The three-day conference session is a time for Dakotas United Methodists to worship and enjoy fellowship, learn from teaching sessions, seek God’s guidance as we make decisions about ministry direction, determine budgets, ordain and commission clergy, and receive the bishop’s clergy appointments.  Annual conference is not just for clergy and lay members, it is for anyone who would like to attend as a guest.  Register now at this link. Here are six things you will not want to miss.

SCHED is an app that allows us to publish an electronic schedule with details including: contact information for speakers, presenters, coordinators and moderators, handouts, directions, maps and photos for each session.  Click here to go to SCHED for AC 2018. If you would like to receive updates and changes, sign up as an attendee and encourage others to do the same. You will be able to save the schedule to your home screen (the icon at right will appear on your mobile device), and you can also receive up-to-date schedule information as a text or e-mail.

Pre-Conference Workshops —There are five different 90-minute workshops being offered on Wednesday, June 6 at 1:30 p.m. and at 3:15 p.m.  Workshop titles are: Understanding Native Americans, Leadership Directions from Moses, Successful Children's Ministry, Generosity: A Pathway to Deepening Faith, and Social Holiness: Methodist small group history, a cutting edge to the future. Click here for detailed description.

Rev. Olu Brown — Rev. Olu Brown will be our teaching pastor at the Dakotas Annual Conference. He will present on Thursday, June 7 at 1:00 p.m., and Friday, June 8 at 9:15 a.m. Rev. Brown is a founding leader of Impact Church, a young congregation in the East Point community of metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. With Olu’s vision and leadership, since its founding in 2007, Impact has grown from a core team of 25 people to more than 1,800 attendees each Sunday, making it one of the fastest growing United Methodist Churches (UMC) and new church starts in the United States. 

Festival at the Canaries Ball Park —On Thursday evening, June 7, beginning at 5:45 p.m., participants will enjoy food – hamburgers, brats and more – and fellowship at the Canaries Baseball park.  The park is home to the Sioux Falls Canaries baseball, who are playing out of town that night  However, United Methodists will bring their own game to town including: Pastor Charlie Moore and company  providing music, lawn games, and the first ever kickball game tournament, lead by the Dakotas Conference district superintendents, and refereed by Bishop Ough. 

2018 Miracle Offering Called: One Word, Many Ways —You will not want to miss Rev. Scott McKirdy’s, Spearfish UMC sermon at worship on Friday, June 9 at 8:00 a.m.  The 2018 Miracle Offering will be collected at this worship. This year’s offering, “Called: One Word, Many Ways” has both a spiritual and a financial component. Our goal is to lift up 1,000 names from our churches and communities of those whom God’s calls to their next step of faith and spiritual leadership. We also want to  raise $100,000 for the Culture of Call grant fund. Grants will support churches, groups and organizations in creating opportunities to inspire and equip individuals to hear and respond to God’s calling! Get all the details here. 

Celebration of Life in Ministry Service— On Friday, June 8, at 7 p.m., in a Celebration of Life in Ministry Service, we will remember United Methodist friends and colleagues who have died over the past year, honor clergy who are retiring, and celebrate those who are being commissioned and ordained. The service will be held at Embrace Church. Bishop Ough is preaching and music will be led by the Embrace Church worship team.

Baptismal Remembrance Service—United Methodists across the Dakotas will remember their baptisms during the worship service on Saturday, June 9 at 8 a.m., Rev. Kris Mutzenberger, Fargo First UMC, will deliver the sermon.  Music for this worship service, as well as the services on Thursday and Friday morning, will be led by Chuck Bell, who has designed worship for serveral annual conferences and United Methodist events. 

Come to Sioux Falls and connect with United Methodists from across North and South Dakota and beyond.  The fee to register as a visitor is $15 per day.