Day 3 of the UMC General Conference began with a soul-soothing worship experience for me, which included “The Goodness of God” in Spanish. I arrived early to help save seats for other reserves in our delegation, which allowed me to catch the end of the soundcheck and preview what we would sing together later. Bishop Easterling’s sermon was clear and convicting and called for both repentance and action for the church’s silence around domestic abuse and violence.
The morning session included the Laity Address, Jurisdictional Study Committee report, Nominations, and Administrative Committee Reports. A significant moment occurred when the body suspended the rules to consider one of the regionalization petitions connected with constitutional amendments. The petition passed well beyond the threshold necessary to send it to the annual conferences for ratification, providing hope for the regionalization effort.
Most of the day was spent in legislative committees. I observed the Church and Society 1 committee, led by my friend and colleague Kalaba Chali. The committee passed all of the revised social principles assigned to them for consideration at the plenary. While this is a positive sign, I remain cautiously optimistic, as the plenary floor must still consider these items.
One striking reality these days has been the challenge, commitment, opportunities, and peril of living, deliberating, and moving forward as a worldwide denomination. The energy, resources, and effort required are incredible, exemplified by our legislative committee’s live translation into five languages alone. It’s a foretaste of the kingdom of God but can also be fraught with conflict due to differences in conversation, deliberation, and decision-making across cultures. As Chair Chali reminded the committee, the grace that many love about the United Methodist Church must be offered to others and ourselves in our work together.
A moving moment occurred when Bishop Eduard Khegay, episcopal leader of the Eurasia Area, gave a farewell speech following the passage of a petition enabling four Eurasian annual conferences to become autonomous. Having personally experienced the Methodist presence in Russia during seminary trips, I found myself both sad as they departed and grateful that they did so amicably.
All in all, it was a long and tiring day. I am grateful for friends to share meals with, the trail next to the Lynx Blue line for early morning runs, and the work of the Holy Spirit in and among this gathering, connecting people from near and far.
Rev. Andrew Conard 