ARKANSAS CONFERENCE 2008 JOURNAL
• Acknowledge laity as partners in ministry with clergy and help that come about as a reality.
• Educate and train laity about the United Methodist Church, it’s beliefs, it’s organization, and it’s
mission.
• Commit to equip clergy and laity for leadership roles through training and mentoring.
To Move From Maintenance to Mission:
Develop and promote a conference wide training event for laity and clergy. Vital Signs 2007 was held in
April of 2007 with approximately 400 people attending. The event will be held the third Saturday in April of
each year through 2015 as a means of promoting continuous learning.
To Identify, Enlist, and Retain Gifted Young Pastors Who Are Passionate About Making Disciples For
Christ:
Promoted Ministry Sunday through local church lay leaders.
To Evangelize and Disciple Children, Youth, and Young Adults:
Promoted successful programs and ministries for children, youth, and young adults in our local churches.
To Recruit A New Generation of Lay Leaders and To Equip All Laity to be Providers of Ministry in
Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Continued to offer the Lay Leadership Academy twice each year in partnership with District Leadership.
In addition, the board will actively promote and advocate the celebration of Ministry Sunday in every
congregation to invite laity of all ages to consider God’s call on their life to be in full time Christian service.
Asa L. Whitaker, Jr.
Conference Lay Leader
†††
COMMITTEE ON MISSION PERSONNEL
Under Arkansas Conference Strategic Initiative #5, the Committee on Mission Personnel encourages
district superintendents to consider their needs for lay missioners to work with the poor in their districts with
the expenses being shared by the districts and the conference. Cathy Larson continued as lay missioner at the
Open Door ministry at the Shorewood Hills United Methodist Church in 2007. Since this was the only district
application we had for 2007, we approved a conference application for a one-year lay missioner position for
Meredith O’Hara, who coordinates the Child Care Liaison Project. Our contribution to this program was
matched through other grants. Cathy Larson continues as lay missioner in 2008. Belinda Johnson, a new lay
missioner for 2008, works with the Haven Outreach and Community Development Project in Hot Springs. Both
of these missions are in South Central District. We hope to consider applications for lay missioners in additional
districts for 2009.
The General Board of Global Ministries recommends that conferences with two or more church and
community workers have a conference CCW advisory committee. The purpose of the committee is to act as a
support group for the church and community workers and their projects; a liaison between the CCW, the CCW
projects and the conference; and a public relations group to help interpret the role/work of the CCW within the
annual conference.
The Arkansas Conference CCW Advisory Committee was organized as a subcommittee of the Conference
Committee on Mission Personnel, with the chair of the CCMP also acting as chair of the new committee.
Additional members of the advisory committee include the conference=s church and community workers, a
member of each of their boards, chairs of the Board of Global Ministries and Sending Team, Conference
Secretary of Global Ministries, a representative of United Methodist Women, and the Conference Minister of
Mission.
The initial meeting of the advisory committee which was held in September 2007 was attended by all four
of the CCWs appointed to the conference at that time: Evelyn Banks-Shackleford of Marianna Larger Parish;
Johnny Stephens of St. James-Wesley Foundation in Pine Bluff; Steve Copley of Justice for Our Neighbors; and
Allyne Solomon, who was newly appointed to the Lower Delta Parish Community Outreach Ministry. This
meeting was an opportunity for the CCWs to get acquainted with each other, to share experiences, and to learn
from conference staff and committee chairs how they could access resources available for their work. A second
meeting was held in January 2008.
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