HOW TO SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY: PETITION TIME AGAIN

Our United Methodist Church is based on democratic principles. Persons who have concerns about what our church does and how we do it may work for change through the legislative process of the Louisiana Annual Conference.

Any Lay Member, Ordained Clergy, or Organization (church, commission or committee) of the Louisiana Annual Conference may petition the Louisiana Conference session which will meet June 1-4. Each petition will be assigned to a Board, Committee or Commission for consideration. That group will discuss the issue pertained to in the petition and follow a course of action; i.e., agree with the petition (concur); amend the petition; or not agree with the petition (non-concur). The petition will then be brought before the body of the Conference with that group's recommendation.

If you, your church or organization wishes to write a petition, the following steps will be helpful:

Briefly write your concern or the course of action you wish the Conference to follow;
Write the reason(s) you feel your concern is important;
Develop a formal petition using a recognized format. The format includes a title, the name of the person submitting the petition, the statement of concern, the proposed solution, and the method of implementation. The petition should resemble this format

Issue:                                 (your title)
Submitted By:                   (your name) (your church's name)
Whereas:                           (one reason you are concerned)
Whereas:                            (each additional reason you are concerned)
Be It Therefore Resolved:   (action(s) you would like taken)
Implementation By:           (this should be the entity responsible for supervising the task)

Petitions that are written thoughtfully and carefully receive closer attention. They are easier to read and to facilitate. Please notice the deadline which is not an arbitrary date, but necessary to get our copy to the printers and proper bodies on time. Each petition must be received by May 25, 2008. They should be sent to Rev. John G. Deschner, 1201 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA 70005. Each person or organization submitting a petition must supply 1200 copies printed on the official form (on yellow paper) using “Astrobright Paper” –color – Sunburst on the opening day of Annual Conference. These may be brought to the office located in the Gold Dome.

Petition [Word Version]

PETITION TO THE 2008 LOUISIANA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Petition Number___________Committee or Commission___________________
(The above to be filled in by the Petition Committee)

Subject:__________________________________________________________

Petitioner:___________________Signature:_____________________________

Local Church:_____________________________________________________
(If individual petitioner)

Reasons for the Petition (Whereas):

Proposed Action (Be it therefore resolved):

Committee or Commission Report
(Number of votes):                   Concur________________________________
                                                Do Not Concur__________________________
                                                Abstain________________________________

If Concurrence is Sustained Refer to ___________________________________
for Implementation.

All Petitions must be typed. Margins of at least ½” are needed for reproduction. Send Petitions to Rev. John G. Deschner, Chair, Committee on Petitions, 1201 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA 70005. All Petitions must be received by Sunday, May 25, 2008.