Officiating Bishop: Bishop Peggy A. Johnson
Guest speakers:
- Mr. Manual Padilla, Executive Director of the Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry with the General Church
- Rev. Dr. Ron Bell Jr., Lead Pastor of Camphor Memorial UMC in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Bishop Jeremiah J. Park, leader of the Susquehanna Conference, preached at Service of Ordination and Commissioning.
- Bishop Peggy Johnson preached for the last time as Bishop of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference at the Service of Remembrance.
Pen-Del Annual Conference by the numbers
The conference approved 11 resolutions for disaffiliating churches, and nine other resolutions including:
- The Conference designated Zoar UME, Odessa, Delaware, as a conference historic site. Zoar came to life in 1845 and provided a meeting place for the enslaved and free African American community in the area. Zoar also has ties to the Underground Railroad as a resting place for enslaved freedom seekers on the way north.
- Updating the housing policy and setting a new Parsonage Standards policy.
- Passed 2022 Covenant Funding Plan (spending budget) of $4.8. million.
Resolutions or actions related to the postponed 2020 General Conference, now set for 2022: None
Number of churches that closed: None at the time of Annual Conference.
Any special annual conference set: No
Endorsement of episcopal candidate: No
Other resolutions adopted by the conference: The usual, annual clergy compensation and benefits resolutions, insurance package, rental and housing allowances for retired or disabled ministers.
Delegates for 2020 General Jurisdictional Conference
Clergy: Vicki Gordy-Stith, Megan Shitama Weston
Lay: Yvonne Jackson, William Westbrook
Delegates for 2020 Jurisdictional Conference
Clergy: David Bennett, Jacqueline Ford
Lay: Erin Schutt, Carl Samans
Reserve Clergy: Karen Jones, Jonathan Whitney
Reserve Lay: Regina Nichols, Chelsea Spyres
Did the conference have to elect replacement delegates due to the delay? No
Was there a push at your conference to elect younger delegates? No
Number of people ordained, commissioned or received into associate membership, and average age: 1 commissioned elder.
Did your clergy session approve any openly gay candidates for ministry? No.
Number of clergy retired: 14 first time retirees and four re-retirees.
Membership stands at 67,166, down 2,852 from 2019.
In-person worship attendance stands at: 19,390, down 6,736 from 2019.
Online worship attendance stands at 57,386, up 47,839 from 2019.
Professions of faith: 356, down 450 from 2019.
Adults and young adults in small groups: 15,275, down 3,260 from 2019.
Worshippers engaged in mission: 10,936, down 3,281 from 2019.
Total given to missions by the local church: $3,317,433, down $784,661 from 2019.
— Douglas C. Lanter, director of communications, Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference
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