It is 2016, and it is the year of General Conference!

According to our denomination’s UMC.org website, “General Conference is the top policy-making body of the UM Church, which meets once every four years. The conference can revise church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs.”

This legislative body will meet at the Oregon Convention Center, the largest convention center in the Pacific Northwest, on May 10-20, 2016. There will be a total of 864 delegates from annual conferences across four regions of the world.

The regional breakdown is as follows: North Central U.S. (92), Northeastern U.S. (86), South Central U.S. (108), Southeastern U.S. (188), Western U.S. (30), Africa Central (42), Congo (138), West Africa (80), Central and Southern Europe (14), Germany ((6), Northern Europe and Eurasia (20), Philippines 95), and Concordat (10). Forty two percent of the voting delegates will come from outside of the United States.

I ask that we pray each day for General Conference, and pray all day as an annual conference on Wednesday, January 16. Many important issues will be decided.

Let us pray: God, be moving in our midst to keep the unity of the church; and may we be witnesses to your love by the way we love one another in this important meeting. Amen.

Bishop Peggy Johnson