Day 3 and 4

I woke up Thursday morning unsure of what day it was. Unsure if I should be concerned about my grasp on reality, I quickly realized I was in good company: the presiding bishop of the next session I was in made the same comment! The long days inside the conference center, hour after hour in meetings, apparently is messing with all of our daily rhythms!

At each plenary session I’ve been in, the presiding bishop has spoken glowingly about the General Conference’s parliamentarian, Maurice Henderson. Parliamentarians help large gatherings practice the accepted rules, ethics, and customs the body agrees to follow. Usually those who fill the parliamentarian role at United Methodist conferences (Annual Conference, etc) are clergy who have experience in our system. Mr. Henderson is not a clergy person: he’s a professional parliamentarian (didn’t know that was a thing!) Here’s an article about the talented Mr. Henderson!

My first role on Thursday was to serve as the page at “Church and Society 2” legislative committee. There are 14 different legislative committees that take different proposals submitted to General Conference to add/amend/change our Book of Discipline by United Methodists around the globe. This is one of the main tasks of the delegates at General Conference - and it is a large one! 

What a pleasant surprise it was to see my seminary classmate Shandon as the chair of the committee; I was honored and proud to serve as her page!

The biggest outcome from the committee’s work Thursday was to approve the Revised Social Principles to be sent to the plenary to replace the current Social Principles. For those who may not know what our Social Principles are, “While not church law, the Revised Social Principles aim to serve as a guide for what United Methodists agree are the most relevant social concerns throughout the world today and the church’s position on those issues.” Here is a FAQ on the Revised Social Principles if you’d like to read more.

A blast from the past: a friend of ours from the little church we attended in Anchorage, AK in 2005-2008 was watching the legislative committee work! Lisa is now a clergyperson, serving Homer UMC in AK. Yet when Kenda and I met Lisa and Joe at Anchor Park UMC, we were both lay members just beginning to discern our calls into ministry. After we caught up, gave thanks for social media’s capability of keeping us connected so far away from one another (Lisa and Joe have a GIANT Newfoundland puppy!), we marveled at how many persons from the small church had become clergy and lay leaders within the denomination/AK conference. It was a lovely surprise for both of us!

A short story that I'm sure you'll hear again in a future sermon: as a page I am supposed to be attentive to the work of the legislative body so to help them do their work. Yet while serving at the legislative committee I was fascinated with the ASL interpreters. Multiple times I caught myself staring at the interpreters doing their work, capably sharing what was being said to two deaf participants. After the fourth or fifth time I did this, I got frustrated with myself - why was I so infatuated with these people doing their job that it took away from me being able to do my job?!
At the end of a long afternoon of good work, my seminary classmate/chairperson asked the legislative body to close eyes so that she could pray for them. At that moment I realized - that won’t work for my deaf friends! I look over to the deaf participants and their interpreters, and just when I do, one of the two turns and looks at me. I know now why I was so infatuated with the interpreters: the Holy Spirit was preparing me to pray with them! So I disobey the chair’s guidance by not closing my eyes, but I experience a powerful moment with my two deaf brothers and their interpreters, and in that moment receive a fuller understanding of what prayer can and should look like.

I have my first assignment that was uninspired: Tech Runner. I didn’t do anything - just sat there! Because I wasn’t busy running around I did get to worship with the plenary body. One of the first acts of worship was a liturgical dancer. I have never been moved by any type of liturgical dance; frankly, I had found it kind of silly. But Rev. Branch’s dance really spoke to me this morning…I was honestly surprised that it did!

After opening worship I served as the page for the Ordained Ministry legislative committee. The majority of the discussion was around two topics: local pastor licensing and deacons having sacramental authority. There was a lot of discussion, but not a lot of decision making…!
One of the aspects myself and the other pages have been frustrated with is the lack of consistency in our schedules and who we get to work with. I’ve paged somewhere different each time I’ve worked, causing a lack of consistency for me and the delegates I work with/for. Yet during today’s legislative committee session I came to appreciate experiencing all the different parts of General Conference. It’s really cool to see how different people take up the work differently, using the same rules we’ve all agreed to follow!

Tomorrow is another long day - working until 10 pm Saturday, but we all get a Sabbath on Sunday. Continue to pray for us here in Charlotte - I look forward to sharing more with you soon!