• By RJ Walters, Editor •
At the 2011 Detroit Annual Conference and West Michigan Annual Conference delegates were elected for the 2012 General Conference and 2012 Jurisdictional Conference.
The 2012 General Conference will take place in Tampa, Fl. from April 24 to May 4 and the North Central Jurisdictional Conference will run from July 17-21 in Akron, Ohio.
The conferences will work to set policy and direction for the church, as well as handle other business of the global and national church. General Conference is the only entity that speaks for The United Methodist Church.
Detroit Conference Jurisdictional Conference clergy delegates
Age: 52 Church: First United Methodist Church of Brighton
# of times elected: General Conference – 1; Jurisdictional Conference - 1
Parker has served actively on the Board of Ordained Ministry, as well as a variety of other conference and district committees. She is particularly interested in the conference petitions that involve restructuring brought to light by the Call to Action Report in 2010, hoping that prayerful changes will be made to equip the church for future ministry growth.
Age: 56-65 Church: First United Methodist Church of Midland
# of times elected: Jurisdictional Conference – 2
Landis is well-known throughout the conference for fostering a local church environment that encourages young people to consider their call to ministry. In 2010 Swartz Creek United Methodist Church received the Culture of Call Award from the Foundation of Evangelism under his leadership.
Age: 56-65 Church: Saline First United Methodist Church
# of times elected: General Conference – 3; Jurisdictional Conference - 6
Tuttle has a special affinity for all ages of the church having worked as a youth pastor before moving onto his career as an associate pastor and then a senior pastor. He has held conference leadership roles on youth councils and committees and has long been involved in recreation and camp ministries as well organizations like the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and Conference Board of Pensions and Health Benefits.
Age: 40-55 Church: Newburg United Methodist Church
# of times elected: Jurisdictional Conference – 1
Woolley has taken an active role in conference leadership through positions like the Program Chair for the Detroit Annual Conference and the chair of the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. She said the diminishing resources and mounting financial issues in local churches will allow conference sessions to “re-imagine how best to do what we do best.” Woolley believes the ongoing conversation on who is “fully included” in the denominational circle is important as well, and should be handled with integrity, grace and openness.
Detroit Conference Jurisdictional Conference lay delegates
Age: 74 Church: Oxford United Methodist Church
# of times elected: Jurisdictional Conference – 1
The current North Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Men President is passionate about representing men’s ministries that engage people in local churches. He said he expects there to be a lot of debate about the issue of homosexuality and how it pertains to clergy and lay leaders in the UMC. “This is a very sensitive issue,” he said. “My hope is that it will be dealt with in accordance with Biblical values and standards.”
Age: 50 Church: Ypsilanti First United Methodist
# of times elected: Jurisdictional Conference – 2
Brown has a keen interest in the structure and management of the United Methodist Church, evident by her role as the Chair of the Detroit Annual Conference Reference and Daily Procedure Committee the past five years. She said along with a bevy of social action-related issues and a discussion about how to grow local congregations, she hopes conference addresses how churches can enhance their efficiency in an era of budget cuts. She said people need to strive to have compassion and push for inclusion during conference debates.
Age: 56-65 Church: Scott Memorial United Methodist Church
# of times elected: Not available
She has been the conference president of United Methodist Women and served the district in a bevy of roles in her 30 years of service at Scott Memorial UMC. She was a mission ambassador to Sudan in 2009-10 and has a long history of missional work in Liberia.
Age: Over 65 Church: Sandusky First United Methodist Church
# of times elected: General Conference – 2; Jurisdictional Conference – 3
Schramm has held a laundry list of district and conference leadership positions the past four decades including the conference’s president of United Methodist Women. She has been a member of Sandusky FUMC since 1975.
Also:
A glance at the Detroit Conference delegates elected for the 2012 General Conference
A glance at the West Michigan Conference delegates elected for the 2012 General Conference
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