PSA: I’m no longer naming these posts “Day X” , as I’m a few days ahead of the actual day count of GC, and it was confusing.
PSA+: I found the flicker account for the United Methodist News photo feed! So we are all saved from my crappy plenary floor photos from my seat in the back.
This morning I, and all other newly elected committee chairs, had the privilege of gathering with the Committee on Agenda and Calendar at 7am. Y’all, I thought I understood the full wonkiness of General Conference. It turns out there are several more levels down into the weeds. It was a chaotic meeting and left me wondering how in the world you can accurately plan how long it will take the body to do a set of agenda items. (Spoiler alert: you absolutely cannot.)
After that was all sorted, sort of, we went to opening worship. Bishop Easterling preached a powerful sermon on speaking out about violence against women. Everyone had been asked to wear black today to highlight our desire to stop harm against women. I have to confess to you that I will need to go back and listen to the sermon because I was distracted in the back talking to the guy below.
This is the real joy of General Conference, friends, old and new. Matt and I don’t get to see each other in person nearly often enough. Sometimes the best thing to do is skip worship and talk to a friend.
Once the business got started, our own Bishop David Wilson was in the presiding chair. He did a tremendous job. I love this photo that includes our previous Great Plains Bishop, Rueben Saenz, in the background cheering on Bishop Wilson.
While the plenary time was still remarkably pleasant and smooth compared to years past it took us far too long to process the three recommendations from the rules committee about our proposed changes to the rules. Mostly this was because some people were mad that the committee asked to refer an amendment about Land Acknowledgment to the Commission on General Conference instead of making it a standing rule. Note: the rules committee wanted to follow the request of the amendment. They just didn’t want it a permanent rule. They wanted to send it to the Commission to include in future plans. But people took this as an opportunity to lecture us about treatment of Indigenous persons, for a really long time. I am 100% behind their cause. I did NOT want to spend that much floor time on this debate. In the end the referral passed, so we did as the committee recommended. But people got to have their say. This is why Roberts Rules of Order work. The minority opinion got to share their view fully, but it did not carry the day.
We were in trouble, though, time wise. We were about to take a break and head to legislative committees until the brilliant Kelly Carpenter, from Dallas, got up to move a suspension of the rules to allow us to finish the agenda that had been laid out for the morning session. That motion passed. We stayed our seats and worked.
We passed the petitions to make the four Eurasian annual conferences autonomous Methodist Churches. There were many speeches, but those speeches weren’t actually about the church in Russia. They were all messages about the process of and need of (or no need for) other annual conferences outside the US to think about separating from the UMC. Specifically this was aimed at some conferences in Central and West Africa who have inner tension about being in the UMC long term. As is often the case at GC, we used one thing to talk about another thing, to those who would listen.
We passed the petition for the Russian churches to leave by 95%. Our delegation is seated nearby the 8 Eurasian delegates. When the vote came in, several of them were wiping away tears. Bishop Khegay gave a beautiful and heart-wrenching goodbye. It was a powerful moment.
Then we turned to one of the biggest pieces of legislation of this GC. Petition #1 for Worldwide Regionalization, all the constitutional amendments that would allow for a US regional conference. We debated. We voted. It passed. By well over the 66% needed. I am still wrapping my mind around the idea that this thing we have so much needed and wanted, might actually happen. It will take the ratification from annual conferences over the next 15 months to make it real, but we took a gargantuan step today.
This is monumental and to get it done today is incredible. It will now inform the work we do in committee and plenary the rest of the week. We don’t have to wonder, “But will we pass Regionalization?” We did. The rest of our work should align with this.
By then it was time for lunch! We broke for lunch and spent the rest of the day in legislative committees. My committee has gone well so far. I’m pleased with the way we are doing our work. We have a few big things yet to tackle but I’m confident we will do that well tomorrow.
By 6:30pm I was Out.Of.Gas and ready for dinner away from the Convention Center. Two of my delegation-mates were happy to go with me to Mellow Mushroom and then shopping at Whole Foods. I know you all were worried that I had not been there for two days. I picked up essentials like breath mints and another chocolate bar. Bring on Friday!
Today was a very good day, friends. It was a day when our hope for a more cohesive, compassionate, and functional church felt within reach. It was a day when we looked to what is best for our future together instead of boxing at each other out of our little corners. There are still plenty of hard discussions and decisions to come (like, uh, the budget. Ugh). But we are slowly finding our way into a new thing.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks, great post! I sure appreciate you!
It is so wonderful to hear positive, encouraging reports from General Conference. We are blessed to have you as our representative as well as our pastor. God really created your brain and character for this role! Bless you! (Still praying)