联合卫理公会2028年总议会增设津巴布韦哈拉雷为第二会场：708名代表将跨两大洲同步开会，10月27日宣布
联合卫理公会新闻社（UM News）10月27日报道，该教会总议会筹备委员会在10月26日至27日的线上会议上决定，为2028年总议会增设津巴布韦首都哈拉雷为第二会场：无法前往美国明尼阿波利斯主会场的代表可在哈拉雷参会。这是该教会最高立法机构历史上首次跨两地举行会议，也是总议会首次有部分议程在非洲大陆进行；会议定于2028年5月8日至16日举行。
筹备方表示，增设第二会场是因应美国旅行限制趋严：本月的教会领导力聚会中，281名受邀参与者中有46人未能取得所需签证，其中包括多名主教和几乎全部刚果（金）参与者；刚果（金）是全球联合卫理公会信徒第二多的国家，仅次于美国。哈拉雷在评选中胜过加拿大温尼伯，原因包括刚果（金）与多数非洲国家的居民入境津巴布韦无需签证，且津巴布韦本身有强大的联合卫理公会根基，该国主教吉夫特·马钦加（Gift Machinga）已欣然接受主办请求。
2028年总议会计划有708名代表，其中46%来自美国，54%来自非洲、菲律宾、欧洲及与联合卫理公会有密切关系的协约教会。委员会主席安迪·卡尔（Andy Call）牧师说：「我们面对的是两大洲和七小时时差。但委员会的决定是尽可能让最多的人参与进来。」两地计划同步运作、实时协作，哈拉雷的具体场馆尚待确定。
委员会在同一会议上还决定给予代表和工作人员每人每天30美元餐补（明尼阿波利斯会场午餐由主办方供应），确认设立8个立法委员会，并听取了常设委员会关于《教规》中哪些条款约束全体信徒、哪些可由新设区域会议调整的提案进展。目前，该教会141个年议会中已有18个确认选出总议会代表。
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.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：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.
