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BY MELISSA LAUBER
UMCONNECTION STAFF

At the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference July 16-20 in Charleston, W. Va., 227 voting delegates, representing United Methodists from Maine to West Virginia, elected three bishops from among 19 endorsed candidates.

On the fifth ballot, Sandra Steiner Ball, the director of connectional ministries for the Peninsula-Delaware Conference, was elected. She will serve the West Virginia Annual Conference.

On the twenty-first ballot, Martin D. McLee, superintendent of the Metro Boston Hope District of the New England Conference, was elected. He will serve the New York Area.

On the thirty-fifth ballot, Mark Webb, superintendent of the York District of the Susquehanna Annual Conference, became a bishop. He was appointed to the Upper New York Area.

The Rev. Rodney Smothers, the endorsed candidate for the episcopacy from the Baltimore-Washington Conference, withdrew from the election for bishop on the second day of voting before the 19th ballot was taken, thanking God for "the wonderful journey this has been."

The pastor of St. Paul UMC in Oxon Hill and Corkran Memorial UMC in Temple Hills was endorsed by members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference at their May session to be in an election to choose three bishops to serve in the Northeast Jurisdiction.

In interviews for discernment with the 227 members of the Northeastern Jurisdiction July 17, Smothers stressed the need for United Methodists "to act and live with a courageous prophetic witness that addresses advocacy, injustice and transformation at every level of church," and to reach out to the unchurched "through relevant discipleship that touches and connects people with Christ."

In his ministry at all levels of the church, he said, he has become firmly convinced that "evangelism at its best is sharing Christ in people's everyday life experiences."

Smothers prayerfully withdrew from the election after dropping to 16 votes. He called it his "Genesis 50 moment. ... I relinquish this opportunity," he said, "trusting that greater things are in store for me."

During the election for three bishops, the Rev. Laura Easto, pastor of Westminster UMC, was nominated from the floor. During the third ballot, she received 18 votes, but her support dropped to three votes by the 11th ballot.

In a written statement to the delegates, she offered herself as a servant leader. "Servant leadership is the model of Jesus," she wrote. "Somehow the Lord always managed to be on the margins without excluding the crowds. He healed the non- and nominally religious even as he held his own disciples to a significant level of accountability. He taught with actions as much as his words."

The name of the Rev. Joan Carter-Rimbach of First UMC in Hyattsville surfaced toward the end of the balloting. On the 28th ballot she received 10 votes. She addressed the members, saying that after prayerful discernment, she wished to withdraw from the process.

"God has spoken to my spirit and said, 'not yet,'" Carter-Rimbach said. "And I want to be faithful to the call God has on my life."

In other actions, during the five-day conference, delegates:

• Participated in Bible study on passages from Luke, led by William and Anne Streaty Wimberly, which revolved around the conference theme: "Rise Up: Encounter God, Engage the World."
• Adopted a statement of principle that confirms the NEJ's passionate opposition to church law that restricts the rights and privileges of LGBT people and their ability to participate in all sacraments and rituals in United Methodist churches.
• Revised the rules of the jurisdiction in a process led by Jen Ihlo of Capitol Hill UMC in Washington.
• Elected the Rev. David Simpson, pastor of Bethany UMC in Ellicott City, to serve as NEJ treasurer; and adopted a quadrennial budget of $1,052,925, a decrease over the 2009-2012 budget of $247,265 or 19 percent.
• Elected Sharon Darlyn McCrae assistant secretary of the conference.
• Pledged to financially support, by joining efforts to raise $75 million, the denomination's Imagine No Malaria Campaign.
• Took action to increase participation in the Volunteers in Mission program.
• Received an offering of $3,060 for the Appalachian Service Project.
• Heard sermons and speeches by Bishops Peter Weaver, Jane Middleton, William Morris and John Schol. Each bishop addressed the decline of the church in the Northeast United States, where there are more than 28 million unchurched people.

In the episcopal address, Middleton challenged the church to take more risks, saying, "Those churches that dare in this challenge and go where God leads, no matter the cost, will bear fruit. Those churches that do not will die."

In the Vision Team report, Schol said, "This is a time to risk everything, and meet challenges with faith, daring and courage."

The 2016 Jurisdictional Conference will be held in Lancaster, Pa. The Baltimore-Washington Conference will host the 2020 Jurisdictional Conference.