One of our clergy NCJ delegates reflects on worship and business during the Friday session of the North Central Jurisdictional Conference.

REV. JOEL FITZGERALD
Clergy delegate from Albion: First UMC

Editorial note: Michigan Conference Communications invited several of our Michigan NCJ delegates to share reflections during each day of the conference.

To paraphrase David Bowie by way of Bishop Bard, Friday was an odd day for a jurisdictional conference. The main purpose of the jurisdictional conference is to elect and consecrate bishops. We finished the elections yesterday and won’t consecrate new bishops until tomorrow. So today we did some things that give a broader purpose to the conference.

We learned and experienced ministry that was happening on the ground level of the jurisdiction. Two of these ministries are particularly moving. One is an arts ministry focused on step-dancing and raising up young leaders. The other was a local organization dedicated to eradicating gun violence in Fort Wayne. These organizations are doing good, important work.

Sometimes we can get lost in the ether of denominational polity. Yet one gift of our connection is the ability to learn of people building the Beloved Community in their towns, wrestling with the gospel in their contexts. Oftentimes, the real work of the church happens in those interstitial spaces between the official agenda, where connections are made, ideas are generated, and the Spirit has space to move. Today was such a day.

Last Updated on November 8, 2022