Do we need the Convocation in the
General Conference year?
Starting Tuesday, September 26, 2006, the CME Church will convene its 20th Convocation in
Houston, TX. It promises to be another great meeting of the Church. In fact, in recent years, the Convocation has become one of the largest
CME gatherings in terms of number of persons who attend. Each year, members from throughout the Church assemble in an appointed place for training in the various departmental ministries and preaching, teaching, and fellowship. This year we return to Houston, a second visit to Texas in the last few years. So you know that everything is going to be BIG!
But the location itself is really not important. What distinguishes this year from other years in which we hold the Convocation is this year is a General Conference year in the CME Church. Why is that important? It is important because a great deal of expense and energy go into preparation for and attendance at the General Conference. Many lay and some clergy take days off from work (vacation or leave) in order to attend our CME meetings. More than a few persons who will show up at the Convocation were also at the General Conference, a 10-day event that takes you out of your normal routine of day-to-day activities. So, to add the Convocation to the days set aside for the General Conference in the same year appears a bit much and a strain on some CMEs. Add to that the additional expenses the Convocation will bring and it makes me wonder if the year in which the General Conference is held should not be a year of hiatus for the CME Convocation. After all, throw in the winter and spring meetings along with the annual conferences and you have a year full of long, expensive meetings. While we love the Convocation, with its great fellowship and training, we might also consider a quadrennial break in the years in which the General Conference is held.