Welcome to the Ashland District
Welcome to the Ashland District web site. We hope you will find something of interest here. But more important, we pray that you will find a family in one of our many vibrant churches across the Ashland District.
A Word From Your District Superintendent
As you read this article I am in Fort Worth, Texas, attending the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church as an alternate delegate.
What Is General Conference?
General Conference is the world-wide gathering of the United Methodist Church representing about 11.5 million church members. It is held once every four years.
Where and When Is General Conference?
The 2008 General Conference is being held in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning on Wednesday, April 23, and concluding on Friday, May 2.
Who Attends General Conference?
There are 1,000 delegates (half clergy, half laity) representing the 62 annual conferences in the United States and the 62 annual conferences outside the United States.
What Is the Purpose of General Conference?
General Conference sets the rules of our church that are contained in our Book of Discipline, decides on the mission and ministry programs for the next four years which affects the apportionments for all our churches, and approves our United Methodist stands on a variety of social issues relevant to our world today.
What Will We Hear about General Conference?
The news media will want to report the “HOT” topics which will be issues related to homosexuality, abortion and divestment. (Divestment will be related to our country’s relationship to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.) Since our General Conference of 1,000 delegates represents 11 million Methodists from all over the world, it will be no surprise to you that we will probably have a wide variety of opinions about the best next steps for our church related to these issues. These topics are relevant because they touch real lives. They also allow us to work through our theology and ethics. However, I want to say that the most important issues for General Conference are not these “HOT” topics.
What Are the Most Important Issues for General Conference 2008?
The four areas of focus are: (1) starting and renewing churches; (2) developing new leaders; (3) addressing global poverty; and (4) addressing world health.
Our Methodist movement began with evangelism and concern for the poor as the key ingredients to our church. These concerns are a call to return to our roots as followers of John Wesley. In addition, these four areas have the potential to put “united” back in United Methodist.
Please keep the work of General Conference in your prayers that it shall serve as a bold witness for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I look forward to returning to the Ashland District to share my first hand report with you. Grace and Peace,
