The holy conferencing of the people called Methodists in the North Carolina Annual Conference comes to a close today with the setting of the appointments for the coming year. The various worship services, music, reports, voting, speeches from the floor are always something to behold.
But for this Methodist pastor, the high point of the conference came Friday with the workshops led by Adam Hamilton, lead pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas. He opened with shocking statistics of the state of the church and a statement that unless the church awakens to change, it will die.
Pastor Adam then spend hours painting a picture of what and who we can be as the church of the 21st century. While he gave us specifics, the vision of renewal was the take-away. At Saint Mark’s for the past several years we have been on a journey of renewal – knowing again who we are, claiming a vision and purpose beyond ourselves, and working to love and care for one another as the Incarnated Body of Christ.
While there was affirmation in the words and lessons of Adam Hamilton, there was recognition that there is still much to be done. The possibilities for the church are as great as in the first century. The call is ringing out to rise up in faithfulness and go boldly into a new day. In Christ we have the best Good News the world has ever known and from Saint Mark’s we have a perfect vantage point to see what God is calling us to do.
Lord, increase our faith, stir our hearts with your Holy Spirit to love and serve your people. Remove all barriers of pettiness, self-interest, and self-righteousness. Unite us as your Living Body. Open our eyes and lives to see and celebrate what you are doing among us. And give us strength to move onward and upward for Your glory. Amen.
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As I look back over the history of the Chrisian Church, I am amazed that, in our finite wisdom, we haven’t completely destroyed it. Despite our efforts, the Holy Spirit has been at work over the centuries – and it is a good and exciting thing to see that the Holy Spirit is still at work in the church. As we journey onward, it is important for us, as a community, to seek God’s direction for us; be sensitive to wherever the Holy Spirit is leading; and most of all, pray for all those in leadership – that we will all rightly discern that to which we are called.