Making disciples of Jesus Christ
and spreading scriptural holiness across the globe.

It’s almost here! We’re just two weeks away from our Annual Conference at Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin, and we couldn’t be more excited to gather together from June 10-12, 2026, to fellowship, worship, and grow! This email contains essential information you need to make the most of our time together and ensure a smooth experience. Please note that the online registration deadline has passed. Walk-up registration will be available for $95 per person, but on-campus housing, voting, and meal packages will not be available. If you do not have a meal plan, all meals must be purchased off campus. Conference Location The conference will take place at: Green Lake Conference Center W2511 WI-23 Green Lake, WI 54941 https://glcc.org/ (920) 294-3323 Please note that you will drive approximately one mile into the campus once you turn off the highway. Follow the Great Lakes Annual Conference signs and our hospitality team to help guide you. Loading/Unloading and Parking Information If you are staying on campus, Green Lake does not allow check-ins before 4:00 p.m. firm . Please plan to arrive after 4:00 pm Central. To keep traffic moving smoothly, please use the spaces near each building for loading and unloading only, then move your vehicle promptly to open space for others. Carpooling to Green Lake is strongly encouraged, as parking is limited. Golf carts will be available to help transport people and luggage throughout the grounds. If you do not plan to use your vehicle during Annual Conference, we encourage you to park away from the main venues after unloading to allow parking for daily commuters. Location Information Check-in for conference: Tuesday, June 9, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm – Brayton-Case in Kern Lodge Wednesday, June 10, from 8:00 am to 9:30 am – Roger Williams In Lobby Thursday, June 11, from 8:00 am to 9:00 am – Pillsbury Hall Lobby Check-in for lodging: Kraft Centre lobby ( after 4:00 pm firm ) Business Sessions: Pillsbury Hall Children’s Ministry: Kern Lodge Exhibitors: Staughton Hall Worship: Pillsbury Hall Youth Ministry: Lone Tree Lodge Prayer Room: Roblee Room in Pillsbury Hall Breakout Sessions: Various campus locations (see program) Meals: Dining Room at Kraft Centre Pre-Conference Training and Meetings: Kern Lodge Conference Meet and Greet and Missions Informal Gathering: Kern Lodge For questions about specific room assignments or directions between venues, check with the welcome desk/check-in staff at Pillsbury Hall lobby or view a map in the conference app. Conference App Make the most of your conference experience by downloading the official Great Lakes GMC app before you arrive! Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, the app features the complete schedule, campus maps of the beautiful Green Lake Conference Center, breakout session descriptions, and other helpful resources. Returning users, you're already ahead — it's the same app you know! Check-in Details You can check in at three convenient times: Tuesday, June 9, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm – Brayton-Case in Kern Lodge Wednesday, June 10, from 8:00 am to 9:30 am – Roger Williams Inn Lobby Thursday, June 11, from 8:00 am to 9:00 am – Pillsbury Hall Lobby For those participating in any pre-conference meetings or seminars, you will pick up your name tags prior to your meeting, but you will still need to check in at the listed registration times to receive your voting card and other materials. Conference Meet and Greet and Missions Informal Gathering As you check in, you're invited to a Meet & Greet and an informal Missions Gathering in Brayton-Case located in Kern Lodge. Light Refreshments will be provided. It's a great chance to connect with old friends and make new ones, to learn about missions initiatives, and enjoy some light conversation before the conference begins. We look forward to seeing you there! Prayer During Annual Conference The Great Lakes Prayer and Intercessory Team is gearing up for conference and is still in need of volunteers for our 58-hour prayer initiative. We invite anyone, anywhere, to commit to one hour of prayer during that time, lifting up the conference while it is in session. Those who sign up will receive prayer prompts via email to help guide their time. Once all 58 hours are filled, additional participants will be welcome to join any time slot, allowing multiple people to pray simultaneously. Whether you can join us in person for one-hour prayer shifts or commit to praying virtually from home, your intercession is vital to our goal of covering all 58 hours in prayer. Sign up here . Please share this opportunity with fellow prayer warriors and help us lift up this important gathering. The Prayer Team is also seeking prayer persons who can be onsite to cover the prayer room during the Great Lakes Annual Conference. We want to have three people available for one-hour prayer slots to pray with people seeking prayer during the conference. Sign up here . Exhibit Hall and Networking The Exhibit Hall will be located in Staughton Hall, below Pillsbury Hall, and will be open during designated breaks and meal times throughout the conference. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with ministry partners, vendors, and learn about resources available to support your local church. Meals & Dining All meals will be served at the Dining Hall at The Kraft Centre, beginning with Wednesday lunch. Breakfast is served at 7:30 am, lunch at 12:00 pm, and dinner at 5:00 pm each day. Thanks to our connectional funding, meals are provided at no cost for children and youth. If you did not register for a meal plan in advance, you will need to arrange meals off campus. There is no à la carte option. The dining hall is expected to be busy, so we encourage you to stagger your arrival times. Take the opportunity to enjoy the lakefront, walk the grounds, or browse the exhibitor hall before heading to a meal. Once you've finished eating, please be mindful of others waiting and make your way out so fellow attendees can be seated. Tower Room Events During select meals, you'll have the opportunity to connect with ministry partners and learn more about their work. Simply grab your meal and make your way to the Tower Room located just off the dining room. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Wednesday, June 10 7:30 am to 9:00 am Breakfast (Private) Discipleship Team Meeting 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm Lunch Methodist Foundation of Mississippi 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm Dinner (Private) General Conference Delegates only Thursday, June 11 7:30 am to 9:00 am Breakfast Heartland Methodist Foundation 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm Lunch Simpson Park Camp 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm Dinner One Mission Society Friday, June 12 7:30 am to 9:00 am Breakfast Child Evangelism Fellowship Methodist Foundation of Mississippi Wednesday lunch breakout Faithful Stewardship for Today and Future Generations What if your church could strengthen generosity today while securing ministry impact for future generations? This practical and inspiring presentation equips pastors and church leaders with biblical, actionable strategies to cultivate generosity, encourage legacy giving, strengthen financial discipleship, and promote clergy financial wellness. Heartland Methodist Foundation Thursday breakfast breakout A Different Perspective of Stewardship - Year-Round Stewardship Stewardship is an integral part of developing disciples, yet we often only spend a week or two on an annual campaign each year. Growth takes time and effort. In this breakout, we will talk about practical ways to strengthen your stewardship ministry and to build a calendar for stewardship that integrates with your congregation's life. Simpson Park Thursday lunch breakout Sabbath: The Lost Rhythm of Rest Many ministry leaders live in a constant state of hurry, distraction, and all-around exhaustion. Although we value the concept of Sabbath, the actual practice of true rest often feels difficult or even impossible. This breakout explores the biblical meaning of Sabbath, why it remains essential for healthy ministry, and practical ways to cultivate rhythms of rest, attention, and renewal in a distracted world Child Evangelism Fellowship Friday breakfast breakout Reaching The Next Generation For Christ Voting Information If you’re eligible to vote during our business sessions, you should have already registered via a unique voting link. Remember that voting is limited to active clergy members, qualifying senior status clergy, elected lay members from local churches, and equalizing lay persons. You will receive your voting credentials at check-in. Legislative Preparation Please read all legislation before arriving. The complete packet is available online at greatlakesgmc.org/AC26 , and we strongly encourage you to review everything in advance. Our discussions will be more productive and efficient when everyone comes prepared and informed. If you have questions about any piece of legislation, you can contact the person who submitted it directly, or reach out to Rev. Chris Gadlage, Sessions Legislation Coordinator, at chris.gadlage@greatlakesgmc.org for more information. Ordinand Special Instructions If you are being ordained this year, you will have a mandatory special time with Bishop Webb on Tuesday at 7:00 pm in the Brown Room in Kern Lodge. A mandatory Ordination Rehearsal will be held on Thursday at 7:00 pm in Pillsbury Hall located in Roger Williams Inn, followed by the Ordination Service on Friday morning at 9:30 am at the same location. Contact Rev. Shane Frederick at shane.frederick@greatlakesgmc.org if you have any questions about ordination. Childcare will be provided. Older children and youth are welcome to attend this meaningful service. Guests attending for just this special occasion should be directed to Pillsbury Hall attached to the Roger Williams Inn. All ordinands should bring their robes to registration check-in. They will be labeled and stored for the ceremony. All others wearing robes should keep them in their rooms and wear them to the ceremony. Children & Youth Programming We have an excellent children’s ministry team providing programming during most conference sessions at the appropriate areas of Kern Lodge. Your children are not only welcome but celebrated as part of our conference family. For our youth, we have a special Youth Ministry Track with late-night worship opportunities on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 9 pm in the Lone Tree Lodge. Only adults who have been pre-screened through our volunteer screening process are allowed to be in the same areas as our children and youth. Lodging and Campus Information We’re grateful to Green Lake Conference Center for hosting us, and campus housing provides excellent, reasonably priced accommodations. If you’ve chosen to stay on campus, you should have already booked that directly with Green Lake Conference Center. If you need to speak to anyone about your accommodations, please contact Green Lake Conference Center at guestservices@glcc.org or (920) 294-3323. Please note that no pets are allowed at Green Lake Conference Center during our conference, though service animals are always welcome. Breakout Sessions We have ten outstanding breakout sessions led by excellent presenters on topics relevant to our ministry and mission. Breakout sessions are offered on Thursday morning and again Thursday afternoon. You can read more here . Since we know you can’t attend everything you’re interested in, we’re arranging for audio recordings of each session to be made available after the conference concludes. A listing of the breakout sessions is available online and in the conference app. Volunteer Update If you indicated interest in volunteering on your registration form, you should have already received a link for signing up for volunteer slots as well as volunteer training times. Thank you from the Session Team and the Great Lakes Annual Conference. It takes many hands to make Annual Conference possible and we could not do it without you. What to Bring If you are staying on campus, please be sure to check the Green Lake Conference Center website for your room amenities, as they differ by location and room. Please plan to bring a reusable water bottle. Staying hydrated is especially important during a full conference schedule. Coffee will be provided during meals in the dining hall, and there will be a light refreshment break each afternoon. However, if you're the type who needs a cup before your feet hit the floor each morning or you run on caffeine throughout the day, we recommend packing your coffee maker and a stash of your favorite blend for your room — we won't judge! Green Lake Conference Center has something for everyone! Enjoy the beach and swimming, boating, paddling, fishing, golf, tennis, pickleball, basketball, sand volleyball, soccer, and miles of wooded trails and biking paths. We’re also planning campfire circles, so plan to pack a lawn chair and whatever else you need to take advantage of the beautiful grounds during your free time. Copyright © 2026 Great Lakes Annual Conference. All rights reserved.

Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12 Know Before You Go Devotion By Rev. Susan Roehs I have not been to the Green Lake area of Wisconsin, but I’ve seen pictures online. It appears it will be a beautiful setting. We will spend a few days surrounded by nature, including the plants, animals, water, and birds. All the things God created for us. When I gaze at the world around me, I am always in awe of the beauty God created for us to experience. God could have created a black-and-white world. He could have made the plants and animals utilitarian, without beautiful, colorful feathers, soft fur, blooming trees and flowers, leaves in multiple shades of green, red, and yellow. He certainly didn’t create this beauty because we deserved it; we’ve failed him many times, which he knew would happen. And yet, he decided to surround us with beauty. And as you admire the beauty around us now, can you imagine what is waiting for us in heaven? Here, beauty is marred by sin. Plants rot, animals die, and frost turns gorgeous leaves black. There is no perfection in what we encounter in nature. When I took up photography and focused on nature, I would always look for the perfect specimen. But in time, I discovered that beauty is not just in the perfect flower but also in nature’s imperfections. The flower just a little past its prime, the tree that isn’t symmetrical, the gunmetal gray sky. And the same is true of people. The variety of appearances we find in humanity gives us many views of beauty. Some of us are past our prime; some are just beginning their life’s journey; some come from poverty; some come from the city. God took the same variety he used in nature and applied it to his creation of people. And then he said, “It is very good.” I hope that during our week in Wisconsin, you will allow your life to slow long enough to notice the beauty of nature around you. Look for the beauty God put there, just for you. Observe the people around you and find the beauty God slipped into their creation. Look in the mirror and notice the features God created in you that make you unique. Almighty God, You amaze us with Your creations. We are so grateful that You placed us in a beautiful environment full of color and texture. You have provided more than we deserve. I know that what we witness today will pale in comparison to what we will see in heaven. As we gaze at the beauty around us, we are reminded of Your great and perfect love for us. Help us to love You and others as You love us. In Your holy Name, amen.