General Conference
Day 10
May 2, 2008

It has been a whirlwind few days – so much so that I literally haven’t had the time to write.

I have never multi-tasked as much as I have at this General Conference. Let me summarize some of the events that have occupied my time:

Revision of paragraph 161g & the response of the Gay & Lesbian Community.

Our church has once again affirmed its current stance on the ordination of homosexuals. In the midst of that we revised our current paragraph 161g in the Book of Discipline on human sexuality. Needless to say, this whole discussion caused a great deal of pain in the body of the General Conference on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. It doesn’t matter what side our delegates were on – there was hurt and pain as everyone watched our body struggle through a subject where there is no peace. Everyone was hurting. While that was a struggle-filled experience, it did signal the strength of our attempt to be involved in “holy conferencing.” The body understood what is written in I Corinthians 12:26-27: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” This is a body that does not agree on some critical issues. But it is a body that cares and has struggled successfully to love one another in the midst of our differences.
On Thursday morning, there was a “witness” from several hundred gay & lesbian persons & supporters who wanted to address their hurt to the body. The demonstration was negotiated with the Council of Bishops. We as a council met for several hours to affirm our sense of unity with one another and to come to peace with the varieties of expressions that would come. When the “witness” occurred, I moved onto the floor and spent time praying with our delegation. It was something I and others in the council felt led to do. Some stayed in their places. Some stood. Some moved among the body to pray. What resulted was, on the whole, a time of great blessing. It was a holy moment – conservatives & liberals gathered among one another. Some were singing in the midst of their hurt. Others werepraying in the midst of their hurt. While some may disagree with me, I felt a sense of grace and holiness in this time.

Presentation from Bill Gates, Sr.

This was a historical moment for our church. We have never been involved in any kind of significant “secular” partnerships in ministry until “Nothing But Nets” came along. The events around Mr. Bill Gates, Sr. coming to the General Conference were a signal that this amazing work of partnership had reached a new level of importance. Mr. Gates was charming, eloquent, and extremely focused. While he did not know much about United Methodism (until he had lunch with me & Bishop Huie, of course), he nailed his speech with the one clear understanding he did have of our church and John Wesley -- “the world is our parish.” He noted that, as a church, we have the history and the connectional strength of our denomination. He held the General Conference spell bound with his focus on malaria and our need to partner together to get the job done. I was privileged to share the day with him as a host and to gain insight into his heart and mind.

The Nothing But Nets Bids

This General Conference blessed my heart in a way that I cannot accurately describe to you. From a spontaneous move to collect an offering on World Malaria Day, we moved from $15,000.00 that day to a bidding war over the basketball I used in my presentation. Each day those bids grew in an unbelievable fashion. Today, I had the privilege of presenting that basketball to the West Ohio Annual Conference who had the winning bid of $80,000.00! The combined bids, along with a matching gift from Bill Gates, Sr. for the highest bid, this General Conference raised $480,000.00 for Nothing but Nets. What a blessing! I am so grateful to be associated with this effort and I was so proud of the commitment demonstrated by this General Conference.

Presiding at General Conference

In the midst of press conferences, legislative debates, malaria fund-raising, and the organization of our new Global Health Initiative, on Wednesday afternoon I was approached about presiding at the Friday morning session of the General Conference. When I agreed to do this, they then told me that I would be shepherding the process of approving the church’s budget for the next four years! I had, of course, never presided at General Conference before. As you might imagine, my anxiety level was high yet I entered into it in the very same manner that I enter a pulpit on Sunday morning. I saw it as an opportunity to show the face of Christ, to shepherd the body in making the best decision possible, and to humbly enter into the role as a servant of the church. It was a marvelous blessing for me. The discussion was good. The presentations were well done and, as a result, the budget passed in historic time.
When a bishop presides, they have the opportunity to pick two back-ups who assist them. On this first occasion of presiding, I chose my two bishops – Bishop William Boyd Grove, my ordaining bishop; and Bishop S. Clifton Ives, the bishop who really gave me the opportunity to spread my wings and fly in ministry. What an awesome privilege to share this day with them and what an amazing opportunity to serve the church in this fashion.

Concluding Session

Here we sit. It’s 10:46 p.m. and we are still working to finish our work. Every four years, we find ourselves meeting into a Friday night to give care and attention to petitions that are thoughtfully and passionately brought before us. It’s late. Everyone is tired. And yet, we press on, knowing that it will be four years before we are together again. More than that, we also know that we are guardians of the people – their passions and their needs.
Tomorrow I begin the trek home. I will come home with a satchel full of experiences that will be with me for a lifetime. I will come home different than when I left. I will come home physically exhausted but spiritually blessed by the amazing presence of Christ that is in this place. It is that same presence of Christ that will bless our Annual Conference, sustain our ministries, and inform our callings.

So, on this night, when physical exhaustion is a reality, I remember the words of a song by Rev. James Cleveland:

I don't feel no ways tired,

I've come too far from where I started from.

Nobody told me that the road would be easy,

I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me.
May it be so!
The Journey Continues, . . .