Church Conference Vote Information (Sunday, March 26 – 3:00 p.m.)

Membership

· Only full members can vote.

· Contact the church office by noon on Friday, March 24, with questions about your membership status. 

Registration

· Please share rides to the vote in order to assure that we have ample parking. 

       · For those who can, please park at businesses on the east side of our church on Main Street (Parking lots at Burgers & Blues and Persnickety can be used anytime, and Strawberry Café can be used for late-comers after 2:15 p.m.).

       · The Atrium covered entrance will be available for drop-off.

· We will gather in two rooms according to our last names (Sanctuary: A-J, Gym: K-Z).

· We will have early registration from 1:30-2:00 p.m. for senior adults so that they can be seated quickly.

· All other people can register between 2:00-3:00 p.m.

· We are to be seated with ballots in order for the meeting to begin at 3:00 p.m.

· You will register at a check-in table connected to your last name (for example - A-B, C-D, E-F, etc.)

· Tellers will check to make sure that you are a full member.

· You will be given a paper ballot.

· Please do not vote until the District Superintendent calls for the vote during the meeting.

Nursery

· We will have a nursery for children, ages 4 and under, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Nursery Hall.

· Other children may sit with their parents and grandparents.

Meeting

· The District Superintendent will officiate the meeting.

· The required Certification statement for disaffiliation will be read.

· The opportunity for debate will be given to allow for up to three speeches for disaffiliation and three speeches against disaffiliation, and each speech would be up to three minutes in length. This debate is not required by the annual conference and many churches and church members have chosen to forego having any debate at their church conferences.

Reminders

· You must be present to vote. There will be no absentee voting or voting by proxy.

· All ballots received must be turned in.

· Any abstentions, ballots without a vote on them, will not count in the vote totals.

· The choir loft will be available for those who wish to mask and distance themselves from others.

· Once all ballots are turned in, no other ballots will be accepted.

· Ballots, like our recent Pulse email survey, will have just two options from which to choose.

       · I desire to remain with the United Methodist Church.

       · I desire to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church.

· You will also need to write the date of the meeting on the ballot.

· While we anticipate the meeting only lasting 30 to 40 minutes, you may leave once all the ballots are collected and the total number of ballots cast is reconciled to the total number of ballots distributed prior to the vote count.

· The voting results will be announced at the close of the meeting.

· The vote results will be shared via email, website, and social media around 7:00 p.m. on March 26.