Attending Annual Conference last year required a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Green Bay. This year the trip was less than 10 minutes for Gerry and 20 or so for Ann to attend the Wisconsin Annual Conference in Middleton as your Lay Members to the Annual Conference from FUMC-Madison.
We were blessed with beautiful and meaningful music, inspiring sermons from Rev. Dan Dick, Rev. Dr. Jerry DeVine and Rev. Dan Schwerin (now our Bishop). There were interesting and informational Bible Studies and lots of Conference business requiring approval. Last year we bid farewell to Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, who had served Wisconsin as its Bishop for 12 years, and this year we welcomed Bishop Dan Schwerin. Bishop Schwerin (pronounced Schwereen) is a long time Wisconsin resident and we are blessed by his commitment to walk with us through the ongoing changes within our beloved church.
The Conference affirmed nine Ordinands, six Elders and two Deacons, one of the Deacons was Claudia Dorsch who has been shepherded and supported by FUMC-Madison since 2017. We celebrated the service and now retirement of 17 clergy and held a memorial service for those who had served in the Wisconsin conference and died since the last Annual Conference.
We voted on the amendments to the UMC Constitution and were advised that we would not see the tally of our vote because the General Conference wants to ensure that the votes of any Conference that has not yet voted are not influenced by the votes of any other Conference. The total votes of all the Conferences will determine whether the amendments have obtained the 2/3 majority threshold necessary for passage. The first amendment to be voted on was Regionalization, which would organize the United Methodist Church into geographic bodies with equal authority regarding application of Book of Discipline provisions. The second amendment would add “gender” and “ability” to the list of characteristics that do not bar people from membership in a United Methodist congregation. The third amendment would be a complete revision of the constitution’s Paragraph 5, Article V to strengthen the denomination’s long-time support for racial justice. The fourth amendment aims to clarify the educational requirements contained in Paragraph 35, Article IV for clergy who may vote for clergy delegates to General Conference and Jurisdictional Conferences. Once we know the ultimate status of each of these amendments we will provide further information on their specifics.
No items in the Consent Agenda were removed for further deliberation and all other items requiring a vote were unanimously approved without modification! Over the remainder of the Conference we acted on Pensions and Pastoral Minimum Compensation, closed four United Methodist churches, and established a budget for 2026, each with meaningful discussion, but none with rancor or high intensity.
What a positive change from prior years! It’s truly refreshing to be a part of the UNITED Methodist Church!
We heard from the many groups that have been established at the Conference to support the local churches as we seek to find the new and different ways necessary to continue To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for The Transformation of the World who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in a rapidly changing environment.
Please join us in praying and working together for an exciting new future for FUMC, Madison.
Gerry Kennedy, FUMC Madison Lay Leader and Lay Member to the Wisconsin Annual Conference
Ann Herrold-Peterson, Chair of the FUMC Madison Staff Parish Relations Council and Lay Member to the Wisconsin Annual Conference