Annual Conference 2008
Daily Messenger
Youth Daily Messenger
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By The Rev. Cynthia Stewart
"O Come" could be heard as lay and clergy members and guests entered into the Grand Ballroom for Opening Worship at the start of the 2008 United Methodist Nebraska Annual Conference. Special musical guest, John Pitney, led the members and guests in the chorus of a song that was especially written for this year's conference and theme, "Food and Faith: Come to the Great Banquet."
The conference began with a video presentation of a mixture of quotes pertaining to food and eating as well as movie clips to prepare the mood of the table. As members and guests sang the theme song, "Come to the Table," Children's Annual Conference participants entered into the gathering space carrying items to set the table near the altar area. Children then said a simple table grace and read Luke 14:1-35, where Jesus told of the parable of the Great Banquet.
Bishop Ann Brookshire Sherer read from the Gospel of John, chapter six. She shared with the conference that after Jesus had fed the crowds with the fish and loaves, the next day those people came to him, wanting more. Jesus then told them, "Do not work for the food that perishes…" When the people wanted a sign to know what works, Jesus revealed to them, "I am the bread of life" and he was the bread that came down from heaven. Jesus wanted the people to be well fed and able to feed.
Bishop Ann then shared how she imagined the table where she was well fed including descriptions of the table setting, the "pink" tablecloth and matching linen napkins, sterling flatware and china -- the "good stuff." The Bishop shared, "When you looked at the table, you knew that something special was going to happen." The gatherings were not just about the table and the food as her family would eat and talk and share during several hours of feasting.
She reminded us that as we are probably well fed, we need to talk about what it means to be well fed in a world that is not: over 854 million people are hungry. Bishop Ann challenged the Nebraska Annual Conference to embrace the vision of Christ that is a joyful banquet. We need to learn from each other, yet we must also learn some table manners which include Rueben Job's reinterpretation of Wesley to stay in love with God, to do no harm and to do good. As well fed people, we are challenged to share this bread with others.
As we look forward to the rest of this week and the challenges before us, in the words of our theme song, "May God bless the table with love."
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All participants at the Nebraska Annual Conference were able to voice their thoughts related to the transition team report on Tuesday afternoon. Using "Holy Conferencing", each person had the opportunity to address the questions "What are your greatest joys related to the transition team report" and "What are your questions related to the report?"
Facilitators were trained in the process Tuesday morning. They were asked to be a non-anxious presence guiding their group and ensure that everyone at their table had the opportunity to participate. Ground rules had been established previously, although each table had the opportunity to add new ground rules that were appropriate for their group.
At the start of the Holy Conferencing time, facilitators each received a Bible to use as a talking point. This Bible was held by the person as they talked and it was passed to the next person when they were finished. Each person in the circle was given one minute to voice their thoughts about the first question. The process was repeated for the second question.
At the conclusion of answering the two questions, each person in the circle could ask questions of each other to make sure they understood the intent of the response. This questioning process was done in a non-threatening and non-judgmental manner to ensure the respect of each individual.
Each table had a person that served as a recorder. This person was responsible for creating a list of the main themes discussed in the conversations while not infringing on the confidentiality of the individual responses. These themes will be used by the transition team as they proceed with the future of this initiative.
The Holy Conferencing initiative is an effort to conduct positive communication in the Annual Conference while maintaining the integrity of each individual, realizing that different perspectives exist. Its purpose is not to come to consensus on an issue, but to understand, appreciate and respect the thoughts of each person.
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Wednesday, June 11—Opening Worship Service
During the opening worship service the children will be collecting funds to support the orphanage in Nigeria—Advance 851.
June 11—Memorial Service
During the evening Memorial Service, an ingathering of local church funds will be conducted to support the Central Conference Pension Initiative—Advance 764.
June 12—Dessert Gala
At the Dessert Gala on the evening of June 12, an offering to support the 25th anniversary of Nebraska Peace With Justice Ministries will be taken—Advance 870.
June 13—Ordination Service
At this service, contributions to support the Global Aids Fund are encouraged—Advance 578.
June 14—Closing Worship
The offering at the closing worship will support Nothing But Nets—Advance 573.
These selections were made by Bishop Ann B. Sherer and she thanks you for supporting these important advance special opportunities with your financial contributions.
Important Annual Conference Materials
- Annual Conference Registration
- Youth Annual Conference Registration
- Youth Event Covenant
- Children's Annual Conference
- Annual Conference Child Care Registration
- YAC/CAC Health Form
- Submit an Annual Conference Report
- Annual Conference Resource Book
- Annual Conference Resource Book cover
- Cornhusker-Marriott Online Registration
A block of rooms has been reserved at $99/per night. - Online registration for Annual Conference, Youth Annual Conference and Children's Annual Conference
Register for Nebraska United Methodist Conference's online. When registering online, full payment is expected for each registration.
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Special guests include Dr. Shannon Jung, professor of Town and Country Ministries at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo. Jung has provided leadership with United Methodist Committee on Relief endorsed Bread for the World, the Center for Theology and Land, Heifer International, the Society of Christian Ethics and the Rural Church Network of the United States and Canada.
Drawing upon biblical themes, Jung presents the miracle of food and the need for slowing down to simply receive it with gratitude.
Special guest Mary Hendrickson will guide people to the understanding of the global food system and will provide local models of food security and stewardship of the land. Mary Hendrickson is a rural sociologist who grew up in Shickly, Neb., and graduated from UNL. She is the director of Food Circles Networking Project, a program of the University of Missouri Extension. She works with numerous community groups focusing on building community relationships through food and helping to develop economic bases of communities through food entrepreneurship.