Annual Conference Highlights Bishop Laura Merrill giving Episcopal Address District Staff: Rev. Dr. Blake Bradford, Becky Neighbors, and Maggie Ramirez Annual Conference was smooth and peaceful this year. I think those who attended felt a real sense of hope. Hope for our conference as we move forward. Several times, throughout conference, we would split into different tables to share with one another. We shared around hope, serving others, and building connection. Each time, you could hear the pride as people shared what their church is doing in the world. As United Methodists, we should be quite proud. There is incredible ministry happening in Arkansas through the United Methodist people. There is a lot happening around food ministries and it is making an impact. Several years ago, our conference created 200,000 Reasons. It was an initiative to tackle childhood hunger. At that time 1 in 3 children were hungry. We have expanded that ministry, but the food portion has made an impact. It is 1 in 5 children are hungry. Even though we celebrate making change, we know there is still more work to be done. 3 people were ordained, one as a deacon and two as elders, we commissioned 7 people. It was a great joy. I would invite you to check out the conference website to learn more and to watch the videos. https://arumc.org/ac2023/
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