Illinois Great Rivers Conference 2025 Journal-Yearbook
LEGISLATIVE ITEM 100: Secretary Hempstead presented Legislative Item 100 for a vote. Vote result was: 547 yes, 14 no CONSENT AGENDA: Secretary Hempstead placed the consent calendar before the body.
Robert Anderson moved to remove LI 102 from the consent agenda. Tanya Evans moved to remove LI 106 from the consent agenda.
After several attempts at voting because of technical issues, the following items were removed by motions from the floor: LI 102 vote: yes—274 no—407. LI 106 vote: yes—252 no—452. An item needs only 25% of vote total to be removed from the consent calendar. Each motion was voted on individually. The consent calendar as amended was voted on and passed: yes—687 no—23 Mike Whitaker asked about the appropriate forum to add an Advance Special. Curtis Brown said the options were to remove LI 103 from the consent agenda and amend it tomorrow or to connect with the IGRC Board of Global Ministries who can add it as an interim special and it would be voted on next year. Anthony Stauder requested that all vote totals be read aloud for those who are visu- ally impaired. John Kutz questioned the numbering of an item from the consent agenda as displayed on the screen. It was a typo—listed as 208 on the screen, but should have been 202. BOM PRESENTATION AND EXAMINATION OF CLERGY CANDIDATES: Rev. Victor Long presented the following candidates for commissioning as provisional elder: J W Barnett, Jemiriye Fakunle, Emily Little, Connor Morrison, Braden Parks. Those for elder and Membership in full connection - Deacon–Michael Potts; Elders– Rev. Long also reminded the body of an event planned by North Central Jurisdiction Board of Ordained Ministry. It is called Ignite: Exploring Your Call to Ministry, and it’s being designed for any who may be discerning a call to some kind of minister within the larger church. It’s going to be held March 13 through 15, 2026, in the Chicago area. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS: Video of Secretary Hempstead giving instructions about voting was played. No vote totals can be released. Amendments were pre- sented to the body one at a time by Secretary Hempstead. CA 1—Worldwide Regionalization. No discussion. 607 votes cast CA 2—Inclusiveness. Larry Sanders spoke in opposition to the amendment, stating it 1) it was redundant; 2) it did not include age and marital status; and 3) it fails to use identical language in the last line. Sara Isbell, General Conference clergy delegate, spoke to those concerns. Article IV, paragraph 4 does not currently include the words gender and ability. Secretary Hempstead clarified that lines 50-56 on page 41 are how the amended paragraph would read if the amendment passes. Elise Lindgren spoke to the grammar of the bill, noting that the omission of the particular words in the last line does not negate the addition of those words earlier in the amendment. Beth Nelson spoke for the amendment on the basis that as a global church, we need to put into the constitution the protection and affirmation for all people. Mary Whetstone questioned why the online licensed local pastors who are not allowed to vote are seeing voting screens. Would this skew the vote totals? Secretary Hempstead affirmed it would not because the computer knows which credentials have been programmed for each person and is therefore not counting those votes. Jonathon Brashear, Kevin Little, Will Meachum, Binu Peniel Bishops Bard asked the Historic Questions of the candidates.
Daily Proceedings 59
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