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A message from (Missouri's) Bishop Farr in preparation for General Conference next week:

Beginning next Tuesday,  April 23, through May 3, United Methodists from around the world will gather at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina for the postponed 2020 General Conference. The theme for the gathering comes from Psalm 46:10: “… and know that I am God.” In all that the General Conference does, join me in praying that God guides every decision, and we witness the Holy Spirit working among us.

I encourage you to pray daily for the Holy Spirit to use each one of us and for the General Conference to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We need your prayers as we enter into this time of holy conferencing. You might consider using the Upper Room’s devotional guide. Please pray especially for:

  • Missouri’s six clergy and six lay delegates and four reserve delegates and all 862 delegates. Please pray for them continually as they do the work of discerning through over 1,000 petitions.
  • Our North Carolina and Western North Carolina Annual Conference hosts. The work of offering welcome to thousands of delegates, staff, volunteers and guests for two weeks is challenging to say the least.
  • United Methodist agency staff and particularly lay and clergy volunteers who have sacrificed time and money to serve in a hospitality capacity. I give thanks for these persons and their time.

At the end of this email, we have provided some resources to help you and your leadership navigate the news and decisions arising from the General Conference. If you have not yet watched the GC2020 preview we recorded in early March, you might want to check that out.
 
While no one knows the future or what General Conference will do, one thing remains certain: The mission of the Church is unchanging. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The Missouri Conference’s part in that work is to “relentlessly lead our churches to become outwardly focused and spiritually centered Christ followers.” We will continue to do this important work because our churches are needed in our communities throughout Missouri. Sunday’s coming, friends, and there are people out there that need to be reminded that God loves them, and God desperately loves the world. May we be a bridge between the two.
 
In Christ+
 
Robert D. Farr
Bishop, Missouri Annual Conference
of The United Methodist Church
3601 Amron Court
Columbia, MO 65202
573.777.1290 Office