[RMC News] Countdown to General Conference 10

Fri Apr 18 13:34:21 CDT 2008

Contents
	Countdown to General Conference
	How to be in dialogue with the delegation

COUNTDOWN TO GENERAL CONFERENCE!

The Rocky Mountain Conference Delegation leaves for General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas on Wednesday, April 23.    As a delegation, we have been meeting monthly to build community, pray for each other, and learn together.   Each of the delegates has been assigned to a legislative committee.  Our alternates and guests will be monitoring the legislative processes as well.   In anticipation of our work, we want to share some of our learnings, passions, concerns, and prayers.  Here is the tenth in a series of pre-Conference reflections:

------------------------------------------

Countdown to General Conference

Philip Cardin
1st Alternate Lay Delegate
Christ UMC - Salt Lake City
Well, it's almost here.

In some ways it seems like an eternity ago that I decided to throw my hat into the ring, and run for a position on our Annual Conference delegation to General and Jurisdictional Conferences. In other ways, it seems like only yesterday because the time has flown by.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Laity of our Annual Conference for giving me this opportunity. I was a part of the 2004 Delegation for Jurisdictional Conference only, but this time around I got the "Full Meal Deal" of being a part of both events. It is a great honor, and an awesome responsibility. 

The full weight of that responsibility has begun to sink in over the last 3 months as the volume of mail that shows up in my mailbox each day grows. My wife, Debbie, goes through the mail each evening, and just rolls her eyes as she hands me yet another piece of paper (or CD/DVD) outlining another interest groups thoughts on one of the seemingly thousands of petitions, resolutions and the like that must be considered. Some of this is just what you might imagine. Others, however, bring home the importance of what myself and about a thousand of my newest, closest friends are about to embark on.

Those of you who know me understand that I'm not a theologian. I am a way too pragmatic business person (stop laughing, Rob!) that tends to view everything in that light. I've read these same writings from my colleagues over the last few days, and I am humbled to be in their company. This is an amazing group of folks, both clergy and lay, that have a depth of insight into our task that I can only hope to achieve, sometime. I have shared with the Delegation my hope that I can begin to understand that this is not just another business meeting, but a gathering of believers that are there to try to determine the best course for our church to go on to perfection, in the best Wesleyan tradition.

As I said, some of the mail that I have received over the past few months has driven home the point that this ain't no ordinary business meeting. In many ways, this General Conference means the world to literally tens of thousands of our fellow members of our church who can have their lives changed for the good (we hope), or for the worse (we fear) by its actions. As I read through the three volume set of books that is the Daily Christian Advocate, I realize that these words on these (many!) pages are not just politics, or governance, or polity, or business, but these words effect people in some of the most bedrock of ways. Are we truly a church of open hearts, open minds, and open doors as our marketing claims we are, or are we something less? I have begun to grasp the meaning of these next couple of weeks in personal terms.

Since I am an Alternate (Reserve) Delegate, I don't have a legislative committee assignment that allows me to actually vote on issues. I have been asked to sit-in on the Conferences Committee meetings and monitor those proceedings. There are only three voting members of that committee from the Western Jurisdiction, and none from our Rocky Mountain Conference. I'll be there to lend voice, if not vote, to the members looking for sanity in a crazy world. 

As all of us begin the task of packing our bags, we are all deeply grateful for the prayers that we have felt from the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference. Please keep the prayers coming because as big a task as it is to get ready for this, I see that the preparation pales in comparison to the event itself. 

I, for one, need all the prayers I can get.

I pray for grace and peace for each of you, and God's richest blessings for our church.

------------------------------------------

Our communications team, Skip Strickland and Olon Lindemood, will be posting General Conference reports from April 23 to May 2.   One of the delegates will write a daily reflection as well.   You may access information during the General Conference at www.GC2008.umc.org    Worship, special addresses, and celebrations will be offered in live video streaming.   You may also track legislation.

We covet your prayers and traveling mercies!   

The Rocky Mountain Conference delegation invites your comments on their blog:  http://www.RMCDelegation.blogspot.com

Grace,
Janet Forbes and Josh Davies

How to be in dialogue with the delegation
There are several ways to be in dialogue with our delegation.

1.  E-mail:  to send to the entire delegation, use Delegation2008 at rmcumc.com.
2.  Their new Blog (short for "Web Log"):  http://www.RMCDelegation.blogspot.com
3.  The RMCUMC.org Bulletin Board:  http://rmcumc.org/Community/YaBB.pl?board=GCJC
4.  Phone:  Use this list of contact info: http://rmcumc.org/Community/YaBB.pl?num=1186779355/0#1

Keep up with General Conference on the GC2008 page on the RMCUMC.org web:  rmcumc.org, link at top of page!

(via Ben Roe
Information Administrator
Rocky Mountain Conference, The United Methodist Church
ben at rmcumc.com  303-325-7046  800-536-3736x146)
---------------------------------------
RMC News is an electronic mail list for official news for clergy and elected lay leadership of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. If you are not clergy or elected lay leadership of the RMCUMC, you may request to be removed from the list by sending a note to ben at rmcumc.com. To join the list, send a note to ben at rmcumc.com. See rmcumc.org/News/Communications/rationale.htm for more information on our Communications policies.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.rmcumc.org/pipermail/rmcnews_rmcumc.org/attachments/20080418/e40dc88e/attachment.html 