GC 2022   Press Release February 25, 2021 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the further postponement of the 2020 General Conference, the Council of Bishops (COB) is calling a Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC) to be convened online on May 8, 2021.   According to the call letter signed  by COB President Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, the Special Session will be held in accordance with Division Two - Section II - Article II of The Constitution of The United Methodist Church as recorded in Paragraph ¶14 of  The Book of Discipline  (2016).   The purpose of the 2021 Special Session of the General Conference will be limited to gaining a quorum in order to suspend the rules for the sole purpose of allowing the use of paper ballots to act upon 12 pieces of legislation that would enable the church to effectively continue its work until the postponed 2020 General Conference is held in 2022.  While other potential amendments were considered, it was agree

  Meeting on February 20, the Commission on the General Conference made a decision to further postpone the 2020 General Conference until August 29 – September 6, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minn. as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the safety of mass gatherings and travel. It is the Commission’s responsibility to select the site and set the dates of General Conference. Further, the  Book of Discipline  requires the Commission on the General Conference to "take necessary measures to assure full participation of all General Conference delegates." The Commission concluded that mandate was not achievable by means of either an in-person meeting in 2021 or a virtual meeting. In making the decision, the Commission determined that it was not feasible to safely hold an in-person meeting involving all delegates as currently scheduled for August 29 - September 7, 2021 due to a number of barriers: The number of COVID cases continues to rise, with nearly 2.49 million confirmed  cases  t

For those of you who are reading this for the first time, there are two groups for now in the United States of America who have indicated their interest to leave the United Methodist Church after the next General Conference because they are not satisfied with how the United Methodist Church is dealing with the issues relating to LGBTQ+ individuals. These two groups that are leaving for now are: (a) Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA), a traditional group. You can read more about them here: https://wesleyancovenant.org. (b) Liberation Methodist Connexion (LMC), a progressive group. You can read more about them here: https://www.thelmx.org/ . These two new break-away denominations that are planning to leave the United Methodist Church after the next General Conference is seeking for people in Africa to join their Break-away denominations. The question is: Will Africa join the new denominations? Which one will Africa join? Is it the Wesleyan Covenant Association or the Liberation Methodi

Who are we? The Africa Voice of Unity aka AVU is an emerging team of United Methodists from conferences across Africa. We are clergy and laity, including our youth, serving our denomination in different capacities: delegates from the past as well as the upcoming 2021 General Conference, and leaders in our conferences, districts, and congregations. We join together seeking a successful future for our beloved church in Africa.   What are our Goals? 1.      Our Motto is : Unity for a Sustainable United Methodism in Africa. 2.    1.   Teaming to ensure the continuation of the United Methodist Church in Africa even after the next General Conference. 3.     2.   Providing a true biblical and Christ centered direction for the United Methodist Churches in Africa before and after the next General Conference. 4.      3.  Building Partnership through connecting Conferences, districts and local Churches in Africa for physical and spiritual growth. 5.     4.   Building a united net

  May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you our fellow United Methodists around the world. We pray that you had a joyful Christmas celebration and extend to you a hopeful new year’s greeting. We are members of the United Methodist Church from conferences across Africa. We are clergy and laity, including our youth, serving our denomination in different capacities: delegates from the past as well as the upcoming 2021 General Conference, and leaders in our conferences, districts, and congregations. We join together seeking a successful future for our beloved church.   This statement emanates out of the passionate and deep love we have for our beloved United Methodist Church. We are very concerned about the latest developments in our denomination which range from the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, racism/tribalism, and the uncertainties of the 2021 General Conference. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is clear in instructing us to be “light” and “salt” to the world and commit