United Methodist General Conference Adds Harare, Zimbabwe as Second Site for 2028: 708 Delegates to Meet Across Two Continents, Announced October 27
UM News, the news service of The United Methodist Church, reported on October 27 that the Commission on the General Conference, meeting online on October 26-27, added Harare, Zimbabwe, as a second site for the 2028 General Conference, for delegates unable to meet in Minneapolis. It will be the first time the denomination's top lawmaking assembly meets across two locations, and the first time part of it takes place on the African continent. The assembly is scheduled for May 8-16, 2028.
Organizers said the decision responds to increasing U.S. travel restrictions: at this month's Leadership Gathering, 46 of the 281 chosen participants could not obtain the required visas, including multiple bishops and almost all participants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the nation with the second highest number of United Methodists after the United States. Harare was chosen over Winnipeg, Canada, in part because residents of Congo and most other African countries do not need a visa to visit Zimbabwe, and because Zimbabwe has a strong United Methodist presence; Bishop Gift Machinga, who leads the church in Zimbabwe, enthusiastically accepted the request to host.
Organizers plan for 708 delegates, with 46 percent from the United States and 54 percent from Africa, the Philippines, Europe and concordat churches with close ties to the denomination. "We're dealing with two continents and a seven-hour time difference," said the Rev. Andy Call, the commission's chair. "At the same time, the commission made the decision to include the most people possible." The goal is for both locations to operate concurrently in real time; the exact Harare venue is still to be determined.
In other actions, the commission voted to give delegates and staff a $30 per diem for breakfast and dinner, affirmed eight legislative committees in addition to the Standing Committee on Regional Conference Matters, and heard an update on proposals defining what in the Book of Discipline binds all United Methodists and what regional conferences may adapt. Delegate elections are under way, with 18 of the denomination's 141 annual conferences having certified their delegates so far.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 津巴布韦首都哈拉雷市区（资料图）。Peter in s 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Downtown Harare, Zimbabwe (file photo). Photo by Peter in s, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
