A Morning with the Bishop
March 11, 2012
The morning began with buses, cars and vans carrying confirmation classes from throughout the conference. Some brought one person and some brought classes numbering in the teens, but what they all had in common was they are learning about the United Methodist faith and all are on the cusp of making decisions about their spiritual futures. As Bishop Lindsey Davis said, "this is the first adult decision " many of these students will make, and it is a decision that no one can make for them.
The morning was filled with presentations to inform the students about everything from a little Methodist history to a breakdown of how offerings are used throughout the local church and the worldwide church. Students heard how the Kentucky Conference launched the Isaiah Project in order to bring younger clergy into the ordained ministry and learned how our connectional form of ministry put each and every United Methodist in relationship with one another. Bishop Davis explained how we have an "open" communion table and then invited all in attendance to join him and the other celebrants as he administered communion.
After dismissal everyone adjourned to the gymnasium for lunch and then onto the conference office to tour the Kentucky Annual Conference Offices.
This first year there were over 150 students signed up to participate and the planning team is already looking forward to next year and the next group of confirmands to come through and learn what it means to be a United Methodist.