wfn.org | Conferences to affirm episcopal candidates at annual meetings

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

April 10, 2000 News media contact: Linda Green·(615)742-5470·Nashville,
Tenn.     10-71B{190}

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Some United Methodist annual (regional)
conferences meeting this spring and summer are expected to endorse favorite
sons and daughters as candidates for the episcopacy. Some also will say
goodbye to bishops that are retiring.

The 2000 annual conference sessions will be the last for 13 bishops in the
United States. They will retire from active service after the jurisdictional
conferences elect their successors in July. Retiring are nine white men, one
white woman, two African-American men and one Asian-American man.

The Red Bird Missionary Conference, meeting May 19-20 in Coalgood, Ky., will
be the first of the 66 U.S. conferences to conduct sessions this spring. It
will be followed by Detroit, meeting May 19-22.

Some annual conference sessions outside the United States were held in March
and early April, and the dates for sessions in Africa are incomplete. Other
meetings outside the United States will occur through December.

Annual conference members, including lay and clergy representatives from
every local church, will also approve budgets, receive reports from
conference boards and agencies, adopt programs of mission and ministry, and
pass resolutions.  

A bishop will preside over each conference session. One-year appointments of
all clergy members of the conference will also be announced, new deacons and
elders will be ordained, and candidates for ordination will be approved. 

U. S. ANNUAL CONFERENCE MEETING DATES AND PLACES ARE: 

North Central Jurisdiction
Dakotas, June 1-4, Aberdeen, S.D.
Detroit, May 19-22, Adrian, Mich.
East Ohio, June 19-23, Lakeside, Ohio
Illinois Great Rivers, June 11-14, Collinsville, Ill.
Iowa, June 2-5, Ames, Iowa
Minnesota, May 31-June 3, Saint Cloud, Minn.
North Indiana, June 1-3, West Lafayette, Ind.
Northern Illinois, June 2-4, DeKalb, Ill.
South Indiana, June 8-10, Bloomington, Ind.
West Michigan, June 1-4, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
West Ohio, June 11-15, Lakeside, Ohio
Wisconsin, June 7-10, Middleton, Wis.

Northeastern Jurisdiction
Baltimore-Washington, June 15-18, Washington
Central Pennsylvania, June 8-10, Grantham, Pa. 
Eastern Pennsylvania, June 1-3, King of Prussia, Pa.
New England, June 1-4, Wenham, Mass
New York, June 1-4, Hempstead, N.Y.
North Central New York, June 1-3, Liverpool, N.Y.
Northern New Jersey, June 1-3, Hackettstown, N.J.
Peninsula-Delaware, June 8-10, Princess Anne, Md.
Southern New Jersey, June 5-7, Ocean City, N.J.
Troy, June 8-11, Poultney, Vt.
West Virginia, June 8-11, Buckhannon, W.Va.
Western New York, June 7-10, Houghton, N.Y.
Western Pennsylvania, June 7-10, Grove City, Pa.
Wyoming, June 1-4, Scranton, Pa.

South Central Jurisdiction
Central Texas, June 4-7, Fort Worth, Texas
Kansas East, May 24-27, Wichita, Kan.
Kansas West, May 24-27, Wichita, Kan.
Little Rock, May 31-June 3, Hot Springs, Ark.
Louisiana, June 4-7, Shreveport, La.
Missouri East, June 2-5, Columbia, Mo.
Missouri West, June 7-10, Columbia, Mo.
Nebraska, June 1-4, Lincoln, Neb.
New Mexico, May 24-27, Glorieta, N.M.
North Arkansas, June 7-10, Conway, Ark. 
North Texas, June 4-7, Plano, Texas
Northwest Texas, June 7-10, Lubbock, Texas
Oklahoma, May 29-June 1, Tulsa, Okla.
Oklahoma Indian Missionary, June 8-11, Atoka, Okla.
Rio Grande, June 8-11, Georgetown, Texas
Southwest Texas, May 31-June 3, Corpus Christi, Texas
Texas, June 4-8, Galveston, Texas 

Southeastern Jurisdiction
Alabama-West Florida, May 28-31, Montgomery, Ala.
Florida, May 30-June 2, Lakeland, Fla.
Holston, June 11-14, Lake Junaluska, N.C.
Kentucky, June 15-18, Bowling Green, Ky.
Memphis, June 4-7, Jackson, Tenn.
Mississippi, June 5-7, Tupelo, Miss.
North Alabama, June 4-7, Birmingham, Ala.
North Carolina, June 7-10, Fayetteville, N.C.
North Georgia, June 12-15, Athens, Ga.
Red Bird Missionary, May 19-20, Coalgood, Ky.  
South Carolina, May 28-31, Orangeburg, S.C.
South Georgia, June 12-15, Columbus, Ga.
Tennessee, June 11-14, Brentwood, Tenn.
Virginia, June 11-14, Hampton, Va.
Western North Carolina, June 8-11, Lake Junaluska, N.C.

Western Jurisdiction
Alaska Missionary, June 1-4, Anchorage, Alaska
California-Nevada, June 14-18, Sacramento, Calif.
California-Pacific, June 13-18, Redlands, Calif.
Desert Southwest, June 7-11, Mesa, Ariz.
Oregon-Idaho, June 14-17, Salem, Ore.
Pacific Northwest, June 14-18, Tacoma, Wash.
Rocky Mountain, June 1-4, Fort Collins, Colo.
Yellowstone, June 15-18, Billings, Mont.

OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES 
(Information on some conferences is unavailable, and other conferences have
already held their annual sessions.)
Austria Provisional, May 31-June 4, Vienna, Austria
Bicol Mission Philippines Provisional, May 18-20, Naga City, Philippines
Bulacan Philippines,  June 1-4, Sta. Maria, Bulacan
Bulgaria Provisional, Sept. 21-24
Central Luzon Philippines, April 3-4 and May 25-27, Guimba, Nueva Ecija,
Philippines
Denmark, June 28-July 2, Denmark
Estonia, June 15-18, Tallinn, Estonia
Finland-Finnish Provisional, July 5-9,  Tampere, Finland
Finland-Swedish Provisional, June 7-11, Vasa, Finland
Germany East, May 31-June 4, Crottendorf/Erzgebirge, Germany
Germany North, April 25-30, Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany
Germany South, May 23-28, Bletigheim, Germany
Germany Southwest, May 17-21, Niefern-Oschelbronn, Germany
Hungary Provisional, June 7-11
Macedonia-Yugoslavia Provisional, Sept. 28-Oct. 1.
Middle Philippines, May 25-28, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
Mozambique, Dec. 6-10, Mozambique Area
North Central Philippines, April 10-11 and May 14-20, Ramon, Isabela,
Philippines
Northeast Philippines, May 22-24, Santo Domingo, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines
Northern Philippines, May 29-31, Gattaran, Cagayan, Philippines
Northwest Philippines, April 13-14 and June 1-3, Binalonan, Pangasinan,
Philippines
Norway, June 21-25, Norway
Poland, June 14-18, Ostroda, Poland
Sweden, May 31-June 4, Gothenburg, Sweden
Switzerland-France, May 24-28, Herisau, Switzerland
West Middle Philippines, April 13-16, Tarlac City, Philippines
Western Angola, July 4-9, Luanda, Angola
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