Bishop Deb Kiesey preaching at the 2022 Dakotas Annual Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota. Photo by jlynnstudios.

Bishop Deborah Kiesey has called a Special Session of the Dakotas Annual Conference for Saturday, November 19, 2022.

"I am asking us to gather in accordance with our standing rules and ¶603.5 of the Book of Discipline; I hereby call for a special session of the Dakotas Annual Conference on November 19, 2022, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Central Time and 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time," Bishop Deb wrote in her letter to the Dakotas Conference. 

Here are a few things you need to know about the special session:

• The special session will be conducted in a hybrid conferencing format with four locations for participants to attend in-person:  
  • Legacy UMC in Bismarck, North Dakota;
  • First United Methodist Church in Fargo, North Dakota;
  • Canyon Lake United Methodist Church in Rapid City, South Dakota; and
  • First United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 
• Bishop Deborah Kiesey will preside. The bishop and other presenters will be in a separate studio location. 
• The agenda will include one area of business: consideration of resolutions ratifying the disaffiliation of local churches from the United Methodist Church per the provisions of ¶2553. 
• Two Pre-Conference Gathering sessions will be held via Zoom on Saturday, November 12, 9:30 a.m. Central Time, 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time: or Sunday, November 13, 8 p.m. Central Time, 7 p.m. Mountain Time. 
• Registration is open through Friday, November 11, 2022, at 5 p.m. Central Time. Register here. The registration fee for voting delegates and visitors is $30. The fee covers the costs for the hybrid conference, including the charges for the technology platforms: a required Zoom webinar premier paid host account, production costs at each of the sites, support for each of the participants and presenters, as well as lunch at each of the sites. 
• The 2022 Special Session Conference Workbook will be published online by the end of the day on November 11, 2022. All legislation that will be considered will be included in the conference workbook.

Bishop Deb writes, "We stand now in this liminal space. Let it be a holy space where we discern the threshold of God's presence. It can be a sacred space where the Holy Spirit can bring healing, transformation, and renewed clarity for the road ahead. Let us embrace the tension of the liminal experience. If we can appreciate the process of this holy space and allow God's Spirit to be at the center of our processing, this space can be a place of new experiences and amazing grace."