2010 Annual Conference promises change

4/9/2010

Many aspects of the Annual Conference will be different this year, but “Energizing & Equipping Local Churches to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World” continues to drive the role of the conference in providing resources and leadership that enable local churches to excel in their mission to make disciples.

Making disciples embraces the mission of The United Methodist Church and holds accountable the conference and local churches in their vital roles.
The first thing members will notice is the conference’s effort to be more environmentally friendly and, as an act of good stewardship, to reduce the traditional printing and mailing costs. All the information related to the 2010 Annual Conference is accessible to all online at www.ctcumc.org under the “Annual Conference” heading. All details concerning registration, hotels, special group-related meals, childcare and even the 2010 Preliminary Report are being posted as they become available.
You may view and download the information by clicking on the 2010 Annual Conference photo banner in the lower right side of the conference website.
Worship services will be hosted by First United Methodist Church in downtown Fort Worth. Business sessions will be at the Will Rogers Memorial center, just west of downtown.
Members and guests attending the Annual Conference will need to be prepared for the City of Fort Worth’s new policy of charging $5 per day for parking in the lots that serve the Will Rogers complex and several nearby museums. There may be opportunities for multiple-day passes. If that becomes possible, an announcement will be made in the E-Link, the conference’s weekly electronic newsletter, and at the seven district conferences in May.
 Preaching at Worship
Rev. Jessica Moffatt-Seay, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church of Ardmore, Okla., returns to the Central Texas Conference as the featured preacher for the opening worship at 7 p.m. Sunday, the joint clergy/laity memorial worship service at 10 a.m. Monday, and the ordination service at 7 p.m. Tuesday. All worship services will be at First UMC, Fort Worth.
Many will recall Rev. Moffatt-Seay’s dynamic leadership style and compelling messages about our great commission to make disciples during the Bible studies she led at the 2005 Central Texas Annual Conference.
You won’t want to miss this opportunity, so, for the first time, all three Annual Conference worship services will be streamed online live. So even if you can’t be in the sanctuary of First UMC Fort Worth, you can experience the inspiration of Annual Conference worship as it is happening. More details on how to access the live streaming will be posted closer to Annual Conference time.
Rev. Moffatt-Seay comes from a long line of Methodist pastors — four generations to be exact — and grew up in Tulsa at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. She earned her various degrees at Southern Methodist University, the University of Tulsa and Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
Upon graduation from Candler, she completed the graduate degree program of the Chateau de Bossey in Geneva, Switzerland, and the worked with the World Council of Churches in the area of International Church Relations, addressing intercultural issues of race, violence and poverty.
She brings those same skills to her hometown as a mayoral appointee to serve on the Tulsa Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women, organized to address issues of poverty, health and legislation. She has been named as one of Ten Outstanding Young Tulsans.
Following a discernment style of leadership, her training is helping diverse churches, committees and task groups reach consensus as they accomplish their purpose. Her additional expertise is in the area of local church urban and community ministries. She helped First United Methodist Church of Tulsa launch diverse “hands-on” ministries beyond the walls of the church, deploying more than 1,000 members into the community in more than 30 types of new ministries.
Learn more about Rev. Moffatt-Seay by checking an online story at http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnNlLtH&b=5259669. This will give you a glimpse of what she has to say about leadership: “I believe leadership is about relationships. Leading relationally means listening to people. It is about creating an atmosphere where even the softest voice is heard and taken seriously.”
Study Program
Leading the study moments at Annual Conference will be one of our own. Dr. John McKellar, host pastor for the 2009 Annual Conference at White’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake, will lead Annual Conference members in a follow-up to the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations book that Bishop Robert Schnase wrote and taught at the CTC 2009 Fall Leadership Summit with more than 1,100 local church participants from across the conference.
In Five Practices of Fruitful Living, Bishop Schnase’s latest book that is currently on the presses, he moves the discussion of Christian practices from the congregational level to the personal practices of discipleship.
“The fruitful, God-related life develops with intentional and repeated attention to five essential practices that are critical for our growth in Christ,” writes Bishop Schnase. “These practices open our heart — to God, to others, to a life that matters, a life rich with meaning, relationship, and contribution. They help us flourish.”
With a free copy of Five Practices of Fruitful Living for all members at Annual Conference, Rev. McKellar will bring to life the five critical practices — gracious hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development and service, and extravagant generosity.
Youth Address
Another first this year will be an address by conference Student Leadership Team President Ethan Gregory of Mineral Wells. Such an address was introduced and well received at the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth, and illustrated the need for all United Methodists to hear more about the ideas and concerns of our student members — the future leaders for our Annual Conference and the denomination.