(excerpt from the June 2009 Love in Action Newsletter)

Coming up, during the second week in June, our Western NC Conference will hold it’s Annual Conference right down the road at Lake Junaluska. These gatherings are always important for us in that they are the place where the Conference sets its direction for the coming years and evaluates how we are doing as we all try to Follow Jesus, MakeDisciples, and Transform the World.

This year at Annual Conference we will have the added responsibility of voting on proposed changes to the constitution of the United Methodist Church found in the Book of Discipline. Just like the US Constitution, the UMC Constitution is binding to churches in what it says. It is rare that it gets modified, and it is hard to do. These changes have already come down to us (and will be going out to every Annual Conference around the world) from General Conference. At this point in the process two-thirds of all Annual Conferences have to agree to amend the Constitution before the proposals will take effect.

Most of the proposals make for pretty dry reading, but if you are interested in taking a look at the thirty-two proposed changes for yourself, you can find them (along with all the other issues to be taken up at Conference) at the website: http://www.wnccumc.org/pub/2009ProgramsReports.htm. Section two on that page is where the Constitutional amendments show up.

Whether you read them or not, it is my hope that you will be in prayer for everyone attending Annual Conference, and that you will pray that the right decisions be made as we vote on the amendments and as we make other decisions that will effect our future. Pray for our Conference, our bishop, our pastors, our lay representatives, our church, and for all churches. May we hear God’s Spirit directing us to faithfulnesses for another year, and may we heed Jesus’ call to follow.

See you on Sunday,
Rev. Richard Buff

What is Annual Conference?

In the structure of The United Methodist Church, the annual conference is a regional body, an organizational unit AND a yearly meeting. There are 63 annual conference regional bodies in the United States, one of which is The Western North Carolina Conference.This body meets annually to worship, fellowship, and conduct the business of the conference. Attendees include all clergy members and an equal number of lay members selected from the local churches. During these sessions, members of the conference hear reports of past and ongoing work; adopt future goals, programs and budgets; ordain clergy members as deacons and elders; and elect delegates to Jurisdictional and General Conferences (every 4 years). The bishop presides over these meetings.

(from UMC.org http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.1720697/k.734E/Structure__Organization_Organization.htm)

Maggie Valley & Peachtree UMC Vacation Bible School will be held at Maggie from Sunday, Date TBA – Thursday, Date TBA, 5:30-8:00 p.m. Dinner is from 5:30-6:00 p.m. with program following. There will be classes for all ages of children and adults. Invite your friends!