Photo credit: INUMC Annual Conference
First United Methodist Church West Lafayette attended the 2026 Indiana United Methodist (INUMC) Annual Conference held June 3-6 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.
We are grateful to Pastor Duane Carlisle, Pastor Kory Pritchett, Charis Vander Plaats, and Anna Clark for representing our congregation at Annual Conference.
A special thank you to Pastor Duane for his leadership at the conference. In addition to staffing the Reconciling Ministries Network booth, he had the honor of serving as co-chair of the Indiana Conference Committee on Nominations alongside Chiyona Bourne.
Annual Conference is an important time for worship, connection, and discerning how God is calling us to serve together. We are thankful for Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church – INUMC, its leaders, and all who work faithfully to strengthen the ministry of the United Methodist Church across our state.
Anna Clark, a member of our First Church family and leadership, shares her reflection on the conference:
“As one of your lay members to the Indiana Annual Conference, I wanted to share not only some of what happened, but also my sense of the spirit and direction of our Church. One of the highlights for me was hearing Rev. Dr. Michael Beck speak about leading and making disciples in a post-pandemic and politically polarized world. He challenged us to think beyond the walls of our churches through what he calls “fresh expressions” of ministry—meeting people where they are physically and spiritually. His reminder that we need less focus on hospitality and more on “guestitality” especially resonated with me. Rather than always inviting people into our spaces, we should be willing to enter their spaces, listen to our neighbors, and allow them to host us.
The conference also celebrated some encouraging developments in our camping ministries, including a $6.5 million Lilly Endowment grant that will support significant improvements at our seven conference camps. As a result of last year’s annual conference legislation, all camp properties now offer some form of gender-neutral bathroom option, helping ensure that all youth feel welcome and included.
If last year’s conference felt like we were ready to embrace a more inclusive and loving vision of the Church, this year’s gathering felt centered on advocacy. Delegates passed resolutions supporting people with disabilities, Associate Members and Local Pastors, our immigrant neighbors, and rejecting Christian nationalism. We also approved a response to Governor Braun’s recent comments about “nuclear families,” affirming that God’s love and the Church’s welcome extend beyond a single definition of family. The overall energy I experienced was one of a Church seeking not only to be more inclusive within its walls, but also to speak and act faithfully on behalf of those whose voices are too often overlooked.
We’d love to have you join us at annual conference next year. The district is almost always looking for equalization members, which you can apply for in February. I’d be happy to talk to anyone interested in attending.”
The following links are shared from INUMC. We invite you to explore these resources to learn more about the 2026 Annual Conference:
2026 Annual Conference Summary
Annual Conference Wrap-Up Video
Give to the Missional Offering
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