Jen Peters has experienced General Conference as an affirming, supportive space as people work together in a spirit of generosity to move The United Methodist Church forward.
JEN PETERS
Lay Delegate, Flint: Court Street UMC
This is my first General Conference, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I feel confident with the rhythm of our Annual Conference, but I wasn’t sure what a ten-day conference jam-packed with legislation and weighed down by pain and history would look like or feel like. On top of that, I wasn’t sure exactly what my role as part of the delegation would be.
Watching clips of previous proceedings wasn’t much help, but our experienced delegates were fantastic in giving us an idea of the day-to-day activities and responsibilities. As we got closer to the conference, I realized my role was to support the great leaders around me as we worked together to move The United Methodist Church forward. My plan was to be the best cheerleader I could be, but the reality was we all cheer each other on, and I think that is one of the most amazing things I’ve seen or experienced here at General Conference.
Yes, we have accomplished some phenomenal things this week! As of this writing, we’ve nearly struck the term “incompatible” and all its ramifications from the Book of Discipline, and we’ve taken a critical step towards a more equitable restructuring of the church through regionalization. We had hoped to accomplish these things, and it’s truly amazing to see a new day in the United Methodist Church dawning! While those are the big news stories, possibly the more amazing things are the words of affirmation and acts of kindness that are happening all around, all the time.
During the first week of General Conference, our own Diane Brown was lifted up to chair the Committee on Credentials, a position in the spotlight considering the conversations swirling around which delegates were here and which were not. We all affirmed and praised Diane’s great work, session after session! It’s so easy for us to second-guess ourselves, and every delegation member has had that moment of uncertainty, but we have continued to support and affirm each other.
In my legislative committee, I told our leadership they were doing great (not just thinking about it) and looked for ways I could give a hand or lighten a load. Hearing and seeing others doing the same continued to build on what I’ve witnessed as one of the most supportive communities in what I know have been difficult and divisive spaces at previous conferences.
Even though this is my first General Conference, I found myself stepping up to the microphone. I was compelled to speak up for smaller budget cuts to support the work of our Connectional Ministries. I do not consider myself a public speaker, so I prepared my words and my nerves and punched my name into the speaking pool, the whole time hearing “you can do it” from the delegation around me. I don’t know that I came off as eloquently as I had hoped, and our push for more funding got amended, but the words of affirmation continued to flow from people I know, from people I’ve just met, and from those I’ve never met!
And the support we have for each other hasn’t stopped there. I am touched daily by the acts of kindness. A couple of days ago, I messaged our delegation to see if anyone had chips to snack on. It wasn’t an emergency, but my body needed some saltiness to balance the hydration, and we found a few things in our bags that got me through the moment. But the kindness went further. When we came into the hall the next morning, Joy Barrett was standing there with an entire grocery bag of salty snacks! And then, just yesterday, I got a message from Ruth Sutton to meet her in the hall, where she handed me a huge bag of popcorn! Those generous acts of kindness, when people go out of their way to do just a bit more, amaze me.
So yes, big things are happening — wonderful, historic things. But what have I noticed? What has amazed me? The little things. The words, the texts, the cards, the social media posts, the popcorn — all those little things that have created such a supportive community to do these wonderful, big things together.
Last Updated on May 3, 2024