Thursday, Feb. 21

Confused about the plans?

ST. LOUIS (9:20 a.m. CST, Feb. 21) — General Conference is complicated for everyone, from spectators right up to the delegates and the bishops. Here’s a great chart, provided by United Methodist Communications, comparing the proposed plans and how they would affect local churches, clergy, bishops, finances, etc. See the chart.

If you want to go a lot deeper, visit this page of ongoing coverage and videos provided by United Methodist News Service. See UMNS coverage.

Here’s a great General Conference resources page, too.

Goddard’s comments during Convocation

ST. LOUIS (9 a.m. CST, Feb. 21) — Yesterday, we posted a video and photo of prayers lifted up for our Holston delegation during Ministers Convocation in Pigeon Forge. Here’s an excerpt from the Rev. Kim Goddard’s response as she accepted the prayer scarf from clergy:

“Can I just say that in my years of ministry I have never felt as supported and prayed for as I have over the last several months … This is what the power of community looks like. I’m not going to be looking at these individual strands and saying, ‘Is that a prayer for the One Church Plan, or the Modified Traditional Plan, or the Connectional Conference Plan, or the Simple Plan, or the gracious exit?’ I’m just going to be knowing these are the prayers for your church and your delegation, and I’m not sure we can ask for anything better than that.”