| Dear Clergy, Laity, and Friends of the West Virginia Conference: The next General Conference of The United Methodist Church will take place in 2024. The General Commission on General Conference made this decision based on a number of factors. Please see the press release below that was released yesterday at about 5 PM. For now, we are called to wait on the Lord! As we have done with previous postponements of the General Conference, the churches and the faithful people of the West Virginia Conference will continue to focus on the mission and ministry of Christ! The biblical mandate for the Church is to share the good news of Christ. To reach people with the saving knowledge of Christ. To make disciples of Christ. To feed, shelter, clothe, visit, weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice, and to do all of this offering and making known the praise, the joy, the worship, and the transforming power of Jesus Christ! In the next few weeks, Bishop Moore-Koikoi and I will be having three meetings within the West Virginia area, as well as three meetings in the Western Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna Conferences to share how we will continue the work, the mission and ministry of Christ between now and 2024. Look for those dates and locations to come out this coming week. We welcome your presence and your engagement as we continue work together to share the love of God and the Good News of Christ with the people of this world who need healing, hope, and new life. Peace, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball Press Release regarding General Conference |