Registration for Annual Conference is now open, and details on special guest speakers, service opportunities, and other activities are now available.
JAMES DEATON
Content Editor
Online registration for the 2023 Michigan Annual Conference, set for June 2-4 at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, MI, is now open.
New Every Morning is the theme, based on Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (NRSVUE).
The Commission on the Annual Conference Session invites attendees “to reflect, remember, and give thanks for all the ways that God’s love and mercies have been at work in our churches, districts, conference, and denomination throughout these anxious and uncertain times.”
The Clergy Session begins on Thursday, June 1, at 2 pm. Annual Conference begins with the Opening Worship and Memorial Service on Friday, June 2, at 1 pm and concludes at 5 pm on Sunday, June 4. Bishop David Bard will preach for Friday afternoon’s Opening Worship and Memorial Service as well as for the Service of Recognition, Commissioning, and Ordination on Saturday night. A detailed block schedule is posted at 2023.michiganumc.org.
General registration is open until May 1, with limited late registration available.
Rev. Grace Imathiu will lead Saturday’s Bible Study and preach on Sunday morning. Rev. Imathiu is the Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Evanston, IL. She has also served churches in Kenya as a church planter, a superintendent minister overseeing 68 rural churches in Nkubu, and an urban minister to an ecumenical congregation in Nairobi with strong outreach to the neighboring slums of Kawangware.
Pastor Grace loves people and has a passion and gift for inspiring and nurturing communities of faith to live out loud the prophetic story of Jesus. For Grace, the quintessential expression of the resurrected Lord’s presence is a community whose very DNA is a radical hospitality which births a loving and healthy tension that is ideological, theological, racial, ethnic, and cultural. Read more about Grace and her ministry here.
Author Kimberly Daniel will speak on Friday night during a laity-led segment on Christian Innovation. Ms. Daniel has over 15 years of experience leading communications efforts at non-profit organizations and has helped to catalyze faith-driven entrepreneurs to do good.
Health and Safety at Annual Conference
The Commission on the Annual Conference Session will monitor infection rates and CDC health and safety guidelines. Safe distancing is encouraged to prevent the spread of illness. At this time, masking is not required yet strongly encouraged if you have a weakened immune system.
The Michigan Conference reserves the right to amend this directive based on guidelines from the State of Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services with regard to COVID-19, RSV, or other communicable diseases.
On-Site Lodging Options and Meals
The Michigan Annual Conference is held at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, MI, just north of Traverse City. The beautiful facility offers a wide range of housing and meal options.
More details on registering family members who are not members of the Annual Conference or lowering your costs by sharing a room are found by clicking the on-site lodging button below.
Child care, held at nearby Williamsburg UMC, will be available for children of members to conference. Full information is found at 2023.michiganumc.org. Please note that registration for child care closes on April 15 to allow time to hire staff based on enrollment.
The resort has committed to providing complete menus for those with special dietary needs. An allergen-free buffet line is available for those avoiding the seven main allergens (dairy, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish, fish, wheat/gluten). Click the button below to review meals and menus.
Off-site Lodging Options
Once the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is full, other hotel blocks will open. You can take a free door-to-door shuttle to select area hotels on the Cherry Loop and avoid taking and parking your car. Click the button below to view the full list of off-site lodging options. You must make your own arrangements and follow stated cancellation policies.
Airbnb, VRBO, and other online vendors have condos that are part of the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa complex. These owners list them independently and are not part of the rental pool in our contract. If they are on the Grand Traverse Resort property, free shuttle service would be included.
There are two nearby campsites available if that is an option you’d like to consider.
Pre-Conference Opportunities on Friday
A Golf Scramble will be held on Friday, June 2. All proceeds will go directly to Michigan Conference campus ministries throughout the state to be used for the benefit of the students. Register and learn more by visiting this page on the Annual Conference website.
The 7th annual 5K Run / Walk / Ride / Wag will be held on-site on Friday, June 2, at 11 am, with local events held throughout the state on Sunday, June 4. Proceeds will benefit child hunger relief in Michigan. Register and learn more by visiting this page on the Annual Conference website.
Service Opportunities
The Board of Global Ministries is partnering with Midwest Mission to assemble rice meal bags for those in need. Recent shipments have been sent to Ukraine. Rice meal bags will be assembled on Friday, June 2, from 9 am to noon, before Annual Conference begins. Each rice meal bag contains rice, a vitamin pack, dehydrated vegetables, and soy, and provides six meals. The supply cost is $2 per bag.
Donations will be collected on the Annual Conference registration form. In addition, 250 people are needed for 3 hours of assembly. Standing and sitting jobs are available, and you don’t need to assemble to donate for material costs. Check your interest on the registration form.
Midwest Mission estimates that an assembly line of 10 volunteers can pack 175 meal bags per hour. With three hours, five teams, and your generous financial support, over 2,600 bags providing meals for over 15,700 people can be assembled.
Volunteers are also needed to serve as ushers and tellers, 5K timekeepers, Grace Patrol, registration desk help, choir members, and stagehands. Sign up to volunteer through the registration system.
Email your Annual Conference questions to Conference Events Planner Nancy Arnold at [email protected]. Send registration questions to Annual Conference Registrar Sarah Vollmer at [email protected].
Last Updated on October 27, 2023