Dear Friends,

 

Greetings in the name of Jesus!  This year’s session of our Annual Conference was held on June 12th through 14th at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie.  Our church was well represented.  In additions to Pastor Amanda, Pastor Alyce and me, Patty Burdett served as our lay member.  Jennie Smith, our Children’s Ministries Director, worked in childcare.  Our youth present included Olivia Gilligan, Samuel Gilligan, and Chase Rinker.  Shane Hinderliter served in his role as Camping Coordinator for our Annual Conference and Mallory Miles was an equalization member for the Pittsburgh District.  Larry Burdett worked at the display table for “At the Lake Ministries.” 

 

Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball presided over her first Annual Conference as our episcopal leader.  The theme for this year’s conference was “Reconnect” based on Romans 12:5 “We, who are many, are one body in Christ.”  Much of what we did focused on reconnecting with God and with each other as the body of Christ.  This was the first of a four-year process developed by the bishop and conference leaders with the goal of bringing us back together following Covid and disaffiliation. 

 

We reconnect as the body of Christ by remembering our baptism.  During opening worship, water from around our conference was poured together to symbolize our oneness in Christ - many streams, one Spirit. This theme flowed throughout the sessions and into the closing worship. As attendees departed the Erie Bayfront Convention Center on Saturday, they were encouraged to take a vial of water from the four baptismal fonts lining the exit hallway, carrying home to their local churches a portion of the connectional waters from the Annual Conference.  In fact, a few drops of water from one of those vials were added to our baptismal font prior to a baptism celebrated in our sanctuary in June.

 

There are special events that take place at each session of the Annual Conference.  The celebration of ministry included the ordination of one Elder, the commissioning of three Provisional Elders, and the consecration of a Deaconess.  Our own Leah Swineford was recognized and blessed in absentia as she continues her work in Zimbabwe. This service also included the recognition of our retiring clergy.

 

The Memorial service gives opportunity to remember the clergy, spouses and lay members of conference who have gone on to the Church Triumphant.  That service also includes the list of the churches, which are closing or have closed.  All those names are read in the hope of resurrection.

 

In addition to inspiring worship and Bible studies, there is business to be done.  We heard the State of the Church address.  It was a collaborative effort from conference leaders and the bishop.  They shared that while we are smaller than we were, the ministry is still vital in Western Pennsylvania.  Bishop Seiner Ball concluded it with a breakthrough prayer for our conference.  I hope that concept sounds familiar to you since we have been praying our own breakthrough prayer as a church this summer! 

 

There was legislation discussed by the whole conference instead of being split into smaller section meetings.  This revised way of doing business served us well.  The bishop read and fixed the appointments, including appointing Pastor Amanda and myself back to Bakerstown!  To read more, you can go to the Annual Conference 2025 link at wpaumc.org, which served as the foundation of this report. As I conclude the first month of the appointment year, I look forward to continuing in ministry with you and seeing what God has in store for us!

 

Blessings,

Pastor Keith