Nothing But Nets Bike Ride

Before General Conference some Pacific Northwesterners wondered how our delegation would fit in down here in the middle of the "Bible Belt". The opening day of Conference provided a special link to some local United Methodists, as they had just completed a 238 mile bike ride to benefit Nothing But Nets. Shades of the PNW's own Tour de Grace, the riders of "Nothing But Sweat" had stayed with churches along the trek from Montgomery to Fort Worth. The bike riders were welcomed at the close of their journey with a rally led by President of the Council of Bishops, Bishop Janice Huie. After the rally Michael and Carolyn Penney (pictured to the right) stopped to share that the ride had successfully raised over 154,000 dollars for the Nothing But Nets charity, which is working to fight the crisis of malaria in Africa.

Orientation for Delegates Under 30

Over 55 young delegates from around the world gathered to connect before the precedings of General Conference began. The Division on Ministries with Young People of the General Board of Discipleship organized the orientation, which allowed time for the delegates to learn a little about the conference, introduce themselves and their legislative committee, and speak with the staff of General Agencies.

Opening Worship

Opening worship began General Conference with a mixture of song, dance, prayer, procession, and Holy Communion.

Bishop Janice Huie, President of the Council of Bishops, preached the first sermon of the gathering, focusing on the theme of General Conference: "A Future with Hope".

When the time came to share Communion the Bishops moved out into the crowd with the elements. A coincidence of position allowed a few of the attendees from the Pacific Northwest to receive Communion from our own Bishop Paup. In an arena of over 6,500 people the serendipitous connection from home was a fun addition to the worship experience. Pictured above are Nico Romeijn-Stout, a youth member of the media team, and Matt Lockett, speaker in the Young People's Address.