Dear Eighth District Family:

            I’m sharing the following information about the projected Annual Conferences in July so that people can begin to make their plans.  While the plans for the Conferences have not hardened as in concrete, they are close to having been made.  Therefore, I am writing with the understanding that if you have a serious concern that you express in the next two weeks, it will be heard.  However, bear in mind that time is of the essence if you have any suggested changes.  Please write about any concerns within 2 weeks.

We have survived in this COVID-19 time also by being flexible and by being creative in our thinking and acting.  Your serious suggestions to me – by email to llreddick3@yahoo.com or by phone to 205-515-7322 – will be heard.

This email does not yet cover the Annual Conference of the Jamaica Region.  It is still in the thinking and talking phase.  It does, however, cover the four annual conferences of the Texas Regions – for East Texas, Central Texas, Southeast Texas, and Dallas-Fort Worth/Northwest Texas Regions.

Please hear this statement first:  we have not found a usable software for the election of delegates on line which will also be usable for those persons among us who may have limited access to the internet.  Many of our participants in last year’s conferences did so by telephone, and I believe many will be doing the same this year.  Every delegate must have the right to cast a ballot and every one who casts a ballot has the right for their ballot to be private.

All four Regions’ annual conferences will begin with an in-person Friday session, starting at Noon.  This session, which I anticipate will run from noon until about 5:30, will start with a noon session for preachers in full connection, preachers on trial, and others persons who are being recommended by the Committee on Ministerial Examination.  We will hear the roll of preachers in full connection and preachers on trial, will hear the report of the Committee on Ministerial Examination, and then proceed to elect clergy delegates to the General Conference. Afterward, a lay session, planned to begin about 2:30, will continue until the lay delegates to the General Conference are elected.  That time is anticipated to be about 5:00/5:30 PM.  We will then recess until Saturday morning, starting at 9 AM until about 6 PM on Saturday.

Masks and social distancing will be required for the Friday in-person sessions.  Gloves will be helpful.  We will probably ask for persons who are vaccinated and separate them from persons who are not.  We will be primarily about the business of electing delegates.  We will set up, in the next few days, a system for persons to register to be on a ballot for delegates.

The second day will be on Zoom, not in person.  It will mimic the organization and structure we had last year – only the Bishop, the Presiding Elders, the Secretary and Assistant(s), two members of the Committee on Ministerial Examination, the Joint Board of Finance, and the Host Pastor are asked to be at the church.  Limited exceptions will be made for those persons who drive in Friday for a distance of 3 or more hours who desire to spend the night, attend conference in the church, and go home or to a hotel on Saturday night.  However, the preference is for everyone to return to their homes on Friday evening and participate in Saturday’s sessions by Zoom.

Churches which are hosting are being asked to prepare no food.  Lingering, loitering, hanging around (even what we call “fellowship”) will not be helpful at this time.  Persons gathering in the churches’ fellowship halls and eating will not be helpful, either.  Please prepare your boxed lunch to eat in your vehicles or find yourself using one of the fast food restaurants for your food breaks.

The East Texas Annual Conference (clergy only) will convene at noon on Friday, July 9, 2021, at the Hughes Chapel CME Church, 307 Avenue B, Longview, Texas  75604.  Lay delegates will be welcome to enter at approximately 2:30 PM.  The Conference will meet on Saturday, July 10, 2021, via Zoom, beginning at 9 A.M.  The Rev. James Hall is the host pastor.

The Central Texas Annual Conference (clergy only) will convene at noon on Friday, July 16, 2021, at the St. James CME Church, 408 N. Border Street, Tyler, Texas  75702.  Lay delegates will be welcome to enter at approximately 2:30 PM.  The Conference will meet on Saturday, July 17, 2021, via Zoom, beginning at 9 A.M.  The Rev. Brian T. Lightner is the host pastor. 

The Southeast Texas Annual Conference (clergy only) will convene at noon on Friday, July 23, 2021, at the Douglas Memorial CME Church, 1370 Ewing Street, Beaumont, Texas  77701.  Lay delegates will be welcome to enter at approximately 2:30 PM.  The Conference will meet on Saturday, July 24, 2021, via Zoom, beginning at 9 A.M.  The Rev. Irma Wilson is the host pastor.

The Dallas-Fort Worth/Northwest Texas Annual Conference (clergy only) will convene at noon on Friday, July 30, 2021, at the Carter Metropolitan CME Church, 4601 Wichita, Fort Worth, Texas  76119.  Lay delegates will be welcome to enter at approximately 2:30 PM.  We will not be able to use the fellowship hall at all.  The Rev. Dr. Clarence Kelby Heath is host pastor.

ELECTING ANNUAL CONFERENCE DELEGATES:  Please be careful to elect the correct number of delegates to the Annual Conference from your local church.  We will be measuring the membership of the church as given on pastoral reports in 2020 for the number of delegates to be elected (for churches of more than 150 persons).  If you have increased your membership, that will need to be shown on this year’s 2021 Pastoral Report forms.  Every church is entitled to 2 delegates; please elect a minimum of 2 delegates.  Other churches, depending on membership, can elect more.  Here is the interpretation of how many delegates are allowed:

 

                        Every church                           2 delegates

                        151 or more members           3 delegates

                        451 or more members           4 delegates

                        751 or more members           5 delegates

                        1,051 or more members        6 delegates

                        1,351 or more members        7 delegates

                        1,631 or more members        8 delegates

                        1,931 or more members        9 delegates

                        2,231 or more members      10 delegates

                        2,531 or more members      11 delegates

                        2,851 or more members      12 delegates

                        3,151 or more members      13 delegates

                        3,451 or more members      14 delegates

                        3,751 or more members      15 delegates

[No one is reporting more than 3,800 members.]

 

            We may – or may not – have the same number of delegates to the General Conference as we had in 2018.  That number is decided by a formula that depends upon the number of preachers in full connection that we have and the number of lay delegates we have elected to the Annual Conference.

 

            You may have other questions for Annual Conference.  Please send an email to llreddick3@yahoo.com for those questions.  Put as the subject, “Ann.Conf.Questions.”

 

            Thank you!

 

                                                                                                Bishop Lawrence Reddick