Annual Conference draft agenda, other details released
By Jessica Brodie
GREENVILLE—Conference leaders have released the draft agenda for this year’s Annual Conference, set for June 8-11 at the Greenville Convention Center. Meanwhile, registration and other plans continue.
The draft agenda has the event starting at 2 p.m. that Sunday with packet pickup, followed throughout the afternoon by new lay member orientation sessions (at 3 and 4 p.m.) and the clergy session (at 4:30 p.m.).
The Commissioning, Ordination and Retirement Recognition Service is scheduled for Sunday at 7 p.m., with Bishop Leonard E. Fairley presiding and preaching.
Monday starts with an opening worship service at 9 a.m., then a full day of business, including the first reading of the 2026 budget, concluding with evening praise and prayer at 5 p.m. and evening recess at 6 p.m.
Tuesday starts at 9 a.m. with morning praise and prayer, followed by a day of business to include constitutional amendment voting (see article, Page 1) and a report by the Ministry Advisory Team on the work of the Jeremiah teams.
The memorial service, preached by the Rev. William F. Malambri III, is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Wednesday concludes with a morning praise and prayer and final business, including passage of the 2026 budget and any church closings and charge line changes, as well as a sending forth and fixing of the appointments.
All who plan to attend Annual Conference are urged to register now via the conference website (https://www.umcsc.org/ac2025).
That website also includes:
reports as they become available;
registration for the conference Kids Camp, which will be hosted by the new church start Open Hearts UMC in Greenville for children in rising first through sixth grades;
a list of hotel rooms with discounted group pricing;
applications for Annual Conference exhibitors; and
preorders for the conference journal.
This year’s Annual Conference theme is “See the Possibilities, Live the Promises,” which draws from Jeremiah 29:5-7.
It is the first Annual Conference event Bishop Leonard Fairley will conduct for the South Carolina Conference as resident bishop; Fairley took the helm in South Carolina Sept. 1.
Annual Conference will also include a number of special events. One is United Methodist Church Night with the Hubcity Spartanburgers, a Minor League Baseball team, which will be held Tuesday evening.
See next month’s Advocate for more on Annual Conference.