SEJ Day 2: Bishop Leonard Fairley to be South Carolina’s new…

By Jessica Brodie

LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina—South Carolina is getting a new episcopal leader: Bishop Leonard Fairley.

That was the biggest news of Day 2 of The United Methodist Church’s 2024 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, a three-day gathering held to do the business of the denomination in this region.

‘My heart is full’

Elected to the episcopacy in 2016, Fairley has served as the bishop of the Kentucky and Central Appalachian Missionary Conferences, where he is known as a calm, steady leader, exhorting United Methodists there to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus and to make passionate spiritual disciples for the transformation of the world. A native of North Carolina, he served as a local church pastor and district superintendent for 32 years in that conference before being elected to the episcopacy. He is a graduate of Pfeiffer College and Duke University’s School of Divinity.

He loves to write and has published a book of poetry, “Who Shall Hear My Voice.” Fairley was married to Priscilla Ann Russell until her death in 2013. In January 2018, he married Dawn Sparks, whom he met after coming to Kentucky. Between them, they have four adult children and 10 grandchildren.

South Carolina delegates and others celebrated Fairley with a special reception Thursday night, welcoming him to the Palmetto State with open arms. He will take office in South Carolina Sept. 1.

With his wife at his side, Fairley took a moment to express deep appreciation to the large South Carolina contingent that greeted him at the reception, asking for prayer during this time of transition and sharing his hopes for the future ministry collaboration.

“This work is a collaborative nature,” Fairley said. “You are not receiving a perfect bishop. But in the words of John Wesley, we are moving on toward perfection.”

He said he is excited to share the good news of the gospel alongside God’s people in South Carolina.

“My heart is full,” Fairley added to welcoming applause before greeting every person in the room one by one.

Fairley replaces Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, who served the South Carolina Conference since 2012, an extended term because of the pandemic. Holston has been assigned to the Alabama Panhandle Conference.

South Carolina Delegation Co-Chair Jackie Jenkins said she is thrilled about the appointment of Bishop Fairley to South Carolina.

“We have been blessed and will miss immensely to have the unique leadership of Bishop Holston and his wife, Felicia, who was a beautiful compliment to him,” Jenkins said. “He has advanced our conference by way of spiritual growth, development of new leadership, embracing unity and healing, as well as expanding discipleship through the partnership with laity and clergy. These are strengths we'll miss. Yet we are proud to welcome our new family, Leonard and Dawn Fairley, and look with eager anticipation toward Bishop Fairley’s new leadership and his enhancement of our conference’s stance on moving forward in faith.”

Beyond bishop assignments, Day 2 of SEJ Conference brought passage of a $1.3 million budget for the jurisdiction, approved the creation of a new Petitions Committee, elected a new slate of people to serve its committees and general agencies this quadrennium, honored the passing of five people who died since the last quadrennium, celebrated the work of several ministries and agencies of the jurisdiction, and closed the afternoon by heading to various breakout rooms to engage in circle discussions led by dialogue referees.

‘We stayed, we’re here’

Bishop Tom Berlin of the Florida Conference called the Thursday session to order just after 9 a.m.

Before the start of business, Berlin marveled about how amazing it is that people have chosen to stay in the UMC even after years of challenging and sometimes discriminatory practices. As he noted, African-American people stayed even after the creation of the segregationist United States Central Jurisdiction. LGBTQ+ people stayed even with language in The Book of Discipline about the incompatibility of their sexuality with Christian teaching. More traditional-theology people have stayed even as the denomination has become, as Berlin described, “more purple.”

“We stayed. We’re here,” Berlin observed, praising the ability of God’s people to unite even amid difference.

After a time of centering, the minutes of Wednesday’s business were approved, then the body had the chance to watch a short video on Gulfside Assembly, a ministry in the SEJ in Waveland, Mississippi, founded to provide spiritual, educational and recreational facilities to African Americans who were denied access elsewhere because of segregation. As Berlin noted, Gulfside was a haven for African-American people during segregation and has stood strong through many adversities, still thriving today in spite of being in an area stricken by natural disasters and deep poverty.

Budget passes

Next, the body approved the budget and other CFA recommendations for the next quadrennium.

Delegates approved a $1.3 million budget for 2025-2028, a 12.3 percent decrease from the 2021-2024 budget.

The budget was developed and recommended by the SEJ’s Committee on Finance and Administration.

“This budget is projected to be sufficient for ongoing operational costs,” CF&A Chair Frank Dunnewind told the body, noting it can provide for a global youth event and another called SEJ session if needed.

Delegates also approved CF&A’s recommendation that this $1.3 million be apportioned to the annual conferences, as well as the election of David Dommisse as the SEJ treasurer.

Coordination and accountability

Retiring Bishop Bill McAlilly, who serves the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, lifted up the work of the Committee on Coordination and Accountability, a group that oversees the work and ministry of the UMC across the jurisdiction. He also praised the various ministries of the jurisdiction, including Gulfside Assembly, Hinton Rural Life Center, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, Archives and History (Heritage Center), the Intentional Growth Center and United Methodist Volunteers in Mission.

McAlilly also noted that for 2025-2028 – per the rule change made to the Plan of Organization and Rules of Order by the 2022 SEJ Conference – there will now be a Subcommittee on Finance and Administration of the CCA. This will replace a separate SEJ Committee on Finance and Administration.

New Petitions Committee, process created

The SEJ now has a new Petitions Committee and a new process by which the body will receive petitions.

The body approved two recommendations for amendments to the Plan of Organization and Rules for the SEJ. The amendments were part of the report offered by the Rev. Jasmine Smothers.

The first reflects changes to the SEJ Nominating Committee, language changes updating Red Bird to its new name, the Central Appalachian Missionary Conference; striking a deadline that is no longer feasible; proposing an amendment to allow bishops to have more flexibility about who convenes; and changing the time for the Nominating Committee to convene.

The second, which creates a Petitions Committee, defines a new process by which the SEJ will receive petitions and removes the work of petitions from the Agenda Committee. It also removes redundant language.

Helping, not policing

The body also had the opportunity to hear from the Monitoring Committee, whose members talked about the work they do both with nominations and during plenary sessions to help the SEJ be aware of how they include and receive people of varying gender and racial identities.

Dawn Wiggins Hare, general secretary of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, noted the Monitoring Committee will be observing the plenaries and reporting on this, utilizing guiding principles of love, justice, kindness, accountability, integrity, respect and dignity. Their group will report on what they observe.

Hare also lifted up Thursdays in Black, a movement that encourages people to wear black on Thursdays to protest sexual violence.

Service of Remembrance honors five

Just before lunch, the conference commemorated the lives of five who died in the last quadrennium: four bishops–Marshall L. (Jack) Meadors Jr.; Carlton Printess “C.P.” Minnick Jr.; Thomas Barber Stockton; and Timothy Wayne Whitaker–and one bishop’s spouse, Syble Spain.

With a sermon titled “We Make our Way by Walking,” Bishop McAlilly shared about the lives of each person, all highlighting their lifelong faith in God.

SEJ elects revised slate to committees, general agencies

After lunch, business resumed with an afternoon session led by Bishop Connie Shelton of the North Carolina Conference. The body elected two sets of nominees, those from the College of Bishops and from the Nominations Committee. The new slate of people elected will serve SEJ committees and general agencies this quadrennium—including two Hispanic/Latinx persons and one Native American added Thursday to address an oversight.

Bishop Tom Berlin presented the College of Bishops nominees, first offering a heartfelt apology and a correction as he presented a revised slate.

“There is no one on the list who is Hispanic/Latinx,” Berlin said, noting this was the College of Bishops’ fault and mistake in that body’s haste to work quickly.

He said a delegate offered this observation, and the College of Bishops took immediate action Thursday to correct the oversight.

“We confess this to you, we apologize, we say we are wrong and we will correct that right now,” Berlin said.

He presented two people to the body for consideration: Nora Colmenares, Latina clergy from North Georgia, as an addition to the Committee on Investigation; and Ismael Ruiz-Millan, Latino clergy from North Carolina, who is replacing Liz Roberts on the Committee on Program and Arrangements. Berlin noted Roberts agreed to step off that committee and serve the SEJ in another way.

However, Kathy FitzJefferies, a lay delegate from the Western North Carolina Conference, stood to offer an observation of another oversight—no indigenous Native American nominees.

As additional people can be added to the Committee on Investigation, Berlin invited nominations to be brought directly to him that afternoon for anyone who is an indigenous Native American willing to serve.

Before the vote, Ruiz-Millan stood to thank the College of Bishops for its immediate work in addressing the oversight.

Today with this election, he said, “We lay the foundation for a church truly reflective of a diverse world.”

Those elected included Conference Secretary Kathy James (South Carolina); Secretary-Designate Yvette Massey (North Georgia); and members of the Committee on Investigation, Committee on Appeals, Committee on Plan of Organization and Rules of Order, and Committee on Program and Arrangements.

Later that afternoon, Berlin returned to the podium to announce he had received an additional nominee to the Committee on Investigation: the Rev. Monica Mowdy, a Native American female from the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference.

Mowdy was elected.

Berlin thanked delegates for their willingness to accommodate the change in nominations for the good of racial and ethnic inclusion.

“This is important work at the jurisdictional level, and I really hope you are also doing this at the conference level,” he said.

Second set of elections

The body also elected a slate of people brought forth from the 30-member Nominations Committee, comprising two clergy and two laity from every annual conference in the jurisdiction.

Those elected will serve on the SEJ Committee on Coordination and Accountability as well as General Church commission and boards, including the Connectional Table, General Board of Church and Society, General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, General Commission on Religion and Race, General Commission on Status and Role of Women, General Board of Global Ministries, General Commission on Communications, General Board of Discipleship, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Annual Conference Ecumenical and Interreligious Relationships and United Methodist Publishing House.

Circle discussions continue

The afternoon closed with time spent on racial and other awareness exercises.

Jennifer Davis of the SEJ Monitoring Team led the body in answering 12 questions about difficult and courageous questions and other observations they have made over the past two days, such as whether they have had an opportunity to engage in conversation with people they did not know, and how well this went, including whether they or others felt uncomfortable with the subject matter or whether they felt their thoughts and opinions were accepted and respected by others.

After the exercise, Davis thanked all for their candor and honesty and encouraged them to continue this work in their home conferences.

“We have laid the seeds,” Davis said. “But we have to water the seeds or they will not grow.”

Delegates also engaged in four-person group dialogues about episcopal candidates and racial bias, then closed the afternoon by heading to various breakout rooms to engage in circle discussions led by dialogue referees. They addressed a single question: After General Conference, how do we continue to make room for people with all theological leanings?

Bishop Connie Shelton closed the afternoon session by inviting the body to join her in the chorus to “Standing in the Need of Prayer.” She also thanked delegates for their generous offering of $6,300 that morning to offset travel expenses for SEJ volunteers.

Exciting end

Business resumed after dinner with a report from the Committee on Episcopacy and announcement of the Episcopal Assignments for 2024-2028.

In addition to the new episcopal assignments, COE Chair Kim Ingram also announced new names for the episcopal areas to reflect region, not city names. Ingram also noted the SEJ celebrates that 50 percent of their episcopal leaders are women and 40 percent are people of color.

The assignments for the 10 episcopal areas for 2024-2028, with the new episcopal area names, are as follows:

Alabama Panhandle Area (Alabama-West Florida and North Alabama): Bishop L. Jonathan Holston
Florida Area: Bishop Tom Berlin
Georgia Area (North Georgia and South Georgia): Bishop Robin Dease
Holston Area (sharing a bishop with NEJ): Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett
Kentucky-Tennessee Area (Kentucky, Central Appalachian Missionary, and Tennessee-Western Kentucky): Bishop David Graves
Mississippi Area: Bishop Sharma Lewis
North Carolina Area: Bishop Connie Mitchell Shelton
South Carolina Area: Bishop Leonard Fairley
Virginia Area: Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson
Western North Carolina Area: Bishop Ken Carter

The night ended with area receptions for every conference welcoming their new or returning bishop.

The conference will conclude Friday morning with a closing worship preached by Bishop Holston and a service on Remembering Your Baptism led by Bishop Graves and Bishop Lewis.

Click here to read the Day 1 wrap-up

The August edition of the Advocate will contain more information about SEJ, as well as photos.