Committee on Episcopacy to request Bishop Willimon be reassigned to the Birmingham Area during 2008 Jurisdictional Conference
The 2008 Southeastern (SEJ) Jurisdictional Conference will be July 16-19, 2008, at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in Western North Carolina. During the SEJ Conference delegates from the 15 Annual Conferences within the southeast will gather under the theme “Living the United Methodist Way.”
A United Methodist Jurisdictional Conference happens every 4 years. There are five Jurisdictions in the Untied States and each Jurisdiction holds its Jurisdictional Conference at the same time.
A Jursidictional Conference works to promote the evangelistic, educational, missionary and benevolent interests of the church and to provide for interests and institutions within their boundaries; as well as to establish and constitute jurisdictional conference boards as auxiliaries to the general boards of the church; to determine the boundaries of Annual Conferences; to make rules and regulations for the administration of the church's work within the Jurisdiction; and to appoint a committee on appeals.
However, the primary function of a Jurisdictional Conference is to elect and assign Bishops for the denomination.
In preparation for the 2008 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, the North Alabama Conference Committee on Episcopacy has released the following statement.
The North Alabama Conference Committee on Episcopacy affirms with deep appreciation the vision and energy that Bishop Willimon has given the churches and people of our area over the past four years.
We look forward to Bishop Willimon's continuing ministry among us and request the SEJ Episcopacy Committee to reassign him to the Birmingham Area for the 2008-2012 quadrennium.
The Conference Committee on Episcopacy celebrates the strong vision for growth and change to grow more disciples of Jesus Christ that Bishop Willimon has brought to the laity and clergy of the North Alabama Conference over the past four years.
As we go forward into the new quadrennium, the members of the Episcopacy Committee are committed to a close partnership with Bishop Willimon to define steps and strengthen relationships to enable us to reach our vision.
- NORTH ALABAMA CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON EPISCOPACY
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