
SEJ elects slate for jurisdictional committees and general agencies
Pictured, South Carolina's the Rev. Kathy James (right) was elected SEJ conference secretary during this year's gathering. Photo by Derek Leek.
By Jessica Brodie
LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina—The Southeastern Jurisdiction now has a new slate of people serving on jurisdictional 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 before the body July 11, 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.
The full list of those elected is as follows:
SEJ College of Bishops Nominees
Conference Secretary
Kathy L. James, (SC; clergy; white; female)
Secretary Designate
Yvette Massey, (NGA; clergy; African American; female)
Committee on Investigation
7 Clergy in Full Connection:
Beth Hood (NC; elder; white; female)
Sherill Clontz (NAL; elder; white; female)
Joe May (MS; elder; African American; male)
Beth Sanders (NGA; elder; white; female)
Robert Gardner (TWK; elder; African American; male)
Latricia Scriven (FL; elder; African American; female)
Meredith Martin (WNC; deacon; white; female)
2 Professing Members:
Lyn Taylor (TWK; white; female)
Christy Crow (AWF; white; female)
6 Alternate Members—5 Clergy in Full Connection and 1 Professing Member:
Raigan Miskelly (MS; elder; white; female)
Michelle Kim (VA; elder; African American; female)
Susan Groseclose (HOL; deacon; white; female)
Jae Lee (WNC; elder; Asian; male)
Jeremy Pridgeon (AWF; elder; white; male)
Tom Jordan (WNC; white; male)
2 additional members:
Nora Colmenares (NGA, Hispanic/Latinx, female)
Monica Mowdy (TWK, Native American, female)
Committee on Appeals
Primary Members
4 Clergy in Full Connection:
Emily Kincaid (AWF; deacon; white; female)
Joy Melton (NGA; deacon; white; female)
Magrey deVega (FL; elder;
Morris Waymer (SC; elder; African America; male)
1 Diaconal Minister:
To be named
1 Full-Time Local Pastor:
Emma Ward (MS; African American; female)
3 Laity—at least 6 years successively members of UMC:
Malcolm White (VA; African American; male)
Celeste Eubanks (AWF; African American; male)
David Salter (SC; white; male)
Alternate Members
4 Clergy in Full Connection:
Kevin Burney (KY; elder; white; male)
Ron Schultz (NAL; elder; white; male)
Kary Sue McCaleb (MS; deacon; white; female)
Angela Hardy Cross (HOL; elder; African American; female)
Robert King (NGA; elder; African American; male)
1 Diaconal Minister:
Joy Carr (MS; diaconal; white; female)
1 Full-Time Local Pastor:
Jimmy Carter (TWK; African American; male)
3 Laity:
Alice Williams (FL; white; female)
Cathy Thompson (NC; white; female)
Nate Abrams (NGA; African American; male)
Committee on Plan of Organization and Rules of Order
Jasmine Smothers (NGA; clergy; African American; female)
Chris Brown (HOL; clergy; white; male)
Trey Harper (MS; clergy; white; male)
Jonathan LeMaster Smith (WNC; lay; African American; male)
Candace Lewis (FL; clergy; African American; female)
Ex Officio
David Dommisse Conference Treasurer (VA)
Julie Hager Love 2024 Conference Secretary (KY)/Kathy James (SC) 2028
Committee on Program and Arrangements
Senior Effective Bishop: Bishop L. Jonathan Holston
Conference Secretary: Kathy James (SC)
Conference Treasurer: David Dommisse (V
District Superintendent: To Be Named by College of Bishops
Chair, Committee on Coordination and Accountability: Bishop William McAlilly
President, SEJ United Methodist Men: Andrew Kissell (VA)
President, SEJ United Women in Faith: Sue Owens (SC)
Chair, SEJ Association of Conference Lay Leaders
Chair, SEJ Committee on Episcopacy (or designee)
At-Large Members (five):
Judith Pierre-Okerson (FL; deaconess; Haitian American; female)
Solomon Christian (TWK; lay; Asian; male)
Sherry Reynolds (NAL; clergy; white; female)
Ismael Ruiz-Millan (NC; clergy; Hispanic/Latinx; male)
Haywood Hammer (MS; clergy; African American
SEJ Nominations Committee nominees
Connectional Table
Byron Thomas – NGA; Clergy; African American; Male
General Board of Church and Society
Sharon Austin – FL; Clergy; African American; Female*
Helen Ryde – WNC; Laity; White; Nonbinary
Sam England – HOL; Laity; White; Male; Young Adult*
General Board of Pension and Health Benefits
David Stotts – MS; Laity; White; Male*
Grace Han – VA; Clergy; Asian American; Female
Mathew Pinson – NGA; Laity; White; Male*
General Commission on Religion and Race
Clara Ester – AWF; Laity; African American; Female
Marcus Singleton – WNC; Clergy; African American; Male
General Commission on Status and Role of Women
Samantha McGlothlin – TWK; Clergy; White; Female
General Board of Global Ministries
Caleb Parker – NC; Laity; White; Male
Elizabeth Corrie – NGA; Laity; White; Female*
Molly McIntyre – FL; Laity; White; Female*
Marian Royston – NAL; Clergy; African American; Female
General Commission on Communications
Ashlee Hand – WNC; Laity; African American; Female; Young Adult
Kelly Roberson – SGA; Laity; White; Female*
General Board of Discipleship
Esther Jadhav – KY; Clergy; Asian American; Female
General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Lindsey Baynham Freeman – VA; Clergy; Multiracial; Female
AC Ecumenical and Interreligious Relationships
Constance Barnes – SC; Clergy; African American; Female
Whitley Henson – CAMC; Laity; White; Female
United Methodist Publishing House
Anne Travis – HOL; Laity; White; Female*
Laura Wittman – NC; Clergy; White; Female
Erin Beasley – TWK; Clergy; African American; Female
Neil Wise – VA; Laity; White; Male
James Salley – SC; Laity; African American; Male
Michael Watts – KY; Clergy; White; Adult*
Committee on Coordination and Accountability – Southeast Jurisdiction
Bishops:
Bishop Sharma Lewis – MS; Clergy; African American; Female
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson – VA; Clergy; White; Female
Lay Leaders:
Lisa Keys-Mathews – NAL; Laity; White; Female
Derrick Scott, III – FL; Laity; African American; Male
Directors of Connectional Ministries:
Mike Sluder – HOL; Clergy; White; Male
Lory Beth Huffman – WNC; Clergy; White; Female
Treasurers:
David Garvin – KY; Clergy; White; Male
Allison Berg – NGA; Lay; White; Female
At-large Members:
Richard Williams – AWF; Clergy; African American; Male
Charlie Hatch – NC; Laity; Hispanic/Latino/Native American; Female; Young Adult
Tom Lee – TWK; Laity; White; Male
Whitley Henson – CAMC; Laity; White; Female; Young Adult
Michael Culbreth – SGA; Clergy; African American; Male
Emily Sutton – SC; Clergy; White; Female