The SaddlebagAC 2013Thursday, June 13

From Psalm 84, Bishop Ward claimed boldness to name the strengths of the NC Conference, including $1.4 billion in material wealth and 225,000 United Methodists in eastern NC.

Being assigned “forward, not back” to NC, she named four new District Superintendents, four experienced District Superintendents, a centralized district office, a new conference building, and a new bishop with eight years’ experience. As each District Superintendent was presented, they named their district’s mission strategy that would be realized by each “mission

strategist team.” Bishop Ward encouraged all to develop, as the first priority, “timely, accurate, crisp communication.”

Remarking that “where two or three gather, there will be conflict,” she introduced David Hollowell who is now available to congregations as the conference leader in conflict transformation and announced the development

of the ministry of trained interim specialists, or intentional interim pastors for those congregations that have a pattern of conflict. Conference Lay Leader Gary Locklear prayed that “We may learn, lead stronger . . . From strength.”

From Strength to Strength: Growing into the New Quadrennium

Opening the words from the gospel from Matthew 9:9-13, Bishop Ward invited the conference to hear Jesus’ words like Matthew did, “Come follow me” and, among his disciples, “Let us go and learn and do” as Jesus did, seeking those who on the edges, those not in the center.

The carver of the Bishop’s crozier, Dexter Smith,

processed ahead of Bishop Ward and Conference Lay Leader, Gary Locklear. With the simplicity of this procession and the music of Paul Saik, the gathering of Annual Conference members and friends began.

Bishop Ward shared the story of the crozier, carved from driftwood that came ashore in Maine during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The wood was brought to NC and carved carefully as a symbol of the pastoral ministry of Bishop Ward. Following the Eucharist, Rev. Susan Pate Greenwood brought carver Dexter Smith to the front to thank him for sharing his carving gifts.

Opening worship: “Let Us Go and Learn and Do”

Due to expected inclement weather

Thursday evening, the Higher Education Picnic is rescheduled for Friday’s

dinner break.

2 The SaddlebagAC 2013Thursday, June 13

The past year has been a time of adjustments and learning during the implementation of the NCC’s new eight district structure.

The Transition Team assisted the Conference, districts, clergy, and laity through this time of change.

The new structure seeks to help the conference promote healthy congregations and raise up effective leaders equipped to make disciples for the transformation of the world.

As part of their final presentation before the conference, the Transition Team shared a clarified job description for the position of Assistant to the District Superintendent (ADS).

The role of the ADS (found in ¶419 of the Book of Discipline) is to support and assist the district superintendent as he/she gives leadership to the perspective district in a strategic manner.

The new ADS job description approved Wednesday by the body is available online at nccumc.org/secretary/files/transition-team-report.pdf

The Transition Team was convened for one year to assist with the change of district size and structure. The work of the Transition Team has been completed.

ADS positionclarified

When Bishop Ward introduced Dr. Lovett Weems on Wednesday afternoon, she set the bar for his teaching time: “He speaks in ways that are concrete and ap-plicable in our lives,” she said.

She went on to note the many contri-butions to ministry made by Dr. Weems as a director of The Lewis Center for Church Leadership, a leading resource for congregations and clergy in the areas of stewardship, leading change, and responding to cultur-al change.

Dr. Weems spoke about Fruit-ful Ministry in Changing Times, based on the book “Bearing Fruit,” co-authored with Tom Berlin. The uncomfortable truth for most churches is that they respond to the inevitable change of the world around them with “vigorous inertia” - continuing to do things the same way, despite what goes

on around us. The challenge he presented is that the older a con-gregation is, the less connected to

and knowledgeable of its communi-ty it tends to be. Younger churches seem better able to keep their focus outward, instead of inward.

Weems invited members to lay aside the notion of success, shifting their emphasis to

the Biblical concept of bearing fruit in ministry and calling atten-tion to John 15:5 and the experi-ence of John Wesley.

In order to be in fruitful ministry, churches must define a mission and shape the work of the church around that mission. They must pass the “so that...” test, keeping the end, the harvest, in mind. The harvest shapes all the planning and work of the church, and helps keep a focus and direction rather than judgment.

Members challenged to shift their emphasis to the biblical concept of bearing fruit

The Bishop and the BobbleheadIn a moment of levity, Bishop Ward was presented a John Wesley bobblehead doll by Cokesbury. JW graced the podi-um for the remainder of the day.

3The SaddlebagAC 2013Thursday, June 13

“What is the role of laity in bearing fruit?” asked Gary Locklear, conference lay leader, to the Rev. Tom Berlin during their email conversations while planning for Wednesday’s Laity Executive Session. Berlin’s answer? “I have no idea! I just assume you will.”

As Berlin pondered the question further preparing his message for the worship service portion of the Laity Session, he identified three keys to laity fruitfulness:

1. Submit your life to the lordship of Christ. “So that He might occupy the first place in everything.” Berlin reminded, “You are not the head of your church, your pastor is not the head of your church. The most functional laity I know submit themselves to the true authority of Jesus Christ. It is not our church but Christ’s church. The fruit of your ministry is not the work of your hands but what God does in the midst of your effort. And God does far more than I can imagine. Acknowledge it!”

2. Partner with your pastor. Berlin read from Paul’s letter to the Philippians 1, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,

because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” Berlin encouraged the laity to intentionally pray for their pastor.

3. Raise your hand and use your gifts. Recalling 1 Corinthians 12, Berlin said, “You are all so gifted!” He advised that churches be careful that ministries do not destroy the spiritual life of those in leadership.

To close the worship service, a time of “Going to the Foot of the Cross” was held. First held at Annual Conference 2012, the lay leadership felt it was such a spirit-filled time that it will now be an annual part of the Laity Session.

Worshippers were invited to “come to the foot of the cross to pray” for themselves, their churches, the denomination and the conference.”

Baskets were available at each of the nine crosses (one for each of the eight districts and one for the Holy Spirit), for worshippers to take a card and write prayer requests.

Throughout the conference, members of the Board of Laity will intercess over the prayer requests.

Laity explore bearing fruit

Healthy Families, Healthy PlanetHealthy Families, Healthy Planet, a program of General Board of Church & Society, is partnering in ministry with NC Conference to support women whose greatest risk worldwide is death during

childbirth. Director Katey Zeh an-nounced a November Bible study available online, “Poor, Young, and Pregnant—Mary’s story.” More information is available at um-chealthyfamilies.org.

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In the standing room only Clergy Executive Session, those gathered celebrated that one Deacon and seven elders will be ordained Saturday.

Over 50 full-time and many more part-time local pastors who serve the conference were also celebrated.

Clergy Executive Session Highlights

4 The SaddlebagAC 2013Thursday, June 13

This year, the first-ever Annual Conference youth orien-tation session was held. The session, led by Courtney Jennings, General Conference delegate and rising soph-omore at Campbell University, helped the youth become acquainted with conference leaders such as Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Conference Lay Leader, Gary Lock-lear, the district superintendents and the ADSs, and the district lay leaders.

Jennings also explained some the changes at Annual Conference this year, particularly the Friday morning breakout sessions, including a session called “Listening to our Timothys.” This session will give youth a chance to share their ideas and visions for the conference and the denomination.

The youth clearly showed their en-thusiasm for being a part of Annual Conference and are committed to be more than the church of tomor-row. They are the church of today.

North CarolinaConference of The United Methodist Church

Published daily by the conference Communications Committee to provide a summary of news during Annual Conference. Content to be determined and edited by the conference Director of Com-munications and members of the Communications Committee.

Conference Director of Communications: Bill Norton, Editors: LeeAnne Thornton and Julie Brown; Writers: Mary Warren Dickens, Para Drake, James Henderson, Anne Sims

Wednesday night was a rousing celebration of the legacy of the 60-year-old Ten Dollar Club and a powerful impetus to the future as the program was renamed Impact 10 and the new logo was unveiled. The theme of the evening, “Run the Race” emphasized how we are all family and each generation passes the baton to the next generation, who continue to run the race of making disciples, creating a family legacy.

Bishop Paul Garber had a vision for aggressive outreach - 70 churches in 70 months. This vision became the Ten Dollar Club, which has through the years planted 153 new churches in the NC Conference in 60 years. Tens of thousands of persons now worship in these Ten Dollar Club congregations.

An example within the NC Conference of creating a legacy, goes back to 1772, when Joseph Pilmore planted a church in New Bern at the directive of John Wesley himself. Moving through the centuries, that church plant in New Bern (Centenary), resulted in the births of Riverside, Garber, Trinity, and New Song UMCs. Another example of church begetting church is University UMC in Chapel Hill, which began

in the 1840’s as a mission to the students at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, this “mission” church helped start Christ UMC (Chapel Hill) which

was instrumental in establishing All Saints UMC in Raleigh. All Saints UMC was congratulated by Bishop Ward for being chartered on All Saints Sunday 2012.

Candace Lewis, Path1 executive director for the denomination, used the scriptural message from Hebrews 10: 35-39 to share the message, “We Can Indeed Grow.” She urged those in attendance to persevere, keep running the race, and to not shrink back during these challenging times for the church. Churches shrink back when they are discouraged, disappointed, afraid, or when things just get hard because the world is changing constantly.

The church needs to dig in and keep moving forward by faith and let God do the leading. The United Methodist Church can grow, even in this changing environment, as has been proven in the 2008-2012 quadrennium when the denomination planted 684 new churches and faith communities.

Looking back to the future with new faith communities

First youth orientation session held Wednesday