Daily Publications
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2017 West Virginia Annual Conference Summary
Photos
Visit our Flickr page here to see all Annual Conference photos!
Handouts
From Friday evening worship: Some practical ideas for being Christ
Rev’s Greg and Lauren Godwin share reflections on Annual Conference 2017 as Father and Daughter. Click here for more
Bishop Holston’s Sermons …in Rhymes by Rev. Jake Steele
We cry, “can’t;” He bids, “try.”
We bark, “won’t.” He asks, “why?”
Christ takes our little and makes a lot,
As long as we give Him what we’ve got.
Little time, little stuff,
In the Land of Lack there’s not enough.
A lack of trust; muffled wishes,
Might as well be loaves and fishes.
In our “not enough,” He deletes our “not.”
“You have enough. Child, what’cha got?”
Behold what God binds and looses
when we make a difference, not excuses.
So relinquish the little you think you’ve got.
Abundance is the option. Failure’s not.
Answer the call; shine the light!
A dark world waits—the harvest ripe!
West Virginia, it’s time to move.
‘Cause Christ is an offer we can’t refuse.
Rev. Jake Steele is pastor of Christ Church in Wheeling, WV. and an elder in full connection.
‘selfie’ taken by Jim Minutelli in front of Wesley Chapel
Conference through the lens of a CLM (Certified Lay Minister) by Jim Minutelli
I have to admit, I attended Annual Conference this year with ulterior motives.
Well, I guess “ulterior” is a pretty strong word, so let’s just say that I went with a new perspective and wanted to look at the Conference with a more inquisitive eye, so to speak.
I have attended the Conference for the past few years as a lay delegate from my church, but in January of this year, I finalized my process of becoming a Certified Lay Minister in the Wesleyan District. It has been an eye-opening and educational experience for me, as the requirements for becoming a CLM are currently ever evolving in our state, and I was excited to put my training to the test.
Armed with my copy of the 2016 BOD, with pages of the CLM section bookmarked, I picked up my registration packet. I looked through the materials I was given. I attended opening worship. I examined the order of each service I attended and what each speaker had to say. I took notes during the Memorial Service on Friday, noting how Bishop Holston successfully balanced humor with the honored memory of those who were being recognized. I read each amendment that came up during the business sessions and listened intently to the respectful debate between colleagues on each. I gave feedback and listened to my fellow Christians as we honestly discussed equality, diversity, and the love of Christ during the Circle of Grace sessions. In the end, do you know what I realized? Despite the complexity in which I approached conference this year, I recognized that a change in
In the end, do you know what I realized? Despite the complexity in which I approached conference this year, I recognized that a change in title didn’t change who I was or how I approached my ministry. I continue to join with my fellow laity as a “servant of all” – with an added excitement for the direction of the Church and a boost in my personal relationship with God.
As Christians, universally, and as laity, specifically, one way we live God’s love is through our actions. Micah 6:8 says that the Lord requires from us: “to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.”
We also put God and our neighbors first, as Jesus told us in Matthew, by loving the Lord our God with all of our heart, our being, and our mind, then by loving our neighbors as ourselves – our mandate to be disciples making disciples.
Nothing more, nothing less, no matter how complex we want to make things.
I have always believed in the call of the laity. Whether as certified lay servants, lay speakers, or lay ministers, laity continue to fill an important function, and void, as the United Methodist Church moves forward.
I will continue to embrace this, with our Lord’s help, and encourage my fellow lay servants to do the same, working, in Bishop Steiner-Ball’s words, to make a difference and be a light in our communities.
Jim Minutelli is a CLM (Certified Lay Minister) from the Wesleyan District.
We gather to worship:
Worship services for Annual Conference were designed by the conference worship team, led by Bishop Steiner Ball.
We gather to celebrate and learn from one another:
View the Conference Agenda
Download the Conference Workbook
We gather to share a meal, or two!
Learn more about dining on campus as well as special meals during annual conference!
Click here to read about Buckhannon’s fabulous local restaurants!
We are Hopeful!
Read the welcome letter from Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball
Read the Annual Conference Greeting from Mark Connor, Program Committee Chair
Check back Wednesday for Worship Bulletins for each of the worship services. You may download them to follow along with the annual conference.
Thursday Worship Services
Friday Worship Services
Saturday Worship Services
Ordination Bulletin
Social Media
General Conference Amendments
Conference Secretary, Judi Kenaston, speaks with Ken Krimmel about the Constitutional Amendments that are before Annual Conference for a vote. See your Conference Workbook for more information.
Daily Publications
We will post our Conference Circuits here, check back Thursday morning!
An Important Reminder:
The West Virginia Conference Communications Team would like to remind all attendees and visitors that all gatherings — worship, teaching and business sessions — are being live-streamed. Anything you say is broadcast for the entire world to see if they choose to tune in. Also, with today’s technology, there might be others present at the conference recording presentations and business sessions. Please remember to act and speak as if a camera or microphone is in front of you at all times. The worship and teaching sessions will be recorded so they may later be posted on the conference website for viewing and download. The business sessions are live-streamed, but will not be posted on the website.
~ Rev. Deborah Coble, Director of Communications