Created to Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully & Lead Courageously - MN Annual Conference Report

As your appointed Annual Conference Representative, I was able to attend the Minnesota Annual Conference from Wednesday, June 11th through Friday, June 13thst in St. Cloud. The Scripture Reading for the Conference was 1 John 4:19: We Love Because God First Loved Us.

We started the Conference with a Laity Session. At the Laity Session, the Minnesota Conference’s three co-lay leaders reminded lay people from across the state that we are all called to ministry through our baptism, and there are many ways to use our individual gifts to share God’s love and proclaim the good news of Jesus. They are in the process of establishing a conference Board on Lay Ministry to equip and enable lay persons to be in mission and ministry in all aspects of life. They discussed the REACH approach to ministry:

R=Resource-Everyone has gifts, and energy to share;

E=Equip-Find Time to share your gifts and energy;

A=Align-Get together with other people and learn how to agree to disagree;

C=Connect-Enjoy time spent with others; and

H=Herald-Find ways to tell people about new opportunities through social media and in-person.

They said “Proclaim hallelujah” and “Step into your brave space. The Church should feel more like the rehearsal dinner than the reception!”

Bishop Lanette Plambeck shared her Episcopal Address and encouraged us to lean into “the reckless, unrelenting grace of God” even when the world around us seems bent on despair. She reflected on the word, “hallelujah”—which is found only in Psalms and Revelation: It’s used not as individual praise but as a collective call to praise the Lord. She invited us to “raise our hallelujah” as a form of sacred resistance against fear and false gospels, as a testimony to what God has done, and as a commitment to what God will do through us. She encouraged us to be people who love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.

The Committee on Native American Ministry held a “Water Ceremony” overlooking the Mississippi River that was highlighted by a Baptismal Liturgy, Tobacco Offering, and a Lakota Prayer:

Great Mystery, teach me how to trust my heart, my mind, my intuition, my inner knowing, the senses of my body, the blessings of my spirit. Teach me to trust these things so that I may enter my sacred space and love beyond my fear, and thus walk in balance with the passing of each glorious sun. - Lakota Prayer

I was able to attend both training sessions by Rev. Dr. Tim Eberhart, a theologian and professor at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. He said climate disruption, political division, spiritual fatigue, and community breakdown are colliding and amplifying one another. He didn’t sugarcoat the realities of our time, but he did bring hope. He talked about how trees survive and regenerate after a fire. Some have seeds that actually need fire to break their dormancy; the fire opens and releases the seeds so they can begin to germinate and be the bearers of new life. He invited us to look for those “fire seeds”—tiny sparks of renewal that survive even the most devastating burn—and he identified five:

1. Following Jesus in Active Discipleship;

2. The Christian Life is Inherently Social;

3. Fostering Lifelong Education for All;

4. Radical Equality of All Persons; and

5. The Being and Work of God is Love.

The Conference Preacher was Rev. Matt Sipe from Hilltop UMC in Mankato. He reminded us that in a world filled with division, fear, and helplessness, the gospel teaches us that lament and sweetness can co-exist. He said that we are called to bring the good news of the gospel into this bitter, harsh, and sinful world.

The Love Offering for Missions amounted to $57,615. This year’s Love Offering recipients are: United Methodist -related African University for student scholarships-30%; Immigration Law and Justice Network-30%; OC Ministries which ministers to children around the world-20%; and Midwest Mission, a depot in the United Methodist Committee on Relief supply network-20%.

The Celebration of Life in Ministry Service is such a moving Worship experience. The Minnesota Annual Conference honored and thanked 15 clergy entering retirement, and we celebrated one pastor ordained as a deacon, five ordained as elders, five commissioned as provisional pastors (a step on the way to ordination), one recognized as an elder in full connection from another denomination, and five authorized to serve as local pastors in the congregation and ministry areas in which they are appointed.

Richard Huskey, who was also set to be ordained as an elder, unfortunately fell ill and was unable to attend the ordination, but Bishop Lanette flew to Pennsylvania—where he lives—to ordain him as a matter of repentance and repair for the ways he was harmed by the church. In 1977, after Huskey disclosed that he was gay while in process to become an elder, the Minnesota Annual Conference discontinued his orders. After the 2024 General Conference removed the denomination’s decades—long ban on gay clergy, Huskey requested to be ordained and was approved by the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Bishop Lanette reminded honorees that they are not just consecrated to serve the church—they are consecrated to serve the world God so loves, and God will give them everything they need to answer their call.

Legislation/Resolutions that were approved by the majority of the 275 delegates included:

• A Resolution calling on all congregations to commit to taking climate action by creating or strengthening a “green team” for action in four areas each year—worship, education, practice, and advocacy;

• A Resolution encouraging all congregations to examine our church property deeds and personal and business property deeds, as well as the books in our municipalities and counties, for discriminatory language/laws and have them removed;

• A Resolution that publicly opposes the U. S. Presidential Administration’s proposed plan for the U.S. to “take over” and own the Gaza Strip and calls for the Palestinian people to have a voice in their own destiny and a right to their land;

• A Resolution affirming that withholding humanitarian aid to those in need is antithetical to the Gospel message and opposing the actions of the U. S. Government to withhold aid from the people of Gaza.

  
  

The Minnesota Conference adopted for itself the powerful new vision statement that The United Methodist Church unveiled in May: “The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.” Our vision flows out from our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Our conference also named a hoped for outcome for our shared ministry: “Communities transformed by the love of God, where wounds are healed, connections flourish, and every person finds belonging”.

Best of All, God is With Us!

Dave Sayler, Minnesota Annual Conference Lay Member