“We have gathered to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, as the people of God, the children of God. Praise be to God.” So began Bishop Julius C. Trimble, Indiana’s resident bishop and host for the 2022 North Central Jurisdiction Conference. Gathering under the banner of “We Press On,” the delegates heard Bishop Trimble honor the First Nation peoples who were the earliest inhabitants of the Indiana area. The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (length 1:52)
“God has us right where God wants us” declared Bishop Bruce Ough in his sermon for the opening worship service of the 2022 North Central Jurisdiction Conference. He added, “we are people of hope, we bring healing and peace to a broken world, we forgive our enemies, we embody unity without uniformity, we beat swords into plowshares, we stop gun violence, we are responsible stewards of God’s creation, we rebuild the walls of our cities, we seek racial justice, we feed the hungry and clothe the naked, we ask hard questions of faith without guilt or shame, we love our neighbors around the corner and around the world, we expand the table to include all of God’s children, we “do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God,” we praise Jesus’ saving grace.” The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (length: 26:17)
Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai was elected Bishop on the first ballot of the North Central Jurisdiction Conference. She received 106 votes of the 167 valid ballots cast. Prior to the balloting, the 10 episcopal candidates shared in a liturgy with the delegates. Rev. Sara Isbell, chairperson of the Jurisdiction Episcopacy Committee, asked, “Is this not a holy moment, church?” She offered a prayer for what she called “an extraordinary group of people,” by saying, “grant them courage, grant them patience, grant them humility, grant them peace.” After Bishop David Bard announced her election newly-elected Bishop Bigham-Tsai began by saying, “Oh my God. I’m not often known for being speechless, but I am overwhelmed, I am humbled, I am so very grateful…I will prayerfully walk beside you to live out our covenant to build beloved community.” The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (Election announcement at 13:46; length: 24:23)
Iowa Conference Assistant to the Bishop, Rev. Dr. Lanette Plambeck, was elected bishop on the third ballot of the North Central Jurisdiction Conference during the first day of its meeting, November 2. Prior to the ballot Rev. Dr. Barrie Tritle offered a prayer asking, “Abiding Spirit, as we continue to do the work that is before us, embrace us with your hope…Make our spirits open to all that can be.” Presiding Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Wisconsin Area, announced at 7:55 pm that there was an election and that newly-elected Bishop Plambeck received 102 votes of the 166 valid ballots cast. “Oh my goodness. My goodness, My goodness,” was her first response. “I am humbled in this moment,” she said as she thanked the episcopal leaders “who raised me up”-Bishop Gregory Palmer, Bishop Julius Trimble, Bishop Laurie Haller, and Bishop Deb Kiesey. “All I want to do, to the deepest part of who I am, is to glorify God in my service [because] I believe our very best years are ahead of us and they’re right here, right now.” The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (Election announcement at 0:58; length: 6:15)
Bishop Tracy S. Malone told the North Central Jurisdiction Conference that “mercy sustains,” in her sermon for the Thursday, November 3 morning worship service. “That is what inspires us to persevere…[mercy] sustained us through the pandemic…it’s this power of God that’s keeping us as we go through these divisions and splinter-rings in the church.” Malone, the resident bishop of the East Ohio area, added, “Every day we have a choice to make. Yes, we do every day….We have to remember and we have to decide how we will reflect Christ…Let us be able to see Christ in everybody. Let us see everyone as God’s beloved child.” The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (length: 29:14)
Rev. Dan Schwerin was elected to be a Bishop by the delegates of the North Central Jurisdiction Conference, on the sixth ballot on November 3. Schwerin, currently the Assistant to the Bishop for the Wisconsin Annual Conference, expressed “deep gratitude for the baptism that sustains our call forward…[for in that] we all of us discover each other and a newness because we have a relationship with Jesus Christ.” Speaking to the delegations he added, “I want to thank you because your questions are calling this church forward…we will never be the same because of the questions and the refining that you’re asking will never be the same.” He concluded his initial remarks as a newly-elected bishop by adding, “Let’s go about the…work that is before us. It is very important work because this moment depends on all of us.” The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (Election announcement: 1:55; length: 7:32)
“Wow! Wow! Wow!” was the almost speechless response of presiding Bishop Gregory Vaughn Palmer’s response to Bishop David Bard’s Episcopal Address for the 2022 North Central Jurisdiction Conference. “We are creating a new space, an odd space…let us together create spacious space safe enough, gracious space,” said the resident bishop of the Michigan area. “In the grace of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, let us create creative space, curious space, capacious space…rooted space where our lives are rooted in Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, where the create jazz of our theological thinking soars while remaining rooted in Scripture as a constituent of the witness of our faith…This will be an odd space, as odd as a God who takes an enslaved people and with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm brings them to a wide and broad land, flowing with milk and honey…let us create a magnanimous space, room for all to get a mattered room of courtesy and kindness…let love be genuine. Love one another with mutual affection…For this new space…[where] the Spirit of God will build Beloved Community.” (Length: 38:43)
The Retirement Celebration of the North Central Jurisdiction Conference, honoring the ministries of Bishop Sally Dyck, Bishop Laurie Haller, and Bishop Bruce Ough.
Bishop Sally Dyck, ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops and interim bishop of the California-Nevada Annual Conference, talked about being “retired” for two years, though her current service means that she has “no extra time whatsoever.” Bishop Dyck has worked to ensure that the church "stops doing harm to others…I have worked to make space for all and I mean all, not just LGBTQI+ people. The people who authentically relate to God and worship differently than I do…I have come to know and love people who are different from me in every way….I want to thank you for giving me all these opportunities and more.”
Bishop Laurie Haller, Iowa’s resident bishop expressed her appreciation, saying, “My dear friends, deep gratitude to you, each one of you, for the privilege of loving Jesus, serving the church, singing your faith, and bringing in God’s reign on earth. I have treasured every moment in my ministry. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I do know who holds the future and I know it will be a future of hope.”
Bishop Bruce Ough, executive secretary of the Council of Bishops, spoke about working to “pursue unity in Christ without sacrificing integrity to the Gospel message of inclusiveness, justice, love, and personal salvation…I want to assure you that I will continue to pray for each of you and for each of our conferences. Thank be to God and thank you North Central Jurisdiction for the honor and blessing of serving you.”
Scripture selections were read by the spouses of each retiring bishop. Following the Bishops’ remarks, specially-created video tributes to each were presented.
The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (Bishop Dyck’s remarks: 21:23; Bishop Haller’s remarks: 34:25; Bishop Ough’s remarks: 44:04; length: 1:50:24)
Bishop Julius C. Trimble told the North Central Jurisdiction Conference declared, “The Good News is for everybody…[it’s] an inclusive message that breaks the chains of oppression and exclusion.” in his sermon for the Friday, November 4 morning worship service. “We need Good News, [the] Good News of the living Gospel, the truth, life, and purpose,” Indiana’s resident bishop added. Declaring our identity, he said, “We stand with love over hatred. We stand with faith over fear. We stand with mission over misinformation. We stand up against racism and rejection and exclusion...” The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (length: 27:49)
Speaking directly and personally to the three newly-elected bishops, who were soon-to-be consecrated, Bishop Sally Dyck said, “It is a most exhilarating ride to be a bishop in The United Methodist Church. Through the biblical story of the temptations of Christ, Bishop Dyck first reminded the three bishops, “You must always claim that first and foremost you are a child of God.” She added, “Being a bishop isn't about having power at all. It’s about empowering others to be who they are and to look at what Jesus did over and over again.” She also observed, “ One of the greatest things about being a bishop is that you do have the power to call people together…[to] do their very best ministry.” Finally, she told the three, “You were not elected to save the church…you are called to help inspire and equip and bring new life into our beloved United Methodist Church.” Her blessing was, “Remember, the Holy Spirit will never leave you.” The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (length: 20:02)
The service of Consecration for the three newly-elected bishops-Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, Bishop Lanette Plambeck, and Bishop Dan Schwerin, of the North Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church, held on November 5. Key moments of the service include:
The North Central Jurisdiction Conference meets November 2-5 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Ft. Wayne. (length: 1:33:22)