Once again, the
University of Redlands was the scene for this annual gathering of United
Methodists from throughout the Cal-Pac Annual Conference. Held June 14 through 17,
eight members of our congregation attended in various capacities. They were
Paul Audley, Barbara Gorton, JP Harris, Garry Hart, Marilynne Kennedy, Melanie
McCann, Michael Moore, Wanda Gae Stefansson along with all of our clergy.
Annual Conference is a time for renewal, reconnecting with friends, raising
your voice loudly in song with other United Methodists, and charting the course
for our churches for the next year and beyond. There are 378 churches in our
Annual Conference and virtually all were represented in the over 1,200
attendees.
This Annual Conference
was the last to recognize the 7 California Districts. Effective July 1, the
Annual Conference is re-aligned into 4 California Districts, the Hawaii
District remaining unchanged. We have gone from 8 Districts (7 California plus
Hawaii) to 5. First Church is now part of the new North District and our
District Superintendent is Rev. Dr. Cedrick Bridgeforth, whom many of you met
when he gave our Consecration Sunday sermon two years ago. The North District
office has been moved to Chatsworth from its former location at Sierra Madre
UMC. (By the way, Sierra Madre UMC is in the new East District.)
The District
Re-alignment, in general, has parts of Pasadena and all of Santa Barbara
District rolling into the new North District, the Los Angeles, Long
Beach and parts of Santa Ana Districts becoming the West District, parts
of Pasadena and all of Riverside District becomes the East District and
parts of Santa Ana, Riverside and San Diego districts become the South
District. The last time the Districts were re-aligned was in 1984, and this
current re-alignment closely follows where we were in 1951.
The realignment will
cause us to re-examine how we as local churches relate to one another. To
foster a greater reaching out to other churches, and the communities in which
we live, churches are now grouped into Mission Areas. The Mission Areas
will push us out of our silos and cause greater collaboration with our
neighboring congregations, bringing our strengths to a common table where
everyone will benefit. It is hoped it will act as a force multiplier, giving us
greater strength, flexibility and availability to shared resources and aid us
all in meeting the mission of the church, “To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ
for the Transformation of the World.”
The Pasadena
Mission Area consists of 7 UMC congregations: Altadena, Pasadena
First, Holliston, Saint James, Scott, South Pasadena, and Immanuel
(Highland Park). Our calling has always been to serve the world around us,
in partnership with one another. Mission Areas will re-emphasize what has
always been our core function.
Worship is an integral
part of Annual Conference. There were numerous worship services held over the 4
day event and on Sunday we all joined for our traditional Sunday Worship
Service. Although all the services were moving and gave you a chance to sing
loudly with other like-minded Methodists, to me the most moving worship
services were the Memorial and Communion Service and the Ordination Service.
The Memorial and
Communion Service gave us a chance to pay tribute and remember those members of
our clergy and their spouses that are “Absent from the body, Present with the
Lord.” We learned a lot of church history and other interesting facts. I
learned that Rev. David Sharp, the founder and owner of Sharp Seating, the
company that provides virtually all of the seating for the Rose Parade,
including the seating directly in front of our church, AND who assisted us
greatly last year with ticket sales for our New Year’s morning Pancake
Breakfast fund raiser, was a former Nazarene and United Methodist minister,
serving in Pomona, Northridge, Honolulu and Tustin. He passed away on October
4, 2011 at age 89.
We also learned that Rev.
Don Shelby, who passed away on April 4th of this year at age 81 and is the
father of Darla Dyson, was truly a pillar of our church and widely respected by
the entire Annual Conference, having spent 45 years in Southern California as a
United Methodist pastor and mentor to many of our clergy. His presence will be
sorely missed.
The Ordination Service
was equally moving as we watched persons who had formerly been in service to
our congregation being granted provisional and full connection status. Rev.
Bob Rhodes, formerly our Youth Pastor here at First Church, became a
Provisional Elder, on loan to the Nebraska Annual Conference in service as an
Associate Pastor at Trinity UMC in Grand Island, Nebraska. Additionally, Rev.
Colleen Windham-Hughes, who also previously served our church, became a
Deacon in Full Connection, on appointment as a professor at California Lutheran
College.
A large part of each
Annual Conference is the consideration of legislation that governs the churches
within our Annual Conference. This year was no different and there were many
resolutions that were acted upon. Budget is never a small part of the
proceedings, and this year it was even larger as the Annual Conference
continues to struggle with reduced apportionment monies from local churches.
Additionally, a new accounting system was introduced which further complicated
the process as existing functions were re-categorized within the five Essential
Ministry Teams. After two separate sessions prioritizing where the Annual
Conference would spend its resources, the apportioned budget (the only portion
voted upon by the Annual Conference) was approved at over $12 million within a
Total Conference Budget for 2013 of over $26.8 million. The entire budgetary
process re-emphasizes the importance of paying our apportionment so the
important work of the Annual Conference can be carried out within our many and
varied ministries.
Starting in 2000, the
Cal-Pac Annual Conference has passed, and at each subsequent Annual Conference
re-affirmed, our commitment to being specifically inclusive of all persons. As
many are aware, every 4 years United Methodists from around the world hold a General
Conference. At the 2012 General Conference, a resolution passed stating
that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. In response to that
resolution, the California-Pacific Annual Conference renounced that statement,
declared the statement itself was incompatible with the life and teachings of
Jesus Christ. Additionally, the Annual Conference affirmed the sacred worth of
all persons, including members of the LGBTQ community; committed to continuing
to build inclusive Christian communities in our churches, where LGBTQ lay
persons and clergy are loved and welcomed; and we invited churches and
individuals to adopt this statement, and join in living out its principles.
Another resolution was
passed which was deeply troubling in that it dealt with the discontinuance of
St. Mark’s UMC in Anaheim. Last year, Crescent Heights UMC in West Hollywood
was also discontinued. Although new ministries are starting within our Annual
Conference, a resolution to discontinue reminds all of us that we cannot take
for granted the continued existence of any church. We must be energetic in
renewing our churches. We must strive to be welcoming to all persons that today
are unknown to us. We must be a church that truly lives the mission statement
“Open hearts, Open minds, Open doors.” This coming year Pasadena First must
renew our commitment to live out our own mission: “Christ is Calling! Come.
Worship. Serve.”
At the conclusion of
the conference on Sunday, a celebratory luncheon was held in honor of Bishop
Mary Ann Swenson and her husband, Jeff, and her 39 years of ministry as
they begin a new chapter in their lives, retirement. Although we are all
wondering who will be appointed the new Bishop, we will all just have to wait
and see!
If you want more
information, go to www.cal-pac.org and
click on the 2012 Annual Conference button within Directories on the
left. A complete list of the agenda and all documents associated with all of
the various topics discussed and voted on are found there.
