2018 Texas Annual Conference

The Texas Annual Conference met May 27-30 at The Woodlands United Methodist Church, with Bishop Scott J. Jones officiating.

Guest speakers and memorable quotes:

Neil Bush, speaking on behalf of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation: "If more people could read, write and comprehend, we could be much closer to solving so many of the other problems our country faces today.

Julie Baker Finck, President of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation: "There is no smarter investment in our resources than helping children learn to read."

 Ways churches can help:

 - Increase access to books in the home. Upwards of 61 percent of low income children are not book owners. The number of books in a home is a better indicator of a child's success than parental income.
 - Provide volunteer-based reading mentoring programs.
 - Make summer count with enrichment programs for kids.
 - Strengthen and support our early childcare system.
 - Educate and equip parents as their children's first teachers.

Episcopal Address

Bishop Jones anchored his Episcopal Address with Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16. This passage, which the bishop asserted has weighed heavily on his heart  of late, challenges believers to live lives of love, unity and maturity as the Body of Christ.
 
"As United Methodist Christians," the bishop said, "the main thing is our mission. We were not born out of doctrinal disagreement but out of a deep compassion for people in the suburbs in England who were not being reached for the gospel."

The bishop assured listeners that the Book of Discipline not only clearly states the mission of the United Methodist Church, it provides clear and concise instructions on how to achieve that end. From Ephesians 4, the bishop highlighted "four words to live by:" Love, Unity, Truth, and Ministry. He admonished the gathering to cling to these principles and "Keep the main thing the main thing."
 
In his exposition on the role of "Love," the bishop began by reminding the conference attendees of some of their successes in both Harvey recovery efforts and in ministry to children under the bishop's "We Love All God's Children Initiative." He challenged the Texas Conference to continue to seek new and creative ways to participate in the initiative. ("We Love All God's Children" is an initiative of the United Methodist Church for under resourced children. The United Methodist Church partners with other organizations to provide resources related to literacy, health and discipleship. The goal of "We Love All God's Children" is to have 67 percent our churches in the Texas Annual Conference engaged in ministry to under resourced children by 2026.

In regards to "Unity," the bishop expressed deep sadness over the division within the UMC, and warned that true unity was not possible apart from adherence to the rules of the Book of Discipline. He challenged the Conference to faithfully join him in continuing to "Pray Our Way Forward."
 
As the Bishop reflected on the third word, "Truth," he repeated Paul's challenge to "speak the truth in love," (Ephesians 4:15). Rather than avoid one another during time of conflict, the bishop urged members in disagreement with each other to spend more time together. We must approach each other in "convicted humility," the bishop said, and avoid the pitfalls of demonizing one another or speaking in anger.

In conclusion, the bishop encouraged both laity and clergy to focus on "Ministry." "The most important thing we can remember in difficult times," said the bishop, "is that we are not in this alone. It is God who is doing the work of saving the world."

Hurricane Harvey

In a meeting with Bishop Jones and other Conference leaders the day before Hurricane Harvey made landfall, the Rev. Scott Moore, director of the Center of Missional Excellence, notified the group that he might be especially busy for a few days since there was a hurricane brewing off the coast of Mexico. "Little did I know that nine months later, I would still be talking about that hurricane," Moore said.
 
In an inspirational and at times emotional presentation during the 2018 Texas Annual Conference, Moore reported on the scope of Hurricane Harvey's destruction and the Texas Annual Conference's response to the disaster. The audience sat in rapt attention as Moore recounted the Conference's journey from disaster to recovery over the past nine months.
 
Highlights of the presentation include:

On Sunday, August 27, 2017, Moore emailed the bishop requesting a video conference with him, the District Supervisors, and the center directors in an attempt to get a grasp on the rapidly worsening disaster. The video conference ended up being the first of daily conversations over the next week and a half as the Conference worked to coordinate rescue and relief efforts. "What emerged out of those conversations was a picture of a conference that had suffered major damage and tremendous heartache," Moore said, "It was also a picture of amazing bravery, resilience, and dedication to service in the name of Jesus Christ.

Moore recounted how Texas United Methodist Churches opened their doors to become shelters and staging centers. Churches throughout the Conference gave sacrificially, and even paddled canoes and kayaks to rescue families huddling on rooftops to escape the rising flood waters. Matthew Marchetti and Oliver Carter developed a mobile app that connected rescue teams with people in need. Churches collected relief offerings, and sent waves of volunteers to man the Center for Missional Excellence warehouse in Conroe.

The new Mission Center warehouse was just reaching full operations when the hurricane struck. The inventory of 1,100 flood buckets and several thousand hygiene kits was depleted within a two-hour period. Texas UMC churches rose to the challenge. "Churches from every district in the Texas Annual Conference sent truckload after trailer load of supplies," Moore said, "Once the roads along the Louisiana border cleared, UMCOR delivered eight truckloads of flood buckets to the Mission Center."

The Texas Conference has taken significant steps to ensure long-term recovery by opening three regional recovery offices. Twenty-four staff members facilitate case management, construction and volunteer coordination. These offices are funded through generous UMCOR grants.

In the early days of the disaster, UMCOR awarded the Texas Conference and emergency grant of $10,000. In October, 2017, UMCOR granted the Conference and additional $1 million grant to fund recovery for the next six months. At the end of April, 2018, UMCOR awarded the Conference an additional $4.8 million grant, funding recovery efforts through October of 2020.

Hurricane Harvey is tied with Hurricane Katrina as the costliest storm in United States history. The Center for Missional Excellence has set a fund-raising goal of $10 million to fund ongoing relief efforts. "When we say we are in this for the long haul, we mean it," Moore said.

Churches interested in participating in this training, or donating to benefit the ongoing efforts and upcoming hurricane season, may do so at https://www.txcumc.org/texasrecovers.

Main actions enacted by the conference 

- The Texas Annual Conference affirmed its commitment to the "We Love All God's Children" initiative www.txcumc.org/love

- The Texas Annual Conference affirmed its commitment to Texas Recovers (Hurricane Harvey Relief) and collected over $7,000 in books for churches affected by the hurricane. www.txcumc.org/texasrecovers

- The Texas Annual Conference received Bethany UMC as a legacy church and is transforming it for "We Love All God's Children."

' Inaugurated the Tour de Tac, an exploration of new church starts in the Texas Annual Conference. www.txcumc.org/tourdetac

- Authorized the Texas Annual Conference to begin a strategic mapping process to evaluate the efficiency of the Conference over the coming year.

 - Approved the budget, which was reduced.

- Approved the merger of the Texas Methodist Foundation and Heartspring.

Resolutions adopted

The only resolution adopted was Resolution # 3, to have Heart & Mind Listening sessions across the Texas Annual Conference.

Statistics

Number of people ordained, commissioned or received into associate membership, and average age: 13 persons ordained (average age 35), 16 persons commissioned (average age 37).

Did your clergy session approve any openly gay candidates for ministry? If so, how many? No.

Number of people retired: 25

Membership stands at 278,248, down 3,793 from the previous year.

Worship attendance stands at 94,429 , down 3,484.

Church school attendance stands at 37,472, down 2,227.

Professions or reaffirmations of faith for 2017: 2,441, down from 2016: 4,957.

Adults and young adults in small groups for 2017: 98,941 down from 2016: 104,447.

Worshippers engaged in mission for 2017: 85,680 up from 2016: 63,803.

What did your annual conference do to reinforce the Four Areas of Focus, and what commitments has the conference made for the coming year:

Developing principled Christian leaders: The Texas Conference has developed new Christian leaders through organizations we have created such as: The Texas Youth Academy, College Pastoral Internship Program, Advancing Pastoral Leadership Program, Lakeview Camp and Christian Cohorts and many others that have sprung up through Hurricane Harvey.

Creating new places for new people and revitalizing existing congregations: The Texas Annual Conference has planted and/or revitalized 10 new congregations this year.

Improving health: The Texas Annual Conference is working with a hospital system to create parish nursing opportunities through "We Love All God's Children," as well as multiple Health Fairs. "We Love All God's Children" is also partnering with the City of Houston on several upcoming projects for 2018.

Engaging in ministry with the poor: The Texas Annual Conference has engaged in ministry with the poor through grass roots programs we have initiated such as: We Love All God's Children, Fondren Apartment Ministries, and Cy Hope, an independent 5013c dedicated to reaching at-risk children in local schools.

‒— Submitted by Shannon Martin, communications director