Florida Annual Conference

"Remembering Who We Are"

June 7th - 9th
Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL

For general information about Annual Conference click here. 
 
Re-Vote on Constitutional Amendment

There was an error made in the language of the first constitutional amendment from General Conference 2016. As instructed by the Secretary of the General Conference, we will re-vote on this constitutional amendment at Annual Conference 2018. We have scheduled this vote for Saturday morning near the beginning of the plenary session that begins at 8:30 a.m. All lay members and clergy members in full connection may vote on constitutional amendments. To learn more about the reason for the re-vote click here. For the corrected language of the constitutional amendment click here. Ballots for this re-vote will be distributed; and after a brief explanation, members of the annual conference will be able to speak for or against the amendment. Because these amendments come from the General Conference, no amendments to this constitutional amendment are in order.

Way Forward Presentation

To allow for the greatest participation level and to ensure consistent communication about the Way Forward, the Annual Conference will take a step back from its legislative work on Friday afternoon and enter into a time of presentation and small group discussion about the Way Forward. The Way Forward presentation is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. in Branscomb Auditorium. Bishop Carter will lead this time and will be supported by the design team that created the POV (Point of View) experience. Rev. Jorge Acevedo and Alice Williams, members of the Commission on a Way Forward, will also be present to share. This segment of our agenda will seek to give members information about the work of the Commission on a Way Forward, give a sampling of some of the POV material for local churches and provide a place for members to talk in groups of three. There will not be enough time for general questions and answers from the plenary floor, but if you have a question about the Way Forward, please submit it here.

Remember Who We Are Conversation

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of The United Methodist Church and our theme “Remember Who We Are,” Bishop Carter has invited the Florida Conference to consider a new way of approaching resolutions. You can find more information about this on page 34 of the Annual Conference workbook and from this video titled Annual Conference Resolutions. On Thursday during the committee on resolutions report, the Cabinet will make the motion found on page 34 of the workbook to suspend our normal resolution process. 

Join us for a Special Night of Worship: A Love Feast

You are invited to join Bishop Carter and clergy and lay members from around the Annual Conference for a night of conversation around the table, scripture reading, testimony, and worship. Together we will take time to remember who we are, report on how God is at work in our present, and look forward with trust and hope to our future together. We hope you will join us Wednesday, June 6, at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Center of First UMC Lakeland. Music will be provided by the Florida Southern College worship team. A reception sponsored by the Florida United Methodist Foundation will follow.

 

Winter Conference at Epworth By the Sea

In lieu of our Clergy Gathering which had been tentatively scheduled October 23 - 24, 2018, we are inviting you to attend the Winter Conference at Epworth By The Sea, January 29 - February 1, 2019. This will be a combined event with the Bishops and clergy of the North Georgia, Mississippi, South Georgia and Florida Conferences. Dr. Tod Bolinger, author of Canoeing The Mountains, will be the keynote speaker.  

Be sure to register soon as we expect this to be a sold out event. 

Click here to register. 

Click here for the flyer.