscribe to their reports through the website. Once the General Conference is over, the delegation will meet with all of the districts together on March 3 at 3:00 p.m. The meeting place for the Scenic South District will be St John’s UMC at Hwy 58 and Hwy 153.
Finally, please remember what I shared with you this past Sunday. No matter what happens in St Louis, McFarland will still be McFarland. We still have people to minister to in Rossville. We still will be the hands and feet of Jesus in Rossville. Nothing will change that. Our mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” will still be our mission. Let’s keep our focus on loving everyone in the name of Jesus.
Peace,
Pastor Wayne
