The Michigan Area Design Team is preparing to release detailed plans about uniting Michigan’s conferences.
Michigan Area Design Team member Alex Plum opened the October meeting of the group with a clip from Brené Brown’s popular 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability. As part of his devotion, Alex urged the group to lean into the discomfort of the work and remain open to vulnerability and risk. There is reason to remain vulnerable, as the Michigan Area Design Teams prepares to publicly introduce recommendations of various structures in November.
Members met at the Area Ministry Center in Lansing on October 4th to discuss and debate some of the key elements of creating a new annual conference in Michigan. Over the summer, individual task force members from the Design Team met for months to draft initial recommendations. In September, the task force teams presented their recommendations and this month Design Team members discussed and refined those recommendations.
“We are in a non-stop loop of listening.” ~ Rev. Marsha Woolley
Among the topics discussed, structure of the new annual conference, district recommendations, personnel, ministry shares/apportionment formulas, mission funding and strategic alignment of conference related funds, timelines for transition and facility management. With more feedback received this month, the task force members are now finalizing the documents for approval by the Design Team
“We are in a non-stop loop of listening.” said Co-Chair Rev. Marsha Woolley, “We have taken the hopes, dreams, concerns and feedback the Michigan Area has shared with us and spent hundreds of hours pouring those ideas into proposals on how to create a new annual conference.”
She added, “In November, we will share those publicly and once those have been read and discerned, we will begin listening again for a reaction to our recommendations.”
The many proposals are expected to be posted to the Design.MichiganUMC.org website in early November. Feedback can be received through the website and also during four listening sessions scheduled across the state.
The first listening session is slated for November 12 in Marquette, Caledonia on November 17, Southfield on November 19, and Lansing on January 17.
Two of the listening sessions will be carried live via Webcast on November 17 and January 17. Dates, locations and times are all available on Design.MichiganUMC.org.
“We need to affirm that we are moving in the direction our people feel called by God to serve Michigan in the coming years.” ~ Rev. Dr. Glenn Wagner
“We urge everyone to read these proposals and participate in the listening sessions.” said Woolley’s Co-Chair, Rev. Dr. Glenn Wagner, “We need to affirm that we are moving in the direction our people feel called by God to serve Michigan in the coming years.” Wagner says the proposals will be formed into decision items by February so that the documents may be brought before the annual conferences in June 2017 during Annual Conference.
The October meeting of the Design Team was also one of transition. Team member Mark Baker was fondly remembered for his important contributions. Sadly, Mark passed away last month. Joining the Design Team is Jim LeBaron, a lay member from the West Michigan Conference.
The Design Team meets again on November 9, 2016.
Last Updated on January 11, 2023