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.
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.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting 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!
ReplyDeleteGod is good - all the time!
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