As previously announced, Annual Conference 2020 will be held in two parts in the fall of 2020. Both sessions will be held virtually through Zoom webinar.
The clergy session will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2020, at 4:00pm and the half-day annual conference session will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 1:00pm. A non-voting live stream option will be available for guests.
A working agenda for the 1/2 day annual conference is available by clicking here.
We will plan to use the theme, "At the Table" for 2021 so that we may live into the fullness of Luke 24:35.
Registration will be through Zoom. Please click on the relevant links below to obtain a unique login link. Only those participating in an official capacity (clergy, board of ordained ministry, voting lay members) need to register. Only lay members elected at charge conference and entered into the dashboard for their church will be approved. If you know there has been a change to your lay member since charge conference or that you are to attend for your church as an alternate lay member, please contact sarah@awfumc.org. Clergy should register for both sessions.
Click here to register for the clergy session.
Click here to register for the 1/2 day session for clergy and lay members.
Please note that registration for both sessions will close one hour before each event. You will not be able to obtain a link for voting once registration has closed. We will be present on the Zoom webinars an hour before each session to work through any technical issues that may arise as participants log on.
More information on both sessions will be sent to registrants closer to the event dates. Should you need to edit your registration, please contact sarah@awfumc.org.
If you are unfamiliar with Zoom, please consult this brief instructional sheet.
The retiring clergy will be honored in the Board of Ordained Ministry Report. The names of clergy who have died in the past year will be read as part of that same report.
The working Book of Reports will be available mid August. Should you wish to order a hard copy, that link will also be available soon. It is essential that you review this publication before logging onto annual conference.
The awards typically presented at annual conference will be given if a committee made a selection. All awards will be announced through a single presenter and complete recipient profiles will be posted online and in the daily recap.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Pension and Health Benefits has agreed to waive the mandatory biometric screening for 2020. The deadline of August 31st has also been waived. However, to be a good steward over our health, we are strongly encouraging all enrolled health participants to have a physical/biometric screening in 2020 with their own healthcare provider.
The beginning of the half-day session will feature a virtual mass choir singing, "And Are We Yet Alive?" AWF choir directors in our database will receive more information soon.
The 2020 ordinands and commissionees will come before the Zoom clergy session and the annual conference to answer Wesley's historic questions and be approved. A celebration service where these persons will be ordained and commissioned will be announced at a later date.
The following elements of annual conference will not occur this year:
-Memorial Service: we will honor those who died this past year at 2021 Annual Conference.
-Missional offering: we encourage you to support a United-Methodist related ministry;
-UMCOR kit collection;
-Exhibit displays;
-Guide to Annual Conference, including insert advertisement (a pre-conference pdf packet will be sent to all clergy and lay members with necessary information);
-Guests and clergy spouses will need to utilize the live stream option.
We look forward to seeing you through Zoom webinar on Sunday, September 13, 2020 (clergy), and on Saturday, September 26, 2020 (the half-day annual conference session).
Mary Catherine Phillips
Director of Communications