1. Bridget Cabrera, Reconciling Ministries Network Chett Pritchett, Methodist Federation for Social Action

2. CONNECTING Think of 5 words you would use to identify yourself.

3. Why is General Conference Important?

4. *Ten days (May 10 - 20) *Thousands of petitions and resolutions - Legislation. *First Week - 12 Legislative Committees / Second Week –Plenary Sessions *864 Elected Clergy and Lay Delegates (58.3% = U.S./40.5% Central Conferences of which 30.1% are from Africa) *Roughly 5000 people in attendance, including observers, bishops, etc.

5. Human Sexuality: An Alternative Process “The Plan”: delegates broken into small groups for holy conferencing; allow for votes after holy conferencing.

6. Human Sexuality: An Alternative Process All sexuality-related petitions would not be legislative committees. Instead, all 864 delegates would review the petitions in small groups with no more than 15 members. Groups would each have geographical, linguistic, ethnic, gender and age diversity, along with a mix of clergy and lay people.

7. Human Sexuality: An Alternative Process Each conference delegation may nominate up to three delegates to serve as the small- group leaders. The executive committee of the Commission on General Conference will appoint the leaders from this pool. The leaders will go through training at the same time legislative committee officers do.

8. An Alternative Process: Week One The commission asks each small group to make recommendations on the petition. Members will have the opportunity to review and sign the recommendations.

9. An Alternative Process: Sunday Facilitation Group, made of 6 persons, will have the task of crafting a comprehensive petition or group of petitions based on the recommendations. Facilitation group members to have a particular skill set — including the capacity to discern trends in the response sheets, solid writing ability and knowledge of legislative process and language. “Impartiality also will be important.”

10. An Alternative Process: Sunday The Council of Bishops’ Leadership Discernment Committee will nominate one man and one woman from each U.S. jurisdiction and central conference (church regions in Africa, Asia and Europe) for the facilitation group. From this slate of 24, the General Conference commission’s executive committee will select six who will be presented for election by the full General Conference. Delegates will have the option of nominating additional facilitation group members from the original pool of 24. Ultimately, the delegates will elect six by plurality.

11. An Alternative Process: Week Two General Conference delegates will have at least 24 hours to review the facilitation group’s work in the Daily Christian Advocate before debating it in plenary. Plenary session on “human sexuality” likely to take place on Tuesday of Week Two.

13. RULE 44

14. LGBTQ Legislation

15. Legislation Remove the incompatibility clause Lift the ban on LGBTQ clergy Lift the restrictions that prevent LGBTQ weddings from taking place on church property and restrictions on clergy from presiding over weddings

16. Resolutions Reduce harm to LGBTQ children and youth by creating safe spaces in local schools and stop bullying, along with educating families to respond with love to children who come out Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, religious freedom does not give anyone the freedom to harm or discriminate against others based on our religious beliefs

17. Potential Legislation

18. Legislation that supports the removal of the ban on using church funds for “promotion of homosexuality” Hamilton/Slaughter plan “A Way Forward”- weddings-local church decides, ordination- annual conference decides (local option) CT “A Third Way”-provides a local option and would remove being LGBTQ clergy or performing weddings from the list of chargeable offences

19. Jurisdictional Solution- Affiliate progressive jurisdiction –Two Jurisdictional Solution- replaces 5 jurisdictions with 2 based around LGBTQ inclusion –Progressive Jurisdictional Solution-segregates progressives in an additional 6 th jurisdiction –Organic Jurisdictional Solution-keeps same jurisdictions but over time jurisdictions can decide on their own and annual conference can decide which jurisdiction

20. Plans aimed to do more harm Covenantal Unity Plan (CUP) -aimed at driving more accountability, harsher rules, holds bishops more accountable-suspension of the trust clause, prosecute and purge plan. Includes the Arnold and Watson Plan. Harsher penalties for those who break church rules and also making those punishments mandatory Block legislation that further alienates and harms LGBTQ people.

21. Structural Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes Plan UMC: -The membership of all boards will reduce by 55, Central Conference representatives increases by 9 -Increases size and meetings for the Committee on Faith & Order -Three Commissions discontinued: GCSROW, GCORR and GCAH -Create Committee on Inclusiveness GCORR and GCSROW will be the responsibility of the Committee on Inclusiveness

22. Structural Changes Plan UMC (continued): -Connectional Table (CT) to select and evaluate General Secretaries of 4 program boards -GCAH will be a committee of GCFA -Oversight of Internal Audit moves to CT

23. Structural Changes The Arnold and Watson Plan: Option 1: Suspension of the Trust Clause Option 2: Local churches vote through church conference whether to leave the denomination Option 3: Allow clergy to leave with full benefits Option 4: Amendment of “just resolutions” language

24. Structural Changes The Arnold and Watson Plan: Option 5: Set-aside bishop to enforce and implement policy within COB Option 6: Power of Set-aside bishop to hold bishops accountable to the BOD Option 7: Creative of “bishop emeritus” status for retired and inactive bishops

25. Structural Changes The Global Connection Plan (AKA Plan NEJ): -Each Global Connectional Conference meets every 4 years -Creates Regional Conference which replaces Jurisdictional conferences with similar structure and costs.

26. Structural Changes The Global Connection Plan (AKA Plan NEJ): Proposed changes: -Replaces General Conference with Global Connectional Conference – Cost neutral -Creates Global Connectional Conferences in Africa, Europe and North America – each determining place of general agencies in its area

27. Structural Changes The Global Connection Plan (AKA Plan NEJ): The Challenge: This would require changes to the Constitution which must be passed by a 2/3 of aggregate votes at 2016 Annual Conference sessions.

29. RMN by the Numbers 156 Reconciling Communities in the NCJ 7,093 RUMs in the NCJ Since the last GC the number of RUMs have increased by 34% 727 Reconciling Communities 32,132 RUMs 3440 Altar for all Individuals 111 Altar for all Congregations 7 Congregations not doing any weddings

30. An Act of Love Film Screenings Write a letter to your delegation Share your story Volunteer Give

31. rmnetwork.org/itstime

33. Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR) Fossil Free UMC Love Prevails MARCHA: Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa Hispano- Americanos Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) Methodists in New Directions (MIND) National Federation of Asian American United Methodists (NFAAUM) Native American International Caucus of United Methodists (NAIC) Pacific Islanders Caucus of United Methodists (PINCUM) Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities Western Methodist Justice Movement (WMJM)

34. Add Your Name! www.lyncoalition.org/vision-for-umc/

35. Donate! www.lyncoalition.org/donate

36. Volunteer in Portland! www.lyncoalition.org/lync-gc2016- volunteer-form/

37. Thank You!