May 6, 2004

Today at General Conference is the official daily electronic newsletter of the 2004 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. Today is published by United Methodist Communications. Contact the editor by e-mail with your questions.

HEADLINES

• Bishop tells conference ‘It’s a spiritual matter’
  Bishop Robert E. Fannin told the 2004 United Methodist General Conference that “most of the questions, concerns and opportunities facing the church are spiritual matters.” In his sermon during the May 6 morning worship service, Fannin, episcopal leader of the Birmingham Area, also told those gathered, “The world is craving to hear the Good News, and we need to find the spirit and the enthusiasm to say, ‘He lives, He lives and He lives in the United Methodist Church!’”

• Delegates keep black church initiative, create black heritage center
  African-American United Methodist churches will continue to be strengthened and revitalized for mission and ministry for another four years. Delegates to the 2004 General Conference of the United Methodist Church decided that  May 5 as they approved continuation of the Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century (SBC21) initiative. They also approved creation of an African-American Methodist Heritage Center.

• Delegates retain mandatory retirement age rules
  Measures that would have eliminated mandatory retirement of clergy, general agency staff and bishops were rejected by the 2004 United Methodist General Conference on May 4.  Several petitions sought to change or eliminate the mandatory age of 70 for retirement.

• Delegates vote to fund global education, Africa University
  The growth of the United Methodist Church, which in 2003 touted a membership of more than 10 million, can be attributed, in part, to evangelism efforts in Africa, southeast Asia and Europe.  On May 6, General Conference delegates voted to provide schools in those regions and around the world with more resources to educate people doing the work of the church.

• Church Creates Connectional Table to Lead General Agency Work
  The United Methodist Church has decided to create a “Connectional Table” to guide the work of the denomination’s general agencies.  The Connectional Table that was approved May 5 by delegates to the church’s General Conference is substantially different from the model proposed by the denomination’s General Council on Ministries.

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