| Seeking and finding the Spirit at annual conference By Lauren Heather Lay On June 8, Christians worldwide invoked the Holy Spirit as we celebrated Pentecost, surrendering to the already present mystery and promise of the Holy Spirit. A week later, from June 12 through 15, the members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference gathered at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., to conduct the business of the church at the annual conference session. There we faced an interesting question: Do we invoke or provoke the Holy Spirit? I was asked by the editors of the UMConnection to watch and participate in the 219th session of our conference with the eyes of one anticipating the presence of the Holy Spirit. I was not disappointed. I have witnessed multiple reachable moments, where the spiritual was at hand if we but surrendered to the reality and possibilities. While many of these moments were an integral part of worship, others took place during the normal course of our work together. The 30 -foot banner behind the stage in the grand ballroom, created by Patricia Jackson, defined the worship and work space of the annual conference session. The piece invited contemplation as each day a new panel was revealed. As we moved closer to the center of the piece, we were invited to a deeper relationship with God and with one another. It was a backdrop to the business of the annual conference. It was also a centering focal point. On the first day of annual conference, Bishop Felton Edwin May urged us to Sing it like you mean it! as we sang Blessed Assurance. The spiritual dimension of annual conference is never more evident than when we sing out, and live out, the profound truth of our relationship with Jesus Christ. As worship began, the congregation was literally lifted up as the Rockland UMC Praise band brought us to our feet with hands clapping and some, including the bishop and Cabinet, dancing their way around the room. Was this just good music, or was something spiritual taking hold of us? As that service unfolded we were reminded and invited to be who we are Gods holy people. The Rev. Ken Valentines in-character monologue as John Wesley gave us a glimpse of the spiritual passion of our churchs beginnings and encouraged us to leave nothing behind but your faith. At the conclusion of Bishop Felton Edwin Mays fiery sermon, the gathered congregation followed his lead in shouting (and I mean shouting!) an affirmation of faith. A spoken affirmation is one thing, but a shouted, hand-clapping affirmation is a spirit-filled event. The spiritual can be raucous and noisy, or subtle and subdued. I found that balloting had that subtle flavor. While there was a political undertone to our selection of delegates to General and Jurisdictional conferences, the prayers offered before the balloting nudged us to be mindful when we made our pencil strokes. The campus ministry video and witnesses, the Cabinet report, and the Rock 2003 video were reachable moments. We were urged to take a good hard look at our congregations and take action to be more intentional about welcoming and involving youth and young adults in the life of the church. Holy Spirit, Come! Make us your church for your people. Wasnt that the intention on that first Pentecost? What language are we willing to speak? Are we confining ourselves to an archaic, an unintelligible language, or are we willing to learn the language of upcoming generations? Nowhere in the life of the conference was the spiritual more visible than in our service of consecration and ordination. As the family and friends of those who are consecrated and ordained stood to affirm those who have answered the call to a life of servant leadership, we invoked the Holy Spirit. After the laying on of hands, the bishop placed a red stole on each Elder and said these amazing words, You are yoked to Christ, for life and for life eternal. This is a spiritually rich and ripe moment in the life of the conference. In his sermon at the ordination service, Rev. David McAllister-Wilson stated that We are United Methodists spirituality with an attitude! To which I answer, May it be so! We must all pray that we exhibit Spirit-induced attitudes, and eagerly embrace each spiritual moment offered to us, in settings like the annual conference and in all the places God leads us. The Rev. Lauren Heather Lay is pastor of Shiloh UMC in Hagerstown. | 
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