As a spiritual venture, boldly follow the initiatives into the heart of God’s vision for the church and creation.
Then, in response to growing insight about God’s nature and will,
continue to shape communities that live Christ’s love and mission.
– Doctrine & Covenants 165:1b –
As we have journeyed through this pandemic, we have experienced profound loss. Loss of social interaction, “in person” worship and potlucks, camps and reunions, sacred and important life celebrations, and even people close to us. With the pain also comes the blessing of awareness and opportunity for new beginnings. This period of time has also invited us to journey inward and take a closer look at what matters most in preparation for the outward journey of mission that invites us forward. This journey is cyclical and is foundational for the path of the disciple. It is with this understanding that our online mission center conference this November will explore the theme of “A Spiritual Venture: Discern, Discover, Do.” Inspired by Doctrine & Covenants 165:1, we will examine three different areas of spiritual venture in which we are engaged. As we gather on Zoom for a Moment of Blessing and Delegation Orientation on Saturday morning, November 6, we will focus on the theme of “DISCERN: A Vision is Set Before You.” As we move into the afternoon, “DISCOVER: In Harmony with Christ’s Mission” will guide us through our Business Meeting. On Sunday morning, November 7, we will experience an invitation to respond at the Pastors Breakfast and Communion Worship with “DO: Shape Communities that Live Christ’s Love and Mission.” As we close our conference weekend together, we will then circle back to our conference theme as we share in a closing campfire-style worship on Sunday evening. In preparation for our time together, we invite all who share in this spiritual venture of discipleship in Community of Christ to journey deeper with Doctrine & Covenants 165:1. One way to do this is to use the practice of Dwelling in the Word with this scripture passage at least once a week between now and conference. Click here to download. What new insight might you gain? Where is the scripture text inviting you to respond to mission? May our journey towards conference be just as important as our time together online during conference.
As was the case last year, this will be a Non-Delegate Conference, meaning all members in good standing are eligible to attend and vote on the business items being presented. Voters will need to meet the technological requirements of using zoom with video capability for the business meeting, plus an online voting website/app. If there are multiple voters in the house, multiple devices may be required for voting. There will not be a call-in option for conference. In addition to the proposed 2022 budget, you can expect at least 2 Resolutions from the Leadership Team to be presented.
We are also excited to announce that Katie and Zac Harmon-McLaughlin will be our guest ministers for the weekend. As most of you know, Katie is the Director of Community of Christ’s Spiritual Formation Team, and Zac is the Dean of Seminary for the church. We are very much looking forward to them sharing with us in a variety of ways in November!
As we always do, we are asking Pastors to send their “Good News” stories to us for inclusion in the conference packet. We would love to hear about what is happening in your congregations and New Expression groups! This year we would like all pastors to send your reports to your Cluster Leader (Sean, Donald, Ashley, or Kim). If you are a New Expressions group, please send your stories to Sean.
Downloads
Download Conference Flyer
Proposed 2022 Operating-Missional Budget and Explanation
2021 Statement of Financial Position
Proposed 2022 Congregational Allocations and Explanation
Proposed Resolution regarding Mission Center Contribution to Bridge of Hope Project
Proposed Resolution to Amend Operating Guidelines