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Preparing for Portland

The United Methdist Church

Since 2004 the Rev. Gere (Jerry) Reist has served as the Secretary of the General Conference. More than anyone else, he has his finger on the pulse of the conference that will convene next year.

Reist was at the helm for sessions in Pittsburgh, Ft. Worth and Tampa. And now The United Methodist Church will gather in Portland for its next General Conference in May, 2016. The event lasts two weeks, but preparation takes years. There are so many details, like voting materials to prep, volunteers to sign on, and visas to obtain. But beyond those chores, the team working to make sure all goes well has a spiritual motivation. They want the church they love to thrive. We went behind the scenes to talk with the man whose face you see the most at General Conference and hear what he is thinking as he performs this duty for the denomination.

Watch the video below and see full transcript here.

The General Conference team does not rest once the main event is over. New resolutions and discipline changes have to be printed.  And work on preparing for the next General Conference is ongoing. Reist and others are already deeply involved in organizing future General Conferences to be held in the Philippines in 2024 and Zimbabwe in 2028.  Minneapolis is the site of the 2020 gathering.

Last Updated on January 30, 2024

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