Annual Conference 2015 is quickly approaching! This year's theme is the third part of the SEND Model many in the conference have adopted. It is, "The Great Commission: Nurturing Disciples." We are most appreciative to Dr. Tim Thompson and his staff at Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery, AL, for hosting us again this year as well as Dr. Lawson Bryan and his staff at Montgomery FUMC for hosting the ordination and commissioning service. This year we welcome Bishop Mike Lowry and Rev. Jorge Acevedo as special guests. We are honored to announce that Robert McMichael and Jarvis Wilson will be leading our music. Please note several changes to annual conference.
First, note that annual conference is Sunday, May 31-Wednesday, June 3, 2015. Registration is now available by clicking here. You only need to register if you are making a purchase or reservation (meal reservations or nursery reservations). Attendance is expected of all clergy and lay members. As we confirm more cost-effective methods to print/distribute our conference journal and clergy directory, we will provide an updated link with information and instructions for ordering as soon as it is available.
This session is a voting year where we will elect our general and jurisdictional delegations. In order to assist the tellers, your name tag will be a color-coded wallet lanyard. You will receive this upon check in Sunday afternoon. We do ask you return these in drop boxes as you depart on Wednesday, in order to use these again for future conferences. As you enter the first business session on Monday afternoon, it will be critical for you to sit on the appropriate side where ushers will guide you.
This year's missional offering is Imagine No Malaria, aligning our conference with our ongoing initiative to save 100,000 lives. At time of press, we are at 77% of our goal. Imagine No Malaria is an effort of The United Methodist Church to eliminate malaria deaths in Africa. Achieving this goal will require a comprehensive approach to fighting this disease, on a larger scale than all previous efforts. We will joyfully collect this offering at opening worship on Sunday, May 31.
Meals will again be served at Frazer Memorial UMC for Monday and Tuesday lunch as well as the Laity Banquet Tuesday evening. Please make a reservation by clicking here if you plan to eat meals on campus or attend the banquet. Traditional group lunches may also choose to have their gatherings on campus and will arrange their own catering.
Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church is offering nursery care for children through five years of age only for opening worship, memorial service, and sending forth/closing services. Montgomery FUMC will provide nursery care for children up to five years of age during the ordination/commissioning service. There is no charge for nursery care. Child care can be reserved here.
Please note the ordination and commissioning service will be a combined service this year. It will be Monday, June 1, starting at 7:00pm at Montgomery FUMC.
In order to be good stewards of the conference budget, we will again forego printed worship bulletins for several services. Instead, a downloadable "Guide to Annual Conference" pdf will be provided several weeks before annual conference. In it will be an agenda, worship bulletins, pages that were previously bag inserts and other relevant notes. You may wish to utilize it on your computer, tablet or phone, or print a hard copy on your own to bring with you. Printed worship bulletins will be provided to family members at the memorial service as a keepsake. The traditional ordination/commissioning service bulletin will be a printed version, as usual.
Should you or your agency wish to submit a digital "insert," it must be laid out and submitted no later than April 15. It will go in the "Guide to Annual Conference" behind the agenda and worship bulletins that will be electronically distributed to all clergy and delegates. All inserts must be one page, 8.5 x 11 submitted as a pdf to marycatherine@awfumc.org. Please do not submit a brochure repurposed. Digital inserts should be a general overview of your ministry. No late submissions will be accepted. All submissions must be affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Your Brochure of Reports will be sent to your district office and either distributed at a gathering or picked up by each pastor. Please look for instructions from your district office. If you participated in the survey and selected to utilize the online pdf version, please do not pickup a hard copy.
Alabama-West Florida boards and agencies have been given priority for the limited number of available display spots. The deadline for their response is April 15. Other pertinent inquiries may go to traci@awfumc.org to be placed on a waiting list. Should there be openings, she will contact you in order of request. Requests must be affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
As a reminder, we encourage you to prayerfully consider nominating someone for one of our conference awards: The Alice Lee Award, Jane Walker Scholarship Award, Francis Asbury Award, Harry Denman Evangelism Award and the Local Church Heritage Award. Click here for more information.
Blocked rooms, some with special rates for hotels in Montgomery, have been posted. Click here for an updated list.
We look forward to seeing you at annual conference in Montgomery, AL, May 31-June 3, 2015!
Mary Catherine Phillips
Director of Communications