The 2025 Annual Conference launched with meetings of the orders, the Clergy Session, and the Laity Session. During the Clergy Session, Rev. Jim Polk was honored with the Jim Beale Barnabus Award for the encouragement and training of Arkansas clergy.
Our conference Lay Leader, Kathy Conley, led the Laity Session, which included presentations from Lay Servant Ministries, Board of Laity, and lay members of the delegation. There were 15 laity who shared celebration stories from their churches that included:
- Brinkley First UMC: partnering with the local elementary school
- Blytheville First UMC: providing birthday cake kits for local families in need
- Cabot UMC: partnering with their local Aldi to provide fresh produce and eggs with their feeding ministry
- Cherokee VIllage UMC: working with local agencies to provide tutoring and mentoring
- Clinton/Leslie UMCs: providing diapers for 50+ people each month and raising more than $72,000 from their thrift store for community support
- First UMC, Little Rock: launching their Rock ‘n Roll mobile laundry service for homeless friends in downtown Little Rock
- Geyer Springs UMC: hproviding a weekly food pantry for 20 years that continues to grow.
- Grande Avenue UMC in Stuttgart: providing the Fence of Love where people can pick up free clothing for different seasons and meeting all their neighbors in a 2 mile radius of the church.
- Highland Valley UMC: offering the warehouse food pantry each week and supporting their local elementary school students with school uniforms
- Jacksonville First UMC: continuing its Mission 5,000 feeding ministry and offering mailboxes to unhomed people so they can send and receive mail
- Maumelle First UMC: providing backpacks for over 200 kids each week
- Melbourne First UMC: supporting their local elementary school with backpacks and offering free community meals.
- Quawpaw Quarter UMC: growing a pollinator garden to protect the natural habitat in an urban setting.
- Salem UMC, Conway: offering a drive-through food pantry
- White Memorial UMC, Little Rock: continuing their bus stop ministries where they are helping kids in their neighborhood build home libraries.
During the first business session, all motions were approved by the body, but the conversation regarding the CF&A report was tabled until Thursday. Sarah Argue, chair of the ARUMC COSROW shared the process by which they will conduct monitoring reports throughout the Annual Conference.
Before the Episcopal Address, Bishop Merrill introduced and welcomed our United Methodist family from the Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Annual Conferences who brought greetings to the body.
In her address, Bishop Merrill shared how, even though she is challenged daily by providing leadership for three different annual conferences, she shared, “The abundant, extravagant grace of God that has washed over me – it has overflowed, inspired, and truly carried me. And God has done that by people… it truly is a privilege to serve in leadership at this time of our church.”
Bishop Merrill’s powerful Episcopal Address may be found at 5:12:58 using this link.
During the second business session of the day, Rev. Dan Read, chairperson of the Native American Ministries committee, provided a report on how this committee is providing opportunities to learn more about our history and narrowing the cultural divide.
Rev. Danita Waller Paige offered an inspiring Ethnic and Language Concerns Committee report and shared, “We are not giving up because the harvest is coming, and the seeds we plant today will bloom in places we havent even seen yet.”
Rev. Susan Ledbetter presented the first Conference Nominating Committee report and shared a grateful thanks for those who have stepped up to serving on a conference committee. She also indicated that they received 25 self-nominations this year and encouraged people to continue self-nominating for future service because there are still some empty committee spots.
The self-nominating form may be found here: https://arumc.wufoo.com/forms/nominations-profile-sheet/.
The final form will be up for a vote on Friday.
Bishop Merrill welcomed Bishop Whitfield who is visiting the Arkansas Annual Conference and closed the day with a break before the Ordination worship service.
The 2025 Ordination Service included a 30-member choir and Bishop Merrill shared a sermon that included memories from her own ordination and referenced 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:2.
During this service the following were commissioned as Elders of the ARUMC:
Rev. Chad Hornsby, Rev. Miranda Hornsby, and Rev. Abbey Maynard.
The following were commissioned as Deacons to the ARUMC:
Rev. Joshua Bland and Rev. Daniel Curry
And the following were recognized as provisionals in the ARUMC:
Rev. Jerrod Bachuss (Elder), Rev. Ellen Rowland (Deacon), and Rev. Chris Todd (Elder)
A special thanks goes to Rev. Kathleen McMurray and the worship team for making this such an incredibly special service for all.
You may view the 2025 Ordination Service here.
