5/11/2016
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Photo credit Maidstone Mulenga |
United Methodists from around the world are gathered at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, May 10-20 for the 2016 United Methodist General Conference.
As the top policymaking body of the worldwide 12.3 million-member United Methodist Church, the
General Conference meets every four years to determine the denomination's future direction, consider revisions to church law, and approve plans and budgets for church-wide programs.
During the 11-day session, which includes worship and moments of celebration, 864 delegates will consider approximately 1,000 legislative petitions. Simultaneous voice translation for delegates will be available in English, French, German, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Kiswahili and American Sign Language.
Worship, special addresses, celebrations, and other plenary sessions will be available via live video streaming at
gc2016.umc.org, as well as the General Conference
mobile app. Also available on the website will be daily news and feature stories, high-resolution photos, conference information and a "
digital lounge" featuring short conversation segments with key persons. Stories and daily summaries will also be available by email from
United Methodist News Service and on
Facebook and
Twitter.
Plenary sessions and legislative committee meetings of the General Conference are open to both the public and the news media.
