Holston Celebrates 200 Years, Steps Up to the Future

by

The Holston Annual Conference celebrated 200 years of ministry by sharing stories from the past and preparing for the future at the 2024 session held June 9-12 in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.

The gathering was attended by guests and members representing 545 local United Methodist churches in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and North Georgia. Total number of clergy and lay members registering with Holston staff at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center was 870.

Six United Methodist bishops with roots in Holston or who served Holston as resident bishop participated in worship and sessions marking the bicentennial year, including presiding and current episcopal leader, Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett. While making plans for Holston’s next decades in sharing the Gospel, the Annual Conference celebrated a “New Voices” offering of $205,581 to support 12 United Methodist ministries (five camps, five Wesley Foundations, and two colleges) reaching young people.

Living into this year’s Annual Conference theme, “Serve Together,” members learned that on June 6, the hands-on mission project culminated in the sending of 4,909 kits full of food, school, and health supplies to United Methodist missions in Zimbabwe and Liberia. Total number of kits collected by local churches was 131 higher than in 2023, with six out of nine Holston districts exceeding their goals in the 29th year of the annual project.

Standing behind a pulpit used by Bishop Francis Asbury during his travels to Holston territory in the early 1800s, Wallace-Padgett spoke of proceedings at General Conference, including daily worship and processing of more than 1,000 petitions and resolutions April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Among the General Conference’s decisions were removal of restrictions on same-gender weddings and the ordination of clergy in same-gender relationships.

“None of us agreed with every piece of legislation that passed, but the spirit in which we did our work surely honored Christ,” Wallace-Padgett said.

In her State of the Church report, Wallace-Padgett said realignment of Holston’s nine districts, the appointment of four associate district superintendents, the appointment of an assistant to the bishop, and a focus on developing “passionate spiritual disciples and passionate spiritual leaders” all have potential to become “tools through which God transforms Holston Conference.”

“We are moving from the disaffiliation season into the future with our heads held high and self-confident in who God has called us to be,” Wallace-Padgett said. “We are The United Methodist Church in this region of the world. We are a grace-filled visionary community of believers with a passion for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ for the transformation of world.”

As a native of Holston, growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, Bishop David Graves returned to his home Annual Conference to preach at three worship services. Graves is resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference and South Georgia Conference.

To honor the bicentennial, Graves shared memories of Holston members who raised and strengthened him and his churches in ministry. At closing worship, Graves showed a video of Kara Lawson, head coach of Duke University’s women’s basketball team, urging her players to stop expecting life to get easier and instead get better at handling hard times.

Preaching from 2 Corinthians 4 (“We are pressed on every side by troubles ...”), Graves said even more difficult times are ahead and United Methodists must learn to “do hard better.”

“Friends, the church has got to be a place where we end all the distractions and negativity and proclaim the love and good news of Jesus,” Graves said.  

In other actions, the Holston Annual Conference:

WELCOMED Bishop James Swanson (2004-2012) and Bishop Mary Virginia “Dindy” Taylor (2012-2021), former resident bishops as they returned to Holston to participate in the bicentennial celebration. Also participating were natives elected as bishops out of Holston Conference: Bishop Richard Looney and Bishop Kenneth Carder, in addition to Graves and Taylor.

JOINED in morning worship and Bible study with the Rev. Michael Bowie, who urged members to shift their ministry mores (adapting to realities related to the pandemic and disaffiliation and ramping up outreach to Gen-Zers). “Normal is not coming back,” said Bowie, national executive director of Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century.

DEVOTED a night to the bicentennial, with the Rev. Charles Maynard and others sharing history moments and stories. Maynard told the story of the Bishops’ Table, a gift from Morristown College to the 1912 General Conference. Methodist Episcopal bishops presided from the table, which still exists today and is topped by a mosaic created by college students using 360 pieces of wood sent from around the world.  

RECEIVED reports from General Conference delegates (Amanda Onks, the Rev. Randy Frye, Anne Travis, the Rev. Kim Goddard) explaining decisions on regionalization, restrictive language removal, and bishop allotment and assignments. Travis said she and Goddard will work “very, very hard” to ensure that Wallace-Padgett is reassigned to Holston Conference as resident bishop when the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference (SEJ) meets July 10-12 in Lake Junaluska. Travis and Goddard represent Holston on the SEJ episcopacy committee.

REMEMBERED 52 clergy and clergy spouses deceased over the past year. Serving as preacher was the Rev. Misti McCreary, associate pastor at First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport, Tennessee.

RECOGNIZED 29 retiring clergy, representing a total 665 years of service. The Rev. Curtis McKee, retiree, ceremoniously “passed the mantle” to the Rev. Austin Byerly, ordinand.

ORDAINED 12 elders, commissioned six provisional elders and one provisional deacon, licensed eight local pastors, and commissioned one deaconess. See list.

ELECTED five lay delegates to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, filling sets left empty by disaffiliations and other circumstances: Laura McLean, Lori Sluder, Ben Smith, Michael Feely (alternate), and Moises Martinez (alternate).

APPROVED a revised 2024 budget of $7.18 million, reflecting a $1 million decrease from the budget approved one year ago.  The vote to approve the revised 2024 budget followed a debate over concerns that budget cuts to college and camp ministries contradict the “New Voices” campaign’s goal to raise up young disciples. The body also approved a 2025 budget of $6.78 million.

APPROVED a five percent cut in district superintendent salaries, setting them at $102,112 annually.

APPROVED two resolutions from the Dismantling Racism Task Force that (1) elevated the task force to a standing committee and (2) called on Holston United Methodists to preserve and share histories of Black churches and their members.

APPROVED resolutions for the closing of 14 local churches, Blair’s Chapel in Gate City, Virginia; Gilbert’s Memorial in Pennington Gap, Virginia; Marble Point in Gate City, Virginia; Bethany in Ceres, Virginia; Brick in Max Meadows, Virginia; Groseclose in Speedwell, Virginia; Salem in Bland, Virginia; Valley Head in Cleveland, Tennessee; Vine Grove/ Mount Olive in Dayton, Tennessee; Sulphur Springs in Castlewood, Virginia; Mountain View in Speedwell, Tennessee; Midway in Falls Mills, West Virginia; Bethel in Kodak, Tennessee; and Mount Pleasant in Andersonville, Tennessee.

LEARNED that two of the local churches presented for closure (Bethel in Kodak, Mount Pleasant in Andersonville) had filed lawsuits against Holston Conference in attempts to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church without following the process in paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline. Both lawsuits were dismissed in late May 2024.

APPROVED a merger between Cokesbury United Methodist Church (Johnson City) and Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City, Tennessee.

RECEIVED a report from the Strategy Team, which established a task force to assess current district sizes, church distributions, and financial impacts following disaffiliations of 279 local churches in 2023. The team expects to present a realignment plan for Holston’s nine districts in 2025.

GAVE a standing ovation to Sarah Thomas, president of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries, after her report lamenting division in her local church and asking for young people’s voices to be heard. “Before you know it, these youth will be replacing the seats that you’re in today,” said Thomas, a member of Keith Memorial United Methodist Church in Athens, Tennessee. 

RECEIVED a request from Karla Kurtz to follow through on a resolution passed in 2007, requiring domestic violence awareness training in local churches. The Outreach/Advocacy Team agreed to lead the effort with Kurtz as an incoming team member. Kurtz is a member at First United Methodist Church in Bluefield, Virginia.

RECEIVED a report from the Board of Trustees, which released a statement in fall 2023 promising to seek a fair, gracious, nonpunitive way for local churches wishing to discern disassociation from the denomination after potential General Conference actions. Chair David McLain said the board “is honoring its promise to search for a way for an eligible church to explore its departure in a way that complies with the rules of the United Methodist Book of Discipline.” A disassociation framework is expected in late June 2024 and will be announced through district superintendents.

EXPRESSED appreciation to the Rev. Don Hanshew, outgoing chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, who asked members to, in the Wesleyan spirit, recruit and equip “conservative, liberal and centrist” persons for credentialed ministry, even if their theologies differ from one's own. “Because the future church will grade us on our ability to be in unity but not to require conformity,” Hanshew said.

CELEBRATED with the Board of Ordained Ministry the incoming chair, Holston’s first deacon in the position, the Rev. Glenna Manning.

RECEIVED a Congregational Development Team report announcing that a goal of 25 “holy experiments” in 2024 has been exceeded with more than 60 “holy experiments” so far. Congregational Development’s 2025 goal is to create 75 new holy experiments, 20 prayer movement teams and nine equipping teams, in addition to seven new “Fresh Expressions” by 2028.

PRESENTED the Denman Evangelism Award to (clergy) the Rev. Paul Seay, First United Methodist Church and Charles Wesley United Methodist Church in Abingdon, Va.; (lay) Norma Smith, Concord United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tenn.; and (youth) Lorelia Zeigler, Allen Memorial United Methodist Church, Athens, Tenn.

PRESENTED the Francis Asbury Award for higher education to the Rev. Keith Moore, director of the Wesley Foundation at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

CELEBRATED the presentation of the Epikoinonia Award from United Methodist Communications to the Rev. Tim Jones, director of communications, for excellence in communications ministry.

AFFIRMED reports from United Methodist-affiliated camps, college student ministries (Wesley Foundations), and colleges within Holston boundaries, all receiving equal support from the $205,581 “New Voices offering.” The 12 ministries include: Camp Dickenson, Camp Bays Mountain, Camp Wesley Woods, Camp Lookout, Camp in the Community, Emory & Henry University, Tennessee Wesleyan University, Wesley Foundation at Radford University, Wesley Foundation at University of Virginia at Wise, Wesley Foundation at East Tennessee State University, Wesley Foundation at University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and Wesley Foundation at University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.

CELEBRATED Wallace-Padgett’s fixing of ministerial appointments for the 2024-2025 year.

According to Database Administrator Donna Hankins:

  • Membership stands at 112,784, down 5,242 from the previous year.
  • Worship attendance (in person) stands at 29,841, down 5,242.
  • Worship attendance (online) stands at 110,608, up 59,633.
  • Church school attendance stands at 11731, down 3,242.
  • Professions or reaffirmations of faith: 906, down 158.
  • Adults in small groups: 21,644, down 3,910.
  • Worshippers engaged in mission: 21,195 down 4,279.

Annette Spence is editor of The Call, the Holston Conference newsletter. This article is republished from the conference website.