2020 Annual Conference Updates

 

8/7/2020

Updated August 7, 2020

Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, after consultation with her Coordinating Cabinet, Conference Secretary John Wilson and Conference Sessions Chair Alan Morrison, announced on April 3 that the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference session scheduled for June 11-13, 2020 at Grove City College had been cancelled. The celebrations and the necessary business of the Conference will be cared for in different ways and at different places, she said.


"While much about the spread of coronavirus is still not known, including whether stay-at-home orders will still be in place in June, we decided to change our plans now. Concern for the health and safety of our Annual Conference members, many of whom are among the most vulnerable populations, was the most important factor in my decision," the Bishop said in an email to clergy and voting lay members sent April 3.
 
Rev. Morrison, who chairs the Conference Sessions Team, initially made alternate arrangements to care for all the necessary business of the Annual Conference. But as cases  of COVID-19 spiked in parts of Western PA and across the nation, it became clear that holding in person sessions safely might not be possible. As of August 8, the schedule included:

  • A one-day session will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. 
  • The Clergy Session, which was postponed twice, will not be held in 2020. 
  • Ordination services and commissioning will be part of the 2021 Annual Conference Sessions. 
Appointment changes and retirements were still be effective July 1. The appointment book is posted at wpaumc.org/AC. Those approved for ordination and commissioning began the 2020 appointment year at the status for which they had been approved, so their years of service will not be affected in determining benefits. 

Reports and legislation that were to come before the Annual Conference also are posted at wpaumc.org/AC. Note in the reports that the 2021 session of the Annual Conference also will be held at the Bayfront Convention Center.

As more decisions are made, additional information will be posted on the Annual Conference webpage and included in the weekly Conference e-newsletter. A list of Frequently Asked Questions with answers is also available and will be updated.

District Conferences were being rescheduled, and Superintendents will announce dates, times and locations when arrangements are finalized.