Caring for creation: More than 1,700 lay and clergy members, including more than 120 youth and young adults, gathered June 10 -13 at Bethune-Cookman University under the theme, “Transforming the World by Cherishing the Creation,” the first of four themes that have been set forth by Florida Conference Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker for the next four years. Each of the themes begins with the words – “Transforming the world by…” and concludes with a different action. Along with the normal business of the conference, members considered environmental issues from both a theological and practical perspective.

Listening to Scripture: In a keynote address on June 11, Dr. Laurel Kearns, Associate Professor of Sociology of Religion and Environmental Studies at Drew University in Madison N.J., said that she was happy to share with the conference what she has known since she was a young girl growing up on Sanibel Island – that the Christian faith and caring for creation are intimately intertwined. “We are clearly called by God to care for creation.” Using Genesis 9:12-13 as a frame of reference, Kearns said that Christians “must hold up their end of the rainbow.”

The Rev. Dr. Denise Honeycutt, Director of Mission and Global Outreach for the Virginia Annual Conference and guest preacher for the communion service on June 11, said that caring for creation is not a choice. “We as Christians have a responsibility to care for creation, we of all people, should be leading the way in caring for this precious creation because it is God’s (creation); not ours and by caring for creation, we may very well find ourselves transformed.”

During his Bible study messages, the Rev. Pat Watkins, a church and community worker with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church and someone who is assigned to the caretakers of God’s Creation Ministry in the Virginia Conference, focused on relationships between people and God and Creation. Watkins said, “Just as a relationship with God compels us to be in a relationship with each other, so too a relationship with God compels us to be in relationship with creation.” He also said, “Fulfilling the call to transform the world, requires focusing on creation because issues affecting the planet also affects people and if we don’t cherish creation, there may not be much of a world left to transform.”

Learning about the issues: A “green” film festival held on June 10, the day before the conference session officially began, featured short documentaries on a host of environmental issues. Each of them offered a unique environmental perspective and ways that we as Christians can positively impact the environment.

Considering the worldwide church: Members voted on 32 amendments to the denomination’s constitution. All of the conferences vote on the amendments, which must be ratified by two thirds of the total voting membership in all of the annual conferences worldwide to become law.
If passed, 23 of the changes could lead to a new global structure for the church, with the 62 U.S. annual conferences belonging to one or more “regional” conferences and the five U.S. jurisdictions retained. Other amendments dealt with church membership, ethics, and conflict of interest policies, transition periods for new conferences, and women’s rights, etc. The results of the Florida Conference voting have been posted on the conference’s Web site, www.flumc.org. Anyone interested in reading the entire text of the amendments can find them on the same Web site. For anyone that does not have access to a computer and would like to have a copy of them, please let me know, and I will make a copy for you. To include the details for all of the amendments in this newsletter would not be practical.

Addressing the denomination’s areas of focus: During the 2008 General conference—the church’s top lawmaking body – delegates approved four areas of emphasis for the denomination: developing principled Christian Leaders; starting new congregations, and revitalizing existing ones; engaging in ministry with the poor and fighting diseases and poverty, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. The Florida Conference is working to support those areas in part by:

      Launching new communities of faith: New Church Development reported that 15 new churches and missions were launched in 2007 and 2008; of that number, 13 were ethnic communities of faith. The goal is to start 17 communities of faith in 2009 and 12 in 2010. Fourteen of those launched throughout 2009 will be ethnic communities of faith. Members approved a budget of slightly more than $1.5 million to support the launch of the churches and missions in 2010. Committee members reported that established congregations are increasingly launching new communities of faith in the form of mother-daughter and multi-site models.
      Revitalizing congregations, helping them remain vital: The Office of Congregational Transformation reported that 195 of the conference’s more than 700 churches were among the top 10% in one or more of the three categories related to growth in professions of faith and average worship attendance in 2008 (highest numbers and greatest numeric and percentage increases). Professions of faith and average weekly worship attendance are considered two of the most significant measurements of a congregation’s effectiveness. More than 120 congregations are currently involved in ReFocus networks and the conference now has 15 transformational coaches to work with pastors and lay leaders. More than 1,100 people attended one of five Radical Hospitality events that were held across the conference in 2008 and the Rev. Harold Lewis has joined that conference staff as its first Director of African-American Congregational Development.

Strengthening partnerships: Churches gave an offering of more than $61,000 at the communion service on June 11 in support of the East Angola/Florida Partnership. The offering will be used to provide funds for the development of future church leaders in Angola.

The health of the conference:

• The conference statistician reported that membership in the Florida Conference in 2008 was 302, 001, a decline of 8,710 or 2.8 percent from 2007.
• Average weekly worship attendance was 144,149, a decline of 7,205 or 4.6 percent.
• Professions of faith totaled 6,683, a decline of 214 or 3.1 percent.
• The Ministry Protection Committee reported rate reductions in 2008 of 50 percent for automobile insurance, 20 percent for workers’ compensation and 10 percent for overall property and casualty insurance premiums. During the last two insurance renewal periods, total insurance costs to conference churches have decreased by 30 percent or nearly $5.5 million, and over the last three years, reserves have increased by nearly $1.0 million for a total of nearly $5.0 million. Property and casualty premiums have decreased by $2.0 million.
• The Council on Finance and Administration reported that the giving for all apportionment levels in 2008 totaled $19.6 million or 83.9 percent, down from $20.5 million and nearly 85 percent in 2007. Although giving for Florida Conference apportionments was $1.6 million less than the $9.5 million budgeted, only $500,000 in reserves was needed to offset the loss due to a reduction in spending or maximization of income in other areas. The committee reported that the financial health of the conference is good, with $14. 5 million in reserves to fund retiree health benefits for the next 20 years, $15.0 million to fund any future pension deficits, $10.0 million available for emergency claims and $4.5 million in unrestricted, undesignated conference reserves.
• Conference members approved a 2010 budget of slightly more than $18.4 million – a decrease of $5,510. or .03 percent from the 2009 budget.

Partners in Ministry members celebrated:

• The ordination, licensing, commissioning and recognition of orders for 39 individuals
• The 25th and 50th anniversaries of the ordination of 30 clergy
• The retirement of 15 clergy
• The ministries of 36 clergy and clergy spouses who have died since last year’s annual conference session
• The 175th anniversaries of two churches – New Hope United Methodist Church in Isachatta and Bethel United Methodist Church in Tallahassee – among 34 other churches having significant anniversaries
• The ministries of seven other churches that have voluntarily discontinued and four that merged to form two new congregations.

Respectfully and Prayerfully submitted,
“Blessings” Ralph L. Hayes