For the past several years cluster Charge Conferences have been held in the North District. To those of you new to the North District, I have conducted the annual charge/church conferences in groups of three, six or even eight churches. My first year as the North District Superintendent I was skeptical of this process, but soon learned the value of peer learning and holy conferencing as we were inspired by each other’s stories.
This year the North District will pioneer a new thing by holding Quadrant Charge Conferences on the weekend of November 12 and 13, 2011. We will gather in Mount Pleasant, Longview, Texarkana and Marshall. The added presence of our Bishop Janice Riggle Huie will enhance our experience together.
Prior to your scheduled charge conference you will need to work through your committees and Board to elect all officers (including the Lay Leadership Committee), approve your 2012 budget and Clergy Compensation Package for 2012. There will be two blanket motions taken at the Quadrant Charge Conferences. The first vote will be to elect new officers for 2012 and the second motion will be to accept the recommended clergy compensation package for 2012. This will apply to all churches attending the Joint Charge Conference. A list of Certified Lay Speakers and candidates to be certified for candidacy will be displayed and approved as well. If there is any business your church needs to conduct requiring my attention, contact me ahead of time and I will arrange time during the fall to meet with your church.
This year all the charge conference reports will be available online in the DOVE system at https://dove.ytscorp.com. Log on with your username and password. Click the Organization Records button at the top of the screen, then My Org, then Files and Notes on the left and you will find the table of contents of all the forms. Keep in mind your Audit Report is for the previous year (2010) and your Financial Statement is up to the current month. All charge conference reports and forms should be mailed to the Texarkana Office by November 1. Please call if you have any questions at 903.7946231.
I look forward to being with each of you and celebrating this past year in ministry with you and your church as we also hear a word from Bishop Huie. God bless you and thank you for your faithfulness and dedication in helping to extend the reign of God.
Grace and Peace,
Bill
