Amory Peck and Joan Holms are pictured at the 2012 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference.

Journeys | By Joan Holms

I find that I have many more questions than answers these days. How do I reserve meeting space? Do I need to order lunch for the Board of Laity meetings? I serve on how many committees?

While I am honored and humbled to have been elected Conference lay leader at this yearā€™s Annual Conference, I must admitĀ to feeling just slightly overwhelmed by the enormity of the position. I cannot plead ignorance – I fully understood the responsibilities long before running for this position. However, now that we are inĀ September and my calendar isĀ filling up, I am beginning to fully appreciate the significance of this role, and the great commitmentĀ made byĀ my predecessor, Amory Peck.

While this allĀ may seem overwhelmingĀ right now,Ā I know that I can fulfill these responsibilities because I have received the assurance from many of you that I am not in this alone. As I embark on this journey I know that God walksĀ alongside, providing what I need when I need it, I need simply leave myself open to theĀ Spiritā€™s leading. I recognize that God is working through many of you who have offered your assistance, your well wishes and, most important, yourĀ prayers. I am grateful for all of you.

When I addressedĀ the Laity Session at Annual Conference I mentioned that one of the things that most attracted me to the United Methodist Church was our connectional systemĀ – together we can do what we cannot do alone. I am finding thatĀ this holds true for me personally, as well as it does forĀ our local churches. IĀ know that my journey will be enhancedĀ by connecting with the journey each of you finds yourself on. In future articles I will share my journey with you and I hopeĀ that you will share the stories of your journey with me as we connect across the Conference.


Holms serves as the Conference lay leader for the PNWUMC.
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This article was originally featured in Channels 56, September 2012. Download this issue, here

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