Daily aDvocate - South Carolina United Methodist Advocate

Back by popular demand, the
conference’s Lay Leadership Team
will again present the Local
Church Mission Fair in
the Florence Civic
Center Exhibit
Ballroom on
Monday from
12-2 p.m.
The fair will
highlight missions and
ministries with children in poverty
from all 12 districts that have been
successful. The theme is “Head,
Heart, Hands: Disciples Building
Relationships.”
Food will be available during the
mission fair with food stations set
up around the ballroom. Tickets
are $8 each and will be available for purchase onsite.
“Come take a
look at what
incredible
ministries are
taking place
all across our
annual conference,”
said Lay Leader Barbara Ware. “They
say imitation is the highest form of
flattery, so I would invite folks to
drop by the Mission Fair and pick up
an idea or two and try to imitate it
back in their local church!”
Photo by Jessica Brodie
Teeing up for Asbury Hills
Golfers hit the green at The Traces in Florence June 6, the day before Annual Conference began, to have some fun while raising money to help kids attend summer camp at Asbury Hills.
The third annual golf tournament featured food, fun, prizes, a silent auction and more.
Coming tomorrow
(Tuesday)
Daily Advocate, Page 4
• Stop Hunger Now packing
• Retirement Celebration
• Business
Lay nominees for 2016
General, SEJ conferences
Beginning today, conference will elect 16 delegates
(eight clergy and eight laity) plus alternates to General
Conference, and 16 more delegates (eight clergy and eight
laity) who will go to Jurisdictional Conference with the General delegates. The following is a list of lay nominees (there
are 827 clergy nominees). Read full bios at ac15.umcsc.org:
001 Paul W. Allen
002 Karen L. Ayers
003 Roderick Dennis Beauford
004 J. Kris Bergmann
005 Clarice Blakeney
006 David V. Braddon
007 Carolyn Briscoe
008 Susan Hitt Brooks
009 Harry Lee Brown
010 Vickie Powell Brown
011 Michael Cheatham
012 Mae Ruth Cooke
013 Edd W. Cunningham
014 Baron E. DeKalb III
015 Jean Doscher
016 Linda J. DuRant
017 Donald L. Ellis
018 Robert F. Elwood
019 Emily Rogers Evans
020 Anna J. Feagin
021 Leigh-Ann Forsythe
022 John N. Glover
023 Jim Grayson
024 Becky Green
025 Lollie Haselden
026 Joseph E. Heyward
027 Jacquelyn G. Jenkins
028 Meg Jiunnies
029 Lou Jordan
030 Herman Burns Lightsey Jr.
031 Donald E. Love
032 Chris Lynch
033 Vicki McCartha
034 Willie M. McLaughlin
035 Dan W. Moore
036 Marilyn Murphy
037 Lucille Myers
038 Larry B. Owens
039 Evelyn K. Pauling
040 Jennifer Price
041 John A. Redmond
042 James H. Salley
043 David W. Salter
044 Sheila Shanklin
045 Dennis Sullen
046 Maureen Thomas
047 Martha Fridy Thompson
048 Earline Haywood Ulmer
049 Barbara Ware
050 Cynthia Burrows Williams
051 Katie Woodfin
• Balloting
• A Celebration of Young Adults and
Service (evening worship)
Monday, June 8, 2015
Daily Advocate
A joint publication of the S.C. Conference of The United Methodist Church and
Monday, June 8, 2015
Today’s Agenda
June 8, 2015
7-10:30 a.m.Health Screening
7:15-
Reconciling Ministries of
8:45 a.m. South Carolina Breakfast
Gathering
7:30 a.m. Holy Communion
8 a.m.
Registration
8:30 a.m. Conference Organization
9:10 a.m. Bible Study
9:40 a.m. Balloting Orientation and
Testing
10 :40 a.m. Report of the Board of
Ordained Ministry
(Licensing Service)
Consent Calendar
Committee on Nominations
Noon
Lunch Recess
Local Church Mission Fair
African-American Clergy
Women’s Luncheon
2 p.m.
Balloting
Cookies with Collen, SMC
Table, concourse
2:30 p.m. Committee Council on
Finance and Administration
Nomination and election
of New Treasurer
3 p.m.
Committee Resolutions
and Appeals
Committee on Petitions to
General Conference
Balloting
The Report of the Laity
The Report of the Cabinet
5:30 p.m. Dinner Recess
5:45 p.m. Duke Alumni Gathering
7 p.m.
Pre Music
7:30 p.m. Commissioning and
Ordination Service
Ordination Reception
following service
The hashtag for all things
Annual Conference:
#umcsc
‘Becoming Disciples God Can Use’
at Annual Conference 2015
Photo by Allison Trussell
Local Church Mission Fair to showcase
ministries with children in poverty
The Africa University Choir lifts up the Lord during the anthem at opening worship on Sunday evening, June 7.
By Jessica Brodie
FLORENCE—Thousands of United
Methodist clergy and laity gather
today for the first full day of Annual Conference 2015—a time of
Spirit-filled worship, prayer, celebration, celebration and legislation that
ultimately decides the business of
the UMC in South Carolina.
This year’s Annual Conference
explores the theme “Becoming
Disciples God Can Use” as the body
considers a nearly $16.8 million
conference budget for 2016, votes
on resolutions and petitions, ordains
clergy, elects delegates to General
and Jurisdictional conferences and
packs 285,000 Stop Hunger Now
meals for hungry families.
“I truly believe in South Carolina
we are the people God has called
to make a difference—good people
God has poured some hope into
and who are making a difference in
the midst of the lives of the folk in
this place,” Bishop Jonathan Holston
preached during opening worship
Sunday night. “My friends, could
you ask for anything more?”
Today’s business kicks off with
the call to order, first reading of the
budget, presentation of resolutions
and petitions, election of the new
treasurer—as well as training on the
handheld devices used to cast votes.
Continued on Page 3
The electronic voting
device is similar to a cell
phone and easy to use,
organizers say.
Stop Hunger Now: It’s not
too late to donate, volunteer
By Jessica Brodie
For months, United Methodists in every
district in the state have been stepping up
for hunger, donating time and money to
help the South Carolina Conference host
a Stop Hunger Now meal-packing at Annual Conference.
All their hard work pays off tomorrow,
June 9, with a daylong meal-packing. The
Florence Civic Center will turn into a
giant anti-hunger operation as volunteers
descend upon the lower floor of the center
in three shifts to pack 285,000 meals for
hungry people through the international
hunger-relief organization Stop Hunger
Now. The goal is $86,000; funds raised
beyond that will go toward both hunger
and children in poverty ministries across
the conference and shared equally among
the 12 districts.
As of Friday, the treasurer’s office said
$41,256 had been raised—nearly half of
the $86,000 needed to pack the meals.
To donate: www.umcsc.org (click on the
SHN box, top right of page). Chris Lynch,
who is coordinating the hunger event,
has called the meal-packing “a chance to
make a difference on a huge scale.”
Volunteers of all ages will pack in one
of three shifts: 9-11:30 a.m., 12-2:30 p.m.
and 3-6 p.m. Annual Conference will celebrate the meal-packing during Tuesday
night’s worship at 7:30 p.m.
Even South Carolina Resident Bishop
Jonathan Holston and his Cabinet—all 12
district superintendents—have stepped up
to join the fight against hunger, making
Daily Advocate
A joint publication of the South Carolina
United Methodist Advocate and the
South Carolina Conference of
The United Methodist Church
Be a part of the
conversation!
#UMCSC
@AdvocateSC
facebook.com/AdvocateSC
@umcsc
Photo by Matt Brodie
Even children can help pack meals tomorrow, like
this child at the 2013 meal-packing.
Volunteers and funds are still
needed. To sign up, visit www.
umcsc.org (click on Stop Hunger
Now box, top right of page).
personal donations for Stop Hunger Now.
District superintendents also challenged
each of their clergy to take up an offering
to support the effort. Churches across the
state have done everything from special offerings to youth car washes to the
“Sacrifice a Meal to Stop Hunger Now”
done by North Charleston UMC, North
Charleston, encouraging people to skip a
meal and donate the cost of that meal to
Stop Hunger Now efforts.
South Carolina
United Methodist Advocate
Editor.................................................. Jessica Brodie
jbrodie@umcsc.org
Assistant Editor.........................Allison K. Trussell
atrussell@umcsc.org
Editorial Intern.............................. Porsche Barton
advocateintern@umcsc.org
The South Carolina United Methodist
Advocate Trustees
The Rev. Angela Ford Nelson, chairperson;
The Rev. Carleathea Benson, secretary
Carmen Faulkner, treasurer
Dyron V. Anderson; the Rev. David
Caughman; Bill Click; Deena Flessas;
the Rev. Jerry Gadsden; the Rev. Dean Lollis;
Skyler Nimmons; Dr. Ralph Ostrom;
Dr. Phillip Stone; Diane Wilson;
the Rev. William Wrighten; and
the Rev. Kathy James, ex officio
The AC2015 Social Calendar
ing worship service at Memorial Park (behind
Monday, June 8
the civic center)
• Mustache Monday
• BINGO CARDS, each day is a different color
• “Spirit Tunnel” after Ordination Service to
Wednesday, June 10
greet newly ordained and commissioned
• Fourth annual Unofficial Official UMCSC 5K,
• Setup for Stop Hunger Now following Ordina6:30 a.m., meet at campout space
tion Reception
• BoWednesday (Bow Tie Wednesday)
• BINGO CARDS, each day is a different color
• First annual Lip Sync Battle Royale, 20 minTuesday, June 9
utes following the final ballot (Waccamaw/
• BINGO CARDS, each day is a different color
Pee Dee rooms)
• Annual Wiffle Ball Game, 30 minutes follow-
Daily Advocate, Page 2
AdvocateSC.org
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online. Or call 888-678-6272.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Continued from Page 1
For the first time ever, the body will
use electronic balloting to vote both
on legislation and to elect delegates for
General and Jurisdictional conferences.
The device has a keypad and is similar
to a cell phone, but not as complicated
as a smartphone, organizers said. The
body is slated to have a full hour to
learn the new technology and do some
test runs. Conference Secretary the Rev.
Ken Nelson has said electronic balloting
will vastly speed up the voting process,
which can take a long time, especially
during election years such as this one.
Annual Conference will elect 16
delegates (eight clergy and eight laity)
plus alternates to General Conference,
and 16 additional delegates (eight clergy
and eight laity) plus alternates, who will
go to Jurisdictional Conference with the
General Conference delegates.
Resolutions/petitions presented today
Several resolutions and petitions are
before the body as of press time and will
be presented today, though more can be
introduced on the floor today, as well.
The body will vote on these on the final
day of conference, Thursday. Several
have drawn heated conversation, both
in Advocate letters to the editor and on
its website (www.advocatesc.org).
Two previously identified as resolutions have been corrected and are now
reclassified as petitions to General
Conference 2016:
• Petition to General Conference
2016 to withdraw the UMC from the
Religious Coalition For Reproductive
Choice (submitted by four Upstate
UMCs, this calls on South Carolina to
ask the 2016 General Conference to
withdraw the UMC’s General Board
of Church and Society and the United
Methodist Women from membership
in the RCRC because they believe the
coalition’s work on abortion rights is in
direct conflict with what the Discipline
says about abortion)
• Petition to General Conference 2016
to amend Para. 161F (regarding the
UMC’s stance on homosexuality) of the
Book of Discipline of the UMC (signed
by more than 100 United Methodist
clergy and laity, many part of Reconciling Ministries of South Carolina,
Monday, June 8, 2015
the petition calls on the conference to
petition the 2016 General Conference
to delete the sentence in Para. 161F that
states, “The United Methodist Church
does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice
incompatible with Christian teaching”)
Also before the body:
• Anti-Bullying Resolution: More
than 100 United Methodists, many
part of Reconciling Ministries of South
Carolina, call upon the UMC to oppose bullying in all forms and create a
safe space for children of God without regard to religion, race, ethnicity,
culture, citizenship, socio-economic
status, gender identity, sexual orientation and physical or mental ability. The
resolution also calls upon Methodists to
respond to bullying with acts of compassion and take a public stand against
speeches of hate, exclusion, harassment
and acts of intimidation and violence;
• Resolution Authorizing Sale of the
Property Owned by the Board of South
Carolina United Methodist Camps
and Retreats Ministries Inc. Known as
Sewee Coastal Retreat Center;
• Resolution to declare as abandoned
Jerusalem UMC, Harleyville, Walterboro District;
• Resolutions to discontinue Floyds
UMC, Horry County, Marion District;
Grace UMC, Woodruff, Greenville District; Old Mount Zion UMC, Bishopville, Hartsville District (abandonment);
Bethesda-Cades UMC, Williamsburg
County, Florence District; Trinity UMC,
Florence County, Florence District;
Beulah UMC, Williamsburg County,
Florence District; First UMC, Kershaw,
Rock Hill District; and Twitty UMC,
Hartsville, Hartsville District; and
• Resolution to approve the merger
of Johns Chapel and Bethel UMCs into
Holy Trinity UMC, Beaufort Circuit,
Walterboro District.
Other happenings
Annual Conference will also include
preaching from Bishop Marcus Matthews of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, Dr. Tim McClendon,
the Rev. Jonathan Tompkins and more.
Dr. Paul Harmon, Spartanburg District
superintendent, will lead the Bible
study, and the Africa University Choir
will perform Wednesday night.
AC2015 in
Brief
• Theme, “Becoming Disciples God Can Use”
• Tuesday conference-wide mission project
Stop Hunger Now
• Preaching from S.C. Resident Bishop Jonathan Holston, Bishop Marcus Matthews of
the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, Dr. Tim McClendon, the Rev. Jonathan
Tomkins and more
• Five-day slate of business to include passage
of $16.8M budget, retiree pension changes,
voting on delegates for General and Jurisdictional Conferences
• Dr. Paul Harmon, Spartanburg District superintendent, will lead the Bible study
• Africa University Choir to perform
• Local Church Mission Fair on Monday
• Stay connected through social media at
Annual Conference! All conversations will
use the hashtag #umcsc and will focus on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Follow the
conference on Facebook at www.facebook.
com/scumc and on Twitter and Instagram @
umcsc. Follow the Advocate on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/advocatesc and on
Twitter @advocatesc.
• Emergency phone number for civic center:
843-432-1228
Photo by Allison Trussell
33 commissioned,
ordained tonight
Annual Conference will ordain 16 people as deacons
or elders and commission 17 as provisional elders
tonight. Here, Bishop Jonathan Holston blesses a new
clergy member during last year’s service.
Daily Advocate, Page 3