Jurisdictional Conference 2012
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The 2012 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will meet July 18-20, 2012 in Lake Junaluska, NC for the primary purpose of electing as many as six new bishops to replace those that are retiring in 2012. The 2011 TN Annual Conference elected 24 delegates and alternates to the Jurisdictional Conference. The eight on the General Conference Delegation page plus the first eight this page are the 16 primary voting delegates; the following eight are alternates.
If you have a prayer, opinion, or idea you wish to share, you can email one or all of the delegates by clicking on the “Email” link to the right of their bio. If you want to send something to all 24 delegates, you can email the group by sending it to TN2012@tnumc.com.
> Learn more about 2012 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, CLICK HERE
| Clergy Delegation | ||
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Rev. Jacob Armstrong | serves as pastor of Providence UMC in Mt. Juliet. Jacob is a graduate of the University of the South School of Theology (M.Div.). Jacob served at Murfreesboro 1st UMC as associate pastor before being appointed to be the founding pastor of Providence Church in Mt. Juliet. On the conference level, Jacob serves on the New Church and Congregational Development Committee and the Board of Ordained Ministry. Jacob is married to Rachel and they have three daughters, Mary, Lydia, and Phoebe. |
Email Jacob |
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Rev. Carol Cavin-Dillon | serves as the Lead Pastor at Christ UMC in Franklin, TN. She received her B.A. in English from Duke University and her M.Div. at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She served eight years on the Board of Ordained Ministry of the TN Conference and is now serving as the chair of the Nashville District Superintendency Committee. She is a board member of Disciple Bible Outreach Ministries, whose goal is to bring Disciple Bible Study into all prisons in the TN Conference. She is married to David Dillon, and they have two children, Tate and Martha. | Email Carol |
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Rev. Kaye Harvey | has served for nine years as Pastor of Congregational Care and Associate Pastor at Brentwood United Methodist Church. She holds a BA in management and human relations from Trevecca Nazarene University, and a Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School, where she received the Bishop Holland McTeyre Award for UMC students, and the St. James Award for preaching. She is currently the vice chairperson of the Tennessee Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and is the chairperson of the Local Pastors, Licensing School, and Mentoring Committee for the Board. Rev. Harvey serves as the clergy facilitator of a resident group for probationary residents of the Tennessee Conference. She is married to George. | Email Kaye |
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Rev. Tommy Ward | serves as Senior Pastor of Fayetteville 1st UMC in the Pulaski District. He earned a B.A. from the University of Mississippi (1994), an M.Div. from Emory University's Candler School of Theology (1997), and has begun D.Min classes at The School of Theology at Sewanee: The University of the South. Tommy currently chairs the Tennessee Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and is the Spiritual Director for the Highland Rim Emmaus Community. Tommy is married to Ivana Fachisthers and they have one son, Nicolas. | Email Tommy |
| Lay Delegation | ||
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Mrs. Holly Neal | is a member of Crossville 1st UMC where she leads Tuesday night Bible Study. She shares her faith teaching a Young Adult Sunday School Class and Wednesday Night Bible Study at Pleasant Ridge UMC where her husband, Randy is serving as a Supply Pastor. She is the director of the United Fund. In theCookeville District she is the Director of Lay Speaking Ministries and is on the Board of Ordained Ministry and DCOM. She serves on the Conference Board of Laity as the Associate Lay Leader. She also serves on the Congregational Development and Nominating Committees. Holly served as delegate in 2004 and 2008 to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. | Email Holly |
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Mrs. Betty Alexander | is a member of First UMC Hendersonville in the Columbia District. She received her M.Ed. and Ed.D. from the Vanderbilt University Peabody School of Education. Dr. Alexander's extensive involvement in the TN Conference includes having been on the Member Council of Stewards, Chair of District Connectional Ministries and Education, Lay Leader Director (8 years) and has taught seminars on Lay Leading. She is currently the Cumberland District Lay Leader and is also serving on the Board of Higher Education as well as Lay Member of the General Board of Discipleship. | Email Betty |
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Mrs. Heather Bennett | grew up in The United Methodist Church enjoying the programs of the church from VBS to The Wesley Foundation in college. She has worked for United Methodist Communications with the Central Conference Communications Initiative and Online Marketing engaging audiences in social media. She has enjoyed meeting United Methodists throughout the connection via Facebook and Twitter. | Email Heather |
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Mrs. Joy Lewter | is currently serving as Conference President for United Methodist Women. Joy is a retired educator, supervisor, and budget director of Marshall County Schools and currently a part-time staff member at Martin Methodist College. She is an alumnus of Martin Methodist College and earned a BS and Masters of Education from MTSU. Joy is lay leader and Sunday school teacher at Chapel Hill UMC. She is mother of 2 sons and grandmother of 3 boys. |
Email Joy |
| Reserve Clergy Delegation |
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Rev. Lisa Gwock | is an Ordained Deacon currently on a year-long Sabbatical to explore social justice issues in the Nashville area. She is a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry and serves as Co-Chair of the Order of Deacons. Lisa has served at Belmont UMC and Hillcrest UMC in Nashville and Vestavia Hills UMC in Birmingham, AL. Lisa is married to Eddie and has two daughters, Kristen and Kaitlin. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University, an MBA from the University of South Carolina and earned a Masters of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School. | Email Lisa |
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Rev. Bryan Brooks | is the pastor of the Blackman UMC in Murfreesboro. Bryan is a graduate of Georgia Tech and Emory University's Candler School of Theology. In addition to ministry in the local church, Bryan is the chairperson of the Murfreesboro District Committee on Ordained Ministry and a member of the TN Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. He has served on the Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry and served as the vice-chair of the Conference Commission on Equitable Compensation. Bryan regularly teaches evangelism in the Memphis-Tennessee-Holston Course of Study and has been a Lay Speaking instructor, as well. He has authored Sunday School curriculum and articles for the UM Publishing House and is the author of Mission: Christmas (Abingdon Press). Bryan grew up attending First UMC, Griffin, Georgia. He is married to Heidi Geib and they have two daughters, Belinda Grace and Charlotte. | Email Bryan |
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Rev. Michael Williams | is Senior Pastor of West End UMC. He was educated at Vanderbilt University, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, and earned a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Michael has served churches in the TN Conference, as Dir. of Preaching Ministries for the GBOD, and has taught courses for Garrett Seminary, Vanderbilt Divinity School, Candler School of Theology, and the Doctor of Ministry programs of Drew and Wesley Theological Seminaries. He is the author of numerous articles, stories, poems, plays and books and serves as General Editor of The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible series from Abingdon Press. Michael is a frequent guest speaker, workshop leader, and storyteller at regional, national, and international events. He has been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival and has taught at the National Institutes of Storytelling. While a student at Northwestern a collection of his poems won an Academy of American Poets prize. Michael is married to Margaret, and they are parents of two college-age daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth. | Email Michael |
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Rev. Jerry Wallace | is the Senior Pastor of Gallatin 1st UMC in Gallatin, TN. Jerry is a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School (1996). He and his wife Jamie have two children: Christian and Grace. Previous appointments include: Carthage (2004), Associate, Murfreesboro First (2002), Craft Memorial (1999), Mt. Zion (1995), Centenary-New Bethel (1992), Blanche-Coldwater (1991). | Email Jerry |
| Reserve Lay Delegation |
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Mr. Andrew Miller | is the son and grandson of Methodist clergy. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA in 1981 and joined the then manufacturing division of the UM Publishing House. In 1990 Andy established Providence House Publishers which operated for twenty one years. In the Spring of 2011 he started Plumbline Media, leading a publishing team utilizing the new digital technologies to reintroduce classic spiritual content. Andy is an active member of Franklin 1st UMC, serving on the Building Committee as well as in other areas of teaching and leading. He feels privileged to serve the TN Conference as a jurisdictional conference delegate to previous conferences and feel that service at the general church level is vitally important in this time of transition in our great denomination. | Email Andy |
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Mrs. Reba Seals | is a member of 1st UMC in Fayetteville, TN, where she is Prayer Coordinator for the Partners in Prayer Program, Chairperson of the Contemporary Worship Committee, member of the Lay Leadership Committee and the Chancel Choir, and Past Chairperson of the Staff Parish Relations Committee. She is retired from a 36-year career as a civilian working for the U.S. Army. She holds a B.S. Degree in Business Management and is a graduate of the Senior Program Management coursework at the Defense Acquisition University. She is married to Jimmy Seals, has two children, three grandchildren and four step-grandchildren. |
Email Reba |
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Mr. Timothy Moss | is a member of Bethlehem UMC in Franklin where he has served in many different capacities. He currently teaches an older adult Bible Sunday School Class and is an active Stephen Minister. He is the Tennessee Conference Lay Leader. Until recently he was on the Board of Directors of the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee, Inc. He and his wife Colleen have four children and five grandchildren. | Email Tim |
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Mr. Deen Thompson | is retired from The General Board of Discipleship/The Upper Room and is a member of Edgehill UMC where he is currently serving as lay leader. Deen is a graduate of Centenary College and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is a father of three, grandfather of six, and lives with his partner for life John M. Brown in Nashville, TN. | Email Deen |