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2007 Annual Conference Summary

The 19^th session of the Mississippi Annual Conference met June 10-13 at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson with Bishop Hope Morgan Ward presiding. Based on Isaiah 61, the theme was “Arise! Shine! Rejoice!”

The conference opened with ordination. Two deacons and 15 elders were ordained. One person’s orders were recognized.

Bishop Ivan M. Abrahams of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa was guest preacher, and Dr. F. Belton Joyner Jr. taught from his books Being Methodist in the Bible Belt and Life in the Fish Bowl.

Bishop Duncan M. Gray III and several clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi participated in a special service of shared communion.

Building on the “Chabadza Covenant” the conference entered last year with the Zimbabwe Area, conference youth who just returned from Zimbabwe led the worship service focused on mission. The Chabadza offering of $110,222 will support youth and children’s ministries in Mississippi and Zimbabwe. Chabadza is a Shona word meaning helping someone who is already at work.

Worship, workshops and reports centered on the conference’s five ministry priorities: congregational development, racial reconciliation, mission, small-membership church development and health and wellness. More than 100 runners and walkers participated in the third annual 5K run/walk, and approximately 600 people enrolled in the Amazing Pace wellness program.

The conference celebrated starting three new congregations, adopted a Safe Sanctuaries policy for conference events and recommended guidelines for local churches and revised portions of the Equitable Compensation policy. Members approved a budget of $20,664,572 for 2008, the first increase since Hurricane Katrina.

Members also voted to join in commemoration of the 40^th anniversary of the bombing of Temple Beth Israel in Jackson and similar acts of violence against churches in the civil rights era, continue to examine the impact of legalized gambling on Mississippi, work toward eliminating the use of Styrofoam and other plastics and establish a food ministry grant program.

Several resolutions were approved for submission to the 2008 General Conference. They call for bishops to face re-election after eight years, an amendment to the Discipline to allow local pastors the right to vote in elections for jurisdictional and General Conference delegates, the deletion of support for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice from the Book of Resolutions, and changes in the wording of the Disciple regarding the church’s stance on abortion, the definition of the local church and the function of the local church. In addition, members approved petitioning General Conference to allow local pastors to continue serving sacraments.

Steve McDonald, Joe May, Bill McAlilly, Timothy Thompson, Sheila Cumbest, Ginger Holland, Mike Childs and Bryan Collier were elected as clergy delegates to General Conference. Elected as lay delegates were Turner Arant, David Beckley, David Stotts, Bill Smallwood, Sara Hillman, Mary Ford, Jack Ramsey and Steve McAlilly.

Clergy delegates elected to jurisdictional conference were Mattie Gipson, Embra Jackson, Andy Ray, Warren Black, Sam Morris, Phillip Heidelberg, Karen Koons and Tommy Artmann. Elected as lay delegates were Phoebe Hathorn, Kiah Hitt, Anne Harrington, Dalton Garner, Jack Walters, Kay Barksdale, Bill Scott and Elizabeth Cumbest.

Sixteen probationary elders and one probationary deacon were commissioned. Twenty-four clergy retired.

Membership stands at 186,208, down 1,555. Worship attendance stands at 74,751, down 1,055.