2020 Northwest Texas Annual Conference

The Northwest Texas Conference held its annual meeting at The Overton Hotel in Lubbock.  A joint event with the New Mexico Conference had been planned for three days in June. Because of the pandemic, the Northwest Texas Conference met alone with the schedule compressed into a single day — August 15.

The Rev. Felicia Hopkins, Amarillo District superintendent, preached at opening worship. Bishop Earl Bledsoe, who oversees the Northwest Texas and New Mexico conferences, preached at closing worship.

The Rev. Jeff Fisher was installed as conference secretary. Other conference leaders are staying in their positions through the extended quadrennium.

An amended Commitment to Creation Care resolution submitted by the conference UMW was adopted.  So were three resolutions from the conference Board of Pensions & Health Benefits: 1) Adoption of Comprehensive Funding Plan; 2) rental/housing allowances for retired or disabled clergy of the conference, 3) Past Service Rate (PSR) for the calculation of benefits under the pre-1982 pension plan and the pre-1982 plan Retiree Grant Program.

The 2020 conference budget was approved as were resolutions for closing Ackerly United Methodist Church and Lakeview Dalhart United Methodist Church.

Two clergy candidates were commissioned and six clergy retired.

Membership stands at 50, 130, down 2,207 from last year. Average worship attendance is at 16,244, down 244. Church school attendance is at 8,811, up 531.

Professions or reaffirmations of faith totaled 591, up 1.

Small group attendance was down over last year but the number of those engaged in mission work rose.

Northwest Texas Conference delegates for the 2021 General Conference are as follows:

Clergy: Rich Jones, Stan Cosby, Steve Brooks, Travis Bennett

Laity: Ron Enns*, Randy Stutes, Mikey Littau, Jeff Robinson

*head of the delegation

— Jaime Montgomery, director of communications and discipleship