AC ALERT – Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

IMPORTANT AC 2023 DETAILS
The theme for 2023 is: New & Improved through Christ

A special session of the Annual Conference of the Susquehanna Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church is called to be held on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, starting at 5:30 pm at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport, Pa. Registration will begin at 3:00 pm.
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Annual Conference will be held May 18 – 20, 2023 at Community Arts Center,
Williamsport, Pa.  Learn more about the Community Arts Center

The 2023 Susquehanna Annual Conference Session will once again be broadcast LIVE via susumc.org/annual-conference/

CHILDCARE AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Please be aware that childcare will not be available for walk-ins this year at Annual Conference.

Any changes to those who have registered their children for childcare should be sent via email to Amy Wynn at awynn@susumc.org by today, May 10, 2023 so that those who are providing the childcare for Annual Conference can prepare the best possible care for our conference children. Thank you for your understanding.

YOUTH SERVICE FUND: SILENT AUCTION BASKET DONATIONS NEEDED
The Youth Service Fund (YSF) supports youth and youth ministries in their endeavors to live and grow as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. The primary fundraiser for this fund is the Young People’s Ministry Council’s annual silent auction. YPMC is collecting donations of items for the auctions, such as themed gift baskets, handcrafted items, and gift certificates. Basket donations may be brought to the conference office this week or to the YSF Booth at the Community Arts Center on Wednesday, May 17. If you are interested in providing a donation or for more info, connect with Rev. Tiffany Manning at tiffanylmanning@comcast.net.

ACCOMMODATIONS AVAILABLE FOR AC

Dear Siblings in Christ:

Our Annual Conference is being held at a new venue this year. While we look forward to new beginnings, we also recognize that this new location offers many new challenges when it comes to accommodating people with disabilities. The following accommodations are currently available for the 2023 Annual Conference:

Auto-generated Captions: Open Captions will be displayed on a screen located to  the left of the theater. The screen is 65 inches and will show the livestream. The bottom third of the screen will display live captions.

Seating for People who are d/Deaf and/or Visually Impaired: Accessible seating for people who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing and for people with visual impairments is available in the front of the theater on the left (near the screen that is displaying captions). This accessible seating area includes seats in and out of the bar for voting.

Accessible Seating: There will be reserved seating for people with mobility limitations or other special needs  Reserved accessible seats will be clearly marked with seat covers.

Please reserve aisle seats for those with mobility or other needs: We understand that many disabilities are invisible. Therefore, we humbly request that all of those attending Annual Conference give priority for aisle seats to those who might require an aisle seat.

For questions or concerns, as well as to share suggestions for how we can make future gatherings of our Annual Conference even more accessible, please contact Rev. Rebecca L. Holland, chair of the Disability Ministry Task Force of the Susquehanna Conference, at RHolland@susumc.org

GET THE 2023 AC WORKBOOK

The 2023 Annual Conference Workbook is available in online PDF format. and is available in printed form (order a physical copy today.)

All pastors and lay members are urged to use the workbook in order to be prepared for the worshipful work that will be undertaken at this year’s session of the Susquehanna Annual Conference.

GENERAL/JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE NOMINEES
The General/Jurisdictional Conference Nominees booklet is now available. This information/booklet is not included in the pre-conference workbook. Please print or download a copy for your use at Annual Conference. Prayerfully review and consider those clergy and laity who have self-nominated. You will also find the booklet on the AC webpage.

2023 LAITY SESSION
The Laity Session of Annual Conference will be held Saturday, May 13 in two sessions via Zoom. Conference Lay Leader Joyce Davis will moderate the session with the Board of Laity.

Rev. Dr. Kathleen E. Kind will lead the first session from 11am-noon to provide practical information for lay leaders to the annual conference. She will alert attendees to changes and will take questions in the Q & A.

Bishops Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and Sandra Steiner Ball will open the second session with devotions and prayer at 1 pm. Following devotions, Liz Lennox, Director of Communications, will discuss tools and strategies for effective communications in a time of change. Rev. Karen Weiss and Rev. Michelle R. Bodle will lead a period of reflection and meditation as we seek to fortify our spirits for service to Christ in the coming year. We will close with a period of communal prayer.

REGISTER TODAY

CELEBRATION OF MINISTRY SERVICE
With Bishop Moore-Koikoi and Bishop Steiner Ball, the Board of Ordained Ministry invites everyone to the Celebration of Ministry Service on Friday, May 19 at the Community Arts Center as part of Annual Conference celebrations.  Clergy are expected to be in attendance for this worship service.

Clergy will process together. Ordained elders and deacons are asked to wear robes and red stoles. Local pastors should wear robes.  CLMs should wear Sunday morning attire.  Local pastors without robes should contact their Cluster Leader and other local clergy to borrow one for this formal service.

Please note, there will be nowhere to hang robes. Therefore, commuters will need to have their robes in their cars, while those staying in hotels will need to bring them from their rooms.

The Cabinet and 2023 Retirees should bring their processional attire to the retirement dinner.  All other clergy will assemble on the sidewalk outside the Community Arts Center at 6:45 PM. Due to the structure of the facility, if you have mobility concerns, please take your seat in the Clergy Section prior to the processional.

SUSUMC Annual Conference 2023 App
Install on your mobile device

  1. On your smartphone, visit https://my.yapp.us/SUSAC23
    (Tip: use the QR code pictured)
  2. Follow the instructions on screen (it’s a quick, two step process)

Already have the Yapp App installed?

  1. Tap “Download existing app” or the green “+” button (top right)
  2. When asked for the Yapp ID, enter: SUSAC23
  3. Press the device keyboard’s enter button, or tap “Add” at top right

The fastest way to load that URL on your phone is to point its camera at the QR code pictured right. Tap the prompt that comes up asking you to open a URL.

SPECIAL OFFERINGS

There will be three offerings received at Annual Conference.

There will be an opportunity for people to give during the Annual Conference Session
or checks may be sent to the Conference Office or churches can submit with their remittance report. VIEW MORE DETAILS