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General Conference 2004
Rocky Mountain Conference News and Resources
Day 5
Friday, April 30, 2004
From: Brad Laurvick, General Conference Delegate
So here I am, sitting in my hotel room at 1:08am writing an e-mail to
tell you about my day. Honestly, at this point this morning feels like
it was three days ago. But what a three days today has been! :-)
General Conference is definitely in full swing, but that doesn't mean
that everything is moving quickly; just ask the people in the Church
and Society Committee (where a lot of the homosexuality petitions are).
I want to walk you through both my day, and my overall experience here,
but both are so overwhelming (and I have been awake for 18 hours on 4.5
hours sleep) that I don't know where to start...
The day started out with a worship service and appreciation service to
honor those African Americans who chose to remain in the denomination
during Methodist segregation. This service was one of the best I have
seen done. Like all of the worship here, it reminded me that God truly
is present and there is something worth all of this work (and more and
more frequently, frustration). Thursday, the General Board of Higher
Education and Ministry hosted a dinner, that included a performance by
a mass choir made up of students from all of our Methodist affiliated
schools, I was moved beyond description by their performance. I also
enjoy the network that connects all of the Young People here. These
high points of worship, praise, and fellowship help me as we begin to
see low points more often.
Legislation is continuing its process, some quickly, some not... no
matter what next week is going to be overwhelming, as issues will come
from committees to the full body... (please note my use of "..." it
signifies a long dramatic pause in which fear, anxiety, and worry all
well up, and only faith and prayer can bring peace). We will see where
the issues come out, God only knows...
Not all of the legislation process requires a dot dot dot. My
committee, though we had moments where it felt we were peering over the
edge of the abyss, we moved through our legislation in what surely is
an example of Holy Conferencing. Through use of prayer, honest
expression, listening in love, and plenty of patience, good work has
been done in the name of God. My biggest joy is the passing of
legislation in committee (note: it still has to face the General
Council on Finance and Administration and the full body) to create a
Division of Ministry to Young People. This division will create a place
for youth, young adults, and adult workers with youth, a place to be
heard and be a part of a truly functioning global network. More on that
another time.
Please know that we need prayer! Please know we are doing our best to
see that God's work is done here! Please know I need a lot of chocolate
to get through the day! And know that I am still honored to be here,
and am grateful for your trust, love, and support.
Bradley Laurvick
General Conference Delegate
Chair- Conference Council on Young Adult Ministry
bradley.laurvick@colorado.edu
General Conference links:
*Please note: people have been experiencing access problems with
the GC site and related pages, due to the high volume of
traffic they are receiving. Don't be afraid to try again
later!* You can also try some of the General Church agency web sites
below, or the unofficial ones listed on the main RMCUMC GC2004 page.
Please keep the Rocky Mountain Conference Delegates in prayer:
Janet Forbes, Youngsook Kang, Olon Lindemood, Chuck Schuster, Aaron
Gray, Judy Hill, Brad Laurvick, Dan O'Neill, Liwliwa Robledo, and Peggy Sewell.
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