October 12, 2020
Annual Conference 2020 Agenda Details

Annual Conference 2020 information and the livestream video of Wednesday’s two worship services are accessible from our AC2020 web page.
The Eastern PA Conference’s 234th Annual Conference Business Session will be conducted solely line as a Zoom webinar on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, beginning at 1 PM

The preceding Clergy Session begins at 9 AM. All clergy and all lay members of the Board of Ordained Ministry should attend this closed session for clergy only. They should receive a reminder email from Lindsey Cotman by Monday evening, containing the access link to the Zoom webinar and an updated version of the Clergy Session Report (which will not be shared on-screen). The Clergy Session will not be livestreamed, but it will be recorded for the minutes.

All Annual Conference registrants should have received an email on Monday afternoon with a reminder of the link to access the Zoom webinar and the link needed to access and use the secure, online eBallot system. This email should come from “noreply@eballot.com.”

Any member who did not receive an email reminder by 7 PM Monday should contact Jo Fielding at jfielding@epaumc.org or Lindsey Cotman at lcotman@epaumc.org.  

While members may participate in the Annual Conference on Zoom, others may view it on livestream video on the Eastern PA Conference’s Facebook page (not on the conference website). One does not need to have a Facebook account to view the session on Facebook.

The Annual Conference’s Memorial Service, for deceased clergy and clergy spouses, and the Ordination and Commissioning Service for clergy will both happen on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Olivet UMC in Coatesville. The Memorial Service will be at 10 AM. The Service of Ordination and Commissioning will be at 2 PM. Onsite attendance for these services is by invitation only. All others can view it as (RCTV) livestream video on the AC2020 page of the conference website. Learn more...

Conference awards record number of scholarships in 2020. More support needed
This fall the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Scholarship Committee awarded 20 academic scholarships to deserving students, the committee’s highest number in one semester.

Scholarships are awarded for the fall and spring semesters to undergraduate and graduate students who have been active members of an Conference church for at least two years. For many, these vital scholarships are one of the Eastern PA Conference’s best-kept secrets but are deserving of much more awareness and support.

Joshua Foster received scholarships for his undergraduate and graduate studies. “The application process was not cumbersome,” he said, “and financial assistance helped with purchasing books and lab supplies.” 

Foster said he is grateful for the Eastern PA Conference scholarships he received and the help committee members gave him throughout his educational process. Many promising students depend on these vital scholarships to study and prepare for careers that will benefit society and the church.

Usually the scholarships are funded by offerings received at Annual Conference sessions, along with other donations. However, this year’s virtual conference session, using Zoom video-conferencing, precludes us from receiving offerings onsite.

The scholarship committee and conference leaders are appealing to all churches and members to support the ongoing needs of our scholarship fund and the students it helps by sending your gifts directly to the Conference Office.

You can mail your donations to the Eastern PA UMC Conference Treasurer’s Office at P.O. Box 820, Valley Forge, PA 19482. Please indicate “Conference Scholarships” or “Conference Ordained Ministry Scholarships” in the memo line of your checks. Or you can give electronically by using our convenient online giving pageLearn more...