Conferences outside U.S. begin 2005 annual sessions Feb. 28, 2005
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A UMNS file photo by Mike DuBose Members of the Iowa Annual Conference vote on legislation in this 2003 file photo.
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Members
of the Iowa Annual Conference vote on legislation during a 2003 session
at Iowa State University in Ames. The 2005 annual conference season got
under way with the Liberia Conference's session in February. U.S.
conference sessions begin in May and last until late June. A UMNS file
photo by Mike DuBose. Photo #05-183. Accompanies UMNS #124, 7/10/03 |
A UMNS Report By Linda Green* Three
conferences outside the United States are the first to conduct 2005
sessions across the entire United Methodist connection. This
year’s annual conference gatherings kicked off with the Feb. 15-20
meeting of the Liberia Annual Conference. It will be followed by the
March 16-19 meeting of the Central Luzon Philippines Conference and the
March 31-April 3 gathering of the Pangasinan Philippines Conference. Between
Feb. 15 and Dec. 19, United Methodists worldwide will approve budgets,
receive reports from conference boards and agencies, adopt programs of
mission and ministry, and pass resolutions. The total global United
Methodist membership is 10 million. A
bishop will preside over each annual conference session, and 24 global
bishops—including 21 in the United States—will lead gatherings for the
first time. The church has 122 annual conferences across the world,
including 63 in the United States. One-year
appointments of all conference clergy members will also be announced at
the sessions, new deacons and elders will be ordained, and candidates
for ordination will be approved. The
regional gatherings in the United States will begin May 13-14 when the
Red Bird Missionary Conference convenes in London, Ky. U.S. sessions
conclude June 26 with the adjournment of the California-Pacific annual
conference, meeting in Redlands, Calif. The last central conference
meets Dec. 19 in Harare, Zimbabwe. U.S. annual conference meeting dates and places are: U.S. ANNUAL CONFERENCES North Central Jurisdiction Dakotas, June 8-11, Bismarck, N.D. Detroit, May 20-22, Adrian, Mich. East Ohio, June 20-23, Lakeside, Ohio Illinois Great Rivers, June 9-12, Peoria, Ill. Iowa, June 9-12, Ames, Iowa Minnesota, May 31-June 3, Saint Cloud, Minn. North Indiana, June 2-5, West Lafayette, Ind. Northern Illinois, June 8-11, St. Charles, Ill. South Indiana, June 9-11, Bloomington, Ind. West Michigan, June 2-5, Grand Rapids, Mich. West Ohio, June 12-15, Lakeside, Ohio Wisconsin, June 12-15, Middleton, Wis. Northeastern Jurisdiction Baltimore-Washington, May 26-29, Baltimore Central Pennsylvania, June 9-11, Grantham, Pa. Eastern Pennsylvania, June 15-18, Philadelphia Greater New Jersey, June 2-4, Valley Forge, Pa. New England, June 8-11, Wenham, Mass. New York, June 1-4, Hempstead, N.Y. North Central New York, June 2-5, Liverpool, N.Y. Peninsula-Delaware, June 9-12, Princess Anne, Md. Troy, June 9-12, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. West Virginia, June 9-12, Buckhannon, W.Va. Western New York, June 10-12, Buffalo, N.Y. Western Pennsylvania, June 16-19, Grove City, Pa. Wyoming, June 2-4, Scranton, Pa. South Central Jurisdiction Arkansas, June 12-15, Russellville, Ark. Central Texas, June 5-8, Fort Worth, Texas Kansas East, June 1-4, Baldwin City, Kan. Kansas West, May 25-28, Salina, Kan. Louisiana, June 5-8, Shreveport, La. Missouri, June 3-6, Columbia, Mo. Nebraska, June 8-11, Omaha, Neb. New Mexico, June 1-4, Las Cruces, N.M. North Texas, June 5-8, Wichita Falls, Texas Northwest Texas, June 8-11, Lubbock, Texas Oklahoma, May 29-June 2, Oklahoma City Oklahoma Indian Missionary, June 9-12, Antlers, Okla. Rio Grande, June 3-6, Corpus Christi, Texas Southwest Texas, June 1-4, Corpus Christi, Texas Texas, May 29-June 2, The Woodlands, Texas Southeastern Jurisdiction Alabama-West Florida, June 5-8, Mobile, Ala. Florida, June 2-5, Lakeland, Fla. Holston, June 12-15, Lake Junaluska, N.C. Kentucky, June 6-9, Lexington, Ky. Memphis, June 5-8, Memphis, Tenn. Mississippi, June 5-8, Jackson, Miss. North Alabama, June 5-7, Birmingham, Ala. North Carolina, June 8-11, Fayetteville, N.C. North Georgia, June 14-17, Athens, Ga. Red Bird Missionary, May 13-14, London, Ky. South Carolina, May 29-June 1, Spartanburg, S.C. South Georgia, June 5-8, Macon, Ga. Tennessee, June 12-14, Brentwood, Tenn. Virginia, June 12-15, Hampton, Va. Western North Carolina, June 9-12, Lake Junaluska, N.C. Western Jurisdiction Alaska Missionary, May 27-29, Anchorage, Alaska California-Nevada, June 14-18, Sacramento, Calif. California-Pacific, June 22-26, Redlands, Calif. Desert Southwest, June 9-12, Scottsdale, Ariz. Oregon-Idaho, June 8-11, Salem, Ore. Pacific Northwest, June 15-18, Tacoma, Wash. Rocky Mountain, June 15-18, Denver Yellowstone, June 23-25, Billings, Mont. CENTRAL (OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES) CONFERENCES (Information on some conferences is unavailable; other conferences have already met.) Austria Provisional, May 18-22, Graz, Austria Bicol Philippines Provisional, April 1-3 (location not received) Bulgaria Provisional, Sept. 14-18, Varna, Bulgaria Central Luzon Philippines, March 16-19, Tarlac, Philippines Central Russia, June 22-24, Moscow Czech & Slovak Republics, May 26-29, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Denmark, June 29-July 3, Ronne, Denmark East Mindanao Philippines Provisional, April 7-10, Davao City, Philippines East Zimbabwe, Dec. 9-12, Mutare, Zimbabwe Eastern Angola, (date not listed), Malanje City, Angola Eastern Russia Provisional, May 13-15, Issyk Kol, Kyrgisia, Russia Estonia, June 17-19, Tallinn, Estonia Finland-Finnish Provisional, July 6-10, Helsinki, Finland Finland-Swedish Provisional, June 8-12, Porvoo, Finland Germany East, May 25-29, Planitz, Germany Germany North, April 20-24, Braunschweig, Germany Germany South, June 9-12, Hofheim/Taunus and Mannheim, Germany Hungary Provisional, April 26-30, Pecs, Hungary Liberia, Feb. 15-20, Monrovia, Liberia Lukoshi, July 17, Mwajinga/Sandoa, Lukoshi Mindanao Philippines, May 26-29, Kidapawan City, Philippines Nigeria (date not listed), Jalingo, Nigeria North Central Philippines, May 26-29, San Antonio, Delfin Albano Isabela, Philippines Northeast Philippines, May 12-15, Dumabato, Maddela Quirino, Philippines Northern Philippines, April 21-24, Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines Northwest Katanga, July 17, Mwajinga/Sandoa Northwest Russia Provisional, May 26-28, St. Petersburg, Russia Northwest Mindanao Philippines, April 21-24, Oriental, Philippines Northwest Philippines, May 19-22, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines Norway, June 23-26, Trondheim, Norway Pangasinan Philippines, March 31-April 3, Anda Central, Anda Pangasinan, Philippines Poland, June 17-19, Klarysew, Poland Serbia-Montenegro/Rep. Macedonia, Oct. 26-30, Serbia-Montenegro South Congo-Zambia, July 10, Mulungwishi Southern Russia Provisional, June 2-5, Voronezh, Russia Southwest Katanga, July 10, Mulungwishi Sweden, May 4-8, Gothenburg, Sweden Switzerland-France, June 9-12, Basel/St. Chrischona, Switzerland Ukraine Provisional, June 16-19, Kiev, Ukraine Visayas Philippines, April 14-17, Leyte, Philippines West Zimbabwe, Dec. 16-19, Harare, Zimbabwe Western Angola, Oct. 3-9, Luanda, Angola *Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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