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Annual Conference News
The Western NC Conference is excited to welcome this year's Annual Conference guest preachers, Rev. Dr. Edgardo Colón-Emeric, dean of Duke Divinity School, and Rev. Dawn M. Hand, superintendent of the Central Maryland district in the Baltimore-Washington Conference and WNCC clergy. Learn more about this year's guest preachers here.
AC2022 is jam-packed with events, including, for the first time ever, a series of special "Connect at AC" events! The schedule is now available online, as well as a downloadable version. Be sure to check it out to learn about the many ways to connect, imagine, and engage with others at Annual Conference. Find more information on "Connect at AC" at www.connectatac.com.
ONE WEEK LEFT to submit your request for Advanced Meals Purchases. Meal requests must be made by May 26th to receive discounts and guarantee your AC22 meals. Once submitted, please be patient as Lake Junaluska staff is responding to all requests. They will call you to collect payment, in the order requests are received.
The 2022 Annual Conference Program and Reports Book is available online. Clergy and Lay Members of the 2022 annual conference are invited to read about the ministries of the Western North Carolina Conference.
WNC clergy who are in full connection, provisional members, associate members, and local pastors are required to attend the Western North Carolina Annual Conference meeting, June 16-19, 2022. Annual Conference will be live-streamed for at-home viewing, but registration and full participation (including voting) is only possible in person. If you are not able to attend in person, please request an excused absence. You can make that request at this link. Clergy who are retired or are on leave of absence are automatically excused if they are not able to attend.
Keep up with the latest news and resources for Annual Conference 2022 at https://www.wnccumc.org/ac2022.
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Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge
Our Christian principles charge us to be a community of prayer and action. We are to live in the tension of piety and work. Worldwide, we continue to experience racial, ethnic, and tribal injustices that dehumanize God’s people. We are called to work towards liberation — as a spiritual and actionable practice. For this reason, the General Commission on Religion and Race invites you to participate in the Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge. Beginning on Juneteenth (Sunday June 19, 2022) we will post daily prayers on social media for six weeks. We’ll also include weekly challenges to help you put your prayers into action.
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Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the WNCC: Karen Kagiyama
Did you know Rev. Karen Miyoshi Kagiyama was the first Asian-American woman to be ordained an Elder and be received into Full Connection as a clergy member of the Western NC Conference? In this short bio, Conference Archivist and Historian, Jim Pyatt, shares the story of Rev. Kagiyama and the impact she had on the Western NC Conference and greater United Methodist Church. |
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Fall Sabbath Life Cohorts
Registration is open for the 3rd or 4th Monday cohorts, gathering in August-November. We hope this will be a lifeline for you or a pastor you know. Sabbath Life is an ecumenical invitation to clergy and ministry professionals to practice the rhythms of Sabbath, stepping away from our daily lives to delight in God, creation, and each other. |
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Study Leave Registration Now Open
Find the time to read, reflect, research, or just relax with Study Leave for Ministry Professionals. Over the span of five to seven days, participants can immerse themselves in learning and renewal through self-directed study, worship and prayer on the Duke University campus. |
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OTHER NEWS
- The WNC Board of Ordained Ministry is inviting you to help celebrate the years of faithful service of WNCC Retiring Clergy by making a gift to a new initiative called Pass-the-Mantle, which will provide scholarships for WNCC seminary students.
- In the latest episode of the Means of Grace Podcast, Dr. Bill White, Jr., Conference Director of Equity and Justice Ministries, has a conversation with members of the Just Compensation Task Force for an update on their petition for Annual Conference. Rev. Amy Coles, Assistant to the Bishop, Rev. Norma Villagrana, Chair of the Order of Elders and Rev. Brandon Lazarus share about the status of equitable compensation and the learning and proposals from the Just Compensation Task Force. More information will be shared at www.wnccumc.org/ac2022 as Annual Conference approaches and you can contact Brandon Lazarus at blazarus@wnccumc.org.
- "Like most mothers, mine had big hopes and dreams for me. She was informed she was not “college material” in high school. When my siblings and I came along, she was determined her children would not hear the words spoken to her. Mom aspired for me to attend Salem College, an all-girls school founded by the Moravians in Winston Salem. She knew early learning was key to school success, but public kindergarten was not available for me. In hopes of a better job for herself, Mom was set to take classes and become a secretary. She instead chose to sacrifice her tuition to pay the cost for me to attend a kindergarten at Centenary UMC." Read the latest Mission Engagement Blog by Camille Roddy.
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UPCOMING WEBINARS & EVENTS:
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Laity Forum
Registration is open for the next Laity Forum Monday, May 23, 6:30-8:00p via Zoom. The topic will be Dismantling Racism through Celebration: the significance of commemorating Juneteenth in our churches and communities. |
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