Northwest Texas Annual Conference
June 8-11, Lubbock, Texas

The Northwest Texas Conference met June 8-11 at First United Methodist Church in Lubbock with Bishop D. Max Whitfield presiding. The conference theme, “Love our Neighbors in Church, Community and World,” finished a three-year emphasis on the core values of Jesus.  Bishop Larry Goodpaster of the Alabama-West Florida Conference was the conference preacher.

A highlight of the conference was sending more than 300 conference members into the city of Lubbock to a variety of mission projects. In keeping with the conference theme, this mission saturation was named “To Lubbock with Love.”

The conference implemented a decision made last year to reduce the number of districts from six to four. The conference also approved all eight constitutional amendments.

The Denman evangelism awards were given to the Rev. Billy Everett as clergy and John and Dani Blythe as laity. The conference peacemaker award was give to Ted and Betty Dotts. The conference recognized five focus churches for living out the second core value of loving our neighbors.

Five people were ordained elder; two were ordained deacon in full connection; one was ordained deacon under the 1992 Discipline. The conference recognized the orders of one person as elder.  Four people were commissioned as probationary elders. Eight people were retired.

Membership is 67,131 down 885. Morning worship attendance is 23,037, down 861.

--Eddie Allsup