Pre-Conference Briefing 2015 Summary Sheet

Pre-Conference Briefing Handout
2015 Holston Annual Conference
June 7-11, 2015
Engage: See, Know, Serve
Blessed are the spiritually poor – the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:3 (The Voice)
All you who are poor, you are blessed for the kingdom of God belongs to you. Luke 6:20 (The Voice)
Go to ac.holston.org for annual conference information
• Watch for continued receipt of Annual Conference e-newsletters providing updates
• Book of Reports on-line now; Worship Book on-line after June 1.
• All registration is ONLINE and can be reached directly at acregistration.holston.org.
• May 20 is the deadline for pre-registration for lay and clergy members, for childcare, for the 5Krun/1mile walk, and for the missions dinner
• Childcare requires preregistration and prepayment, including for bagged lunches.
• Call your district office or the Conference Office at 866-690-4080 for assistance
Registration begins on Sunday, June 7, at 2:00 p.m. at the Foundation for Evangelism which is the second
building on the left as you enter the Lake Junaluska grounds.
• Housing check-in is at the Bethea Welcome Center for those who are staying on the grounds of Lake
Junaluska
• Laity Session at 4:00 at Stuart Auditorium
• Clergy Session at 5:00 also at Stuart Auditorium
• Dinner at the Terrace and Lambuth will begin at 5:45 on Sunday
• Evening worship and the opening of the Annual Conference at 7:30
• Registration will move to the Susan Todd Lounge at Harrell Center beginning on Monday morning.
Even if you are only able to attend part of the Annual Conference, please be sure to come by registration
so that your attendance can be recorded.
Worship Schedule
• Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Opening Worship and Holy Communion
• Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Bible Study and Holy Communion
• Monday at 2:00 p.m. Memorial Service
• Tuesday at 11:05 a.m. Retirement Recognition
• Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Evening Worship
• Thursday at 9:00 a.m. Ordination, Commissioning, and Recognition and Sending Forth
• Conference choir for the Memorial Service. Contact lorisluder@holston.org by June 1 to participate.
Prayer Ministry
• Pocket prayer shawls will be distributed at registration.
• Prayer room available in the Room of Memories at the chapel Monday-Wednesday, 7:00a.m.-10:00p.m.
• Board of Laity developing a prayer team. Sign up at ac.holston.org.
Two guest teachers
• Dr. Tammy Pawloski, Director of Center for Excellence and Professor of Education at Francis Marion
University in Florence, South Carolina will share from her specialization on the effects of poverty on
children.
• Dr. Tom Bandy will guide us in the use of demographics to help us know our neighbors as we plan our
local church and conference ministries.
Mission Opportunities
• Hands-on kits for Zimbabwe and Liberia - collection dates for these kits are June 3 and 4. Check
with your District Office for exact dates, times, and locations.
• The Annual Conference Mission Offering for Children in Poverty within Holston Conference will be
received on Wednesday night. The challenge is for $10 per average worship attendance and 10 hours of
service on behalf of children in poverty.
• The Change for Children offering will be received on Tuesday morning outside Stuart Auditorium
between the hours of 8:30a.m. and 10:00a.m. This offering is used each year to fund grants for
children’s ministry throughout the conference and in Africa.
• Beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kern Youth Center, we will package 10,000 meals through
Stop Hunger Now and bag potatoes for the Society of St. Andrew at the Outdoor Gym. Contributions
will be accepted on Wednesday morning or at the packaging site to cover the transportation costs for
these projects. A $10.00 donation is suggested.
Updates from our ministry areas - See pages 43-72
• Introduction of two new camp directors
• Highlight of grant for Conference Hispanic Ministries through the National Hispanic Plan
• Elect our officers and leaders for the coming year. (pages 129-150)
Business Items
• 2016 budget proposal is $9,711,542, a 10% reduction from the actual requests, to reflect our collection
history from the conference tithe for the past several years Actual reductions will be determined by the
ministry teams. (CFA Report, pages 73-113)
• Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) will host a chat room on Tuesday of Annual Conference
during the dinner break from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Terrace 316 on the third floor of Terrace Hotel.
• Board of Pensions and Health Benefits is reducing the health insurance plans to two: a PPO
comparable to the current middle level plan and an HSA. The church’s portion of the health insurance
premium will be $8,085. (pages 155-160)
• Commission on Equitable Compensation recommending 2% increase in the minimum salary levels
for 2016. (pages 38-42)
• Petitions and Resolutions on pages 197-203.
Elections for General and Jurisdictional Conference Delegations
• Six clergy and six laity will be elected for General Conference, plus six additional clergy and laity for
Jurisdictional Conference, and two additional alternates for a total of 14 clergy and 14 laity
• Requirements for eligibility to vote and to be elected are on page 204 for laity and 217 for clergy
• Electronic keypads will be distributed to voting members at registration for use throughout the annual
conference session.
Book of Reports – please read to learn about additional ministry activities, works of our institutions, and to
prepare fully for Annual Conference.
• Orientation Guide (pages 3-8) especially helpful for first-time attendees.
• Full Schedule – (pages 9-13)
• Cokesbury Bookstore and Displays - Harrell Center Auditorium (page 228)
• Reporting Guide for sharing experience with local church (pages 229-231)
Live Streaming will be available during the session through a link at ac.holston.org.
Remember the Annual Conference in your prayers as you prepare to come. See you at the Lake!