12A
to Imagine Ministry, as well as Conference task forces on children and youth ministry, ethnic ministries and young adult ministry. T ese groups will provide further updates and recommendations at the 2012 Annual Conference. “Our next step is to begin the
The Rev. Steve Coburn, a member of the transition team tasked with implementing the Imagine Ministry plan, presents the team’s report to the
Oct. 29 Called Session of the Arkansas Annual Conference. AUM PHOTO BY AMY FORBUS
Session (continued from page 1A)
premiums for the second half of 2012. T e amount had not been known at the time the report was issued, but has since been determined. T e motion replaced the estimated cost with the confi rmed cost, which is lower than the estimate. Aſt er speeches relating to the
stress the Conference budget places on small congregations, lay member Jay Clark asked for clarifi cation on how much direct control the Conference has over its budget. Clef Vaughan of CFA explained that
because of insurance premiums, pensions and general church apportionments, the Conference has direct control over only about 20 to 30 percent of its budget. Many budget questions cannot
yet be answered because the work of the transition team continues. CFA member Don Riggin said that more clarifi cation will be available in the spring of 2012. T e budget passed as amended.
Reports given T e agenda also included
reports from the task forces relating
dreaming process,” said the Rev. David Freeman, convener of the Conference Task Force on Young Adult Ministry. T e group understands that their task is a spiritual one, and Freeman invited the members of the Conference to join them in prayer, fasting and study. As a time-saving measure,
Bishop Crutchfi eld requested that questions for the task forces be submitted by e-mail to Jim Kimsey, a lay member of the transition team, at
Jim@kimzeyinc.com. T e Rev. Bud Reeves, a member
of the Imagine Ministry team, provided a summary of Imagine Ministry and highlights of the related task forces’ work since their formation this summer. “Our goal, again, is not
primarily to save money, but to be eff ective in ministry,” he said. One signifi cant change since
approval at Annual Conference is that the Networks for Personal and Social Holiness have been consolidated into
a single entity called “Holiness of Heart and Life: T e Network of Discipleship and Mission.” “We realized that to separate the
two would violate our Wesleyan heritage,” Reeves said. An explanation of the Wesleyan rationale for the name change is posted at
arumc.org/ac2011, along with other documents in the “Interim Reports” section of the Oct. 29 agenda. T e Rev. Stephen Coburn
November 4, 2011
provided an update from the transition team, then chastised Conference members for their lack of trust. “We are all on the same team, or at least that’s what I thought,” he said. Some statements posted to
Facebook, both as individual status updates and as comments on the Imagine Ministry Group page, refl ected the contentious tone of parts of the session.
Ten-year-old active in knitting ministry It may take her months to
complete her first scarf, but Lauren Stallings is learning from the best. At age 10, she is the youngest
among the knitters of the Corning United Methodist Women, a group that has made more than 400 prayer shawls, lap robes, scarves and chemo hats in just a few years. Realizing that some of those
present have been knitting for nearly 70 years, Lauren is still amazed at how they can look around and carry on a conversation while continuing to knit without dropping a stitch. One of her favorite parts of the
weekly activity is participating in “laying hands and praying” over a
shawl to be delivered to a person whose spirits need lifting or who is celebrating a special occasion.
—submitted by Fred Martin
Arkansas United Methodist
www.arumc.org
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