Monday, June 2, 2025

North Alabama Annual Conference 2025 (Most of my weekend!)

The 2025 Annual Conference of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church took place Thursday through Saturday, May 29–31. I am truly honored to have served as one of the Lay Delegates from our church.

The conference opened Thursday at 10:00 a.m. with worship. Afterward, we headed to our first Learn and Lead Workshop. I attended “Been There, Done That, May or May Not Have Gotten the T-Shirt [Small Group Ministry]” led by Chris Wilterdink from Discipleship Ministries. It was a fascinating class. He discussed “nones” and “dones” — people with no church affiliation, or those who are “done” with church due to reasons such as church hurt.

We also learned that, for the first time in history (I believe that’s what he said), there are eight generations of people alive at the same time: the Greatest Generation, the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Gen Beta. Interestingly, Baby Boomers make up 21% of the population, Gen X 20%, Millennials 22%, and Gen Z 21% — nearly equal representation across four generations. We explored ways to engage people in ministry — and were reminded that relationships are always key.




I had to duck out for a few hours for an allergy doctor appointment but made it back in time for the Laity Session at 4:00 p.m. We learned many interesting things in this session, led by Dr. Lisa Keys-Matthews, our conference Lay Leader.



After the session, two other participants from our church and I went to grab dinner. We ended up at Chick-fil-A — even by 5:15 p.m., most restaurants were full unless you had a reservation!

That evening, we returned to Asbury UMC, our host church, for the Service of Licensing, Commissioning, and Ordination. A combined choir from several churches led us in worship, and the music was absolutely beautiful.



The young man on the left in one of the photos is Trey, a youth minister at another church, but a “product” of our own church — Trinity UMC in Homewood, AL. Though his family didn’t attend church, Trey found ways to get there before he could even drive. He was quite spirited as a youth, and it took some time for him to settle down, but our youth staff never stopped loving him. Now, look what God has done! Trey was presented with a license to serve as a local pastor. Local pastors can perform all the duties of a pastor — preaching, leading worship, baptisms, confirmations, funerals, weddings, communion, and welcoming new members — but only within their appointed church setting. By contrast, elders (like our senior pastor) are authorized to perform these duties anywhere.



Next up from our church was Mary Frances, who was commissioned as a provisional member preparing for ordained ministry as a deacon. She serves on our youth ministry team and completed seminary sometime last year.


My dear friend Laura was ordained as a deacon. Like me, she grew up in an era when women couldn’t be pastors, so she initially pushed aside God’s call. She went to college, became a speech pathologist, got married, and raised children. But while we were in Israel in February 2020, she felt God calling again. Soon after, as the world locked down due to COVID, she applied to Duke Divinity School. Five years later — she’s now a Deacon! I’m so proud of her and so happy for her.



Here she is with her husband, Scott. We love them so much!!


Wondering about the difference between a Deacon and an Elder in the UMC?
Elders are ordained for ministries of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service and typically lead in the local church. Deacons are ordained for ministries of Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice, focusing more on connecting the church with the world through practical service. Elders are itinerant — they serve wherever appointed by the bishop. Deacons are not itinerant and may serve in churches, non-profits, agencies, or other ministries. Both roles are open to men and women.
(Note: Definitions were pulled from various websites. This is a basic overview, not an in-depth explanation.)

Our Bishop preached at the ordination service and he preached God's word right into our hearts.

Friday began with an 8:30 a.m. teaching session by Herbert R. Marbury, Associate Professor of the Hebrew Bible and Black Religious Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Afterward, we had Plenary Session 1, which included reports and presentations from various conference ministries.

Our group of 15 from Trinity had lunch at Jim ’N Nick’s BBQ, where I enjoyed a brisket salad. There had been a mix-up with our reservation, but the staff graciously brought complimentary appetizers and provided excellent service.

Following lunch, we returned to Asbury for Plenary Session 2, which included additional reports and voting on four constitutional amendments. Those with voting rights were seated in designated “bars” (sections), and ballots were carefully counted and recounted — voting is taken very seriously.

Our conference treasurer, Laura (a different one), gave a financial report alongside the CFO.

After the final report, I headed home to have dinner with Mark. Some attendees stayed for the Awards Dinner, while others from our group went to Black Market at the Colonnade.




Saturday morning found us arriving early for another teaching session from Herbert Marbury, this time focused on Moses. We then moved into Plenary Session 3 for more reports and presentations.

Our final worship service took place just before lunch. It was incredibly moving, with our Bishop preaching. He’s a gifted storyteller who seamlessly weaves personal experiences with scripture. There wasn’t a dry eye in the sanctuary. Our contemporary worship band (from Trinity UMC) led the music for this last session and did a wonderful job. The conference ended with communion. Though it was just two and a half days, it felt like a beautiful mix of business and revival.




 

3 comments:

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  2. Interesting about the 8 generations. It was a busy but fulfilling weekend for you! We have Elders and Deacons in my PCA Presbyterian church, too. I grew up in the UMC but love my PCA affiliation now. God is good!! Wishing you a blessed week ahead!

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