[By Rev. Mary Scifres]

Thank you to the many, many people who created and designed worship for our 2013 Session: Music Director Gregory Norton, Visual Artist Susan Oeffler. Planning Team & Crew Members James Dollins, Karin Ellis, Erin Foellmi, Nestor Gerente, Liz Heacock, Langi Lolohea, Allison Mark, Gregory Norton, Susan Oeffler, Cheryl Reagan, Mary J. Scifres, Brian Suk-Boo Lee, Harriet Wilkin, Philip Wood, and Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño.

We are also thankful for Liz Heacock, Gail Kendall, Cathy Wilson, Wanda Bethea, and Jan Hanson, who help us so much “behind the scenes” to create beautiful bulletins and coordinate many details.

Worship at Annual Conference is more like a stage production, and we couldn’t produce these complex services without the wonderful help and support of Stage Manager Ken Ellis, Media Team Chairperson John Demaree, Screen Visual Team Members Judy Lewis, Gary Wintergist, and Dave McGlocklin, Audio Coordinator Scott Wilkinson, and all of their amazing crew members.  Thank you, Audio-Visual and Stage Team!  Similarly, a dedicated group of servants usher and guide us in both worship and plenary, and we are grateful to Paul and Melody Ashley and their usher teams from the Cal-Pac Lay Ministry Academy, Cal-Pac Young People, and Anaheim Tongan Fellowship.

The heart of worship emerges when you and your local church members share your gifts and talents to bring God’s Holy Spirit into our midst as we join together.   Thank you for offering your time and talents in such generous ways.  We are grateful to so many, including Greg Douglass and Members of Native American UMC, Jennifer Allas, Hakchoon Lim, Debra Murray, Royce Porter, Lupita Alonso-Redondo, Iliana Gonzalez, Jason Anderson & Young Adult Musicians of Crenshaw UMC, Lyda Eddington, B. J. Beu, Jan Hanson, Wanda Bethea and Members of the Board of Pensions, Preston Price, Ken McMillen, Shanel Alexander, Langi Lolohea, Dione Taylor, Jim Standiford, Campus Ministry Members, Deacons, Filipino Caucus Members, Erich Parunago and Morris Villarosa along with the Filipino United Methodist Centennial Choir, Milan Choi and the Eunbia Body Worship Movement Group, Mele Maka, Rick Sperry, Youth and Young Adults of Cal-Pac, Andy Mattick, Donna Daniels, Carol Ann Van Buskirk, Ralph Barlow, Colleen Windham-Hughes, Juan Carlos Acosta and Sisters in Song, Dave Roberts, Hillary Chrisley, Katherine Henry, Alena Uhamaka, Eugene Han, Sunyoung Lee, Doug Williams, Carol Anderson Mayer, our wonderful Bishops Minerva Carcaño, Elias Galvan, and Charles Wesley Jordan and Mrs. Margaret Crawford Jordan along with our dedicated District Superintendents and District Lay Leaders, and our unswervingly supportive Conference Lay Leaders Phil and Connee Freeman.

Thank you, wonderful Sisters and Brothers in Christ, for helping us to worship and praise God together!

Mary Scifres, 2013 Worship Planning Team Chairperson