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North Carolina Annual Conference
June 14-17, Greenville, N.C.
The North Carolina Annual Conference, using the theme of “Walking...in the light of God,” met in Greenville, NC. This is the first time in 32 years, except for when the session met at Duke University in 1968 that the conference has not met in Fayetteville.
In his State of the Church Address, Bishop Al Gwinn reminded members that the church belongs to God, not individuals, and that a $1 million challenge gift had been made to the Academy for Leadership Excellence. The conference celebrated the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in the church, had an evening of celebration of Higher Education and Campus Ministry, and were invited by Benjamin Zander, co-author of The Art of Possibility, to leave behind “downward spiral thinking” and live into the world of possibility. He encouraged members to react to mistakes by declaring, “How Fascinating.”
Bishop James R. Kings, Jr. of the Kentucky and Red Bird Missionary annual conferences was the guest preacher and Bishop C.P. Minnick, Jr., retired, taught the morning Bible studies. Preaching for the memorial service was the Rev. Eldrick Davis of the conference’s Harry Hosier United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Tom Holtsclaw, retired, presided during the Love Feast.
Included in action taken on 17 resolutions, members voted: to dissolve the N.C. State Commission on Campus Ministry; to learn more about the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and to reflect on whether the United Methodist Church should remain a member of RCRC; for support of federal trust responsibility and tribal sovereignty of the Lumbee Tribe; against a proposal to restrict the use of the property at Lake Junaluska to only groups who uphold Judeo-Christian ideals; and defeated a resolution calling the Judicial Council Decision 1032 “to be incompatible with Christ’s teaching as we have come to understand it in the Wesleyan tradition.”
In other action, the conference:
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Received the contents for preparing flood buckets and health kits before being needed following a disaster.
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Celebrated 23 candidates being commissioned as probationary elders, three ordained as deacons in full connection, 13 ordained elders in full connection, and recognition of orders and reception into full connection of one member.
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Approved joining the Property and Casualty Trust (PACT) to provide an option for property and casualty insurance for local churches, especially those in coastal areas.
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Adopted a conference health insurance plan for 2007 with no premium changes and mandated by 2008 full payment of the church’s health insurance portion for all clergy under full-time appointment, making at least minimum salary.
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Recognized Charity Holland, a retired layperson, as the United Methodist Association Welfare Ministries Volunteer of the Year.
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Recognized 19 retiring clergy.
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Remembered the ministries of 31 clergy or clergy spouses who have died since last conference in an All Saints Memorial Service.
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Members participated in the Upper Room Living Prayer Center and bagged 40,000 lbs of sweet potatoes to make a difference for the hungry in eastern North Carolina.
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Celebrated the chartering of Reconciliation United Methodist Church, a multi-cultural congregation, and commissioned three pastors to plant new churches.
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Approved a $19,126,670 budget to be raised in 2007 for use in 2008, a 2.88 percent increase over the budget adopted last year.
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Celebrated being one of 15 conferences paying 100 percent of general church apportioned funds in 2005.
Membership stands at 236,635, up 1.098 from the previous year. Average attendance at the principal weekly worship service(s) is 86,024, or down 2,796.
—Bill Norton
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