Today was the first day of our Annual Conference. For the uninitiated, United Methodists take part in conferencing and the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference session is this week in Peoria, Illinois. This was the first day & it was a long one, as we not only started our conference session early, but we were tasked with electing delegates to general and jurisdictional conference for 2016.
I am both pleased & excited to announce that I was elected to General Conference as a lay delegate. This was my first year running, so being elected was such a shock, but one I am so grateful for. I cannot wait to be a part of the decision-making, prayerful considerations, & just conferencing with other United Methodists on a global scale.
I was also pleased to address the laity session about youth ministries in our conference. As chair of the Conference Committee on Youth Ministries, I was able to share a potential vision & path forward for youth in our conference. Likewise, I am glad to be able to sit with and be a mentor to our Annual Conference youth. My goal is to keep them in connection with not just other youth, but introduce them and make connections to other persons throughout the conference.
Another joy of the evening was our service of worship and Holy Communion. Hearing our Bishop, who is retiring as of September of 2016, preach is always so exciting. One of my favorite quotes from his message this evening was “God did not give up on you, therefore, you cannot give up on God.” His message was on not losing our heart, which is a wonderful message & a necessary one, especially when we will be entering into some very difficult decisions & discussions this week.
I am pleased to take part in Annual Conference, to sit with & help our youth to learn, to share & connect with other United Methodists & to just be with God & one another in one place.
Kimberly Woods 