Highlights from the 2026 Mississippi-West Tennessee Annual Conference

The 2026 Mississippi-West Tennessee Annual Conference was held in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 28–29. Several members of our church attended, and we are excited to share some of the highlights with our church family.

Celebrating Church Members

We are thrilled to celebrate three significant accomplishments from members of our congregation.

Rodger Wasson was ordained as a deacon during the conference. Rodger currently pastors two GMC churches, and we rejoice in this important milestone in his ministry journey.

John Robinson received status as a Certified Lay Minister (C.L.M.). We are also grateful for the many others from our church who have completed the required coursework or are currently participating in the C.L.M. program. If you would like to learn more about becoming a Certified Lay Minister, please contact one of our pastors.

In addition, Mark Hikes was honored with the first-ever Cecil Williamson Evangelism Award, recognizing his commitment to sharing the Gospel and making disciples.

Advancing God's Kingdom Around the World

Conference leaders reported that nearly $200,000 has been raised for the GMC building project in Qatar, an exciting step forward in supporting ministry efforts in the region.

We also heard encouraging reports from our partner annual conferences in the Philippines—Covenant and Mega Manila. These conferences are rapidly planting churches and expanding their ministries. Opportunities are available for local churches in the United States and the Philippines to form meaningful partnerships as we work together to advance the Gospel.

Investing in the Next Generation

One of the most encouraging updates came from our growing college ministries. Leaders from the new Awakening Collegiate Fellowship groups at Mississippi State University and Ole Miss shared stories of how God is moving on their campuses.

To support this expanding ministry, our conference has recently established a part-time position dedicated to coordinating campus ministries across the conference.

We are also excited to share that one of our church's college students will be serving as an intern with the Awakening Collegiate Fellowship group at Ole Miss next year. We look forward to seeing how God works through this opportunity and ask our church family to be in prayer for this student and the ministry team as they invest in the lives of college students.

Strengthening Discipleship and Evangelism

Rev. Robert McCormick shared an update on Replicate Ministries, the organization our church has worked with for long-term visioning and discipleship development. The conference is now making this resource available to churches throughout the region to help strengthen discipleship systems and foster spiritual growth.

Conference attendees also heard an inspiring report from the denomination's Kingdom Advancement Commission, whose work focuses on church multiplication, evangelism, missions mobilization, unreached people groups, and disaster response. It was encouraging to see these priorities remain at the center of our denomination's mission.

Our Church's Conference Involvement

Our church continues to play a significant role in the life of the conference. Of the eight annual conference committees, at least one member of our congregation serves on seven of them. We are grateful for the many individuals who faithfully represent our church through their leadership and service.

Looking Ahead

The conference also provided information about the upcoming 2026 General Conference, which will be held August 30–September 5. Three members of our church will serve as delegates to this important gathering.

During General Conference, new bishops will be elected. Our current bishop, Rev. Dr. Scott Jones, will retire this October, and we will welcome a new bishop this fall.

Finally, next year's Mississippi-West Tennessee Annual Conference will be held in Flowood, Mississippi, June 14–16, 2027. As the event approaches, we will be recruiting volunteers from our church to help host attendees and support the conference. We also encourage members to consider attending the worship and equipping sessions.

We are thankful for all that God is doing through our church, our conference, and the Global Methodist Church. Please continue to pray for our leaders, churches, ministries, and mission partners as we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread the Gospel throughout the world.