1999 Annual Conference Event Preview

Event dares delegates to share Jesus

Last year’s conference event urged delegates to “carry the light.” This year, the Annual Conference Event Program Committee has developed an even stronger message to support the conference’s commitment to evangelism. It’s “Dare to Share Jesus” and the official theme for the June 1-5 gathering.

The theme and logo were developed by a special brainstorming group working with a creative design team in Orlando. The group designed the theme as a call to action in the hopes of urging each delegate to share the message of Jesus Christ with people in their communities back home.

But committee members don’t want the theme’s message to end with the 1999 event. They say it will also be used for the 2000 annual conference event and are encouraging all churches to use the theme and logo in their own materials to emphasize their church’s initiatives and ministries.

The program committee will be mailing both color and black and white versions of the logo on disk to all conference churches, along with a color key indicating which colors are used and where. A camera-ready logo slick for churches without desktop publishing capabilities will also be provided.

Other event highlights

• Election of delegates to the 2000 General and Jurisdictional conferences.
      
• A report by the Connectional Process Team, the group given the task of proposing a transformational direction for the denomination and new structural forms.
      
• Town Meeting forum June 4, featuring discussion on evangelism in the Wesleyan tradition and specifically on small groups. Includes time for questions and discussion from the floor and will be led by David Lowes Watson, director of the Office of Pastoral Formation for the Nashville Area of the United Methodist Church.
       
• Community Picnic Celebration June 1, 6:15 p.m., at Florida Southern College’s Jenkins Field House for delegates and their family and friends. Entertainment and presentation of the Grindheim Sims and Harry Denman Awards will follow dinner. More information will be mailed to delegates in April.
        
• The Flood Bucket Challenge to assist victims of natural disasters. Delegates are asked to bring cleanup items to the Picnic Celebration. They will be placed in flood buckets provided at the event. For more information, contact Larry Rankin, Council on Ministries Missions Ministry office, 1-800-282-8011, extension 131, or LRankin@flumc.org.
        
• A prayer labyrinth available until Friday afternoon and Holy Communion each morning beginning June 2 in a specially created Prayer Garden coordinated by the Council on Ministries Spiritual Formation office.
         
• Morning Bible study led by the Rev. Geraldine McClellan, pastor of Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church in Gainesville.
          
• Special message by Bishop George Willis Bashore, episcopal leader of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, at the memorial and retirement services.
               
• Information on a national media campaign spearheaded by United Methodist Communications in Nashville that will be proposed at the 2000 General Conference.

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© 1999 Florida United Methodist Review Online