Friends in the Western Jurisdiction,
Jurisdictional conference is coming! Soon! You may have some expectations about how jurisdictional conference happens. We invite you to set aside all those expectations. The realities of our numerous postponements and uncertainty about the nature and purpose of this conference have caused us to set up the conference in a way different from any other jurisdictional conference you may have attended.
Here’s what it will look like: we are meeting in the largest United Methodist Church in Utah. Christ UMC, in Salt Lake City, is showing great flexibility and hospitality as they try to meet the conference needs in their space. Our plenary room is a gym with enough space for the head table, delegate tables, a complete tech station, and tables for our jurisdiction communicators. Chair seating will be available for DCMs, other volunteer and paid staff, potential candidates, and one support person per candidate. Other on-site observers will be seated in the sanctuary where there will be a video link from the plenary room. All worship and plenary sessions will also be streamed live on the jurisdictional website.
For security purposes, all people in the church building will be asked to register and wear an official name tag at all times. Observers will be able to interact with delegates and candidates during breaks and at meals, as well as when the conference is not in session. Observers will be able to register to attend with a meal package or can choose a registration without meals. Registration information will be on the jurisdictional website for everyone by mid-September.
Housing will be provided in several different hotels around the area. Each delegation has been assigned a hotel with a contracted number of rooms that meets the needs of that delegation. There will be a few additional rooms available at several of the hotels, as well as one more hotel, for others who want to be in Salt Lake City all week. Housing information will be on the website after September 15.
Because we are spread out across several hotels, there will not be any scheduled transportation to and from the church. Delegations will be making decisions about the best transportation options for their delegation and location. Other attendees and guests are on their own to provide transportation to and from the daily meetings.
While this conference brings many changes in process and logistics, it still will be a place of holy conferencing as we gather for the important work of guiding our jurisdiction and the election of episcopal leadership. We welcome your prayers and good thoughts as we continue to pull together the details for our upcoming jurisdictional conference.
Bishop,
Mountain Sky Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church
Chair,
Programs and Arrangements
2022 Western Jurisdiction Conference
