Connectional Table

Over the past three years, the Connectional Table has brought together over 1,000 United Methodists in Africa, Europe, the Philippines, and the U.S. to discern the vision of the UMC through conversations about the identity, vision, connectionalism, and mission of the UMC. Many fruitful conversations were had, and the insights from each regional conversation and our shared values are available on ResourceUMC.org. Link below in caption!
https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/the-connectional-table/imagining-the-future

Photo by Iwaria Inc. from Unsplash

One of the legislation proposals on the docket for General Conference 2020 in 2024 is a series of proposals for "regionalization" in the UMC. In preparation for GC 2020 in 2024, the Connectional Table, UMCOM, Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, and the Christmas Covenant have compiled a toolkit of online resources introducing regionalization and the proposed legislations. Head to ResourceUMC.org to learn more, hear from the Bishops, and read the submitted legislations. Link below!
https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/the-connectional-table/regionalization-legislation

We are hiring an Operations Manager/ Executive Assistant!

Interested applicants should send their resume and cover letter to [email protected].

The Operations Manager/Executive Assistant is the primary administrator of the Connectional Table (CT) office, coordinating schedule and travel, including scheduling and arranging travel for the CCMO, and caring for administrative processes related to technology support, human resource management, payroll, and meeting planning. The Operations Manager/Executive Assistant serves as a project manager to support various denominational initiatives and Connectional Table projects as the Connectional Table seeks to live out its purpose to discern and articulate the vision for the worldwide United Methodist Church and stewards the mission, ministries, and resources of the denomination as determined by the General Conference and in consultation with the Council of Bishops. The Operations Manager/Executive Assistant also will work with the General Council of Finance and Administration (GCFA), Agency treasurers, Annual Conference treasurers, and CT board members to support the process for allocating the quadrennial budget, review agency spending plans, and manage internal budgeting and other financial processes for the CT.
For more information, visit https://www.umc.org/en/find-a-job/jobs/2023/06/06/12/37/operations-manager-executive-assistant

The Connectional Table (CT) of The United Methodist Church is seeking a Connectional Ministries Intern for about 15 hours a week over the summer. The CT is where ministry and money are brought to the same table to coordinate the mission, ministries, and resources of The United Methodist Church. An intern’s responsibilities would be tailored to fit their interests and skills, potentially including:
• Planning, executing, and attending board and committee meetings
• Participation in project management related to evaluation, the budget, advocacy, legislative campaigns with in The UMC, and other projects
• Communications, including writing, content creation, and editing
• Help with the theological grounding of the CT’s work through leading devotions/spiritual practices or writing
• Research
The right candidate would be knowledgeable about United Methodist polity, adaptable, and motivated. We are happy to work with the requirements of an interested student’s academic institution to ensure academic credit is received. The Connectional Ministries Intern would work fully remote and receive a stipend.
If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected].

Christ is risen!

"Beloved in Christ, during this Easter, we must call upon to God raise up our communities from the dead."
Read the full reflection by Bishop Mande Muyombo, CT Chair at our website: https://www.umcct.org/news/devotionals/dh1flu0xy9t3un9cfbsze13c6po4pi

A one sentence reflection for Good Friday on John 18:1-19:42.

"Good Friday: the day the symbol of tragedy became the sign of triumph!"

Written by Rev. Ken Nelson, CT Board Member.

A one sentence reflection for Maundy Thursday on John 13:1-17, 31b-35.

"The witness, the mandate is to love through serving."

Written by Rev. Amy Coles, CT Board Member.

This weekend marks both the fifth Sunday in Lent and the Annunciation of Christ's coming to Mary.

Slide 1: A reflection on Ezekiel 37:1-14 and John 11:1-45 for the fifth Sunday in Lent by Rev. Grace Killian, CT Board Engagement Coordinator.

Slide 2: Venus Mae Gatdula, CT Board Member, offers a reflection on Isaiah 7:10-14 and Luke 1:26-38 for the Annunciation.

A 1 sentence reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent.

"Grief is the final act of love; recovery is the willed walk into the newness of a future."

Written by Rev. Dr. Jacob Dharmaraj, CT Board Member.

A 6 -word reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Lent.

"Women carry water and The Word."

Written by Frances Roberts, CT Operations Manager/Executive Assistant.

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/group-plans-for-budget-cuts-regionalization

Group plans for budget cuts, regionalization Meetings of the Connectional Table in Atlanta were productive, with efforts to come up with a consensus budget, move toward a U.S. regional conference and streamline the leadership body’s own membership all moving forward.

A 6-word reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent.

"Today I Lift My Eyes Lord"

Written by: Kacie Hopkins, CT Communicator

A 6- word reflection for the 1st Sunday of Lent.
Bread…Power…Fame. Constant temptations. Leave me, Satan.

Written by: Judi Kenaston

CT Board members prayed over Bishop Mande Muyombo, CT Chair and Judi Kenaston, Interim Chief Connectional Ministries Officer at our board meeting in Atlanta yesterday.

The Connectional Table Board held an Ash Wednesday service this evening at our board meeting in Atlanta.

This is the first time the CT Board has gathered in-person since 2019.

"May we fast from injustice and oppression." A 6- word Lenton reflection on the scriptures Isaiah 58: 1-12 and Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21.

-Written by Rev. Grace Killian

Baptism and Newness written by Rev. Grace Killian, CT Board Engagement Coordinator

https://www.umcct.org/news/devotionals/baptismandnewness

Baptism and Newness Connectional Table of the United Methodist Church — Connectional Table Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."

What is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity?
Jan. 18-25 marks the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This annual observance, sponsored jointly by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity since 1968, invites all Christians everywhere to remember one another in prayer and strengthen the bonds of love and mutual mission we share in Jesus Christ.

Check out resources here: https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-is-the-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity

What is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity? Ask The UMC is a service of United Methodist Communications.

Welcome Message from Interim Chief Connectional Ministries Officer, Judi Kenaston
https://www.umcct.org/news/devotionals/welcome-message-from-interim-chief-connectional-ministries-officer-judi-kenaston

Chief Connectional Ministries Officer Judi Kenaston — Connectional Table At General Conference 2004 in Pittsburgh, I sat as a reserve delegate on metal bleachers as the Connectional Table was voted into existence. The Connectional Table was a new way of bringing leadership together to align mission and resources and set the vision for The UMC. It actually reflected what

A Christmas reflection written by Rev. Grace Killian, CT Board Engagement Coordinator

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. Luke 2: 15-16

I walked past the Church of the Nativity, the holy site where Jesus was born, essentially every day when I served as Global Mission Fellow in Bethlehem. I would frequently walk up the hill the shepherds would have taken to Bethlehem and down Star Street, the street believed to be the path of the Magi into Bethlehem. These holy sites became part of daily life in Bethlehem, just as the other parts of living in a land plagued by violence and conflict became part of daily life.
Violence, oppression, and empire are the backdrop of Jesus’ life and ministry, including the Christmas story. We cannot truly understand the Christmas story without facing this reality. Mary and Joseph were forced to travel to Bethlehem under decree from the emperor to participate in a census and taxes. Christ was not born in the halls of a palace nor in any symbol of power. Rather, he was born to completely insignificant parents from the middle of nowhere in a dirty manger. The good news of his birth was first shared with shepherds, hard at work. These shepherds were the very first to visit the new born Christ, coming straight from the fields, rather than state officials or religious leaders. Bethlehem also became a dangerous place when Herod received news of Jesus’ birth and Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled to Egypt.
Still today, we cannot separate our celebration of the coming of Christ without facing the reality of violence and oppression in our world. For it is in the midst of this reality that God breaks into our world. The in-breaking of God into our world did not and does not happen in palaces or state houses but among the poor, oppressed, and marginalized.
Living in Bethlehem, I was always drawn to Shepherd’s Field, the holy site where the angels appeared to the shepherds to declare the good news of Christ’s birth. It was often a bit quieter than other pilgrimage sites and there was more space to sit and reflect. Similarly, I am drawn to this portion of the Christmas story - the declaration of an ancient promise fulfilled, the fear and trembling of the shepherds, and ultimately, their readiness to accept this wild news. Even in the midst of their fear, they did not hesitate but immediately turned their attention and their very selves towards Bethlehem to witness the tangible reality of the incarnation.
I pray that we all may be like the shepherds, turning our attention to the in-breaking of God into our world. This does not mean turning away from the reality of violence and oppression in our world but rather tuning our attention and ourselves to God breaking into our world even in the midst of fear, uncertainty, chaos, and violence of our world.

-photo courtesy of Rev. Grace Killian

A 6-word reflection written by CT member Karen Prudente.

"Christ's birth and being: Gifts of Hope and Unconditional Love!!"

The Connectional Table is pleased to announce that Judi Kenaston will transition to the role of Interim Chief Connectional Ministries Officer (ICCMO) for Connectional Table effective January 2023!

https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/connectional-table-announces-interim-chief-connectional-ministries-officer

Connectional Table announces Interim Chief Connectional Ministries Officer The Connectional Table named Judi Kenaston as Interim Chief Connectional Ministries Officer for the Connectional Table effective January 2023.

A 6-word reflection written by CT member Benedita Penicela Nhambiu from the Africa Central Conference.

“Descansa, minha alma, pois Deus está connosco. Emanuel!”

“Rest, my soul, for God is with us. Emmanuel!”

A reflection on Isaiah 35:1-10
Written by: CT member Rev. Mike Slaughter

The Healing of Creation
This is just one of many biblical passages that deals with the healing of all creation. As God’s people we are to actively serve as the conduits for bring heaven’s resources to planet earth. As I noted in my book The Christian Wallet, the earth does matter:

“That God is simply going to destroy the world anyway is also not what I read in my Bible. Isaiah 61:2-4, the passage Jesus quoted as his messianic announcement, indicates that in the “year of the Lord’s favor,” the redeemed poor, brokenhearted, captives and prisoners will “rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

We must do more than avoid contributing to creations destruction. God has assigned us the task of actively stewarding creation. It was humanities first direct command from our creator. Revisit Genesis 1: 24-30 for a refresher. Proverbs reminds us, “Good people leave their grandchildren an inheritance” (Prov. 13: 22). I know of no more critical inheritance than a livable planet. As the grandfather of nine, I feel increasing urgency around this and, if I’m truthful, some increasing despair.

Gratitude in Parting: A Message from Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai
https://www.umcct.org/news/devotionals/t9htplh2p6jmxu1bj0tr5x8ibu26hq

Gratitude in Parting — Connectional Table Gratitude in Parting: A Message from Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai

A six- word reflection on Isaiah 11:1-10 and Matthew 3:1-12.
Written by CT Member Rev. Ole Birch from the Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference.

This year CT members are writing short advent reflections based on the Sunday scriptures.

Today's reflection is based on Matthew 24.

Josephine Deere from the South Central Jurisdiction writes, “Es-po-Ke-tis o-mes ker-res-kos” (Muscogee Creek language). "This may be the last time we don't know."