Carcano Prays
Bishop Minerva Carcaño prays for the caravan. Worship service held at the budget meeting of the General Council of Finance and Administration held at Providence United Methodist Church in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. on November 16, 2018. (Photo by Kathleen Barry, UMNS.)
Western Jurisdiction UMC | Aug. 30, 2023
GLENVIEW, Illinois — Plans for the Jurisdictional Trial in which Bishop Minerva Carcaño is Respondent continue to unfold as the start date nears. Extreme care is being taken to ensure transparency in the process and that all parties and their supportive materials involved are seen and heard. With the trial being an open session, new guidance has also been made available to persons wishing to attend and follow the proceedings.
The agenda will begin Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. CT with jury selection at the Wespath Benefits and Investments headquarters, 1901 Chestnut, Glenview, Illinois. A total of 38 full clergy have been designated to be in the trial’s jury pool. The clergy jury pool represents all ten Conferences in the North Central Jurisdiction with 63% being persons of color and 61% being female. The clergy considered for the jury pool came from 45 nominees presented by all of the jurisdiction’s bishops.
There has been a wide interest in this trial from across the United Methodist connection and efforts are in place to provide added accessibility. Bishop Alfred Gwinn, presiding officer of the Jurisdictional Trial in which Bishop Minerva Carcaño is Respondent, announced that he will allow the trial to be streamed live. Interested individuals can now attend in person or remotely via the online feed. A livestream address will be announced later. The livestream availability also supports resource stewardship as it reduces the monetary and environmental impact of trial-related travel.
“We are honored that our invitations to be official observers have been accepted by MARCHA (the Hispanic/Latino caucus within The United Methodist Church), the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW),” shared Secretary R. Preston Price
People wishing to attend the trial in person should contact Randy Hayes, secretary of the Northern Illinois Conference, who is serving as the trial’s registrar. Requests must be sent via email to trilocnic1guest@gmail.com to start the registration process. The Registrar will provide a form for completion and guidelines that have been approved by the Presiding Officer and Wespath – the location host agency staff. Credentialed media interested in attending are encouraged to submit a press pass request via the official online form. Photography, outside of the official production crew, is strictly prohibited during the trial by all in attendance. Complimentary parking is available in the building lot as space allows.
“Because the Wespath building is a secured building, registration is required. No one will be admitted unless their name is on the lists prepared by the Secretary, Registrar and press center. All attendees are asked to keep noise levels down and to be respectful of the church agency work being conducted elsewhere in the building” added Price. “Should the registered attendee numbers exceed Wesley Hall’s seating capacity, we will implement a fair and transparent way to give each guest the opportunity to be present at different parts of the trial.”
To ensure that all of the technical needs surrounding the trial are handled with the utmost care, the United Methodist Communications (UMCom) production team will be managing the livestream and overall production activities with the assistance of Wespath media staff and other production professionals. UMCom will also provide communications support via the press center. Administrative support pertaining to lodging for participants is being coordinated by the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA). All agencies mentioned within are offering specialized support within their agency purview as a service to the church at large. They are not sponsors nor have they taken any sides on the trial itself.