The Jurisdictional Trial in which Bishop Minerva Carcaño is Respondent
For Immediate Release
August 29, 2023
Jury selection and attendee registration update available for upcoming trial
Glenview, Illinois — Plans for the Jurisdictional Trial in which Bishop Minerva Carcaño is Respondent continue to unfold as the start date nears. Extreme care is being taken to ensure transparency in the process and that all parties and their supportive materials involved are seen and heard. With the trial being an open session, new guidance has also been made available to persons wishing to attend and follow the proceedings.
The agenda will begin September 19th at 9am CDT with jury selection at the Wespath Benefits and Investments headquarters (1901 Chestnut, Glenview, Illinois). A total of 38 full clergy have been designated to be in the trial’s jury pool. The clergy jury pool represents all ten Conferences in the North Central Jurisdiction with 63% being persons of color and 61% being female. The clergy considered for the jury pool came from 45 nominees presented by all of the jurisdiction’s bishops.
There has been a wide interest in this trial from across the United Methodist connection and efforts are in place to provide added accessibility. Bishop Alfred Gwinn, Presiding Officer of the Jurisdictional Trial in which Bishop Minerva Carcaño is Respondent, announced that he will allow the trial to be streamed live. Interested individuals can now attend in person or remotely via the online feed. A livestream address will be announced later. The livestream availability also supports resource stewardship as it reduces the monetary and environmental impact of trial related travel.
“We are honored that our invitations to be official observers have been accepted by MARCHA (the Hispanic/Latino caucus within The United Methodist Church), the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW),” shared Secretary R. Preston Price
People wishing to attend the trial in person should contact Randy Hayes, Secretary of the Northern Illinois Conference who his serving as the trial's registrar. Requests must be sent via email to [email protected] to start the registration process. The Registrar will provide a form for completion and guidelines that have been approved by the Presiding Officer and Wespath - the location host agency staff. Credentialed media interested in attending are encouraged to submit a press pass request via the official online form. Photography, outside of the official production crew, is strictly prohibited during the trial by all in attendance. Complimentary parking is available in the building lot as space allows.
Trial officials are limiting on site presence at Wespath to those directly associated with the trial or to individuals who have registered and been approved as official visitors. As such, groups may not form and congregate on Wespath’s property.
“Because the Wespath building is a secured building, registration is required. No one will be admitted unless their name is on the lists prepared by the Secretary, Registrar and press center. All attendees are asked to keep noise levels down and to be respectful of the church agency work being conducted elsewhere in the building” added Price. “Should the registered attendee numbers exceed Wesley Hall’s seating capacity, we will implement a fair and transparent way to give each guest the opportunity to be present at different parts of the trial.”
UMCom will provide communications support via the press center. Administrative support pertaining to lodging for participants is being coordinated by the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA). All agencies mentioned within are offering specialized support within their agency purview as a service to the church at large. They are not sponsors nor have they taken any sides on the trial itself.
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Media Contact:
R. Preston Price
Secretary of the Trial in which Bishop Minerva Carcaño is Respondent
[email protected]
