By Rev. Cindy Gregorson Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai has been assigned as the resident bishop for the Iowa Area, effective Jan. 1, 2023. She was elected to the episcopacy at the 2022 North Central Jurisdictional Conference. Before her election, she served as the chief connectional ministries officer of the Connectional Table for the United Methodist...
By Rev. Cindy M. Gregorson I confess that as a former delegate to jurisdictional conference I often categorized the election of bishops to something akin to horse trading. More political than spiritual in nature, it seemed to me. But the 2022 North Central Jurisdictional Conference was noticeably different. It all started, according to one of the ...
By Liz Winders, Director of Communications, Iowa Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church FORT WAYNE, IN — Bishop Julius C. Trimble told the North Central Jurisdiction Conference, “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, Nov. 4 morning ...
Commission on the General Conference The United Methodist Church FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 4, 2022 Nashville, Tenn.: The Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 – May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The Commission ...
JAMES DEATON, Content Editor Nov. 3, 2022 | FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Thursday afternoon, the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) formally honored three retiring bishops—Bishop Sally Dyck, Bishop Laurie Haller, and Bishop Bruce Ough—during a moving celebration of ministry filled with gratitude and love. This official recognition service had been postponed...
By Rev. Cindy Gregorson FORT WAYNE, Indiana—Bishop David Alan Bard, president of the College of Bishops, launched into his episcopal address declaring that we find ourselves in odd space. We are in an odd space historically, politically and denominationally. We are on the precipice of mid-term elections in the United States where deep polarization ...
By Liz Winders, director of communications, Iowa Annual Conference of the UMC FORT WAYNE— On day two of the North Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church, opening worship began with praising God. Dayspring Native American United Methodist Church’s Pastor Danira Parra opened with prayer and reflection centered around the ...
By Lisa Wink is director of communications for the Wisconsin Conference. The Rev. Dan Schwerin, assistant to the bishop for the Wisconsin Conference, has been elected as bishop in The United Methodist Church’s North Central Jurisdictional Conference. Delegates elected Schwerin on November 3 at the jurisdiction’s meeting in the Grand Wayne ...
By Doreen Gosmire, director of communications, Dakotas UMC FORT WAYNE— Bishop Julius Trimble opened the North Central Jurisdiction, honoring the indigenous people of Indiana. “As we gather in the presence of God. We honor the indigenous people who settled in the Fort Wayne area and who went here before us. With deep respect, we honor the people...
Bishop Lanette Plambeck was elected on the third ballot at the 2022 North Central Jurisdictional Conference on Wednesday, November 2. She received 102 votes of the 167 ballots cast. She needed 101 to be elected (60% of valid votes.) The North Central Jurisdiction consists of 167 delegates, an equal number of United Methodist clergy and laity, from ...
By Doreen Gosmire, director of communications, Dakotas UMC BISMARCK, N. D. — Rev. Art Scanson, a retired elder of the Dakotas Conference, has found a ministry in woodworking. Scanson has handcrafted more than 20 crosiers for bishops in the North Central Jurisdiction and some bishops in other locations. "I have been making the crosiers for the ...
The North Central Jurisdictional Conference delegates and episcopal candidates landed in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to gather under the theme of We Press On (Philippians 4:13). Iowa's episcopal candidate is Rev. Dr. Lanette Plambeck. Voting clergy delegates from Iowa are Rev. Katie Dawson, Rev. Lanette Plambeck, Rev. LaTonya Calderon, Rev. Chad ...
By Karla Hovde Nov. 1, 2022 This week, delegates from every United Methodist conference in the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) will gather in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to elect new bishops and hold important conversations about how to build a more just and inclusive church. Among them will be about 20 young adults who have been elected as delegates...
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Written by James Deaton, Content Editor, the Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church, and adapted for Iowa. We Press On is the theme of the North Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church (NCJ), which will convene in person from November 2 – 5 in Fort Wayne, IN, to elect bishops and report on mission and ministry. Watch ...
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Submitted by the Iowa Conference Delegation With the announcement of Bishop Laurie's retirement at the end of the year, your General and Jurisdictional Conference Delegates thought it might be helpful to share what that means for episcopal leadership from our perspective. The North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) will meet the first week in November...
Press Release NCJCOE Episcopal Recommendation August 8, 2022 The North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) will convene in Fort Wayne, Indiana, November 2-5, 2022 with the theme We Press On. This Jurisdictional Conference will gather delegates (lay and clergy) from across Illinois (Northern Illinois, Illinois Great Rivers), Indiana, Iowa, Ohio (East ...
Jurisdictional Conferences have been scheduled for November 2-5. The North Central Jurisdictional Conference will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During this conference, we will be electing Episcopal leaders for the 2022-24 completion of this quadrennium. Any Elder in full connection is eligible to be elected as a bishop. If you are discerning a ...
Dear Friends in Christ in the North Central Jurisdiction: I greet you in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the peace and power of the Holy Spirit. As many of you are already aware, on the morning of February 16, Bishop Laurie Haller fell on ice while running, fracturing her right wrist, and being knocked unconscious. Her...
By Christa Meland, director of communications, Minnesota Conference • NCJ Delegate Covenant • Statement from the Council of Bishop's Narrative for Continuing the UMC • "A Call To Grace" - An open letter to all United Methodists At a virtual North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) Conference this week, delegates elected by their respective annual ...
When Rev. Ron Bell was in high school, his father became superintendent of the Eastern District of the Delaware Annual Conference. As their family was moving into the superintendents’ big, beautiful parsonage in Eastern Maryland, the entire local police department surrounded the house with guns drawn and told Bell and his father to get on the ...
In September of 2021, the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) College of Bishops decided to hold a special session of the NCJ virtually rather than in-person and pare down the schedule to focus on three critical areas: the work of dismantling racism, the future United Methodist Church, and the role and deployment of episcopal leadership within the ...
Mission Council: Press Release For Immediate Release The Mission Council of the North Central Jurisdiction is calling on all United Methodists in the jurisdiction to prayerfully support the November 10-11 virtual jurisdictional conference. Beginning November 1 and each day until November 11 pause at 10:11 AM and pray the following prayer: Long ...
One month ago, the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops made the difficult decision to move from an in-person special session of the jurisdictional conference to a virtual gathering. The College of Bishops also decided to pare down the agenda to focus on three critical areas: the work of dismantling racism, the future United Methodist ...
In an early June 2021 announcement from the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops, plans were to have an in-person Special Session of the North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) Conference in November of 2021. Recently, because of the surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant, plans are now to meet virtually November 11-12, 2021. “In the two months ...
July 1, 2021 To: The Elected Delegates of the North Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church From: The North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops On the matter of a special session of the North Central Jurisdiction In accordance with ¶521.1 and ¶521.3 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, the North Central...
The NCJ Mission Council is once again opening its grant process. The information and grant applications can be found on the NCJ website by clicking here. Agencies and groups are encouraged to investigate and apply for a grant. All applications should be completed by September 1, 2021. If you have questions, email Jim Searls, the NCJ ...
A new streamlined process for obtaining grants from the Mission Council has been adopted. Two classes of applications will be created. Class One will be ongoing projects that can be funded over the next quadrennium. These groups will only need to submit a single application that explains the mission and needs for the next four year period. ...
Today the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops announces the plan proposed to and approved by the Council of Bishops for episcopal leadership for 2021 in light of the vocational retirements of Bishops Sally Dyck and Bruce Ough (¶408.2b), and the inability to gather and engage in episcopal elections during the current COVID-19 pandemic. ...
Yesterday, two announcements were made regarding significant events in The United Methodist Church. The Commission on the General Conference announced the postponed 2020 General Conference will be held August 29–September 7, 2021, at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN. The Council of Bishops followed that with the ...
Dear NCJ Delegates and Alternates, I trust you are all doing well and that you are safe and healthy. After conversation with Bishop David Bard, President of the NCJ College of Bishops, I want to let you know that we received news that all US Jurisdictional Conferences for 2020 are postponed. Once the dates for the General Conference are ...
Press Release from the College of Bishop, North Central Jurisdiction CHICAGO, ILLINOIS In a meeting last week in Chicago, the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) Committee on the Episcopacy and the NCJ College of Bishops have proposed to only elect one bishop during the NCJ Quadrennial Meeting, July 15-18 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The two groups have ...
By Rick Wolcott* Members of each of the delegations to the Special Session of General Conference from across the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) gathered at Wespath Benefits and Investments in Glenview, Illinois September 21-22. The time of shared learning, small group discussion, worship, and fellowship was sponsored by the NCJ College of ...