Tonight as I finish packing to leave for General Conference tomorrow, I have many thoughts going through my head. I am very excited to get to Tampa, meet and worship with people from all over the world, learn about different perspectives, and prayerfully discern where God is calling the United Methodist Church.
For those of you reading this who might not know me personally I will give you a little background information. I have been a part of Epworth United Methodist Church in New England my whole life. When I was 14 years old, I felt God's call toward ordained ministry. I attended college at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, majoring in Psychology, while becoming more and more involved with social justice work and community service. It was there that I discovered that God was calling me not only toward ordained ministry, but also toward working for social justice. Last year during New England's Annual Conference I was elected as first alternate for GC 2012. In November I became a declared candidate for ministry in the UMC. I graduated a semester early from UMass in December (I currently substitute teach in Worcester) and I plan to attend Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago in the fall.
My hope for General Conference 2012 is to learn a lot and I know that I will. I have a huge passion for Jesus Christ and his work of true social justice and community outreach. I also hope that we can practice holy conferencing and understand that more often than not, opinions are shaped by experience. I pray that the United Methodist Church can truly uphold its motto of "Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors."
See you in Tampa!
