{"id":33397,"date":"2024-06-04T10:16:24","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T14:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=33397"},"modified":"2024-08-29T16:40:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T20:40:21","slug":"greater-nj-conference-meets-in-wildwood-5-19-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=33397","title":{"rendered":"Greater NJ Conference Meets in Wildwood (5\/19\/24)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>The global United Methodist Church is broken up into a host of regional &#8220;conferences.&#8221;\u00a0 Each Conference is led by a Bishop and they meet once a year to set budgets, approve legislation, receive reports and training, and to celebrate the ordination of new clergy.\u00a0 Pitman United Church is part of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, and our bishop is Bishop John Schol.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>This year\u2019s GNJ annual conference was held in Wildwood on Sunday May 19 through Tuesday May 21. Approximately 540 voting members were in attendance.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-33459\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNJAC24-Belong-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNJAC24-Belong-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNJAC24-Belong-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Conference Theme<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The theme of this year&#8217;s conference was &#8220;Belong&#8221;, and Bishop Schol connected us with the meaning of that theme in his message during the ordination service (open the &#8220;Ordination Message&#8221; box that&#8217;s under the &#8220;Worship and Learning&#8221; heading, below).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The main point of &#8220;Belong,&#8221; is that society sees &#8220;Belong&#8221; as the goal, but Jesus sees &#8220;Belong&#8221; as the starting point.\u00a0 Society has a paradigm that says that you must first Believe like us, then you must Become like us, and then finally you can Belong with us.<\/p>\n<p>But Jesus says that everyone already Belongs to God.\u00a0 We start by Believing (by faith, admitting our sinful state and accepting God&#8217;s grace).\u00a0 After we hit that realization and begin to walk in faith, we begin the life-long journey of Becoming like Jesus.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Official Reports and Resources<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Videos, summaries, and all of the details of the conference have been posted on the GNJ Conference Website.\u00a0 Below are some of the links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800000;\">Summary:\u00a0<\/span> <br \/>\n\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/news\/we-belong-together-2024-annual-conference-summary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/news\/we-belong-together-2024-annual-conference-summary\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 14pt;\">Recap Video:\u00a0<\/span> <br \/>\n\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/948802525\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/vimeo.com\/948802525<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 14pt;\">Video Playlist<\/span>:\u00a0 <br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLCweWRdE5N4lH4pFa7uDerBv8wC9U6JIx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLCweWRdE5N4lH4pFa7uDerBv8wC9U6JIx<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 14pt;\">Day by Day Videos of Entire Conference:\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/ac2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/ac2024\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class='et-box et-warning'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Note that the GNJUMC website changes frequently, and these and other links to the GJN website that are in this post may become invalid in the not-so-distant future.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">&#8220;Unofficial&#8221; Reports and Observations<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Each local church is represented in the conference by lay members and clergy (local or ordained pastors).\u00a0 Each church sends one lay member for each pastor who has been appointed to that church (so that there are roughly an equal number of clergy and laity attending the conference).\u00a0 The information given below comes from our Lay Member&#8217;s observations.<\/p>\n<p>In general, the conference consists of three areas:\u00a0 Legislation, Worship, and Celebrations.\u00a0 Below are some of the highlights which occurred during the conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-bio'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The following observations were reported by Larry Bakely, who attended the conference as PUMC&#8217;s Lay Member to Annual Conference.\u00a0 The conference began on the afternoon of Sunday (5\/19) and adjourned at noon on Tuesday (5\/21).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Drop Down Boxes shown below describe selected parts of the Legislation, Worship, and Celebrations.\u00a0 Open the box to dive into the details.\u00a0 The page numbers reference the pages in the Pre-Conference Workbook in which the legislation and reports were printed. This journal is given to each person attending the conference, and a PDF of it has been posted on the Conference website.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Load the &#8220;Preconference Workbook&#8221; by clicking the below button (it&#8217;s a big PDF file which will take several seconds to download):<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href='https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/GNJ-PCWB-2024_WEB.pdf' class='big-button bigpurple' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Preconference Workbook<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">LEGISLATION AND REPORTS\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Budget and Finance<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'><p><strong>Budget \/ Finance (page 57)&#8230;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vasanth Victor (chair of the Council of Finance and Administration) presented a balanced budget for 2025 which has a slightly lower apportionment rate (15.2%) than last year (15.3%).\u00a0 Despite not raising apportionment rates, the 2025 budget envisions an income almost $600,000 higher than 2024&#8217;s budget.\u00a0 Part of that increased income will result from our affiliation with the Eastern PA Annual Conference.<\/p>\n<p>The total income and expenses are projected to be: $24,021,956 (there will be a $900 surplus).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33437\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33437\" class=\"wp-image-33437 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Vasanth-Victor-_IMG_4821-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Vasanth-Victor-_IMG_4821-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Vasanth-Victor-_IMG_4821-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33437\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vasanth Victor, Council of Finance and Administration<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Sexual Abuse Policies<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sexual Abuse \/ Safe Sanctuary Policies (page 18)&#8230;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first legislation to be considered during the conference was an update to our Sexual Ethics Policy.\u00a0 It was presented by COSROW (the Conference&#8217;s Commission On Status and Role Of Women).\u00a0 This policy needed refreshing since it hadn&#8217;t been updated since 2009.\u00a0 We quickly ran into a lot of questions about what constitutes &#8220;sexual misconduct&#8221;.\u00a0 Many amendments and suggestions attempted to find the correct language, but none of the amendments seemed to answer all of the possible issues.\u00a0 The discussion consumed most of the morning on Monday, and the rest of the conference was behind schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At issue were scenarios such as hugging, or accidental touching, or if any romantic relationship between adults is ok if it&#8217;s consensual.\u00a0 At one point a pastor rose and admitted that he and a female parishioner had begun a consensual relationship.\u00a0 The bishop insisted that any pastor-parishioner romantic relationship was wrong because of the different levels of authority or power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We ended up approving the proposed policy after deleting the section which attempted to define &#8220;sexual misconduct.&#8221;\u00a0 This matter was referred back to the committee with the mandate to identify all questionable issues and to re-write the section more specifically.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33439\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33439\" class=\"wp-image-33439 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Gabriel-Corbett-_IMG_4757-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Gabriel-Corbett-_IMG_4757-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Gabriel-Corbett-_IMG_4757-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33439\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rev. Gabriel Corbett, Safe Sanctuaries Coord.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Memo of Understanding with EPA<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Memo of Understanding with EPA Conference (page 36)&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2022, after the bishop of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epaumc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eastern PA Conference<\/a>, retired, the NE Jurisdiction Conference assigned Bishop Schol to both our Greater New Jersey Annual Conference (GNJ) and to the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference (EPA).\u00a0 They directed us to find ways to collaborate.\u00a0 Seven of the ten Annual Conferences in the Northeast Jurisdiction are now &#8220;sharing&#8221; their bishop with one other Conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after Bishop Schol&#8217;s reassignment, we began to share resources with EPA and to find ways of maximizing efficiency while keeping the local character of each Conference intact.\u00a0 Nothing was in writing, so a taskforce was created at last year&#8217;s conference to work with EPA counterparts to develop a &#8220;Memo of Understanding&#8221; which would define the costs and roles of each Conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This Memo of Understanding (MOU) dives into the details of staffing, costs, and ministry management.\u00a0 It identifies the ministries that we will carry out together and on which Conference will hire\/employ staffing for that ministry.\u00a0 For example, EPA will employ the director of Camp and Retreat Ministries, while GNJ will employ the Connection Ministries Manager (to manage scholarships and grants).\u00a0 Both Conferences will have a Director of Communications, but EPA will employ the Editorial Manager while GNJ will employ the Video Producer.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to reducing staffing costs, the MOU seeks to improve ministries in all areas by sharing existing resources.\u00a0 For example, GNJ no longer has a viable Camping Ministry, but EPA&#8217;s Camping Ministry is strong.\u00a0 GNJ can now participate in EPS&#8217;s Camping Ministry.\u00a0 On the other hand, EPA doesn&#8217;t have a counterpart to GNJ&#8217;s Ignite conference, so EPA will be able to join us in that ministry.<\/p>\n<p>A system sharing costs based on the ratio of congregations in each Conference was devised.\u00a0 The overall result is that EPA will reimburse GNJ approximately $200,000 this year.\u00a0 The collaboration will be re-evaluated continuously, and a annual report will be made during each annual conference.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33411\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33411\" class=\"wp-image-33411 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Bishop-Schol-_IMG_4824-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Bishop-Schol-_IMG_4824-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Bishop-Schol-_IMG_4824-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33411\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bishop Schol (During his Episcopal Address)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Leadership Report<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Connectional Table \/ Leadership Report&#8230; (Juel Nelson)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Mosaic-<\/span><\/strong> \nCreate a &#8220;culture of Call&#8221; to open the pathways for new clergy leaders. Seminary students are serving local churches.\u00a0 The Leadership Academy will have a course entitled &#8220;Explore Your Call&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Click this button to learn more about Mosiac Ministries:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href='https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/mosaic\/' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mosiac Ministries<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Leadership Academy-<\/span><\/strong>\nThe &#8220;Teachable&#8221; online platform currently offers 11 online courses (all of which are free and available at any time).\u00a0 \u00a0You complete them at your own pace.\u00a0 An additional 35 courses are in production, some of which will follow a &#8220;hybrid&#8221; format with Zoom sessions.\u00a0 The courses involve ethics training, Preaching Institute, Lay Servant Training, Local Pastors Licensing School, Residency in Ministry (for the process of Provisional Elders moving towards ordination).<\/p>\n<p>For more info about the Leadership Academy, click these buttons:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href='https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/leadership-academy\/' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Leadership Academy<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a>\u00a0 <a href='https:\/\/leadership-academy29.teachable.com\/courses\/' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Current Courses<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Pathways (Geni Yeske)-<\/span><\/strong>\nThis is a training program where a facilitator will help local churches meet vitality goals. The church creates a cross-sectional committee which examines the purpose of the church, sets goals, and establishes a focus group for each goal to explore ways of meeting that goal.\u00a0 So far, 66 GNJ churches have used Pathways to grow stronger in the Five Marks of Vitality (inspiring worship, reaching and making new disciples, small group ministry, engagement in mission and generous stewardship).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For more info about Pathways, check out these articles:\u00a0 \u00a0 <a href='https:\/\/www.gnjumc.org\/?s=pathways' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pathways<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33418\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33418\" class=\"wp-image-33418 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Juel-Nelson-_IMG_4760-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Juel-Nelson-_IMG_4760-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Juel-Nelson-_IMG_4760-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33418\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rev. Juel Nelson Reports on Leadership Development<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Report from General Conference<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>General Conference Report&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The GNJ delegation which attended last month&#8217;s General Conference in Charlotte, reported the following key points:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Revised the Discipline to remove the &#8220;incompatibility clause&#8221; (&#8220;the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching&#8230;&#8221;).\u00a0 Other language was revised which permits Conferences to ordain openly gay\/lesbian\/trans people and to permit local churches to perform same-sex weddings.\u00a0\nConferences and Local churches are \u201cPermitted\u201d \u2026 not \u201cRequired\u201d to perform these ordinations and weddings.\u00a0 Previously, penalties were imposed, but now they have been removed.\u00a0 For more on these changes, read Bishop Schol&#8217;s letter: <a href='https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/gnjumc\/bishop-gc2024resources-1017589?e=92be966ee9' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">General Conference FAQs<\/span><span style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li>The current system of regional Conferences in the USA and &#8220;Central Conferences&#8221; in other parts of the world is being changed to put non-USA conferences on a more equal footing.\n<\/li>\n<li>Deacons were given the authority to perform sacraments (communion, baptisms, and weddings).\u00a0 Previously, Deacons had to obtain approval from an Elder.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div id=\"attachment_33412\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33412\" class=\"wp-image-33412 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Carolyn-Pendelton-_IMG_4739-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Carolyn-Pendelton-_IMG_4739-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Carolyn-Pendelton-_IMG_4739-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33412\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carolyn Pendleton, Cape Atlantic District Lay Leader (and delegate to General Conference)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">WORSHIP AND LEARNING\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Ordination Message<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'><p><strong>Ordination Message (Bishop Schol)&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During Sunday&#8217;s Ordination Service, two people were commissioned as Provisional Elders (one of whom was Rev. Tim Conaway: our DS&#8217;s son and pastor of the Glassboro church).\u00a0 One pastor was ordained as a Deacon, and eight provisional elders were ordained as full Elders.<\/p>\n<p>In his sermon, Bishop Schol presenting a re-ordering of a paradigm that&#8217;s popular in culture:\u00a0 Become, Believe, and then Belong.\u00a0 To Belong to a circle of friends, or a group, or a church, the culture says that people must first Become like &#8220;us&#8221;.\u00a0 In dress, speech, appearance, they must &#8220;look like us&#8221; before they can be fully accepted.\u00a0 Once they clean themselves up, they must begin to Believe like &#8220;us.&#8221;\u00a0 They can&#8217;t Belong to the group until they agree to certain core beliefs.\u00a0 Once they do that, they can belong to the group.\u00a0 By Becoming, they can Belong.<\/p>\n<p>\nBut Jesus reverses the paradigm. All of humanity already belongs to God.\u00a0 All are loved and valued.\u00a0 The end goal isn&#8217;t to belong; we already belong.\u00a0 Starting with that value, we must move on to understand who God is and to recognize our own sin and need of forgiveness.\u00a0 You don&#8217;t have to &#8220;believe like us&#8221;, but you need to have a faith in God.\u00a0 The end goal is to enter a road of &#8220;Becoming&#8221;.\u00a0 The goal isn&#8217;t to simply Belong to a group (church), but to grow in faith and commitment to God; to Become more and more like Jesus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\nThe goal of the church shouldn&#8217;t be simply to induce more people to become members and &#8220;Belong&#8221; to the group.\u00a0 The goal is to appreciate everyone&#8217;s value to God and to allow God to mold that person into the image of Christ.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33425\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33425\" class=\"wp-image-33425 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Tim-Conaway-_IMG_4744-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Tim-Conaway-_IMG_4744-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Tim-Conaway-_IMG_4744-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bishop Schol Commissions Rev. Tim Conaway as a Provisional Elder<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Service of Remembrance<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Service of Remembrance Message (Rev. Ronell Howard )&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Service of Remembrance honors clergy, spouses, and other prominent laity who passed away during the past year.\u00a0 Each name is read along with a slide showing their name, picture, and birth\/death dates, and attendees are encouraged to stand up when the name of a person who had significant importance to them is read.\u00a0 I was able to rise and acknowledge Revs. Dave Bailey and Bill Sutton.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During the service, the Rev. Ronell Howard preached a powerful sermon based on the account in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bible.com\/bible\/111\/JOS.4.NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joshua 4<\/a> where God held back the waters of the Jordan River so the Israelites could pass into the Promised Land on dry ground.\u00a0 Before the waters returned to their normal flow, God told the people to gather 12 stones from the middle of the riverbed and to use them to build a memorial.\u00a0 The monument was to remind the people of God&#8217;s faithfulness and powerful miracle which allowed them to enter the Promised Land. Rev. Howard pointed out that the monument was built on the Promised Land side of the river.\u00a0 God wants us to look ahead, not backwards.\u00a0 Inspired by departed leaders and God&#8217;s faithfulness, we must take up the mantle and move forward.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33422\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33422\" class=\"wp-image-33422 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Ronell-Howard-_IMG_4763-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Ronell-Howard-_IMG_4763-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Ronell-Howard-_IMG_4763-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33422\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rev. Ronell Howard<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Fresh Expressions of Faith<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fresh Expressions of Faith&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Michael Beck came from a rough background:\u00a0 He&#8217;s a former drug addict, criminal, and inmate.\u00a0 But God changed him and allowed him to see God without the distorting lens of his own church experience.\u00a0\u00a0 He is now the pastor of a Methodist Church in Wildwood, Fla., but he doesn&#8217;t view his ministry as being limited to a formal &#8220;Inherited church.&#8221;\u00a0 Instead, he has extended his ministry to what he calls an &#8220;Incarnational church&#8221;.\u00a0 An &#8220;Inherited church&#8221; is a place you grew up in; you go to that church because it&#8217;s &#8220;your&#8221; church and it&#8217;s become part of your life.\u00a0 But the flow is reversed in an &#8220;Incarnational&#8221; church.\u00a0 Pastor Beck views his ministry as one where he goes out to where the people are.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Surveys indicate that most people have a positive view of God and spiritual maters, but they hold a negative view of the Church.\u00a0 An &#8220;Incarnational church&#8221; is based on interests and needs of people instead of geographic location or history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So he holds meetings in places like tattoo parlors, dog parks, and taco stands.\u00a0 Our mission is to create a space, a community; the Holy Spirit makes disciples.<\/p>\n<p>He handed out a list of &#8220;church items&#8221; and asked us to identify the ones that are truly essential to create a space where people can meet God.\u00a0 The list included things like stain glass windows, youth group, Bibles, choirs, crosses&#8230;. the things you would expect to see in any &#8220;Inherited church.&#8221;\u00a0 But most of the items on the list weren&#8217;t needed.\u00a0 The only essential ones were God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and prayer.\u00a0 You don&#8217;t need a youth group if your meeting in a retirement home.\u00a0 Meetings in a women&#8217;s prison don&#8217;t need a Men&#8217;s Fellowship Group.\u00a0 You don&#8217;t even <em>have<\/em> to include a Bible.\u00a0 Instead, you can teach the Bible&#8217;s principles using contemporary stories that people can identify with.\u00a0 For example, instead of reading the story of the good Samaritan from the Bible, you can tell the story of a person who&#8217;s car breaks down on the freeway, and the only person who stops to help is a biker with long hair, tattoos, and a leather jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For more on &#8220;Fresh Expressions of faith, click this button:\u00a0 <a href='https:\/\/freshexpressions.com\/' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\">Fresh Expressions<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33421\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33421\" class=\"wp-image-33421 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Michael-Beck-_IMG_4731-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Michael-Beck-_IMG_4731-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Michael-Beck-_IMG_4731-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33421\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Beck<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">CELEBRATION<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Service of Passage<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'><p><strong>Service of Passage with Anointing&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On Monday afternoon we recognized the clergy who retired this year.\u00a0 This included Pastor Jim (Rev. Jim Bolton, our pastor from 2014-2024).\u00a0 The name of each retiree is called as they enter the stage\u00a0 And then, the newly ordained elders are called to the stage.\u00a0 These are the people who were ordained during the service on Sunday evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They come on to the stage in front of the retiring pastors. The retirees anoint the new elders and then pass a stole to them. After that, the newly commissioned Provisional Elders are called to the stage,\u00a0 and the new elders pass the stole to them.<\/p>\n<p>The conference Lay Leader is called, and he is given the stole.\u00a0 And finally, the Lay Leader went into the &#8220;audience&#8221; and gave the stole to the first person in the first row.\u00a0 We then passed the stole to our neighbor, until everyone in attendance had a chance to carry the stole.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-33397 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33417'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Jim-Bolton-_IMG_4782-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-33417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Jim-Bolton-_IMG_4782-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Jim-Bolton-_IMG_4782-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-33417'>\n\t\t\t\tPastor Jim watches as Conference Secretary Shelley Smith reads list of Retirees\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33423'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Stole-_IMG_4814-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-33423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Stole-_IMG_4814-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Stole-_IMG_4814-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-33423'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Mantel is passed to all members of the Conference\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>It was meaningful to celebrate Pastor Jim&#8217;s service, and also to know that the mantle is passed to all of us.\u00a0 We&#8217;re all in ministry together.<\/p>\n<p>I had a chance to catch up with Pastor Jim after the session.\u00a0 It was good to see him and to touch base. He&#8217;s doing fine, all things considered.\u00a0 But he said it&#8217;s kinda strange getting used to retirement and not having to prepare a sermon every week.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33416\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33416\" class=\"wp-image-33416 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Jim-Bolton-_IMG_1482-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Jim-Bolton-_IMG_1482-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Jim-Bolton-_IMG_1482-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33416\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Larry Bakely (L) with Former PUMC Pastor Jim Bolton (R)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>New Appointments<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reading the Appointments&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the last things done in the conference was to read the list of new pastor appointments. Every church is represented by a pastor and a lay member, and a special section of seats was laid out with our names on them.\u00a0 It was all organized by district and then alphabetically by town. For some reason, Delaware Bay was last, and Pitman was last alphabetically. So Mike&#8217;s was the last name to be called. The District Superintendent calls each name for his or her district.\u00a0 We lined up, and as Rev. Conaway called the names of the Delaware Bay appointments we went to the front of the auditorium to receive the appointment letter and to pose for a picture with the bishop.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33319\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33319\" class=\"wp-image-33319 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/GNJAC24-Pmike-Appointment-_IMG_1492-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/GNJAC24-Pmike-Appointment-_IMG_1492-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/GNJAC24-Pmike-Appointment-_IMG_1492-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pastor Mike (C) with Larry Bakely (L) and Bishop Schol (R)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Bishop Schol&#039;s Retirement<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bishop Schol&#8217;s Retirement&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bishop John Schol has been the presiding bishop of our Greater New Jersey Annual Conference since 2012, but he is now retiring.\u00a0 Bishop Schol has led Greater NJ through many challenges such as superstorm Sandy, and Hurricane Ida, and he leaves us with many achievements such as the new Missions Resources Center, Miracles Everywhere, Journey of Hope, Leadership Academy, Mosaic Ministries, Pathway, NextGen, and may others. His tenure has been extremely productive, and he will be greatly missed.<\/p>\n<p>Before our next annual conference, a new bishop will be appointed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the end of our conference, we celebrated Bishop Schol&#8217;s ministry.\u00a0 Each District Superintendent presented the bishop with a basketful of gifts representing each area of the state.\u00a0 Our District Superintendent, Rev. Glenn Conaway (Delaware Bay) presented the bishop with glassware and other items produced by our region.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33415\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33415\" class=\"wp-image-33415 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Glenn-Conaway-Bishop-Schol-_IMG_4826-_400x300-300x229.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Glenn-Conaway-Bishop-Schol-_IMG_4826-_400x300-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Glenn-Conaway-Bishop-Schol-_IMG_4826-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-33415\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rev. Glenn Conaway presents Bishop Schol with a gift from the Delaware Bay district<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Additional Faces of the Greater NJ Annual Conference&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-33397 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33424'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Stole-Conaway-_IMG_4805-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-33424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Stole-Conaway-_IMG_4805-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Stole-Conaway-_IMG_4805-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-33424'>\n\t\t\t\tRev. Tim Conaway (Pastor First UMC Glassboro)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33420'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Lynn-Caterson-_IMG_4755-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-33420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Lynn-Caterson-_IMG_4755-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Lynn-Caterson-_IMG_4755-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-33420'>\n\t\t\t\tLynn Caterson (Conference chancellor)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33419'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Kim-Wecht-_IMG_4758-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-33419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Kim-Wecht-_IMG_4758-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Kim-Wecht-_IMG_4758-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-33419'>\n\t\t\t\tRev. Kim Wecht (Pitman UM Communities Chaplain)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33414'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-David-Yamoah-_IMG_4727-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-33414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-David-Yamoah-_IMG_4727-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-David-Yamoah-_IMG_4727-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-33414'>\n\t\t\t\tDavid Yamoah (Conference Lay Leader)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33413'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Creed-Pogue-_IMG_4737-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-33413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Creed-Pogue-_IMG_4737-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Creed-Pogue-_IMG_4737-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-33413'>\n\t\t\t\tCreed Pogue (Delaware Bay dir. of Lay Servant Ministries)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?attachment_id=33426'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Wildwood-Beach-_IMG_1472-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-33426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Wildwood-Beach-_IMG_1472-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GNAC24-Wildwood-Beach-_IMG_1472-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-33426'>\n\t\t\t\tGod&#8217;s Awesome Handiwork!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: 18pt;\">+\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0+\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0+\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0+<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For more on the administration of our church and of the Conference, click this button:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?cat=17' class='small-button smallpurple'><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Church Administration<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PUMC is part of the &#8220;Greater NJ Annual Conference&#8221; of the United Methodist Church.  Once a year, representatives from each church gather to approve legislation, celebrate accomplishments, and to worship and to prepare for upcoming opportunities.  The conference was held in Wildwood between May 19-21.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church","category-evrpt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33397"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33474,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33397\/revisions\/33474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}