Creating Difference Makers in New Communities of Faith is the theme for the 2018 Iowa Annual Conference session where lay and clergy will gather for the three-day event will be held at the Iowa Events Center/Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. The 175
th annual yearly meeting will feature powerful preaching, inspiring singing, informative teaching sessions, vital reporting, and the reconnection of fellow United Methodists from across the state.
Following Lay and Clergy sessions that will be held on Friday, June 8, Bishop Laurie Haller will call the members of the annual conference to order on Saturday, June 9.
Click here for more information about the 2018 Annual Conference session
Teaching Session Preacher
Rev. Christian Coon, Lead Pastor of
Urban Village – Chicago will lead the Teaching session on Saturday afternoon.
Christian has been a pastor since 1998 and is a co-founder of Urban Village. He’s a native Iowan who worked in the not-for-profit public relations and journalism fields before going into church ministry. He loves running, all kinds of music, baseball, ice cream, and, most importantly, his wife, Anne, and two children, Caroline and Ethan. His book
Failing Boldly came out in 2017. You can read his blog and listen to his podcast at
www.christiancoon.com.
Memorial Service Preacher
Bishop Bruce Ough, Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area bishop will preach during the Memorial Service on Sunday, June 10 at 4:00 p.m. From 1985 to 1992, Bishop Ough served as the Council Director for the Iowa Conference, followed by five years as district superintendent of the Cedar Rapids District of the Iowa Conference. In 1997, Bruce was appointed as senior pastor of the 2,800 member St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was in this position when elected to the episcopacy by the North Central Jurisdictional Conference in 2000 and assigned to the Ohio West Area. After 12 years in West Ohio, he was assigned to the Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area in July 2012.
Workshops
Nine workshops/teaching sessions are set for Saturday afternoon, beginning at 4:10 pm. They include one led by Rev. Coon and three others focusing on new communities of faith. Other workshops will be presented on topics such as mental and behavior health, Justice For Our Neighbors and human resources.
Conversation's On a Way Forward Panel Discussion
The Commission on a Way Forward will have given its final report to the Council of Bishops in an April/May meeting in Chicago. There will be a panel discussion about their report on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Daily Highlights
Friday — Clergy and Laity Sessions
Saturday – Episcopal Address; Presentation of the working budget; Retirement Celebration, Keynote address – Rev. Christian Coon; Workshops
Sunday – Bishop’s walk/run; Service of Ordering of Ministry; Lay Leaders address; legislation; Panel discussion On a Way Forward; Memorial Service — Bishop Ough
Monday – Fixing of Appointments; New Faith Communities — Rev. William Poland; Foundation Meeting; Acknowledging the Diakonos; legislation; finalizing the budget
