Additional Information

This information is taken from email sent to clergy on 10/5/2020.  See the email for Zoom Access Information or contact Allyson at CEDistrict@neumc.org.

Church Conference (CC) Format
The church conference follows a worship format in the Spirit of Holy Conferencing. Please see these worship materials. It is also helpful to consult this short version of the business agenda piece of the church conference.

  • The Church Conference includes virtual Holy Communion. Please ask participants to prepare bread and juice at home before the CC.
  • For the Communion Liturgy, please ask a few people to read the congregational response parts while the pastor and We Chang share the leader part. Please ask the participants to be ready to unmute themselves when needed.
  • We Chang requests help from pastors or leaders to share the screen on Zoom so that the pastor or a leader can share the information/reports that need to be presented. Distributing the CC booklet/information to members in advance of the CC will also help the CC move smoothly and quickly.
  • If the CC is on Sunday morning during the worship service, churches can choose to incorporate the CC worship into Sunday Worship and conduct the CC in the regular worship setting. If the church wishes to have a separate CC following the worship service, we will use the CC worship without the recorded hymns.
    • Please let We Chang know which option the church would like to use.
    • Please also confirm the worship service time and plan to schedule the SPRC meeting one hour prior to worship.

Church Conference Preparation
We Chang will be leading 51 Church Conferences and 11 will be conducted by regional hub leaders.  We Chang will be meeting with all SPRCs. This requires a lot of organization. Please do your part to help.

  • Please consult the 2020 Commonwealth East District Church Conference Forms and Due Date Checklist for a list of documents and due dates for CC forms.
  • Please send the following three items to the CE District office one week prior to the SPRC meeting.
    • 2021 Pastoral Compensation Report: Replaces the Clergy Compensation form and SPRC Report to DS.
    • Housing Allowance/Exclusion
    • Pastor’s Report
  • Please pay special attention to the instructions for these documents:
    • Nominations/Leadership Report: Please, please, please provide the in the format that is posted (with contact information) in addition to any church-specific lists that you include in your Church Conference booklet. We rely on accurate contact information so that email communication reaches SPRC chairs, treasurers, lay leaders, lay members to Annual Conference, etc. Incomplete or old information makes it difficult to ensure that current information is publicized efficiently.
    • Church/SPRC
      • Church Appointment Update: SRPC completes and sends to CE District office by December 1
      • Profile - Local Church (update every 3 years): Church completes and sends to CE District office by December 1. If you are unsure of the date of the most recent profile, please check with Allyson.
    • Clergy
      • Pastoral Appointment Update: Pastor completes and sends to CE District office by December 1.
      • Profile - Clergy (update every 3 years): Pastor completes and sends to CE District office by December 1. If you are unsure of the date of the most recent profile, please check with Allyson.
  • If your Church Conference will be presided by your regional hub elder, you will be contacted by them to set a date for the CC. It will be scheduled after the SPRC meeting with We Chang and before December 1, 2020.

Zoom Access Information

See the email sent to clergy on 10/5/2020 for Zoom Access Information or contact Allyson at CEDistrict@neumc.org.