Wesley Church

People Blessing People

Section Three

Christmas in July T-Shirts

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It’s nearly summer… and that means it’ll be “Christmas in July” before we know it! This year, we’ll be celebrating Christmas in July in worship on Sunday, July 23. Want to get in on the festivities? We’re once again offering pre-orders of our signature red “It’s Always Christmas in Bethlehem” t-shirts. The cost per shirt is $15, with sizes available from Youth XS through Adult 3X. Visit our online order form by June 18 to place your order.

Annual Conference Update – Part 2

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by Rosemary Molinaro, Lay Delegate

On Friday, May 19th, the EPA Annual Conference continue with Praise and Worship to help us get ready for a very busy day. Clergy and Laity came together to discuss and vote on several resolutions for legislation and business. Bishop Schol provided a safe and open space for anyone to speak their opinions or ask questions on the topics presented. It was very clear that people were passionate in their love, as well as their concerns, for the United Methodist Church.

Resolutions for discussion and voting:

  • Disaffiliation and Disbursement of Funds – Bishop Scholl reported that 98% of churches have remained as United Methodist and have not disaffiliated; five churches have completed the disaffiliation process; some congregationare taking further steps to disaffiliate.
  • Strategic Direction – merging with GNJ by recruiting and developing transformation leaders to assure an equitable merger.
  • Safe Sanctuaries – updates to the current policy. EPA is committed to create a safe environment within our churches.
  • Conference Budget – a new budget format was presented giving a more detailed breakdown of income and expenses line items. Churches have gone from 86% to 90% increase in making their payments. Discussions on the budget were to continue on Saturday and were not voted on.

Bishop Schol urged us to “be a people of Possibilities”. If you would like to watch the conference, you can find it on youtube.com by searching “2023 EPA Annual Conference”.