By Lorna Blanc
[Excerpt from the Appleseed,
Sebastopol UMC, June 2006]

July 21, 2006

This was my second Annual Conference, so I knew more what to expect this year -- and it was awesome!

We celebrated 50 years of full clergy rights for women. Women have been able to be ordained as deaconesses and local elders since the 1880s (though a few women preached even earlier than that). Many of them were local pastors or supply pastors, but they did not receive pensions and guaranteed appointments until 1956. The service was very moving, and included a short biography of the first three women in our Annual Conference to receive full clergy rights.

We had a report from UMCOR [United Methodist Committee on Relief]. Paul Dirdak, who is the deputy general secretary, is a member of our Annual Conference. He mentioned that he was in Darfur when he got the first call about Hurricane Katrina, and that he had no trouble getting UMCOR organized from halfway around the world by cell phone. He also said the UMCOR has received a grant from the U.S. government to take over the case management of the remaining displaced residents from the Gulf Coast. The assistant general secretary is Kristin Sachen, also orginially from our conference. She served churches in the Bay Area for 17 years before joining UMCOR.

There was a very nice piece to the UMVIM presentations regarding the hurricane recovery. The South Reno UMC has an area in Bolivia where they often go on UMVIM trips, and has established a real connection there, particularly with the youth. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, South Reno UMC received word from the Bolivian youth that they wanted to help with cleanup. So, with funding from South Reno UMC and our conference, five Bolivian youth were brought up here and went to Moss Point, Mississippi, with a team from South Reno UMC.

A very special presentation was a check for $400,000 to Bishop Shamana to establish the Estelle D. Wyman Memorial Child Fund, and a $500,000 check to UMCOR. The checks were presented by Eric Dale [of Willits UMC], from the estate of his great aunt Estelle, who was passionate about her church and about underprivileged children.