The North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church concluded on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at the Raleigh Convention Center at 9:30 AM with a service of Commissioning and Ordination.
A little Conference business was conducted before the beginning of the service. Two closings of churches this year announced by the Reverend Bill Gattis, Dean of the Appointive Cabinet. Those churches are Pleasant Grove in Wilmington and Hollister in the Rocky Mount District. Several churches were recognized for realignment into charges and in others, the launching of second campuses. He also announced the merging of Reconciliation UMC and Asbury Temple UMC to become the New Creation UMC.
The ordination Sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary. Dr. Tennent served 11 years as Professor of World Missions and Indian Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. Prior to his work in Massachusetts, Dr. Tennent taught missions at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, where he was honored as teacher of the year in 1995. He also teaches annually at the Luther W. New Jr. Theological College of Dehra Dun, India, where he has served as an adjunct professor since 1989. He has also ministered and taught in China, Thailand, Nigeria and Eastern Europe. Ordained in the United Methodist Church, he has pastored churches in Georgia, and preached regularly in churches throughout New England and across the country.
Dr. Tennet preached a stirring message reminding all that we are serving in a post-‘everything ‘world: post-modern, post-Western, post-enlightenment and post-Christendom. “We are beyond everything we know and can imagine,” Tennet said. Instead of issuing a verdict of gloom and doom, Dr. Tennet challenged those gathered to see this as opportunity, that these are great times to recall the church to its heritage, to the meta-narrative of our God who re-creates, re-news and sends us into the world in mission. “It is time,” Tennet reminded, “for us to call people to remember the mighty acts of God….and to faithfully teach the word of God in the rubble.” (recalling the work of Ezra and Nehemiah). We are called, he said, not to be sanctuary lights but to be street lights, shining the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world.
Music for the service was provided by the Durham District Choir, the Reverend Nan de Andrade, Director and the Reverend Kathie Wilkinson, Accompanist. Worship was enhanced by the Liturgical Dancers from the Edenton Street United Methodist in Raleigh. The Organist for the service was Mr. John Dumbleton of Edenton Street UMC. The liturgists for the service were Bishop Gwinn, the Reverend Amanda Fleishman Wilson, the Reverend Mattheue Locklear, Mrs. Gloria McAuley and Ms. Sydney Evans

Recognition and reception into Associate Membership – Walter Ray Teague II
Commissioning as Provisional Member- Deacon Track – Jaye Nesbitt White,
Commissioning as Provisional member – Elder Track
Anna Elizabeth Adams
John David Amon
Rochele Aliane Bailey
Vito Bisogno
Michele Karen Clark
Lori Ann Cox
James Scott Finicum
Scott Morgan Foster
Shay Joseph Hall
Tara Culp Lain
Elizabeth Waggener Polk
Leah Farriba Skaggs
Toni Lee Wood
Ordination as Elders in Full Connection
Joseph David Beam IV
Gerald Stephen Castle
Timothy Davis Catlett
Dalma Garrell Cribb
Christi DeSha Dye
Elizabeth Ann Gaines
David Lewis King
Laura Fine Ledford
John Michael McAllister
Donald Thomas Miller
Courtney Michel Randall
Carolyn Beers Roy
Harriet Tucker Taylor
Vermel Harrison Taylor
Nancy McGee Willard
Nathan Andrew Wittman
Jaylynn Warren Byassee (ordained as a courtesy to the Western North Carolina Conference)

The service was closed with the Bishop and District Superintendents fixing the appointments for 2011-2012 and the congregational singing of “Lead On, O King Eternal”.

Pine Valley UMC’s musical team can also move our hearts in the dark!  To the tune of Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone, the Glow team used movement and black light to illustrate the words of the song and let the Holy Spirit seep into our hearts.  GOD did LIGHT OUR WORLD tonight!  What an amazing time and amazing message!

To read more about this amazing ministry, click here:

http://divine.blogs.starnewsonline.com/11724/miming-in-the-dark-glow-ministry-at-pine-valley-umc/

Pine Valley United Methodist Church’s IGNITE Ministries kicked off our evening to celebrate the Laity of the North Carolina Conference.  IGNITE is a musical/dramatic ministry of youth of all ages that spreads God’s love to nursing homes, schools, and churches.  They have performed in places from Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania.  This ministry, started by PJ Bolduc, creates space for young people to tap into their talents for Christ.  They weave drama with music and instruments to share the Gospel story.  They certainly shared the Gospel with us tonight!

Friday afternoon, after the laity awards, Bishop Al Gwinn called on Emily Innes who started the Order of the Day.

Ann Davis spoke about the work of the UMW and how this organization is promoting the work of Worship, Learning, Serve, & witness.

Tom Starnes spoke about the work the UMM is doing. The spring rally was changed to a training event for the Methodist men with a program known as No Man Left Behind.  This program can be brought back to the local church level. Then Tom mentioned how the UMM Duke Day was changed to a mission outreach program for handicapped children. This event helped reach 370 children & their families. The main call of action Starnes asked of the UMM at the local level to focus on ‘seeking leadership’ rather than being elected because we missed a meeting.

The Annual Conference was blessed with the opportunity to listen to the Conference Youth President for 2010-2011, Sydney Evans. She spoke to the Conference about the work that the Conference Youth is doing, and are actively pursuing in their own ways. She spoke about the low expectations many people have of the Youth today, and how the Youth of this Conference are exceeding those expectations. Sydney challenged the Annual Conference to encourage each other, the Youth in their own churches, and their entire congregations to also exceed those low expectations, and be excellent when excellence exists.

Late this afternoon Laurie Beth Jones shared some of her thoughts about leadership, change, and types of people with us at Annual Conference.

Jesus always knew who he was…teacher, shepherd, leader, and it is important to know how we lead as Christians.

• Elemental Team Communication
  • Fire
    • Hot
    • Passionate
    • Focus
    • Controlling
    • Hungry
    • Mesmerizing
  • Earth
    • Solid
    • Predictable
    • Firm
    • Stable
    • Measured
    • Growth
  • Water
    • Flowing
    • Reflective
    • Easy Going
    • Supportive
    • Flexible
    • Harmony
  • Wind
    • Change Oriented
    • In Motion
    • Energetic
    • Spontaneous
    • Inspiriting
    • Free
  • What is it that drives you crazy about earths if you are a wind?
    • We love you but you are so immovabeble and unable to change.  You just cannot measure the work of the Holy Spirit!
  • IF you are an earth, makes you crazy about winds?
    • You are a much of blowhards!
    • You have a lot of ideas but you need us to hold it together!  You look to us to make things happen!  You have new ideas every five minutes!
  • Waters think this about fires
    • You are so prejudging…you come in with your mind made up!
    • You act without thinking…
  • Fires say to Waters
    • You are passive…
  • Conflict in our churches and homes can rise out of our “elemental” stance…
    • Why do we need and need to appreciate the other elements?
      • Waters need fires for inspiration and light
      • Fires need the calmness of the Waters
      • Earths need the Wind to keep us from going stale
      • Winds need the consistency and strong work ethic of the Earths
• But what do we do with teams….we recruit people that are just like ourselves rather than people that push us and make the team well rounded!
• We must be aware of people’s anger styles within their Element as well…it affects how we act…do we know what Element our key people on our team are?
• David:  Fire/Earth : would start a fight in a heartbeat…mood swings look at the psalms!…
• Solomon:  Earth/Water leader:  good at relationships….cadence of Proverbs:  if you do this, you will get that…
• Teams we form need balance of the elements.  When there is no wind, there are no calm…without the earth, we have no stability…without the fire, we don’t have the excitement…without the water, we miss transformation…
  • Without balance, we are limited in our effectiveness!
• All four elements handle change!
• This reasearch can change the denomination
  • Who has given the fire denominations the microphone?  Why do they get to speak for main-stream christianity?
  • Let’s kick up the fire within us!
  • Who should be on the talk shows representing Christianity?  WE should!
  • Don’t just let fires take control of an agenda!  Speak up!  We have the power within us!
  • Culture trumps strategy
• Human Dreams
  • 12 Dreams Every Leader Must Have
    • Everything is focused towards attaining and acheiving
    • God wants us to be excited but grounded…regenerative but transformative
  • How do we speak for Christianity and speak up?  We need to take the microphone.
    • What Element are you?  Check here to find out for sure:
    • http://www.lauriebethjones.com/store/home.php?cat=292

Jeff Severt, Director of New Faith Communities

10 of the 13 New Churches have started over the last 5 years have continued to be in ministry.  These churches continue to grow in attendance,professions of faith and baptisms.

Rev Severt says that he loves working in the “labor and delivery” department of the Church.  He shares that these new churches are the spiritual children and grandchildren of the current churches.

He states that these new congregations have also produced candidates for the ministry.

The conference is planning to start 10 new congregations this year.

Billy Spencer – Healing Waters in Hubert/Jacksonville

Cleve May – The City Well in Central Durham

Owen Barrow – Apex 55N Campus

Jose Luis Villasenor – Fiesta Cristiana Campus of Apex

Jay Helms – Morrisville Missional Congregations

Peter Singletary – Jacksonville Multicultural

Donna Thompson – Solid Rock Campus at Spring Lake (Ft Bragg)

Mike Bass – Solid Rock Campus at Community

Michael Stadtler – Solid Rock Campus at Mt Ariel/Woodside

Matt Youngblood – Spout Springs (north of Spring Lake

These individuals were announced as the “Starting Lineup” for 2011-2012 year.

Bishop Gwinn said that some of these were communities that were simply spreading their DNA in to other campuses.

Attendees were encouraged to participate in the Ten Dollar Club that goes to support the planting of new Faith Communities.

Bishop Gwinn asked for all the pastors and laity from the Acts 2 churches to come and lay hands on the leaders of the new faith communities as he prayed for these leaders.

Carol Goehring shared the report on Connectional Ministries

She asked us to imagine a church that was inter-generational.  A church is a way of life. A church happens in the streets as well as in the doors of the building.  Church is trusting that God has given us enough.

The Conference has a vision for healthy congregations and effective leaders in every place, making disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Connectional Ministries team helps the local church to become partners and to rethink church.  A coach is assigned and the coach and the congregation journey together toward change and a call to action.

Models used:

• Coach assigned to a pastor or a congregation
• Cohorts of teams to work with congregations or district teams.

Currently there are 25 trained coaches.  Trained through Passion in Partnership. Some of the coaches are connectional staff and some are laity and clergy.

Rev Goehring shared some stories of churches who have doubled their worship attendance.  She shared about churches who have seen increased attendance in groups learning about spiritual practices.

The Leadership Team was introduced

Steve Taylor brought forth 3 ministries to be added to the Rainbow Covenant Advance as a motion from the NC Conference Mission Team

• Passion in Partnership
• Anathoth Garden
• Salvadoran Mission Projects

Those were approved to be added

Bud Budzinski then brought a report from the Disaster Response team.  He spoke to the April 16 tornado disaster.  A video showed the many activities done in disaster response.  He reported that there are over 1000 homes that were uninsured or under insured.  He encouraged continued work teams and continued giving to the Advance for disaster response.

Laity did not elect any delegates to the SEJ conference

Emily Innes, Conference Lay Leader, shared the vision of having churches identified because of their radical hospitality, spiritual formation from the cradle to the grave, extravagant giving, risk taking mission.

This is the 3rd year that churches were recognized.

Burlington District

• Carrboro
• First – Elon
• Hillsborough
• Union Grove
• University

Durham

• Aldersgate
• City Road
• Epworth
• Mt Sylvan
• Trinity Durham
• Warren’s Grove

Elizabeth City

• All God’s Children
• Buxton
• Edenton
• Hatteras
• Hertford
• Little Grove
• Woodland

Fayetteville

• Haymount
• Kipling
• Spring Hill

Goldsboro

• Benson
• Centenary – Smithfield
• Elevation
• Greater Heights
• Jefferson

Greenville

• Aurora
• Bath
• Hobgood
• Jarvis Memorial
• St James
• Trinity – Bellhaven

New Bern

• Ann Street
• Beech Grove
• Rhems
• St Peter’s

Raleigh

• Apex
• First – Fuquay Varina
• Fuquay Varina
• Highland
• Holland’s
• Saint Andrews
• Wake Forest

Rockingham

• Saint Luke Laurinburg
• Trinity

Sanford

• Southern PInes
• Saint Luke Sanford

Wilmington

• Andrews Chapel
• Camp
• Grace
• Oleander
• Pine Valley
• Wesley Memorial
• Wrightsboro