GC 2008 ~ Final

Well... it has been a week since I returned from General Conference, and a day or two since the final GC session. I have to admit it was quite an experience. On one hand, being somewhat allergic to the institutional nature of our denomination, there were many elements of General Conference that I found frustrating and discouraging, but on the other hand there were many things about General Conference that I found to be life-giving. In and of itself the notion of Holy Conferencing seems to set a certain hope-giving tone, although at some points I could not tell the difference between the floor of GC and the floor of Congress. There were, however, points in time when pieces of legislation were being debated and voted on that the body would turn intentionally to God, through silence or corporate worship, for wisdom and understanding. While the schedule and pace of GC is draining, I found myself energized by the worship, by the time I spent in Legislative Committees, and during break and meal times when I had a chance to visit with people from all over the world. People who, like me, have a passion for God, a passion for the Church, and in this case a passion for our United Methodist heritage. It was a blessing to be a visitor to this years General Conference... it was a blessing to work alongside the GCCUIC folks... and it was a blessing to travel to GC with Bishop Mutti and our friends and colleagues from Saint Paul School of Theology...

Here is a shortcut to all of my General Conference 2008 postings....