Nine of the 10 candidates for bishop in the North Central Jurisdiction participated in a virtual candidates' forum authorized by the NCJ Committee on Episcopacy.

Videos of each 15-minute interview can be viewed by clicking the button below.

The only candidate which did not record an interview was Rev. Dr. Lanette Plambeck, which became the 10th candidate just two weeks ago -- but at a time after the recordings were made by the Committee on Episcopacy.

The NCJ, along with the other four jurisdictions, will be meeting Nov. 2-5. A possibility of three new bishops will be elected with assignments to areas beginning Jan. 1, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2024, being announced for the entire College of Bishops on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Profiles on each candidate and a completed questionnaire can be found at the NCJ webisite which is also linked below.

As the charges of misinformation this week leveled at various bishops by those wishing to depart from The United Methodist Church as well as charges leveled by the Council of Bishops last week, the charges and counter-charges have reached the continent of Africa.

The North Carolina Conference has prepared a document to assist its church in the discernment process. While some of the document is specific to the North Carolina Conference, the disciplinary paragraphs governing the process applies to all annual conferences.

In addition, #AskUMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, is continuing its series of answering the most commonly asked questions about disaffiliation that have come into its offices by United Methodists.

There is also the document that the Texas Conference developed that provides side-by-side comparisons between the present Book of Discipline (2016 with additions from the 2019 special session) and the transition document of the recently launched Global Methodist Church.

Information about the IGRC disaffiliation process can be found on the IGRC website at: https://www.igrc.org/disaffiliation. It includes five hours of video forums hosted by Bishop Frank J. Beard which were attended by nearly 700 persons; a downloadable process document; and Bishop Beard's personal responses to all of the questions submitted by persons who participated in one of the forums.

Following God's call to transform the world might seem impossible, but it's a reality for United Methodists. A new, downloadable video from United Methodist Communications celebrates the various ways United Methodists answer the call to serve God and neighbors.

To date, more than $27 million has been given by United Methodists to assist in a variety of ministries -- from humanitarian relief, refugee resettlement and

Forms for charge conferences which will be held in the fall are now available through your Church Portal Page.

To access the documents, click on Church Portal on the IGRC Homepage or go to: https://www.igrc.org/churchportal to find the log-in page. Select your District from the dropdown menu. This will trigger a second drop-down menu where you select your Church. The passcode is the church's six-digit GCFA number which can be found on the monthly remittance form for apportionment payments.

In preparation for charge conferences in the fall, the Finance Office has prepared two pages of information that will assist you in your budget building for 2023.

A document outlining the Clergy Benefits and Costs for 2023 includes action taken by the 2022 Annual Conference with regard to minimum salaries for full-time elders and full-time local pastors.

A second document Important Numbers for Charge Conference provides additional information and background. The Apportionment calculations and the Charge Conference forms will be published in the next few weeks.

Churches that have been identified as receiving an additional member to annual conference for equalization purposes should elect that person at the church's charge conference.