Columbia District Equalization Members to Annual Conference
District Equalization Members of Annual Conference
These are the "additional" (beyond local church) lay members of Annual Conference. The district equalization member slots exist in order to help us equalize the number of lay and clergy voting members in the Annual Conference, and to expand upon the ethnic and age representation that we usually have from our local churches. Each district gets 2 youth members, 2 young adult members, 1 college/university student member, and 2 ethnic minority members.
The responsibilities of equalization members are the same as any other member of the Annual Conference:
- To prepare beforehand by reading and considering the materials provided about legislation and other matters which will come before the body.
- To attend the session, participate and vote
- To share their experiences with their home church, but also with the district through the district newsletter or other forums.
The term of a youth member is only one year, but the other positions are for the full quadrennium so they will be expected to serve 2017 - 2020. Youth members are chaperoned and provided a full slate of activities during the conference.
All of the equalization members must hold membership in a local church in our district. Youth members need to be between the ages of 12 and 18. Young adult members need to be between the ages of 19 and 30 at the time of their election. The college/university student may be any age, but needs to be an enrolled student in a college or university at the time of their election. The ethnic minority members may be of any age and may be any ethnicity other than white. The youth, young adult, and student members may also be any ethnicity!
Equalization members are eligible to have their meal and lodging expenses reimbursed (upon presentation of receipts) by the Annual Conference, up to a value equivalent to ½ of a double occupancy room at the host hotel and the scheduled conference meals. They are also eligible for the same travel reimbursement as all Conference members.
The 2018 Annual Conference Session will be June 12-15 at Hotel Eugene in Eugene, OR. You can find information on registration and lodging, schedule, and AC updates at https://www.umoi.org/ac The proposed legislation package will be available after mid-April.
Columbia District is currently looking for youth, young adult, and ethnic minority equalization members. Please contact Brandon Rhodes in the Columbia District office for more information or to share your interest: brandon@umoi.org or 503-802-9227.