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2015 California-Nevada Annual Conference Wrap Up Report

June 17 to 20, 2015 in Burlingame, California

Addressing more than 1,000 attendees, San Francisco Episcopal Area Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. told the 167th session of the California-Nevada Annual Conference: "God can create a people, a powerful people, out of the most unlikely candidates…He looked around the world and found this rag tag bunch that he shaped into a people…  We are standing as the church for the healing of our society."

 
This is the second year the annual conference met in Burlingame, California near San Francisco after many consecutive years meeting in Sacramento.
 
In keeping with this year’s theme, “Engaging Faith in the Public Square,” the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra was the featured speaker. Salvatierra is the author, with Dr. Peter Heltzel, of “Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World” (Intervarsity Press), and the founder of the Faith-Rooted Organizing UnNetwork.  She is a Lutheran Pastor with over 35 years of experience in community ministry, including church-based service and community development programs, congregational and community organizing, and legislative advocacy.
 
Her Friday keynote was "Doing Justice While Loving Mercy," and Saturday keynote, “Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves.” She asked those gathered, "What does it mean for us as local churches to do justice? How does the world break your heart?"  Salvatierra says the church does not have a compassion problem, but sometimes a vision problem.  "We will never be a body alive until we are fully connected."
 
Aeri Lee, worship leader, pianist and conductor led the annual conference in worship.  Lee has served as music director, and adjunct faculty in Christian worship at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, and currently serves as the worship coordinator at Oakland, California’s Chinese Community United Methodist Church. Since 2003, the Korean-born artist has been a member of the Global Praise Working Group at the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries and has led numerous workshops on Global Praise Music.
 
Bishop Bobby R. Best, Presiding Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church served as the preacher for the Service of Ordination.  He preached from the theme, "Activating Idle Faith."  Bishop Best challenged the ordinands, and those gathered, to lend their support and voice to eliminate police brutality, poverty, and racism.  He said, "Prayer is critical and crucial, but it ought not to be the only thing we do…we have to do something after we pray…We have to do some things after we finish saying what we believe...God expects us to be an arm of extension for him for his grace and his glory."
 
Bishop Brown welcomed the Rev. Tevita Nawadra Banivanua, Associate General Secretary of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, who participated throughout the session.
 
The annual conference celebrated the chartering of three new United Methodist Churches: Cambodian Bayside UMC, Alameda, Calif.; First Taulanga-U Tongan UMC of Sacramento, Calif.; and Reno First Tongan UMC, Reno, Nevada.  Five congregations were designated as mission congregations:  East Salinas Family Center, Salinas, Calif.; Mision Metodista Hispana, Soledad, Calif.; San Jose Tongan Fellowship, Sunnyvale, Calif.; Hmong Fellowship, Marysville, Calif.; Korean Fellowship, Clovis, Calif.

Two years ago, the annual conference session launched a conference wide Imagine No Malaria Initiative to raise $2 million over a two-year period to conclude at the end of 2015. The conference celebrated raising $1.75 million towards the $2 million goal. Last September, Bishop Brown along with the four district superintendents, launched the $100K District Challenge in which each district attempted to raise $100,000 by the annual conference sessions towards the goal.  More than $377,000 was raised resulting in two district superintendents taking pies to the face on the stage, and two district superintendents shaving their heads. 

The conference passed a budget of $6,168,408 budget for mission and ministry for 2016, a three percent increase from 2015, and renewed its commitment to moving towards paying 100 percent of general church apportionments.
 
In what has become a tradition for Bishop Brown’s episcopacy, he washed the feet of the newly commissioned ordinands.  Three elders in full connection were ordained, and two provisional deacons and 12 provisional elders were commissioned on Friday evening. Five licensed local pastors were received as well.
 

 

 

 

Twenty-three clergy and spouses who died in the past year were remembered during a memorial service.
 

 

 

 

 

Ten clergy retired, representing more than 245 years of service.

 

 

 

Statistics:

Membership stands at 74,228, down 538 from the previous year.
Worship attendance stands at 31,099, down 429.
Church school attendance stands at 6,754, up 633.
Professions of faith stand at 1,236, down 151.
Baptisms stand at 724, down 92.
Attendance in Christian Formation groups stands at 30,851, up 1,532.

-Dr. Larry R. Hygh, Jr., director of communications, California-Nevada Annual Conference

$100 K CHALLENGE AS OF ANNUAL CONFERENCE SESSION:

Two years ago, the annual conference session launched a conference-wide Imagine No Malaria initiative to raise $2 million over a two-year period to conclude at the end of 2015. The annual conference session celebrated raising $1.75 million towards the $2 million goal. Last September, Bishop Brown, along with the four district superintendents, launched the $100K District Challenge in which each district attempted to raise $100,000 by the annual conference session toward the goal. More than $377,000 was raised resulting in two district superintendents taking pies to the face on the stage, and two district superintendents shaving their heads.  

The following are totals for the Imagine No Malaria $100 K Challenge as of Friday, June 19:
- Bridges District                                    $73,025.41
- Central Valley District                           $91,450,87
- El Camino Real District                         $118,159.56
- Great Northern District                          $95,077.91

These are totals for gifts from local churches beginning September 1 until June 19 and include $13,444.00 that was collected during the annual conference offering for a total of $377,713.75. The campaign continues until the end of 2015. For Imagine No Malaria resources and to donate, click here. Gifts can also be sent to the Conference Center, Attn: Conference Treasurer, P.O. Box 980250, West Sacramento, CA 95798-0250 and place "Imagine No Malaria" in the subject line.

VIDEOS AND PRESENTATIONS:

All sermons and keynote presentations, including Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr., and the Rev. Alexia Salvatierra will be available on the conference website in approximately three weeks.

The following are now available:
New Church Starts Video
Capital City Circles Initiative Video
Closing Worship Video
Rev. Alexia Salvatierra PowerPoint Presentation
Core Team PowerPoint Presentation
Inclusive Church Litany
General Conference 2016 Appeal for Volunteers
UMCOR 75th Anniversary Video

CONFERENCE LAY LEADER ELECT:

Micheal Pope, Lay Leader of Concord United Methodist Church
To read more about Pope, click here.

BISHOP'S AWARDS:

 

Amy Nichols - Open Door UMC


Steve Elliott - Asbury UMC


 
Walter Manuofetoa – San Bruno UMC


Chantha Yos – Bayside Cambodian Fellowship

BISHOP MELVIN TALBERT AWARD

Rev. Siosifa Hingano

GENERAL AND JURISDICITONAL CONFERENCE DELEGATES:

General Conference Delegates:

Lay

Emily Allen

Burt Yin

Randall Miller

Clergy

Jeffrey Kuan

 

Greg Bergquist

 

Karen Oliveto

Jurisdictional Conferences Delegates:

Lay

Gayle Shearman

Wesley Hingano

 

Emily Bennett

Emma Kerr-Carpenter

Rob Dunning

Mari Kawaguchi

Ruby Bago

Clergy

 

Siosifa Hingano

 

Odette Lockwood-Stewart

 

Dale Weatherspoon

Felicisimo Cao

Elizabeth Brick

 

Bener Agtarap

 

Schuyler Rhodes

Reserves:

Lay

Katherine Kim

James Eychaner

Kyna McNaught

Nina Klepac

Beverly Pool

Clergy

Kathy LaPoint-Collup

 

Myrna Bernadel Hughey

 

Motoe Yamada-Foor

 

Jola Bortner

Jeong Park

PASSED LEGISLATION:

The proposed legislation and recommendations passed and amendments to legislation will be available on the annual conference website as soon as it is available.

 

Get in touch

Dr. Larry R. Hygh, Jr.
Director of Communications
larryh@calnevumc.org
916.374.1529
 
Toua Yang
Communications Associate
touay@calnevumc.org
916.374.1518
CA-NV Annual Conference
1276 Halyard Drive
West Sacramento, CA 95691
916.374.1500
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