Schedule 1 Welcome Opening Prayer 2 Overview Goals

Schedule 1. Welcome & Opening Prayer 2. Overview (Goals & Covenant) 3. Centering 4. Micro Groups 5. Break 6. Small & Large-Group Time 7. Closing Prayer

Upcoming Weeks • Session 1 – Introduction • Session 2 –

Opening Prayer [Your text here. ]

Goals • Information about General Conference 2020 • Learn from one another • Build trust and deepen relationships

Guideline / Covenant [Your text here. ]

Scripture Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. 2 Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, 3 and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together…

Scripture 4 You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all. Ephesians 4: 1 -6 CEB

Lectio Divina • What word or phrase sticks with you from the passage? • Where do you hear God speaking to you in this passage? • Who is God calling you to be in light of this passage?

Micro Groups • How did you come to participate with a United Methodist congregation?

Micro Groups • What brought you here?

Hymn [Your text here. ]

How we think • Need for neurological safety • Dialogue not debate

How we think we arrive at our conclusions Fact s Reasoning and Interpretation Conclusions

How we think How we actually arrive at our conclusions Emotional Commitment/ Desires In-Group Reasoning Justifying reasoning Biase s Interpretation of Facts Cultural Narratives and Values Conclusion

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • 2 or more denominations would result • A new traditionalist denomination is formed another denomination potentially • The UMC continues after separation

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Decisions – Central conferences, by 2/3 majority, may vote to form/join a new Methodist denomination. Jurisdictions are not addressed. – Annual conferences, by 57% majority, may vote to form/join a new Methodist denomination.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Decisions – Local churches, by either a simple or 2/3 majority, may choose a different denomination that of their annual conference and retain property, assets, and liabilities. – Clergy remain members of their annual conference, unless they choose otherwise.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Requirements – New Methodist denominations must meet qualification standards, including expressed intent to join from 100+ UM churches. – Moratorium on all complaints related to LGBTQ prohibitions takes effect at the end of GC 2020.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Requirements – Local churches affiliating with a new denomination must maintain connectional responsibilities until separation. – Separating churches/entities do not retain rights to use the UM name, cross and flame, or other intellectual property.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Finance/Assets – $25 M over four years is paid to qualified traditionalist denomination(s) with no further claims to United Methodist assets. – $2 M is escrowed for other possible new denominations.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Finance/Assets – $39 M is allocated over eight years to support ethnic ministries and Africa University. – Property, assets, and liabilities of annual and central conferences are retained by those entities regardless of affiliation.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Finance/Assets – Pension liabilities, per Wespath provisions, health insurance and property insurance will be paid or assumed by the new denomination.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Timeline – May 15, 2020 – All provisions take effect. – Jan 1, 2021 – Legally constituted new denominations may begin to function.

Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation • Timeline – July 1, 2021 – Deadline for U. S. annual conference votes and U. S. clergy to express intent to align with a different denomination from that of their annual conference. – Dec 31, 2021 – Central conference deadline to vote to affiliate with a new denomination.

Expressing Emotions

Break

Small-Group Dialogue • What are your hopes for the 2020 General Conference?

Small Group Dialogue • How might the actions (or inactions) of General Conference 2020 affect you and your congregation?

Small Group Dialogue [Your text here. ]

Large-Group Dialogue • What have you learned from our time together?

Closing Prayer [Your text here. ]

Praying for General Conference UMCPrays. org

Schedule 1. Welcome & Opening Prayer 2. Overview 3. Micro Groups 4. Break 5. Small & Large-Group Time 6. Closing Prayer

Upcoming Weeks • • Session 1 – Introduction Session 2 – One Church Model Session 3 – Connectional Conference Session 4 – Traditional Plan

Opening Prayer [Your text here. ]

Goals • Information about General Conference 2020 • Learn from one another • Build trust and deepen relationships

Guideline / Covenant [Your text here. ]

Scripture Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, 2 complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other…

Scripture 3 Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. 4 Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Philippians 2: 1 -4 CEB

Lectio Divina • What word or phrase sticks with you from the passage? • Where do you hear God speaking to you in this passage? • Who is God calling you to be in light of this passage?

Micro Group Dialogue • What are your hopes for our dialogues?

Hymn [Your text here. ]

Large-Group Dialogue • Questions and Answers

Small-Group Dialogue • Where do you believe God is guiding the church?

Small-Group Dialogue • What Bible stories or passages shape how we might view this?

Break

World Cafe Dialogue • My hope for the church is…

Large-Group Dialogue • What do we hope the community hears from this local church? What is our witness to the community during this time?

Written Exercise • What do you need to move forward? What do you still need to revolve?

Closing Prayer [Your text here. ]