News

Around 60 people ran (or walked) the Emory Club 5K held this morning, raising $850 to benefit seminary scholarships to the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and campus ministries in Western North Carolina. The Men's results were (1) Jesse Smith, (2) Gary Ball and (3) Ben Sloan. Claire Holland was the Women's winner and Pamela Schweitzer finished second.

Opening Worship at Annual Conference was held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 21 in Stuart Auditorium. You can view the service order on pp. 2-5 in the 2019 Worship Book.

The Western North Carolina Conference recognized 39 retirees today with a combined 941 years of ministry as the dates appear in the records of the conference secretary. We celebrate the faithful service of these ministers and friends. Photos by Rev. Earl Bradshaw. THE 2019 RETIREES:  Barbara Jean Barden  Spouse: Mark Diaconal Minister 1988 Appointments: 1988 Transfer from Florida Conference; 1989 Education, Burkhead (Winston-Salem); 1992 Leave of Absence; 1993 Children’s and Youth Ministries, ...

During Annual Conference this year, we will elect delegates to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences.

On Pentecost Sunday, Children of the World Learning Center — a bilingual, multicultural preschool at Central United Methodist Church in East Charlotte — had their first preschool graduation.

On April 30, 2019, a gunman opened fire in a classroom at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Two students, Riley Howell and Ellis "Reed" Parlier, were killed and four other students were wounded. Ken Garfield shares a glimpse of Riley's story through the words of those who love him and nurtured him in a life of faith.

Have you ever wondered how the worship services at Annual Conference are planned and implemented? Well, I’ll give you an inside look of how it all comes together. I am Rev. Juston Smith, and I have been a member of the Annual Conference worship team for three years now.

Stories of Faith Magazine from the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church

Registration and Check-In for Annual Conference attendees will be open in The Terrace Auditorium (third floor) on Wednesday, June 19  @  3 pm – 7 pm Thursday, June 20  @  8 am – 8 pm Friday, June 21  @  7 am – 7 pm Saturday, June 22  @  8 am – 10 am Please plan to visit registration to record your attendance and receive your conference materials.  Voting devices will be distributed at registration, and without a device, you will be unable to vote, so please allow plenty of time to ...

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that SpiritUS has been canceled for 2019.

You're invited to join the Western North Carolina BMCR and Friends Luncheon featuring Rev. Dr. Ken Walden, President-Dean of Gammon Theological Seminary on “Leading in the Church in a Diverse World." Please RSVP by June 15 JoAnn Carter at jac2405@aol.com.

The laity voting roster has been released. This booklet is for use by lay members of the annual conference during the 2019 election of delegates to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences of The United Methodist Church. You will find the personal statements of laity of the Western NC Conference who have consented to be considered during the election process.

Effective July 1, 2019, the Western North Carolina Conference Active Health Plan will shift to using the Cigna Network.  The Cigna Network accomplishes the goal of providing access to the highest value doctors, hospitals and healthcare professionals.  Please do note that while the Cigna Network will bring you the best possible provider options, your benefits will still be administered through Healthgram, not through Cigna.

The Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church is pleased to announce that Rev. Luke Edwards is projected to be appointed as the Associate Director of Church Development in July. Director of Church Development Dan Pezet said, “Through Luke’s leadership, we have started 86 Fresh Expressions this year, and bringing him into this new role will allow him to continue and further develop that good work.” Luke Edwards is a provisional elder and the founding pastor of King Street ...

Bishop Leeland shares about the AC2019 Theme, Speakers and Offerings. Conference Secretary Kim Ingram shares details to make your AC2019 experience go smoothly.

Creating good stewards of God's financial resources

In a message given a generation ago at Bay View, Michigan, the Quaker philosopher Douglas Steere of Haverford College saw in the 23rd Psalm an image for our renewal. He makes me to lie down.  He restores my soul.  When we are made to lie down, we come to the end of our own strength. This could be a crisis. It could be the limitation of our own knowledge. And it could be grief, loss, or death. In our being made to lie down, our perceived strength is revealed to be weakness. And then, Steere ...

The 2019 Programs and Reports for Annual Conference has been posted. You may download it (or view in your browser) by clicking here.

As an Annual Conference, we are full of passionate, creative people! A group of laity and clergy has come together to shape some experiences at Annual Conference that help people realize their innovative potential. These efforts are designed with the following outcomes in mind: Fruitful Relationships that foster deeper collaboration, shared learning, and critical support in innovation efforts. Creative Spaces for passionate people to connect, dream about the possibilities, and work towards a ...

New for 2019!  For those who are staying at Lake Junaluska properties during annual conference, purchasing meals 21+ days before AC2019 will save you both time and money!  Simply fill out the form and select the meals you want to reserve in now, on the Advance Meal Purchase Request Form available at https://www.wnccumc.org/ac2019-housing or at this google form link.  Lake Junaluska staff will touch base to finalize your meal plan.  Advance Meal Purchases must be made by May 30, 2019 to receive...

Bishops offer pastoral word; make key decisions at May 2019 meeting CHICAGO – (May 09, 2019) The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church completed its May 2019 meeting held outside Chicago with a pastoral and prophetic word in response to the decisions of the Special Session and the codification of some of those decisions in the Book of Discipline. “Bishops are not judges or legislators. Bishops are preachers, teachers, shepherds, mediators, and missional strategists who appoint ...

The 2019 event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida from November 18-21, 2019.  Online Registration is now open.

A prayer from Bishop Leeland in response to the UNCC shooting

A Message from Rev. Steve Cheyney, UNCC Niner United Campus Pastor

In a decision released on April 26, 2019, the Judicial Council ruled that seven petitions of the Traditional plan remain unconstitutional, including four petitions that were amended during General Conference. The Council found the remaining portions of the Traditional Plan and disaffiliation legislation constitutional. For a full breakdown of the petitions, see the United Methodist News Service analysis- https://www.umnews.org/en/news/court-oks-part-of-traditional-plan-exit-plan.

Annual Emory Club 5k benefitting college-age ministries through Campus Ministries and Wesley Foundations in WNC. Where: LAKE JUNALUSKA 91 N. Lakeshore Dr., Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 Contact: Aryn Williams-Ruebel pastoraryn@gmail.com Sign-Up: www.runsignup.com/emoryclub5k When: June 21, 2019 at 7am. Cost: Early Registration $25 - After 5/31 $35

We have been made aware that some of you have received emails pretending to be from Bishop Leeland from an email address not on the wnccumc.org domain. Please note that this is a spoofed email and you should not reply to it. If there are any links, please do not click them. No information will come from the Bishop or any member of staff that does not come from the official wnccumc.org domain.

The United Methodist Church’s top court is poised to review actions taken in February during a contentious legislative session that still threatens to divide the denomination.

An Easter Message from Bishop Paul L. Leeland

The full set of clergy photos taken at the 2018 Annual Conference were received and uploaded to our clergy database. You can view your photo by either going to the Clergy Directory or by going to the Clergy Information section of the People Dashboard (in the people dashboard, you can right click on the photo to save a copy for yourself). If your photo is incorrect, or if you know you had a photo taken but it was not uploaded into the system, please email the Director of Web and Database ...

Hood Theological Seminary Alumni & Prospective Student Dinner Thursday, June 20, 2019 5:30 – 7:00 pm Foundations for Evangelism Center 125 N. Lakeshore Drive Lake Junaluska, NC  27845 Please RSVP by Friday, June 7th Charper@hoodseminary.edu  

We are excited to share the 2018 Western North Carolina Conference Journal, available through the Conference Administration page, or the direct link: https://www.wnccumc.org/formdetail/journal-2018-12790716. This publication has been a collaborative effort by many, and we are grateful for each and every contributor. Again this year, there are two volumes to accommodate the vast amount of information included in the annual journal.  Please contact us with updates or questions – Rev. Kim Ingram ...

Special Events held in correlation with the WNC Annual Conference will be submitted online this year, to streamline recording events for publication.   To request your event be included in the Program & Reports and P&R Supplement books, please visit the AC2019 Special Events page, and fill out form linked through the Special Events Calendar Submission button.  (Your event information will be sent to Marsha Patton at the Conference Center.  For questions, please email Marsha directly, in ...

Registration is open for the 2019 Carolinas Black Clergy Leadership Retreat – “Navigating the Changing Landscape: A Fearless Dialogue” – set for May 20-24 at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach. The retreat is an opportunity to get away to a quiet place to be renewed, reconnected, refreshed and refocused. It’s a chance to get to know new people with whom you share United Methodist DNA, and to be filled as we praise, worship, learn, have some fun – and just take some time to relax.

There are openings for WNC full-time clergy to participate in the Davidson Centre for the Professions, Clergy Program. The Clergy Program offers a unique, comprehensive personal assessment and continuing leadership skills for clergy and church professionals of all faith traditions.

The Conference Council on Campus Ministries recently hosted a training retreat for local campus ministry boards on March 22 and 23 at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory. Those in attendance represted six of the seven campus ministries in Western North Carolina Conference. Worship thru out the weekend was led by the campus ministers from the campus ministries in WNC.   Rev. Kim Ingram, Conference Secretary and member of the Western NC General Conference delegation, began the weekend by ...

The Western North Carolina Conference is now accepting nominations for The Harry Denman Evangelism Award for Clergy, Lay, and Youth. The Harry Denman Evangelism Awards honor United Methodists in each annual conference whose exceptional ministry of evangelism – expressed in Word (what), Sign (why) and Deed (how) – brings people into a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.

By Bishop Michael J. Coyner March 13, 2019 | INDIANAPOLIS (UMNS) This article originally appeared on the United Methodist News Service website. Without overlooking the obvious pain and divisions that have arisen from the 2019 General Conference, it may be time to look ahead and to ask, “What is next for our United Methodist Church?”  We only have a little over a year until the regular General Conference in 2020. And in fact, elections of delegates to that General Conference will happen this ...

As has been the practice for some years, the WNC Conference Commission on Archives and History will recognize all churches celebrating their 100th, 150th, and 200th anniversaries in 2019 with their display at Annual Conference this year.  If your congregation is celebrating one of these anniversaries this year, please contact Jim Pyatt, Archivist, at jpyatt@wnccumc.org by April 1, so that your church will be included in this year’s recognitions.

Annual Conference submission deadlines are approaching for submitting petitions (April 1), GC 2020 lay delegate applications (April 1), and display registration (April 15).

The WNC Leadership Development Team provider grant application is now open.  These grants are available to entities who provide leadership development opportunities for clergy and ministry professionals in Western North Carolina.  The deadline for submitting a grant request is April 5, 2019.  More information and the application is available online. 

Are you interested in learning more about alternative forms of Christian community? Are you looking for new ideas for experimentation and innovation in your context or in your call? Come to the Missional Wisdom Foundation’s National Gathering! This year National Gathering will be held in Asheville, NC April 4th-6th at the Haw Creek Commons, come and hear from a variety of voices, the sessions will focus on the theology and practicality of alternative forms of Christian community. We would love for you to join us. For more info check out: https://www.missionalwisdom.com/events/2019/4/3/national-gatheringstorytelling-retreat?rq=national%20gathering Or email Patrick Neitzey: pneitzey@missionalwisdom.com Or the Haw Creek Commons at: info@hawcreekcommons.com

Bishop Leeland shares what happened at General Conference and what's next for us in a video message with Jennifer Davis and the Rev. Kim Ingram, the lay and clergy leaders of our Western North Carolina delegation. He also shares a printable written version of his reflection.

Over the next month, Bishop Leeland will gather with our districts for a time of worship and Holy Communion.

Beneath the Arch that symbolizes the U.S. Gateway to the West, more than 820 General Conference delegates worked to open a gateway in the denomination’s longtime homosexuality debate.

Share your questions, responses and hopes for the future of the United Methodist Church. These will help guide our District conversations over the next month.

Updated 3/11/2019 The updating and conversion of the new Benefits software is complete.  Invoices are being mailed the week of March 11 and for those in automatic drafts, the drafts are also  hitting bank accounts on a staggered basis over the next two weeks.  Look for a letter in the invoice packages that explains what occurred.  If you have questions, please direct to Treasury Services.  We appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience. Updated 2/28/2019 Due to a major software conversion ...

Delegates to the Special Session of General Conference approved the Traditional plan that affirms church policies on homosexuality and strengthens enforcement by a vote of 438 to 384. Several petitions included in this vote were ruled unconstitutional by our Judicial Council, so the full implications of this decision are not yet known.