Over the past month, a team of Annual Conference Sessions Committee members and Conference Staff who work closely with the details of Annual Conference planning, reviewed some of the agendas and evaluations of previous sessions. They developed drafts of potential agendas that incorporate the essential functions necessary for the Annual Conference and renegotiated the contract with the Iowa Events Center where the Annual Conference session is held. This work was shared with Bishop Laurie Haller and the Sessions Committee.
As a result of this work, the 2020 Iowa Annual Conference is being planned to begin early Friday afternoon, June 5 and close late Sunday afternoon, June 7, 2020. This change responds to one of the more often named requests in annual conference evaluations, which asked that the length of the annual conference session be shortened. This change will have the effect of reducing expenses incurred by Annual Conference lay and clergy members and their local churches and lowering the cost to hold the Annual Conference Session, something that is funded through Conference Apportionments.
More details will be reviewed and shared across the Conference following the next meeting of the Sessions Committee on Tuesday, September 24.
The grace & peace of Jesus Christ be with you,
Harlan
Rev. Dr. Harlan Gillespie
Assistant to the Bishop Laurie Haller
The Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church