Sunday

We were called to order at 6:30 p.m.

Procedure for elections was explained.  Over the next 3 days we were to elect clergy and lay delegates to attend the General and Jurisdictional Conferences.  These conferences take place every 4 years.  We also voted on Resolutions and Petitions were passed to be sent to the General Conference.

Resolutions determine how we think, feel and act as Methodists.

Petitions determine the Discipline, how we are governed.

Prior to the Annual Conference all lay and clergy members received a Book of Reports to be read prior to arrival.  Reports from all conference committees were included.  At Annual Conference they were presented and submitted for approval.

Monday

I am pleased to report the Holston Conference is alive and well.  We are Boldly, Passionately, and Joyfully Making Disciples of Jesus Christ!  A few highlights include the following:

1)          A shipping container was located on the grounds; so, we could see the kits that the Holston Conference was shipping to Liberia and Zimbabwe.  They totaled 6,300.  Your generosity kept the children in Zimbabwe from going hungry.

2)         Methodist churches in Brazil are growing at the rate of 200%.  Our gift exceeded the $100,000 goal for their evangemed (medical care for the people) and mission school (theological education for the small church pastors who budgets can’t handle the tuition and travel)

3)         Our apportionments not only cover the Health and Retirement for clergy, but much of it comes back to the local churches for camp scholarships, underwriting for Resurrection, college campus work, computers and salary supplements for small churches, foreign missions and fresh drinking water in Sudan.

4)         Bishop Swanson was proud to announce that Holston is the #1 Conference in the nation in Ordination for new ministers under the age of 35.

Tuesday

The good news continues between voting for General Conference delegates.

1)         More than $44,000 was raised for “change for children.”  Our Children’s Ministries is like a special mission field.  It includes camping (for more information see www.holstoncamping.com), Youth Ministries, Marriage Ministries, Adult Ministries, etc.

2)         We had a speaker, Rozetta Mowery, who had lived at the Holston Home for Children as a child who wrote a book about her experience, Tragedy in Tin Can Holler.  An incredible story!

3)         Higher Education report thanked the conference for the support for our 3 colleges:  Emory & Henry, Hiwassee and Tennessee Wesleyan.

4)         Leadership Institute report included the pilgrimage trip planned called the Exodus Experience. It is a 10 day trip with an optional 5 days that cover Egypt, Israel and Jordon.  (Check the website for details www.holston.org

Events of the day included:

1)         The Brazil offering reached $106,621.64 and still counting.

2)         “Change for Children” offering exceeded $50,500.

3)         The trustee report included details about the moving of the offices to the Alcoa Center, and the purchasing of the property resulted in NO INCREASE in the conference budget.

4)         United Methodist Men (UMM) will celebrate 100 years in 2008.

The Conference was filled with worship, celebrating the Lord, our God in services for worship beginning with Chapel Worship at 7:45 a.m. and also including special services for Remembrance, Retirement and Commissioning Celebration, Ordination, a special Celebration of Worship and a Sending Forth Service.  Special times included the music provided by the Liberian choir and a scripture read from a Bible translated into the Liberian language (Their choir director read it) and Bishop Swanson having all the children on stage for the reading of The Spyglass (children’s church) prior to his sermon.

Celebrate Holston Conference’s leadership.  Bishop Swanson is a spirit-filled, godly man with the wisdom and peace to handle resolutions put before the conference that divide our membership.  He continually reminded us that we are there to love and serve one another and the world, though we may not always agree.  He is the type of Bishop that should make us proud that we are United Methodists.

The Bishop’s parting pearls of wisdom were:

- Share the spirit of the gathering.

- Share the vision for what God wants of us.

- We are partners, lay and clergy.  There are no coward soldiers in the Lord’s army.