Arbor Grove United Methodist
Church
1984 Arbor-Grove
Church Road
Purlear, NC 28665
Tel:
336-973-3733
|
Methodist
Church North Carolina Conference of
the United Methodist Church Western North Carolina
Conference |
About the year of 1870, Mrs. Annie Grant Hayes and her husband, J. Washington Hayes, helped to establish the first Arbor of the present Arbor Grove United Methodist Church located between the communities of Millers Creek and Purlear in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes were assisted by the Reverend Benny Weisner, a pioneer circuit rider from Iredell County. The church, a brush arbor was built of upright poles covered with brush. The seats were made of rough hewn logs. Scaffolds covered with dirt furnished a safe place for pine torches to light the Arbor for night services. It is from these beginnings that Arbor Grove United Methodist Church has grown to be an integral part of the community. We welcome you to come in, look around and make yourself at home. If there's anything you need, be sure to ask. |
Reflections on General Conference  Greetings from Fort Worth, TX May 3, 200 Dear Friends of Arbor Grove and Union, Wednesday- April 30- An Emotional Day At General Conference This will be my last entry from Fort Worth. It's Friday afternoon, and we have a big handful of legislation to pass before we close tonight (about 11p.m.). Sarah and I leave our hotel at 4:30am!!! We should be back in North Wilkesboro about 2p.m. We miss the kids immensely! During my last entry, I was sharing with you how conflicted the General Conference was when the church voted to retain its stance on homosexuality. The protest on Thursday morning revealed the pain that some in our connection are going through. However, General Conference always is a roller coaster of emotions. Thursday was no different. After the lunch break, we received a very special guest. Bill Gates, Sr., father of Bill Gates of Microsoft, addressed the General Conference. The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, NBA Cares, Sports Illustrated, the United Nations, and The United Methodist Church are partners in the Nothing But Nets Campaign. I sure you have heard, (if not in my sermons, at least American Idol) that Nothing But Nets is a campaign to buy mosquito nets to prevent people from catching malaria in Africa. Millions of dollars are being raised for this effort. Mr. Gates announced that the Foundation is giving $5 million dollars to the UMC to fight malaria and the Global AIDS epidemic. I was impressed that he knew much about our Wesleyan tradition, quoting John Wesley in saying "the world is my (our) parish." He also made mention of a basketball that has been on auction at General Conference signed by all the bishops. Bishop Tom Bickerton (of Kansas, of course) put the basketball up for bid and challenged North Carolina (both conferences) to raise $1000. Well, the bidding got to be ridiculous. Finally, at 11:00a.m. on Friday, the East Ohio Conference, won the basketball with a bid of $80,000! Bill Gates said he would match that bid. By the end of the conference, UM's contributed nearly $500,000 (50,000 nets) to fight malaria. That was something not on the agenda that really made a difference. In legislative news on Thursday, the General Conference passed a series of resolutions entitled "The World Wide Nature of United Methodism." First, all central conferences (outside the U.S.) would be now called "regional conferences." This would avoid the confusion because nobody knows what a "central conference." Also, "central" brings up memories of the "central jurisdiction." Those who were Methodists prior to 1968 remember that the central jurisdiction was the name of the African-American churches in The Methodist Church. We acknowledge our sin of segregation, but we want to remove forward and bring all conferences and jurisdictions on a level playing field. Second, it opens the possibility of dividing the U.S. into regional conferences if deemed necessary by an upcoming study committee. All the resolutions passed by 2/3 majority (just barely) and have to be ratified by every annual and central conference. The hope is these changes will facilitate the needs of growing central conferences and jumpstart declining U.S. jurisdictions. On Friday, worship began with an African American and Anglo choirs singing beautiful choral music and gospel tunes. Hope Morgan Ward, Bishop of Mississippi but from Raleigh, gave a glorious message of hope as we prepare to return home. With 99 pieces of legislation and the BUDGET to consider, there was much to do. The $627 million budget over the next four years was approved without a hitch. It sounds like a lot of money, but UM congregations receive $18 billion in the offering plate, 85 percent stays within the church, 11 percent goes to the annual conference of district, and the rest goes to the general conference. Bishop Charlene Kammerer, formerly of Western NC now of Virginia, presided this afternoon. She was doing a good job, but I needed to go home to pack. It's now 6:00pm on Friday, and I have to go "page" my last legislative session. Sarah and I probably won't sleep much between now and our return home. Sunday's sermon will be a brief (very brief) reflection on my experience and Jesus prayer in John 17 "that we may all be one." Come ready for communion, we all need it! In Christ, Ed |
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