May 3 - General Conference

Today was our most difficult day. After some house cleaning work this morning we began work on the issue of human sexuality. We have a phrase in our Discipline that states all persons are of sacred worth however, "we find the practice of homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching." For the majority in our denomination and General Conference this represents the most accurate picture we should have. For a significant minority this is seen as a huge problem. We spent the morning debating. When the vote was taken the current statement was upheld. This initiated a protest as a number of people came to the floor of the conference and began to sing. Bishop Coyner, who was presiding, dismissed the conference early for lunch. It was a very emotional and difficult morning. After lunch we continued our business. The issue this afternoon centered on clergy pensions. We discussed at length whether a defined benefit or a defined contribution plan would be best for the church. After much discussion the conference moved us toward the defined benefit plan. The remainder of our work today was completed. We have one day to go! Tomorrow it appears our main task will be working with the budget. Steve