Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church

An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge (a charge is one or more churches served by a minister under appointment by the bishop). Each conference is a geographical division. In general, the smaller states in the United States hold one conference each, while larger states often include two or more conferences. Several annual conferences are held in other nations as well.

Role and composition

The Annual Conference is the primary unit of denominational government. Regional groups of conferences within the United States make up the Jurisdictional Conferences, and outside the United States they make up the Central Conferences. The entire group of all annual conferences makes up the General Conference which meets every four years. Only the General Conference can speak officially for the church.

National Council of La Raza

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is America's largest Latino advocacy organization. It advocates in favor of progressive immigration reform policies, including a path to citizenship and reduced deportations.

Founded in 1968, NCLR is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Phoenix, and San Antonio. NCLR has historically received three-quarters of its funding from private sources, including individuals and corporations, and one-quarter of its funding from the federal government.

Janet Murguía serves as NCLR's president.

History

In 1963, a group of Mexican Americans in Washington, D.C. formed the National Organization for Mexican American Services (NOMAS). The organization existed primarily to provide technical assistance to Hispanic groups and bring them together under one umbrella. NOMAS presented a proposal to the Ford Foundation to establish an organization that could provide technical assistance and organizational structure to the Mexican American community. The Ford Foundation hired Herman Gallegos, Julian Samora, and Ernesto Galarza to travel the Southwest and make a recommendation on how the Ford Foundation could help Mexican Americans.

Laurie Hernandez

Lauren Hernandez (born 9 June 2000 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) is an American artistic gymnast.

Gymnastics

2012

Hernandez's elite career started in 2012 at the Secret U.S. Classic, where she placed 11th in the junior division at the age of 12. Through the Classic, she qualified to the Visa U.S. National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. At nationals, she placed 21st after two days of competition.

2013

Hernandez's first meet of the season was the WOGA Classic, where she placed second overall. In June, Hernandez traveled to the National Training Center in Huntsville, Texas. She competed well and scored a very big 14.900 on floor, finishing second behind teammate Ariana Agrapides. She then went to Chicago, Illinois, for the Secret U.S. Classic and placed sixth, winning the floor exercise title. Later in August, at the P&G National Championships, Hernandez placed sixth on vault, second on bars and second on the floor, and tied for third on beam with Alexis Vasquez. She took another silver in the all-around with a 116.650 total. In September, she went to Yokohama, Japan, for an international junior competition. She scored 56.750 and took home the bronze, with teammate Bailie Key winning the title.

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix (/ˈfiːnɪks/) is the capital, and largest city, of the state of Arizona. With 1,445,632 people (as of the 2010 U.S. Census), Phoenix is the most populous state capital in the United States, as well as the sixth most populous city nationwide.

Phoenix is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, which in turn is a part of the Salt River Valley. The city is the 13th largest metro area by population in the United States, with approximately 4.3 million people in 2010. In addition, Phoenix is the county seat of Maricopa County and is one of the largest cities in the United States by land area.

Settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers, Phoenix incorporated as a city in 1881. Located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix has a subtropical desert climate. Despite this, its canal system led to a thriving farming community, many of the original crops remaining important parts of the Phoenix economy for decades, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus and hay (which was important for the cattle industry). In fact, the "Five C's" (Cotton, Cattle, Citrus, Climate, and Copper), remained the driving forces of Phoenix's economy until after World War II, when high tech industries began to move into the valley.

Janet Murguía

Janet Murguia (born September 6, 1960) is a political activist in the United States. She is president of the National Council of La Raza, an Hispanic advocacy organization. Her twin sister Mary and elder brother Carlos are both federal judges.

National Council of La Raza

On January 1, 2005, Murguía replaced Raul Yzaguirre as the president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S. As President and CEO, Murguía often testifies before Congress about issues affecting the Latino community including education, health care, immigration reform, civil rights and the economy. In her role as a spokesperson for the organization, she is frequently interviewed by various news outlets and has appeared on many news programs.

Murguía currently serves as a board member of the Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, and is an executive committee member of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. She also sits on the board of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. Murguia serves on the Advisory Board of the National Hispanic University.