General Conference – Day 4
April 16, 2007
Today began with one of the most stirring sermons I have heard. Bishop Bill Hutchison, Louisiana Area, gave a wonderful sermon about “coming to the water” to remember our baptism. He correctly named the formalized and stiff nature of the church which often squelches the spirit in our midst, a spirit that invites people into a relationship with Christ. Following the sermon, confirmation students from local churches in the Central Texas Annual Conference took pine sprigs, walked among us, and blessed us with the gift of water as a re-affirmation of our baptism. It was a powerful moment as we watched these new, young Christians moving in our midst. It was a blessed morning!
Yet, not long after morning worship, a large group of persons in the back of the auditorium raised their cards in an attempt to secure the floor. When recognized, they attempted to make a motion that we lessen the length of time we spend in worship and hearing presentations that tell us the story of the church. Their request was out of order and not formally recognized, yet their desire did signal something to me.
We are a church that is possessed so often with formalism and business rather than creating a posture which makes us available to the spirit of Christ moving in our midst. Many delegates here just want to get on with the issues and the business of the conference. While that is important, it fails to recognize how necessary it is to actively seek the presence of Christ in the midst of our business.
In a cost saving measure, the General Conference has been reduced by two full days effectively eliminating the break in our business over the weekend. That break, in years past, enabled delegates to seek rest from the daily routine of 8:00 a.m. beginnings and 11:00 or midnight endings each day. The break enabled delegates to see the area, worship in local churches, and renew their spirits. They have always been valued and needed.
Yet, this year, we continue meeting into the weekend with exhausting days and wearying nights. You can see it on the faces of the delegates, those elected to be fresh and alert enough to shape the future of the church. We are a church that is often more concerned about saving a dollar than we are in making an investment in the spiritual and physical health of our leaders. I have always employed the philosophy that you have to spend money in order to create and enable effective ministry to take place.
Yesterday I had an amazing opportunity to address the General Conference concerning the “Nothing but Nets” campaign. It was World Malaria Day. As a part of that address I walked into the aisle and invited the delegates to consider what it might look like if they bought bed nets during that session. In a spontaneous movement of the body, delegate after delegate came to the center table and placed their offerings in support of the campaign. Those gifts are now up to $14, 750 among the 1,000 delegates and hundreds of visitors!
Yet, shortly after that presentation, I was approached by someone in the office whose first words to me were, “You know, you just broke the rules of the General Conference and threw the financial people into a mad frenzy to collect and count the money.” He was serious. My reply was simple, “The affirmation of this body speaks for itself. In just a few moments we just saved 1,450 children’s lives in Africa. I’ll disrupt this General Conference every day if I can get that kind of response.”
We are a church that is often more concerned with rules and regulations that make us feel comfortable with predictability. We are a church that emotionally desires the leading of the spirit, but practically cannot find a way to just “let it happen.”
I am a person of hope, a glass-half-filled kind of guy. I remain that way today. But today, I invite you to join me in prayer. Let us pray that we might find a way to lighten up enough to recognize the gift of the spirit in our homes, our local churches, our areas, and, in these days, at the session of General Conference.
May it be so!
The Journey Contiues, . . .
April 16, 2007
Today began with one of the most stirring sermons I have heard. Bishop Bill Hutchison, Louisiana Area, gave a wonderful sermon about “coming to the water” to remember our baptism. He correctly named the formalized and stiff nature of the church which often squelches the spirit in our midst, a spirit that invites people into a relationship with Christ. Following the sermon, confirmation students from local churches in the Central Texas Annual Conference took pine sprigs, walked among us, and blessed us with the gift of water as a re-affirmation of our baptism. It was a powerful moment as we watched these new, young Christians moving in our midst. It was a blessed morning!
Yet, not long after morning worship, a large group of persons in the back of the auditorium raised their cards in an attempt to secure the floor. When recognized, they attempted to make a motion that we lessen the length of time we spend in worship and hearing presentations that tell us the story of the church. Their request was out of order and not formally recognized, yet their desire did signal something to me.
We are a church that is possessed so often with formalism and business rather than creating a posture which makes us available to the spirit of Christ moving in our midst. Many delegates here just want to get on with the issues and the business of the conference. While that is important, it fails to recognize how necessary it is to actively seek the presence of Christ in the midst of our business.
In a cost saving measure, the General Conference has been reduced by two full days effectively eliminating the break in our business over the weekend. That break, in years past, enabled delegates to seek rest from the daily routine of 8:00 a.m. beginnings and 11:00 or midnight endings each day. The break enabled delegates to see the area, worship in local churches, and renew their spirits. They have always been valued and needed.
Yet, this year, we continue meeting into the weekend with exhausting days and wearying nights. You can see it on the faces of the delegates, those elected to be fresh and alert enough to shape the future of the church. We are a church that is often more concerned about saving a dollar than we are in making an investment in the spiritual and physical health of our leaders. I have always employed the philosophy that you have to spend money in order to create and enable effective ministry to take place.
Yesterday I had an amazing opportunity to address the General Conference concerning the “Nothing but Nets” campaign. It was World Malaria Day. As a part of that address I walked into the aisle and invited the delegates to consider what it might look like if they bought bed nets during that session. In a spontaneous movement of the body, delegate after delegate came to the center table and placed their offerings in support of the campaign. Those gifts are now up to $14, 750 among the 1,000 delegates and hundreds of visitors!
Yet, shortly after that presentation, I was approached by someone in the office whose first words to me were, “You know, you just broke the rules of the General Conference and threw the financial people into a mad frenzy to collect and count the money.” He was serious. My reply was simple, “The affirmation of this body speaks for itself. In just a few moments we just saved 1,450 children’s lives in Africa. I’ll disrupt this General Conference every day if I can get that kind of response.”
We are a church that is often more concerned with rules and regulations that make us feel comfortable with predictability. We are a church that emotionally desires the leading of the spirit, but practically cannot find a way to just “let it happen.”
I am a person of hope, a glass-half-filled kind of guy. I remain that way today. But today, I invite you to join me in prayer. Let us pray that we might find a way to lighten up enough to recognize the gift of the spirit in our homes, our local churches, our areas, and, in these days, at the session of General Conference.
May it be so!
The Journey Contiues, . . .
Labels: General Conference, Nothing But Nets, United Methodist
posted by Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton @ 12:13 PM
3 Comments:
At April 27, 2008 at 4:16 PM ,
Keith H. McIlwain said...
Even as I watch the NFL Draft (the Steelers have made some pretty interesting selections), I am praying that you all are gifted with the necessary stamina to get through General Conference. This morning in worship, we lifted up each of our Western PA delegates and yourself by name. Lots of prayers coming your way!
At April 27, 2008 at 9:39 PM ,
P.J. said...
Bishop thank you for all that you are doing and I can only imagine what it is like there. I hope that at our Annual Conference we can just take the time to invite the Spirit in and to know that the business will get done like it always does. We need that time to get close to God. The people who don't normally experience that closeness don't realize what they are missing when they rush through the worship to get the business done. We are praying for you and all the delegates at General Conference.
Jude
At April 28, 2008 at 9:08 AM ,
Ken Jones said...
I pray for you ALL . . .
Discernment would be those deep & soothing waters; in our rush to calculate & control we get restless after 40 seconds--imagine 40 days & night.
My we behold the glory as you ALL come down from the mountain of the LORD
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