July 13, 2019

Clergy and Laity Sessions - Friday, June 7, 2019

Laity session - love God and your neighbor Laity called to love God and neighbor, help take Conference to a better place. Iowa Conference Lay Leader Margaret Borgen opened the Laity Session of the 2019 Iowa Annual Conference Session, telling attendees she hoped they left the session... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

AC2019 Clergy Session Images from the Clergy Session of the 2019 Iowa Annual Conference Read more www.flickr.com

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Remember, You are Poor - Episcopal Address and Opening... Bishop Laurie Haller called the 2019 Iowa Annual Conference Session Saturday morning before delivering a message of reminder to attendees of all the ways we are spiritually impoverished. In her address she pressed the congregations to consider... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Heifer International Award Liz Ellis, of Heifer International in Little Rock addressed the Annual Conference Session, recognizing the Conference's contributions to the organization. Ellis noted for the congregation that 2019 is Heifer International's 75 th anniversary, the ... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

200th Anniversary of UM Missions Katie Dawson, pastor for Des Moines' Immanuel United Methodist Church and a director on the General Board of Global Ministries addressed the 2019 Iowa Annual Conference Session on the April Bicentennial of Methodist Missions, sharing a video of... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Retirement Service - AC2019 The Rev. Carol Myers, of First United Methodist Church, Iowa Falls, offered the sermon for the Retirement Service at the 2019 Annual Conference Session. She exhorted retirees that no matter our state in life, Jesus still calls us to follow. The... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

"You can be a part of healing and reconciliation in or... Rev. Rob Cook and Rev. Eric Mulanda offered the keynote for the Teaching Session Saturday at the 2019 Annual Conference Session. Pastor Rob is from Michigan and Pastor Eric from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The pastors serve together at... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Workshops at AC2019 Eight workshops were presented Saturday afternoon at the 2019 Iowa Annual Conference Session. Multiethnic Church This workshop focused on how to build healthy multiethnic congregations for both church planters and those seeking to transform... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Graduates honored at AC2019 Graduates of the School for Lay Ministry and Local Pastor Licensing School were honored Saturday at the 2019 Annual Conference Session. The School for Lay Ministry is a three-year program to facilitate the growth of Iowa United Methodist Churches ... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Lay Ministry Awards The School for Lay Ministry (SLM) program was created some years ago as a program to facilitate the growth of Iowa United Methodist Churches and their Christian ministry by providing an alternative, supplemental source of educated leadership to... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

New Communities of Faith Rev. Bill Poland provided an update on New Faith Communities Saturday at the Annual Conference Session, telling the Conference that the radical love of Jesus born through new communities can change the world. Poland began with the definition of... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Report on the Revision of the United Methodist Church's... Josh Steward, pastor at Dallas Center UMC and chair of the Conference Board of Church & Society addressed the 2019 Annual Conference Session Saturday regarding revision of the United Methodist Church's Social Principles. Steward acknowledged... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Sunday, June 9, 2019

The Disruption of Joy - Ordering of Ministry Service Joy can be creative and disruptive as well as give us a sense of meaningful existence, Bishop Laurie said in her message, also asking how we can learn to count it all as joy, even in the midst of trials, crisis, and poverty of spirit. Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Treasurer's Report - AC2019 Iowa Annual Conference Session attendees heard reports Sunday on Conference financial statistics and the proposed 2020 budget and were also given a look at the Conference's overall fiscal status. Conference Treasurer Maggie Biggs reported on the... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Healthy Conference Initiative Report - Rev. Dr. Barrie... The Conference continues to be on a journey in terms of it's Healthy Conference Initiative, Rev. Barrie Tritle told the Annual Conference Sunday. "The journey to health is a long journey," Tritle said, "sometimes fast, sometimes slow." He... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Great is God's Faithfulness - Lay Leader's address Lay Leader Margaret Borgen addressed current divisions in the United Methodist Church over human sexuality in her address to the 2019 Annual Conference Session. Borgen opened her remarks by asking the congregation to stand and sing the hymn They... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

God is with you, in life and in death - Service of... The Service of Remembering for the 2019 Annual Conference Session honored the human loss within the Iowa Annual Conference over the past year with an emphasis on remembering that God is with us, even in death. A Word of Grace was read at the... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Celebrating United Methodist Women The anniversary and the success of the United Methodist Women (UMM) ministry were celebrated at the 2019 Annual Conference Session Sunday. Iowa's UMM President Lynn Calvert gave a brief presentation marking the mission's history, legacy, and... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Monday, June 10, 2019

Diakonos - "More than three feet of joy" The Diakonos for this year's Iowa Annual Conference Session performed and were acknowledged during the Monday session. Diakonos Coordinator Rev. Steve Braudt told those in attendance that this was the 10 th year for the Diakonos program at the... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Iowa United Methodist Foundation Annual Meeting The Iowa United Methodist Foundation held its annual meeting Monday at the 2019 Annual Conference Session. Executive Director Katharine Yarnell detailed for Annual Conference Session attendees that in 2018, the IA UMF had awarded more than... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

One Matter Award - AC2019 Director of Congregational Excellence Jaye Johnson told the Annual Conference Session that the purpose of his office is to make God's Hope for the World Real by preparing churches to multiply. "That is reaching people for Christ," Johnson said. Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Peace Walk at AC2019 Some 50-75 members of the Iowa Annual Conference took part in the annual Walk for Peace and Social Justice on Monday. This year's theme was, "Making Peace in our Church; in our World; in Ourselves." The walk, led by Bishop Laurie Haller, took... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Report for Cokesbury and United Methodist Publishing House Brian Milford, President and CEO of the UM Publishing House, reported on Cokesbury and the Publishing House on Monday at the 2019 Annual Conference Session. Lindsay Drake, board member of the United Methodist Publishing House, joined him. Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Fixing Service AC2019 Ministry, mission and transitions in ministry were celebrated Monday at the Iowa Annual Conference Session with the Fixing of Appointments for the 2019-2020 Conference year. Rev. Paul Smith, outgoing dean of the Appointive Cabinet offered the... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Commemoration of Closed Churches Eight churches were slated for closing in the Iowa Annual Conference this past year. The churches were commemorated on Monday at the 2019 Annual Conference Session. Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Offerings at AC2019 Eight Offerings were received this year at the 2019 Annual Conference Session totaling $42,653.19. During the Clergy Session Friday evening, a collection was taken for the sustentation fund, which is confidential assistance available to support... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Diakonos donates to UMC camps The Diakonos announced at the start of Tuesday's gathering of the 2019 Annual Conference Session that they would be donating a significant part of the offering they received at the Session to support the camp ministries in the Iowa Annual Conference. Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

CFA Final Budget Approved The Iowa Annual Conference voted to approve the final Budget for FY 2020 Tuesday morning in a 771 - 50 vote. Conference Treasurer Maggie Biggs and Jon Disburg, President of Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) had reported on the proposed... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Elected Delegates to General and Jurisdictional... CLERGY: Lanette Plambeck Katie Dawson LaTonya Calderon Chad Jennings Nathaniel Nims Alejandro Alfaro-Santiz Andrea Kraushaar Frederick Lewis Tyler Schwaller Melissa Warren Joshua Steward Sean McRoberts Clergy Alternates: LAITY: John Rothlisberger ... Read more ac2019.iaumc.org

Additional Audio

Go, Be Difference Makers, Together Speaking final words of blessing for the 2019 Annual Conference, Bishop Laurie Hall extended an invitation to “go out into the world and be difference makers, together!” Listen ac2019.iaumc.org

The Importance of Apportionments – They Make a Difference! “I believe that the payment of apportionments is an essential spiritual discipline that bunds us all together,” said Bishop Laurie, as she invited congregations to make a difference locally and around the world. Listen ac2019.iaumc.org

Delegation Asks for Prayers Speaking on behalf of the elected leadership to the Iowa delegation to the 2020 General Conference, Rev. LaTonya Calderon asked for prayers “for the work that is before us,” and for “God’s blessings to be upon us.” Listen ac2019.iaumc.org

A Conversation with Rev. Katie Dawson and John Rothlisberger Rev. Katie Dawson and John Rothlisberger are members of the Iowa delegation to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences in 2020. John received the highest number of votes among the laity. Rev. Katie was among three who were tied for the highest number of votes from the Conference’s clergy. Rev. Katie and John joined Dr. Art McClanahan for a conversation just after the adjournment of this year’s Annual Conference to talk about the election process, how the delegation will stay connected prior to the worldwide denominational gathering next May in Minneapolis and the regional assembly in July 2020 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and ways by which Iowa United Methodists can support the 18 clergy and 18 laity they elected to represent them. Listen ac2019.iaumc.org

Embody the Gospel, The Good News of Liberation Tyler Schwaller, a deacon in full connection, who self-identifies as “queer clergy,” called for the creation of “spaces where we can come together,” in a moment of personal privilege.   “Our queer kindred should be a model,” he said, “of supporting one another when we don’t do the ‘both sides thing’ because our lives, our souls are at stake.’” Listen ac2019.iaumc.org

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