Friday, April 26, 2024
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General Conference Update: South Georgia Edition
From Rev. Doreen Smalls, Head of the Delegation
I am honored to lead the South Georgia delegation. This group of clergy and laity has worked hard to prepare for this General Conference. Hours of studying, being away from family, work and church, I can tell you that their commitment is unwavering.
I ask that you join me in praying for Karen Forrester, one of our lay delegates, who is not able to be with us in Charlotte. She is, however, following along with us on the live stream and praying for and encouraging us every step of the way. John Ray is here and will be serving as a primary delegate.
We can feel the prayers from our brothers and sisters in South Georgia as we represent you here in Charlotte. Thank you. God has great plans for the people called United Methodists, and I’m thankful we are here and that this delegation has a voice in helping shape our future as we act with confidence and hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.
South Georgia delegates, volunteers, and observers gathered for a dinner Wednesday evening.
Regionalization approved, legislative committee work continues
In many cultures, the color black is a symbol of mourning, an absence of light and hope. But on April 25, General Conference delegates began the morning claiming black as a symbol of resistance and resilience, calling attention to rape and violence against women and vowing to end the church’s silence and inaction. Thursdays in Black, an initiative of the World Council of Churches, encourages wearing black clothing on this one day of the week to witness to realities, like those reported by the United Nations. Among those is that globally an estimated 736 million women — almost one in three — have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life. One of these women, Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling, episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware annual conferences, stood before General Conference on Thursday morning and testified to the damage the church can do when it is silent on this issue.
Delegates also heard the Laity Address from a panel of laity across the connection as they urged United Methodists to work together and keep the faith despite the setback of disaffiliations.
During the morning business, General Conference delegates passed much of the regionalization legislation that aims to give The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions equal standing in decision-making. Delegates voted 586 to 164 for an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that will now go before annual conference voters for potential ratification.
A constitutional amendment requires at least a two-thirds vote at General Conference; the regionalization amendment received 78% of the vote. To be ratified, the amendment also will need at least a two-thirds total vote of annual conference lay and clergy voters.
The work of the 14 legislative committees continued after lunch where delegates stayed for the remainder of the day. The ADCA contains all legislation submitted for consideration by the delegates at General Conference. Interested persons who wish to follow a particular piece of legislation may do so through the legislation tracker (an account must be created).
South Georgia delegates serve on the following legislative committees:
- Jimmy Asbell: Conferences
- Scott Hagan: Church and Society 2
- Allison Lindsey: Faith and Order
- Ben Martin: General Administration
- John Ray: Discipleship
- Richard Shinhoster: Financial Administration
- Doreen Smalls: Ordained Ministry
- Patsy Thomas: Judicial Administration
Regarding Regionalization
A Statement from the South Georgia Delegation
This is a procedural step in a larger and longer process. The vote at General Conference gives the delegates from every Annual Conference an opportunity to consider how we should organize our Connection. South Georgia will vote on these proposed Constitutional amendments in June 2025, allowing time for us to study and discuss.
Our delegation believes this better positions The United Methodist Church to minister to an ever-changing world.
We are a worldwide church and this decision honors that. International delegates from Central Conferences will no longer have to listen to or vote on American rules like pensions or property laws when we gather.
- This article helps explain the vote on regionalization with voices from South Georgia.
- The delegation will give a report at the 2024 Annual Conference session and will lay out a roadmap for how South Georgia will study and discuss this legislation leading up to the 2025 Annual Conference session.
- Clergy and lay members to the June 2025 South Georgia Annual Conference session will vote on these proposed Constitutional amendments.
- The aggregate votes would then have to be compiled to get to a 2/3 total vote of the denomination.
- Want to learn more about regionalization? Ask the UMC produced a 5-part series explaining regionalization. Click here to view.
Friday, April 26
Today's agenda includes:
8:00 - 8:45 am | Worship | Live Streamed
8:45 - 10:20 am | Plenary Session | Live Streamed
- Monitoring Report
- Connectional Table Report
- Administrative Committee Reports
- Calendar Items
10:20 am - 6:30 pm | Legislative Committee Work for the remainder of the day
Spotted in Charlotte
April 25 GC wrap-up from UM News: What happened on Day 3
Have questions about General Conference? Ask The UMC
Have questions about what’s happening at the General Conference, or how things work, or who was at the microphone when, or what specific actions mean? Ask The UMC is on site at the legislative assembly, ready to reply by email or live chat. Non-General Conference questions are welcome, too, as always. Learn more
General Conference Resources
General Conference Guide
An important resource for delegates, church members and journalists, this guide contains information about the conference schedule, the legislative process and historical background. Download the guide: English | Français | Português
Advance Edition Daily Christian Advocate
The Advance DCA contains all legislation submitted for consideration by the delegates at General Conference. View ADCA
Daily Christian Advocate & Legislation Tracking
The Daily Christian Advocate is the most important reference for delegates of General Conference (and those closely following the session). It contains daily transcripts of the conference proceedings, news stories and features, and daily summaries of legislative committee actions. General Conference delegates and first reserves receive free access to the website DailyChristianAdvocate.org. Others may access the site for a one-time fee of $49.99, which allows you to create an account and have ongoing access through General Conference, including legislation tracking. View the DCA
Following General Conference
There are multiple ways you can follow along with General Conference.
- Live Stream: General Conference will be live streamed at www.UMCGC.org/live
- General Conference website: www.UMCGC.org
- South Georgia Conference website: www.sgaumc.org/gc2020
- SGAUMC Facebook: www.facebook.com/sgaumc
- Social Media: Follow the hashtag #UMCGC
- These newsletters updates!
Prayer
Praying for delegates, bishops, speakers, and all those who lead and attend the General Conference sessions is a powerful way to participate. Pray for God to guide the General Conference’s decisions, for Christ to lead us into the future, and for the Holy Spirit to empower us to go on toward perfection in our love of God and one another. Join with others from South Georgia as we pause to pray each day 4:01 pm. View daily prayers here.
Top Tools for Sharing with Your Local Church
#1 GC by the Numbers Infographic - This one-page infographic provides a quick snapshot of General Conference by the numbers.
#2 The Road to General Conference Infographic - Gain a better understanding of The UMC with this information detailing the church's structure from the local church, to the district, through the annual conferences and beyond with the infographics below. (4 pages)
