2/29, China, and ...Churchiness!

Hey All,

This is a big year, ya know? First of all, it’s a leap year. That means that there is going to be a February 29^th. Have you thought about how you’re going to spend this extra day in your calendar? If you want to learn more about the history, etc of leap year, go here.

Besides being a leap year, this is also an Olympics year. The summer Olympics are going to be in Beijing, China. The official site is here .

But this year is also the year of the latest United Methodist quadrennial. In the parlance of the day, that means General Conference. Every four years the wise, the sage, the lucky, the luminaries, and the comparatively few gather together to debate and vote on whatever issues have been building for the last four years in the United Methodist Church. This is the ultimate vehicle through which the church structure changes.

Any proposed change has a long way to go: from the local church to the district to the conference to General Conference. The result is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, every voice has a chance to be heard. It is very democratic. On the other hand, however, change tends to occur much more slowly than it does outside of the church. It lacks a certain nimbleness.

So it ain’t a perfect system. But until it changes, it’s all the UMC has…officially. This General Conference in particular could make some important decisions regarding what direction the church is going to take as it moves forward. For more information, go here .

OK, folks, have a good one!

Peace,

Kevin