The Virtual Twenty-Sixth Pastors' Conference & Seventy-Eighth Founders' Celebration

September 3, 2021

Dear CME Members and Friends,

The Phillips School of Theology will host the virtual Twenty-Sixth Pastors' Conference & Seventy-Eighth Founders' Celebration on Monday, January 10 and Tuesday, January 11, 2022 from 7:00 - 10:00 PM each night.

The theme is, "Getting Back to Basics: The Evolution of The Black Pulpit; Its Present Condition, Its Future Impact”.” This year's Pastors' Conference is a milestone as we celebrate our 26th annual event and second virtual one! The Pastors' Conference will be live streamed via Zoom. The Chapel Service will be held Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 11:00 AM and live streamed via the ITC Zoom platform.

The registration fee for the Pastors' Conference & Founders' Celebration is $100. Online registration is available here <https://thecmechurch.org/pastors-conference/>. You may download a registration form at the web site.

For additional information, please visit the Pastors' Conference and Founders' Celebration online, or call 404-527-7768.

We look forward to your presence at the virtual Pastors' Conference and Founders' Celebration! Please pray for the success of these events.

In the Service of the Lord,

Dr. Paul L. Brown, Sr., President-Dean

Phillips School of Theology at ITC

Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr., Chair

Board of Trustees, Phillips School of Theology at ITC

General Conference Committee on Resolutions

CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

2022 GENERAL CONFERENCE

COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS

The Committee on Resolutions is appointed by the College of Bishops in accordance with ¶206 of The Book of Discipline, Revised 2018. The following are pertinent paragraphs from The Book of Discipline, Revised 2018, pages 32-33:

¶206. There shall be a Committee on Resolutions appointed by the College of Bishops. Each Bishop shall appoint one member to the Resolutions Committee by September 1 of the year preceding the General Conference. The Presiding Bishop of the District shall publish the name of the committee member throughout the District.

¶206.1. All resolutions, memorials, and other materials contemplated for presentation to the General Conference shall be sent to the appropriate Episcopal District Resolutions Committee member on or before January 31 of the year of the General Conference.

¶206.2. Resolutions mailed, sent or given to the Episcopal District representative shall be examined by him or her to ascertain if they meet the requirements for proposed legislation (cf. ¶1500.7, §4). All resolutions requiring changes in the wording and/or legal meanings of provisions in the Discipline shall state the paragraph, section, page and language to be changed and the language to be substituted. In addition to the requirements referenced, resolutions shall not contain more than three preamble paragraphs. If the resolutions do not meet the requirements, they shall be returned for corrections.

In addition to these paragraphs from The Book of Discipline, Revised 2018, the College of Bishops has agreed upon the following regulations for the sake of uniformity:

1) Resolutions should be submitted in writing.

a) Hard copies given to, mailed or emailed to the Episcopal District Representative should be typed in 12-point font, only on one side of the paper. Multiple pages should be stapled together.

b) Resolutions submitted via email should be sent as an attachment in Word document format.

c) The submitter of the resolution must type his/her name, address, telephone, email and local church information on each page of the resolution.

d) Resolutions submitted on behalf of groups and organizations should clearly state this information and include one name as the point of contact.

2) All resolutions requiring changes in the wording and/or legal meanings of the provisions in the Discipline shall state the paragraph, section, page and language to be changed and the language to be substituted.

3) Resolutions shall not contain more than three preamble paragraphs.

4) Resolutions not meeting the above requirements will be returned for corrections. Corrected resolutions must be returned in time to meet the January 31, 2022 deadline.

Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton

Secretary of The College of Bishops

September 1, 2021

Take Another Look: A Message from General Secretary Rev. Dr. Leon C. Moore, Jr

Many of the Regional Annual Conferences are continuing while some have concluded. After the conferences have concluded, who are the leaders selected to lead God’s people into a post pandemic society? We must answer the following questions: How do we get back to basics? How do we move from the meetings to the streets? What is the pathway we take? Do we move cautiously forward, or do we become risk takers for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church? It is a New Year! So, Happy New Year to the 2021-2022 conference year.

How do we get back to basics? As leaders we must take another look, a fresh and deeper look. The details of our ministry must not be overlooked. It may look like the same church, community, or ministry, the same process and even the same people and setting but look again! We must look again at the details of our assignment as leaders and the details of the place where ministry happens. When I was an adjunct professor at Ohio Christian University (Morrow, GA campus) I read an article about Agassiz and the Fish. It was a great read and excellent entomological lesson. Likewise, getting back to the basic tenants of ministry can teach us some valuable lessons. How did the 41 visionaries start a denomination? Yes, we read the story, but we must take another look.

Who will Go? Go where? Ministry requires motivation. Motivation can be internal or external, high, or low tempered, and driven by risk or reward. Often the choice is left up to the individuals. We can do the work of missions (local and/or abroad), evangelism, social justice, and discipleship. I’m sure the 41 visionaries were told you can’t, but they saw something different and better. However, their greater motivation was a “we can” (Phil 4:13) attitude that moved them from the meeting to the streets. They did not see the same ole’ things. I am talking about the physical street but there are other streets which some are not motivated to move from. Some of these are Lazy LN, Doubtful DR, We Cannot Do That PKWY, Average AVE, Pessimistic PL, and even Contentment CIR. Yet, I suggest that you take another look.

Risk or Reward? Fear of the known or unknown must not be the excuse for effective leaders and risk taking in ministry. Was Jesus a risk taker? I suggest to you He was. When He went against the government in his day, He was taking a huge risk. Healing people on the Sabbath was a taking a risk. Believe it or not Faith is risk taking, risk that is motivated by one’s faith. Bruce Arians, Super Bowl LV winning coach coined the term “No risk it, no biscuit" and said “If you don't try great shots, you won't hit one. You can't live scared." Arians says, “You’re not gonna get anywhere in life not taking chances.” Although the context of his comments was throwing a football deep into the opponent’s defense, the risk is still worth the reward. Take a deeper look, not to see what’s missing, but a deeper look at the new opportunities for ministry.

Yes, we have looked at various ways to create vibrant worship experiences with virtual worship, parking lot, in-person, and teleconferencing. You have been chosen to reexamine, take another look, even take a risk or two. After this session of annual conferences conclude, I challenge you to take another look.

We are The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church recognizing the importance of Christ in our daily lives.

Leon C. Moore, Jr.

General Secretary of Evangelism and Missions

Pleasant Hill CME, Conyers, GA

https://www.espn.com/blog/tampa-bay-buccaneers/post/_/id/22930/no-risk-it-no-biscuit-what-bruce-arians-coaching-lingo-teaches-us

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/agassiz-and-the-fish/