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Welcome to Centenary College, Louisiana! 

As you know, the Louisiana Conference 2008 session will be held on the campus of our own Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana.  Worship services will be held at Asbury UMC in Bossier City, and First UMC in Shreveport.  We are grateful for the invitation to come to Shreveport, our traditional home for Annual Conference sessions.

  1. Registration will be available at the site of our first worship service, Asbury UMC, on Sunday evening from 5:00 to 6:45.  Other times for registration will be at the Gold Dome at Centenary College starting each day at 8:00 am.
  2. First time delegates.  An orientation session for new members (lay & Clergy) will be held in Brown Chapel on Monday morning at 8:00.
  3. Clergy & Laity Session.  The Clergy & Laity Sessions will be held on Monday morning (10:00 to 12:00 Noon), prior to the “official” opening of Conference Session.
  4. The Theme.  The theme for the 2008 Conference session completes our quadrennial theme of Grace from the Wesleyan Tradition.  The theme will highlight the theology of Sanctifiying Grace taught by John Wesley. The services of worship will focus on this theme.  The theme for 2008 is:  Sanctify You Through and Through.  The scripture reference for our Conference is 1Thessalonians: 23-24 “May the God of himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one whose calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
  5. Votes will be taken on two Conference wide proposals.  UMPACT is the Property and Casualty Trust program that would insure all of our local churches adequate coverage.  Safe Sanctuaries is the Conference wide program to provide safety to our children and youth, and protection to those who work in our ministries.
  6. Pictures will be made for our new Conference Directory.  All clergy and lay members are encouraged to have pictures made for this directory.
  7. The 2008 Session of the Louisiana Conference will be the last session given which Bishop Hutchinson will preside.  We have been blessed with the leadership, support, example and friendship of both Bishop and Mrs. Kay Hutchinson for these past eight years.
  8. Petitions for Louisiana Conference.  Petitions may be presented to the Annual Conference session for consideration by the Conference members during any of our yearly sessions.  Petitions must be sent to the Petitions committee no later than seven days prior to the beginning of Conference.
  9. A brief report will be made from our delegates to General Conference.  They will give highlights on the action of the Conference, and the implications for us.
  10. A report will be made in regards to our Conference’s participation in a building program at Africa University.  A delegation from Louisiana who went as “Louisiana Conference Africa University Ambassadors” will outline a plan to erect a new dorm at Africa University.
  11. Offerings.  Special offerings will be collected at the Conference session.  Two of these offerings will be to benefit our world-wide ministry in the United Methodist Church.  The offering for Sunday night will be given for the “Nothing But Nets” initiative. This initiative will be used to purchase treated mosquito bed nets to protect people from contacting malaria.  The cost of each net (including delivery) is $10.00.  Our Conference goal is to raise $1 per member or $124,000 (12,400 nets).  The Monday night offering will be for the Louisiana Friendship Plaza at Mt. Sequoyah, Arkansas.  This Plaza is our way of visibly showing our appreciation to the Conferences in our South Central Jurisdiction for their assistance in our recovery.  The Tuesday night offering will be used to provide our Ordinands with a Holy Land Tour.  This is anticipated to become our annual offering at the Service of Ordination.
  12. Speakers.  The speakers for the 2008 Conference will be Bishop J. Woodrow Hearn retired Bishop and “son” of our Louisiana Conference who will be bringing the message for the Memorial Service.  Rev Grace Imathiu, pastor of Brown Deer UMC near Milwaukee, will be our Bible Study leader.  Bishop William W. Hutchinson will be our preacher for the Service of Ordination and Commissioning.
  13. Music Leader.  Our Music Leader for the 2008 session will be Ken Medema.  Ken lives in the San Francisco Bay area of California and is a popular musician throughout the nation.  He has performed for many denominational youth gatherings, for globally televised religious programs and other annual assemblies of national organizations