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Tennessee Annual Conference
June 11-13, 2006, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The 39th session of the Tennessee Annual Conference was held at First United Methodist Church, Murfreesboro, Tenn. and conference members were made aware of the latest statistical analysis for calendar year 2005.
Though results are not yet complete it appears that the conference experienced a growth in membership from 116,582 in 2004 to 117,350 in 2005. This is a net increase of 768 people. There was a net decrease in worship attendance from 49,143 in 2004 to 48,685 in 2005 or a net decrease of 458 people.
Average Sunday school attendance rose slightly from 2004 to 2005. In 2004 the attendance figure was 27,026, and in 2005 it rose to 27,153, a net increase of 127 people.
The preliminary count for the special Care for the Children of Kamina offering was $52,230.06, much of it raised by children of the conference. Additional gifts from local congregations will be added to this amount. The conference is attempting to raise $100,000 for food and medical care for children in Kamina, North Katanga, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Conference delegates packaged 45,000 pounds of sweet potatoes at the Annual Conference Potato Drop. The potatoes went to agencies that feed the hungry throughout Middle Tennessee. Some potatoes went to Feed America First for distribution in middle Tennessee and northern Alabama.
The conference also embarked on a mission to raise funds and pledges for the Bishop’s Appeal for Katrina Church Recovery. Each congregation in the conference is urged to promote the Bishop’s appeal and to have a special designated offering for the next three years.
Special presentations celebrated the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women. Bishop Sally Dyck of the Minnesota Annual Conference preached on Monday evening with a strong message pointing out the need for increased attention to the evangelistic mission of the church. Dyck elaborated on the implications of the word “Go” in the command “Go into all the world.”
The morning worship service on Tuesday provided time for the actual celebration of the 50th anniversary and The Gennifer Benjamin Brooks preached. Brooks is assistant professor of homiletics and director of the Styberg Preaching Institute at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
The conference recognized nine people who completed the Children’s Ministry Institute - Shannon Auguston, Faye Brown, Leigh Ann Cate, Christy Earl, Helen Guerard-Brown, Charlotte Morgan, Whitney Mitchell, Andrew Scott, and Aline Wesley, plus 11 others who completed the Youth Ministry Institute - Joy Barber, Denise Bellavance, Adam Burgett, Rick Dixon, Brad Fiscus, Doug Fuqua, Vickie Martindale, Cody Russell, Dawn Scott, Patrick Valentine, and Mike Worden.
The Children and Youth Ministry institutes were established to strengthen the ministries of the local church. Those recognized committed themselves to eight-month of in-depth training that deepened their understanding of theology and United Methodism as well as provided opportunities to develop practical skills in either children or youth ministries. The participants spent more than 40 hours in training sessions, ministry groups, meetings with mentors, and homework assignments. They have received valuable training and developed supportive relationships. The institute is offered in conjunction with the Martin Methodist College Center for Church Leadership and the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
The 2006 Tennessee Conference Journal will be dedicated to two people, one lay and one clergy. Honoree as a layperson is Mary Jane Motlow, a member of Lynchburg First United Methodist Church. The Rev. Joe K. Shelton, who served as pastor of Hillcrest United Methodist Church, was honored with the clergy dedication. Shelton retired at the 2006 session of annual conference.
During the session, the conference presented numerous awards honoring individuals for their ministries of making disciples for Jesus Christ.
The Denman Evangelism Award for Clergy went to Rev. Louis A. Johnson, whom the Rev. James Clardy, district superintendent, describes in the words, “Reaching others for Christ has been the theme of this man’s ministry for as long as I have known him.” The Denman Evangelism Award for Laity went to Opal Ransom, a member of Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church and a person “tireless in her evangelistic and outreach efforts.”
The Rev. Lawrence E. “Buddy” Royston, Jr., pastor of the Bell Buckle United Methodist Church was presented the G. Ross Freeman Leadership Award for 2006. He is among 33 pastors from the nine-state Southeastern Jurisdiction to receive the award in the last five years for inspiring ministries of men in evangelism, missions and spiritual growth.
The Francis Asbury Award is presented each year to a person in the conference whose life has demonstrated a strong and faithful witness to the ministry of Christian Higher Education; someone whose labors have shown a sincere and dedicated commitment to the important mission of “faith seeking knowledge,” in the words of John Wesley. This year’s award winner is the Rev. Robert H. Lewis, who as part of a distinguished ministerial career served for 12 years as director of the Tennessee Tech. University Wesley Foundation; and more recently as chairperson of the board of directors of the Tennessee State University Wesley Foundation.
Conference members honored or memorialized 10 people by awarding them membership in the Order of St. Andrew. A special interest restricted endowment fund, known as the Nashville Area Order of St. Andrew Endowment Fund, was established by the Nashville Area United Methodist Foundation to honor ministers and laity of the Memphis and Tennessee annual conferences who have served faithfully and blessed the lives of individuals in the churches they have served. The income from The Fund provides scholarships for individuals pursuing pastoral ministry and enrolled in a seminary. Those awarded were:
- the Rev. Larry Layne, honored by the Cumberland District;
- the Rev. Harriet Bryan, honored by the Erin Dinner Club & church family;
- the Jim Clardy, honored by friends of the Murfreesboro District;
- the Rev. Joe Shelton, honored by the congregation of Hillcrest United Methodist Church;
- Frank Burke, honored by the Cumberland District, in memory of layperson;
- the Rev. Edd Templeton, honored by the board of directors of the Nashville Area Foundation
- the Rev. Steven Glen Lee, honored by the congregation of White House United Methodist Church;
- the Rev. Max Mayo, honored by the congregation of Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church;
- the Rev. Rosemary Brown, honored by the congregation of Monroe Street United Methodist Church
- The Rev. Joseph King Vivion, given in memory and honored by members of the family.
Two veteran Boy Scout leaders from Dickson First United Methodist Church were awarded the Torch Award, the highest award that an annual conference can give to a volunteer working with youth—whether Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or other youth organizations. The Torch Award went to Ben Fuqua and Kenneth Mitchell.
The conference licensed 27 first time local pastors for pastoral and elected one person to associate membership in the conference. Nine people became commissioned ministers and entered a probationary period prior to ordination and two people were ordained deacons; and three individuals were ordained elders. Eighteen people retired as of the 2006 session of Annual Conference
The financial well-being of the conference was the major focus of conference business sessions. Conference delegates passed the phasing out of the drug plan for retired clergy by Dec. 31. Other options make the current drug plan unnecessary.
The conference did not pass two resolutions related to an increase in clergy contributions to health care insurance and to the direct billing of local churches for clergy health insurance and pensions. Instead, the conference requested that the Common Table address the matters raised by rising health costs for clergy and the direct billing to local churches of clergy pensions, and that the Common Table report back to the 2007 Annual Conference. Referring discussion of the Conference Financial status to the Common Table was done with the understanding that discussion would be open to ALL conference agencies as well as to any individual wishing to participate.
-- Tom Nankervis |
