2020 Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference

An abbreviated 2020 session of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference was held virtually on Saturday, Oct. 3. It was not possible to hold any part of the annual conference in person with the measures necessary to safeguard against spread of the coronavirus. Ordination and commissioning services will take place in 2021.

The Oct. 3 one-day session, held via Zoom, included worship with music by several local church groups, Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi’s State of the Conference address, a financial update and a question-an-answer time. Videos of the bishop’s address and other sessions, as well as reports from the Five Areas of Focus, are posted online. 

The Conference Sessions Prayer Team offered a virtual Prayer Room on both Friday and Saturday, with appointments or drop-in prayer opportunities. 

A rule dating to 1970 requires in-person voting to allow full discussion of issues before the annual conference, so no official business requiring a vote was conducted during the virtual session. 

The Conference Leadership Table, which is empowered to act on any necessary business between Conference sessions, approved the 2021 connectional apportionment budget of $8,417,790 and it will go into effect on Jan. 1. The 2021 budget is $429,557 less than the approved 2020 connectional apportionment budget.

Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi’s 2020 State of the Conference address, which was recorded at Camp Allegheny and Healthy Village Learning Institute, opened with words from the prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 17:7-8.

 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending down its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green’ in a year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. 

“We are an annual conference that trusts and hopes in the Lord. We are WPA Chic: Clothed in Trust!” she said. “Because of this, many of us have not been paralyzed by fear; but have worked through our anxiety and continued to do ministry. 

The bishop pointed to many examples of places where ministry has been fruitful and changing lives, including Healthy Village and our United Methodist Camps. She presented brief videos with these examples:

•  Jumonville U, a ministry of that serves families in the Uniontown area by providing space at the camp for children to do their online learning during the school day and enjoy fun activities;
• The Somerset County Mobile Food Bank and the Solar Samaritans, who installed solar panels on the food bank’s warehouse (both ministries were launched by United Methodists);
• Pastor Bruce Judy, who preached from the back of his pickup truck, and the worship team at First UMC in Irwin who held services in the parking lot that attracted both church members and visitors.

“We have been bearing fruit in all corners of our annual conference, and across all aspects of our diversity,” the bishop said. “In that I hope we can all find some unique joy.”

In the closing segment of the video, Bishop Moore-Koikoi said anyone putting their hope for an end to conflict in a political candidate or party for even in the General Conference will be disappointed.

“Historically, no action of the General Conference, schism or reunification within the church has brought an end to conflict.  Such actions have only shifted the impact of the conflict to different communities within the church.

 “We cannot put our trust or our hope into people or systems,” she said.  “The only remedy for fear and anxiety is to put our trust and hope in the Lord.”

The State of the Conference video, as well as links to Five Areas of Focus video reports and other information, can be found at wpaumc.org/AC. 

During the Zoom plenary session, Bishop Moore-Koikoi and the Rev. Alan Morrison, chair of the Conference Sessions Team, presented a report on moving the site of the 2021 Annual Conference session to the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. Since before 1970, the Conference session has been held at Grove City College. The Sessions Team, in consultation with the bishop, has the power to set the location of the annual conference. 

Afternoon sessions of the 2020 virtual annual conference offered time for participants to gather online with others who shared interest in various ministries to hear updates and connect. The groups included Leadership, Missions, Evangelism, Dismantling Racism, COSROW and United Methodist Women. 

Among the reports submitted for the Annual Conference was a message from leaders of the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Delegation, which will remain in place for the postponed sessions scheduled for 2021. The Rev. Alyce Weaver-Dunn, chair, and Vicki Stahlman, vice-chair, said the delegation hoped to resume monthly meetings in March 2021. “The Delegation had been meeting faithfully in 2019-2020 in preparation for the conferences. When we begin meeting again next year, we will have a solid foundation to stand upon as we make final preparations for the postponed 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences,” they said. 

Membership stands at 150,210, down 3,291 from the previous year.

Worship attendance stands at 43,620, down 2,155 from the previous year, but online worship attendance in 2019 rose slightly to 2,944.

Professions or reaffirmations of faith for 2019 were 1,239, down 41 from 2018.

Church school attendance stands at 13,681, down 335 from the previous year.

Adults and young adults in small groups for 2019 was 2,999, down 66 from the 2018 total of 3,065.

Engagement in mission for 2019 was 21,784, up 1,476 from the previous year.