Dear Pastors,
Fall is near and yet again, we are faced with the challenges of COVID-19. Many of you are navigating how to best kickoff your fall programming in your local church. We are all longing for things that feel "normal" yet safe. Nevertheless, ministry continues, and I am grateful for your leadership in these uncertain times!
As I shared with you on July 20, our fall charge conference forms will again be completed completely online this year. Our conference staff and district superintendents have worked diligently to make the forms as clear, simple, and concise as possible. All completed forms will be due by October 4 (regardless of the date of your charge conference), and forms will not be accepted through mail. As previously announced, our schedule for the charge conference season is as follows:
August 16: Online charge conference forms are now live and accessible through your local church dashboard. Links, tutorials, and instructions can be found at www.awfumc.org/cc2021.
September 15: District superintendents will produce charge conference schedules for their districts no later than this date. Remember, most of these charge conferences will be done in clusters and/or on Zoom calls. Previously published schedules and plans may shift as we continue to monitor COVID-19 transmission rates and/or health safety guidelines.
October 4: All charge conference forms are due (regardless of the date of your charge conference). All forms are to be submitted through the dashboard, including the signature page, by this date. Forms will not be accepted by mail or email. All questions should be addressed to your district administrator (Kim Doss or Charlene Moncrief), and their contact information is found within the instructions and the online forms.
October 14-November 30: All charge conferences will be completed during this six-week period.
I am grateful for your willingness to work with our conference staff and district superintendents as we continue to find the best ways to do our shared work. And I am grateful for your leadership in the Alabama-West Florida Conference.
In Christ,
Bishop David Graves
Alabama-West Florida Conference