(June 2, 2014)

Louisiana United Methodist Annual Conference comes to Centenary

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College will welcome Methodist delegates from across Louisiana to the Gold Dome June 8-11 for the 2014 Louisiana United Methodist Annual Conference. Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey will preside as the episcopal leader of the four-day event. Harvey will present her episcopal address to the Louisiana United Methodist Conference Sunday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. during the Communion Service.

"We are always delighted to host the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church on campus," said Rev. Valerie Robideaux, Director of Professional Discernment and Chaplain at Centenary. "It is like family coming home. Welcoming the denomination to our United Methodist-related College of higher education demonstrates the significance of merging faith and academy."

Inspired by Psalm 139, "Woven Together: Changing the World" is the theme for this year's Conference. Building on this theme, delegates will be elected to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences for 2016 to provide leadership and channel transformation in communities across the state to impact the world.

This year's conference will introduce several new events including sessions based on TED Talks; a Louisiana tailgate featuring music, food trucks, and fellowship; and an Oscar-inspired awards night dubbed "The Wesleys" to recognize outstanding ministries throughout the conference.

Centenary alumnus Austin Rinehart '13, along with Rev. Don Avery and Rev. Juliet Spencer, will speak Monday, June 9 at the Celebration of Life worship service to remember clergy and clergy spouses who passed away in the past year. The Ordination and Commissioning Service will be held Monday evening with Bishop Harvey as guest speaker.

The offering from the Sunday evening worship will support the purchase of health kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana. The offering from the Ordination Service will help underwrite costs for participants traveling to the Holy Land on a tour in January 2016.

For more information, visit the 2014 Louisiana Annual Conference page.