May 2 - General Conference

A busy and somewhat intense day at General Conference. As always there were several pieces of legislation that were processed and dealt with fairly quickly. Then the morning turned to the re-structuring proposal. We went to General Conference with hopes of passing recommendations related to the "Call to Action." This is a complex restructuring plan for the United Methodist Church. When the initial proposal came out it was followed by a proposal from MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action) and then Plan B. None of the initial plans gained a majority of votes in legislative committee. Then proponents of the Call to Action and Plan B worked out a compromise plan. This became Plan UMC. After much discussion and parlimentary procedure the plan passed. It is now referred to the financial administration team (GCFA) and will be incorporated into the budget which will be addressed friday. The other intense conversation surrounded the issue of divestment in three American companies that have contracts with Israel. The issue relates to the occupied area of the Holy Land. This was a very emotional issue for many of our delegates. In the end the General Conference voted to not move toward divestment. The afternoon concluded with a demonstration by a group of LGBTQ supporters. The conference was adjourned for the dinner hour. This evening a few more pieces of legislation were worked through prior to adjourment for the night. Two more days and much to do. Keep us in your prayers. steve