| Strange and wonderful things unfold at General Conference By John Harrell Going to General Conference and actually being a voting member for a while is something that will certainly remain in my memory as long as I live. It was an intense experience, with physical and mental demands on every delegate, such as shortened sleep, increased focus, a need for patience and more. It was also intense from the standpoint that I had never attended a General Conference before, much less actually been a member. Moreover, I was, by my estimate, about 20 years younger than the average delegates age. Not to say that was a bad thing. On the contrary, it was a blessing to me because my age was a constant reminder that I was representing a younger generation, the 'church of tomorrow, today,' and bringing with me an understanding of a teenagers mind and needs. Even more shocking was when I found out that I wasnt even the youngest member. That distinction went to a 14-year-old whom I, unfortunately, never met while I was in Pittsburgh. No matter; there were plenty of other strange and wonderful things to behold and experience. One of the most memorable moments came on the last day of the conference when the body approved a resolution put forth by a small committee, made up of people who were from all over the map geographically, racially and politically, to the effect that we are United Methodists and we love each other and will work together, despite our vast differences. That was a sight to see. As one person put it, 'You could feel the Spirit moving.' It was certainly a breath of fresh air. We were all at the end of an extremely long week, full of heated debate, lots of prayer and not a whole lot of sleep. It was comforting to see renewed the common bond between all of us as Christians, no matter where we stood on issues. It was also fascinating to see people from all over the world come together for 'holy conferencing.' The delegation of nearly 1,000 was made up of people from Zimbabwe, Russia, the Philippines, Great Britain, Nigeria, Poland, France — even Wisconsin. It was a welcome reminder that God isnt just moving in the United States, but God is also working in every corner of the globe, across the language, racial, and age barriers of the human race. At times, though, I found myself wondering why we were spending so much time on what seemed to be trivial pursuits, such as a boycott of a pickle company, when there are people suffering with unspeakable pain and hurt, not having been told of the amazing, revolutionary love of Jesus the Christ. I would have liked to have spent more time discussing and evaluating the mission of the church, especially to teens. When I know that somewhere, a girl my age is selling her body by the hour for want of love, or that African children are dying in scores from hunger, its hard for me to understand why the church is busy discussing pickles. The focus of the conference seemed to not be quite where it needed to be. But even so, I came out of the week stronger. The Lord is full of surprises; he tested just about every aspect of my discipleship during the course of the week — everything from faith to prayer, trust, love, submission to his will — the whole list. I learned a lot about myself and about where my strengths and weaknesses are. I also learned quite a bit about The United Methodist Church, its workings, diversity, strong points and, yes, its shortcomings. Id have to pray real, real hard before trying again to become a delegate, because, I found, it simply drains you, to a degree I hadnt even imagined. But I will say this: I have seen the Father moving through the church, keeping us alive, keeping us together, and I believe that God has plans for us. Just as I came out of General Conference somewhat stronger, it seems clear that the church itself came out stronger as well. John Harrell is a junior at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg and was a reserve delegate to General Conference. | 
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