General Conference 2004

Rocky Mountain Conference News and Resources

Day 12

Final General Conference Report for Friday, May 7 from Janet Forbes

LAST MESSAGE FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN DELEGATION TO GENERAL CONFERENCE PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Good night from Pittsburgh! Or is it Good Morning? This is the last message from the RMC General Conference delegation from the Golden Triangle in Pittsburgh, where two rivers merge into one.

(Yawn!) Its about 12:50 a.m. and the concierge is letting me use the Internet access after hours in the hotel business center! General Conference adjourned about 40 minutes ago! Bishop Ed Paul presided over the last session. Then we sang, and prayed, and, formally, took the symbols of our gathering from the altar, and shared the peace. Bishop Warner came to bid us farewell; we shared hugs and tears.

This day (Friday, May 7) began at 7:00 a.m. as we gathered with the other delegations of the Western Jurisdiction. We planned for a pastoral letter to our congregations and named the networks of our relationships in the West. We desire to know each other better and use our strength to build up the church: United Methodist Women, Volunteers in Mission, United Methodist Men, Conference Lay Leaders, the Western Division on Young People, Treasurers, and Directors of Connectional Ministry, Boards of Ordained Ministry, Town and Country, Large Church Initiative, and many, many more. We find strength in the community of the West.

The Resolution on Church Unity, As United Methodists we remain in covenant with one another, even in the midst of disagreement, and we reaffirm our commitment to work together for our common mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the world, brought a moment of healing to a stressed conference. Hopefully, the statement squelched the false newspaper headlines of schism.

(Yawn!) I remember some highlights. Brad Laurvicks passionate speech, We preach Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors until we practice Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. Dan ONeill, who helped everybody grasp complicated pension issues. Charles Schuster, who found the best Pittsburgh burger (Go ahead! Ask him!), telling the truth about respect. Lobbying: Judy Hill for rural ministries; Olon Lindemood, Paul Kottke, and Don Ford for the needs of clergy; Peggy Sewell for fiscal responsibility. Liwliwa Robeldo and Youngsook Kang introducing us to the global community! Sara Babbs instant messaging to other young adults delegates. Aaron Grays gentle care when the hurt really hurt. Don Messers passion on behalf of the victims of HIV/AIDS. Gil Caldwells mentoring. What treasured friends! The Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone Conferences had almost 50 persons in Pittsburgh!

I remember birthing a connectional table. Connectional??? Ah, time will tell!

Maybe God brought us to Pittsburgh where two rivers come together to form a larger, stronger river to bring the various divisions of our church together into a stronger and more vital expression of the Christian faith. Perhaps this suggestion of separation has been the stimulus to help us to realize that there is much more which unites us than separates us and gives us the chance to reaffirm our commitment to work together for the transformation of the world.

Maybe unity does not come from simply looking at each other but from looking together in the same direction.

ZZZZZZZZ! Oh! I need to pack! I catch my cab to the airport in four hours!

Good night, dear ones. (Yawn! Good morning!)

See you soon.

Janet Forbes
Clergy delegate to the General Conference
First UMC, Cheyenne, Wyoming
St. Lukes UMC, Highlands Ranch, Colorado

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.