Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference | June 20, 2026
Dear siblings in Christ of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference,
As I write this I am mindful of the people whose lives, ministries, safety, and witness were at the heart of our conversation last night. The Annual Conference acted on a motion directing that the 2027 session of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference not be held in the state of Idaho (as was previously planned and approved by the AC Sessions Team). The vote was close, and that close vote reflects the complexity, pain, conviction, and concern present among us.
I am mindful of our siblings in Idaho — United Methodists, neighbors, community partners, persons of color, immigrants, queer and trans persons, and others—who live every day with the realities we discussed on the floor of the annual conference. Idaho is not an abstract issue for them. It is home. It is where they worship, serve, work, raise families, build community, and bear witness to the love and justice of Jesus Christ.
Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth
Council of Bishops Photo
I am also mindful that there were people seated within the bar of the conference—persons of color, immigrants, queer persons, and others who live in Idaho—whose lives were being discussed, but who did not have voice in the conversation. That reality should give us pause. Safety is not theoretical for them. Witness is not theoretical for them. The cost of our decisions and our words is not theoretical for them.
I give thanks for the staff, leaders, volunteers, and members of Boise First United Methodist Church Cathedral of the Rockies. They welcomed us, researched queer-friendly establishments for us, fed us, supported our worship, provided childcare, attended to countless needs, and offered far more than was required. They did everything we needed them to do, and more. Their hospitality and faithfulness deserve our deep gratitude.
I also give thanks for those in Idaho who continue to provide courageous and faithful witness shaped by good Wesleyan theology, love of neighbor, mercy, justice, and compassion. We do not want to abandon our witness in Idaho, nor do we want to abandon those who are doing the work of love in places where that work is costly.
During the conversation, members named serious concerns about safety, racism, anti-trans rhetoric and action, and the lived realities of people of color, immigrants, queer and trans siblings, and others who are targeted by hate, laws, policies, and public speech. A specific anti-trans incident that occurred in Boise during this annual conference was also reported. These concerns must be heard, received, and not minimized. All harm is harm.
At the same time, members spoke with deep conviction about the need to remain present in Idaho and to support the people who live, serve, lead, and love here every day. We cannot allow a decision about where to hold an annual conference session to become a retreat from our witness in Idaho or a rejection of the people who are faithfully serving here.
The action taken by the Conference opens all possibilities beyond the state of Idaho as we look toward 2027. I will work with the Sessions Committee, conference leadership, and our sibling conferences in the Greater Northwest Area to consider dates, location, format, and meeting options that create as much safety as possible for as many people as possible. As soon as an appropriate venue or meeting medium is determined, we will share that information with the members of the Oregon-Idaho Conference.
In the meantime, I ask you to pray.
Pray for this conference.
Pray especially for our siblings in Idaho, who share the same Wesleyan DNA as those in Oregon and are seeking to love God and neighbor where they live and serve.
Pray for all who are being targeted by hate, racism, anti-trans rhetoric, unjust laws, and harmful policies.
Pray for those who place themselves on the front lines every day—going where they need to go, serving where they are called to serve, and being who God created them to be, even when who they are is targeted, questioned, or deemed harmful.
And then let us do more than pray with words. Let us pray with our feet, heal with our words, and love with our resources. Let us continue the work of being neighbors. Let us continue the work of eliminating racism. Let us continue the work of making ministry matter in every place where God has planted us.
We will not abandon our witness. We will not abandon one another. We will keep doing the work of love.
In Christ,
Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth
Resident Bishop
Greater Northwest Episcopal Area
The United Methodist Church