One of our lay NCJ delegates reflects on worship and business during the Wednesday session of the North Central Jurisdictional Conference.
GORDON GRIGG
Lay Delegate from Ishpeming: Wesley UMC
Editorial note: Michigan Conference Communications invited several of our Michigan NCJ delegates to share reflections during each day of the conference.
What a great way to start off the North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) Conference with the election of Kennetha on the first ballot. Which, according to history that we know, is the first time the NCJ elected someone on the first ballot. That gave me hope for the church that we are working together and finding the right people to lead us into the future of The United Methodist Church.
When thinking about the first day of the conference, a lot connected us as a delegation and as a jurisdiction. As a delegation, we are working as a team with each other. We check in with each other to make sure that everyone understands the process, and we communicate what we are learning from conversations with candidates for bishop.
As a delegate, what has given me joy today was the support we had for Kennetha going into the first ballot, that we had met together before balloting and joined together to pray for Kennetha. When Kennetha was elected, those who had worked hard to help her with the election gathered around her, along with Bishop David Bard and Bishop Laurie Haller, greeting Kennetha where she was sitting and welcoming her to the Council of Bishops.
What also stood out to me was how the candidates for bishop respected each other. Before the first ballot, all candidates went to the front to pray for each other, the delegates, and the jurisdiction. We found out that the candidates would meet every Friday via Zoom to pray for each other and the jurisdiction. As a jurisdiction, we don’t see each other as those people from different delegations; we see each other as members of the same church. We have conversations between sessions and greet each other with smiles; there is a sense of belonging here. We are here to ensure that The United Methodist Church has a future.
In opening worship today, the scripture was from Ezekiel about dry bones coming back to life. That is what we are hoping to do with the church; we are hoping to bring it back after COVID and the craziness of the world around us, that there will be new life, that these dry bones will rise again.
Last Updated on November 3, 2022