Dear Friends,
I pray this letter finds you well and blessed. In a few short months we will gather to celebrate Charge Conference. <<< this space intentionally left blank>>>
Sorry, just leaving plenty of time for you to celebrate! I know, I know, this is not always the first word you associate with Charge Conference. But this year we will be celebrating, in multiple ways and many things. God is at work, and we must give God all the praise and glory. That will be Charge Conference this year. Celebrate!
I encourage you to arrive at least 15 minutes early to join in the joy. What will celebrating look like for us? Well…
- Celebrating folks who took a step forward in ministry? Absolutely!
- Telling others what God has done in your church? Of course!
- Spirit-lifting and joy-giving music? You betcha!
- Honoring folks who are following the call of God to be in leadership? Fully!
- Water balloon fights? Outstan…well, maybe not that far.
The vision for the Indiana Annual Conference is “Cultivate Joy.” We intend to fully live into that at this year’s Charge Conference. So, here are the details:
East District
Date: Sunday, October 22, 2023
Location: Hagerstown United Methodist Church
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Part of the joy we seek this year is to be together…connect with one another…celebrate together. I strongly encourage you to attend the Charge Conference listed above. This is the year to encourage everyone in your church to join us. If this type of Charge Conference doesn’t seem like the kind you want to attend, there will be a Zoom option offered later.
What you can do to prepare. Ask folks in your congregation, “What is the most amazing thing God has done here in the past few months?” Then talk about all the things people name (perhaps you might want to celebrate those things). Choose one and send a high quality, digital picture to susie.wild@inumc.org. Each submission will get an opportunity to celebrate with the rest of the Charge Conference what God has done. No picture to offer? No problem! Write a 25-word summary of what God has done and send it to Susie. Feel like this is too low tech? Not feeling challenged? Then use your creativity to create a creation of your choosing…that last 30 seconds. These submissions need to be in by September 15th.
I do hope you will join us to celebrate who we are as United Methodists and how God is at work. We are a blessed people and God is leading. Blessings.
Shalom,
russ