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RENEW: Sample Sermon
Rev. James S. Beard, Elk River UMC/New Day UMC (Big Lake)
Seeing Beyond Our Immediate Horizon
Originally Preached June 8, 2014 (Pentecost Sunday) at Elk River — New Day UMC
WORDS OF WELCOME
The Easter Season—the most joyous season of the year comes to a close with a most
spectacular event: Pentecost! It is the time when the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of
Jesus and empowered them for the work of ministry. As a result, thousands of people joined
them in this movement, and the Christian church was born. In case you don’t remember the
account, it is recorded in the Book of Acts, and begins with these words…
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Acts 2:1-4 MSG
When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there
was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the
whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started
speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.
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A pretty dramatic way to launch a church! Now the church of God has had its ups and downs,
its time of trial and its time of rejoicing. But what sustains us through it all is remembering
Pentecost and that the power of the Holy Spirit is now forever with us, sweeping through us
and enabling us to do what others might say is impossible.
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Pentecost was not just about fire and wind. Pentecost is about what happened because of the
fire and the wind. With the power of the Holy Spirit upon him, shy, denying Peter became a
bold, fearless leader for Christ. When others started mocking them for acting as if they were all
drunk, Peter is the one who stood up in the midst of the crowded streets and spoke with
boldness of the grace of God, and invited others to join God’s movement as followers of Christ.
He harkened back to the prophets of old, and the forefathers of their Jewish faith, and opened
their eyes to whole new visions. He told them to lift up your eyes beyond the immediate
horizon, and catch a bigger vision of what God was doing in our midst…
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Acts 2:14, 16-18, 29-36 MSG
That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency …This is
what the prophet Joel announced would happen:
“In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will
prophesy, also your daughters; Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes, I’ll pour out my Spirit on those who serve me, men and women both, and
they’ll prophesy.” …
“Dear friends, let me be completely frank with you. Our ancestor David is dead and buried—his
tomb is in plain sight today. But being also a prophet and knowing that God had solemnly sworn
that a descendant of his would rule his kingdom, seeing far ahead, he talked of the resurrection of
the Messiah—’no trip to Hades, no stench of death.’ This Jesus, God raised up. And every one of us
here is a witness to it. Then, raised to the heights at the right hand of God and receiving the
promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out the Spirit he had just received. That is
what you see and hear.
The prophet Joel said that God would pour out the Spirit, and that is what happened at
Pentecost. And people filled with the Spirit of God will have visions, seeing the hand of God far
ahead, way beyond their current circumstances. How bright is your future? Ask a man or
woman touched by the fire of God’s Holy Spirit, and they’ll tell you. There is nothing that can
separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus, therefore, our future is bright indeed!
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Special Godly people have had this type of vision for centuries, but now it was spreading like
wildfire. Back in the Old Testament, it was a man named Jeremiah who had God’s long-range
vision, who trusted that vision, and who encouraged others to see things the same way. At a
point when all seemed lost, the Babylonians had just conquered their beloved Jerusalem,
destroyed their holy temple, and hauled practically all of their people off to exile, Jeremiah
sent a message of renewal to his fellow believers. It will take a long while, he said, but don’t
give up hope. Make the best of it right now, but do not lose sight that God will indeed bring
you all home to Jerusalem again. Here are Jeremiah’s bold words of divine prophesy…
Jeremiah 29:4-7; 10-11 NIV
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from
Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ”Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they
produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in
marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not
decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
10 This is what the
Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to
you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for
you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.”
I dare say there were a lot of people in Jeremiah’s day who doubted his prophetic words. Their
church was destroyed and they were living in the far-off foreign land of Babylon. They may
have even argued with God about this declaration of his. After all, the statistics were showing
that all was in decline and despair. Plans to prosper? They couldn’t see it. Plans of hope and a
bright future? They couldn’t believe it because they weren’t wearing God’s glasses and so were
sadly near-sighted. But the prophesy did come true. The people did find release, and they did
return home once again.
Furthermore, I dare say, there are a lot of people still today who doubt that there is a hope and
a future for mainline Christian churches, like United Methodists. All the statistics about
declining worship numbers make us sadly near-sighted as well. And yet, rather than having a
vision that accepts the current statistics as reality, we are called to a renewing vision that
changes all those statistics around. We are called to be bold, fearless churches, bold enough to
invite our friends and neighbors to come be a part of God’s future with us, even when the
statistics look impossible.
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At Annual Conference this year, the symbol of bold and fearless churches was depicted by an
unlikely image. Do you remember? It was the dandelion, that beautiful, resilient, evertransforming plant which spreads its seeds far and wide by the power of the wind! One speaker
who picked up on that symbol was Leia Williams, our coach for our Imagine No Malaria
campaign. She came to congratulate us for our awesome faithfulness at raising more money to
date than any other Conference in the connection, but also to encourage and challenge us to
not let this be the last seeds of inspiration that we sow. Listen to this small but power-packed
woman from Texas, as she reminds us of who we are in the eyes of God…
Video clip - Leia Williams, 2014 Minnesota Annual Conference Address,
http://tcs.umconnect.org/tcs/#page:recordingList&pageNumber:2&id:367F9F44-414C441E-9552-CAFB177813B7 36:08 - 38:50 (2:42)
Leia reminds us that we have done what we thought was impossible, and we have done it by
the power of the Holy Spirit. We have fearlessly and faithfully faced forward and looked
beyond the limited horizons which were within our sights; we have looked beyond the present
reality that a child dies every 30 seconds from malaria, in order to allow the Holy Spirit to work
through us and cut that statistic in half. We have attacked a death statistic and overcome it,
and in doing so, have ignited a fire in others, a fire that now sits over other conferences like it
did at Pentecost long ago. Our seeds of inspiration have been scattered to people whose
language we may not even recognize but, because of the Holy Spirit, we can speak the same
language of God’s love.
This year, we will be called upon to overcome another statistic which other conferences are too
timid or too filled with fear to face, but not us. This year, we will be called upon to scatter seeds
of invitation and faith sharing like never before; and we will be called up to raise even more
resources than we did for Imagine No Malaria.
[Slide of campaign logo]
The Reach • Renew • Rejoice campaign will be this conference’s next major undertaking,
involving every United Methodist Church from Albert Lea to Ely, from St. Croix Valley to
Moorhead. In the next 6 to 12 months, we will be joining hands with our brothers and sisters
across this wonderful state in order to boldly start even more new churches and to grow
existing churches by equipping them for increased vitality.
Minnesota raised $2.7 million for Imagine No Malaria; this Reach • Renew • Rejoice campaign
challenges us to reach beyond that for a God-sized goal of $3.7 million, but you should know
that to-date, the amount pledged to this campaign (before even one single local church has
responded) already totals $930,000! People are committed and believe in this cause. Extensive
feasibility questionnaires and interviews across the state indicated over and over again with
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numbers like 78 percent, 84 percent, and 91 percent of people who believed in the need,
importance, and potential impact of this campaign. While Janet and I are away on our spiritual
renewal leave this summer, resources and information will begin rolling out to all United
Methodist churches across Minnesota.
I anticipate that Elk River and New Day will again be called to be at the forefront of this effort,
because we are the ones who have been stepping out on this frontier much earlier and more so
than others. Others will be looking to us for hope, and stories of actual lives changed, which we
have. They will be looking to us, because they have seen us be bold in the past. They need to
hear how again young families with their young children are returning home and being greeted
by the warmth of God’s family. It’s not impossible—we’ve done it before; we’ll do it again.
We will be called upon to see beyond our immediate horizon …
to a prophetic vision of the church renewed,
to a vision of 7 new United Methodist churches started in Minnesota, and 7
existing Minnesota church ministries multiplied to locations outside their walls,
and 140 existing Minnesota churches intentionally renewed in spirit and in size,
and hundreds of bold Minnesota leaders developed and coached, all in the next
7 years,
to a vision where together young men will prophesy and old men will dream
dreams of renewed communities for Christ,
to a vision where those who are distant will again come home
to a vision of God rebirthing the church through the Holy Fire and Winds of
Pentecost
to a vision so bright we better wear shades!
Renewing the church may be impossible, impossible that is for other conferences, but not for
Minnesota. If I could prophesy, it would be this: by the time Minnesota hosts our worldwide
General Conference in April 2020, this conference will have overcome all those statistics of
decline and despair; seeds of inspiration will then blow from this land of bold, fearless
dandelions and grow in other conferences.
In conclusion, behind us is a legacy of igniting courage in others and transforming lives; before
us is a challenge to send forth additional seeds of inspiration by the power of the Holy Spirit for
the transformation of the world. O Holy One, blow through us; set a fire upon us, and let your
renewal begin again!
Slide only, not spoken:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
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If you’re interested in using this “Shades” imagery and thread for all three of your topical
sermons surrounding Reach • Renew • Rejoice, below are sample sermons for the other two
themes: “Reach” and “Rejoice.” It is suggested to use “Reach” first, then “Renew,” then
“Rejoice.”
REACH: Sample sermon
Rev. James S. Beard, Elk River UMC/New Day UMC (Big Lake)
Trading In Our Rose-Colored Glasses
Originally Preached May 25, 2014 (Sunday prior to Annual Conference) at Elk River — New Day UMC
WORDS OF WELCOME
We are in the midst of the Easter Season—most joyous season of the year, and our outlook is
bright because of the resurrection. This is our current series: “Shades: Our future’s so bright we
gotta wear shades!”
Two weeks ago, Janet’s message reminded us that, despite feelings of despair within many
United Methodist Churches that our church is doomed by declining numbers and the closing of
many faith communities, hope lives on. Mountains can be moved again! And like her story of
the lost dog named Pringle, we really haven’t lost the church; we’ve just temporarily lost our
hope and vision. This, however, is the season of brightness, when the light overcomes the
darkness, and life overcomes death itself.
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Today, we need to hold on tight to that hope of two weeks ago, because too many of us are
wearing rose-colored glasses, instead of Christ-like shades. Christ helps us to see clearly where
we are at, so that we can see the way forward to where God is leading and calling us.
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Demise and decline of the church. That really doesn’t apply to us, does it? I mean, sure, other
UMCs have had to close their doors, but actually we are doing quite fine, aren’t we? We’ve
tightened our spending belts in the last couple of years, but we are making it through it alright.
And have you seen our 8:30am service this past year? On many weekends, it was so full, we
hardly had a place for late-comers to sit down! It’s great—all is just pretty rosy, right? Is this
how you see our church? Well, it’s not really for me to judge, but our church’s Average Worship
Attendance figures reveal a rather concerning trend, don’t you think?
(Use actual numbers from your church)
300
Average Worship Attendance
250
according to annual reports
200
150
Series1
100
50
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
It is probably time to trade in the rose-colored glasses, for a new pair of shades. It is time to
open our eyes to the path we are actually on (which leads to a declining church with an average
worship attendance of 150 in 5 years), and open our eyes to the path which God’s mission calls
for us to be on (which leads to a vitalized church with an AWA of 300 again in 5 years).
Throughout the ages, the faithful people of God have been shaken by uncertainty and
adversity, shaken to the point of being tempted to give up hope that quality life is any longer
possible for them. And so the voice of God that originally burst forth from the prophet Isaiah,
bursts forth for despairing people’s everywhere again and again. This same voice of God
echoes ever forward as an affirmation that begins in situations of doubt and despair, and
moves the people forward to restoration and rebirth. It is an affirmation that light will
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ultimately prevail; it will prevail in any circumstance so black and bleak as to threaten to
extinguish the resilient spirit of the holy followers of the Lord. For God says …
Isa. 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!”
Isa. 42:16 “I will turn the darkness before them into light”
Isa. 60:1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come”
The promised light has indeed come through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus our
Messiah. Every era in human history is stirred by the voice of God speaking directly to them.
With a holy defiance, hunted Christians in Roman catacombs maintained their
lives of prayer and worship with the words of God on their lips;
black slaves in antebellum United States sang of Elijah’s chariot swinging low to
carry them to freedom;
Jewish prisoners in concentration camps painted butterflies on the walls of their
cells;
Dutch Calvinists gathered in defiance of Nazi orders in memorial services
honoring their martyrs;
and Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, with the sights of his assassins’
rifles trained upon his heart, raised the holy elements aloft anyway and thus
offered both the bread of Christ and his own life as a sacrifice to God.
Paul D. Hanson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and
Preaching ~ Isaiah 40-66, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1995), 220
The voice of God spoke light into the darkest of times and darkest of situations, and eventually
won the day every time. And so, using a modern translation for today, Isaiah’s words of God
speaks to us saying:
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Isaiah 60:1-5 MSG
“Get out of bed, Jerusalem! [Get out of bed, name of your town!]
Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight.
GOD’s bright glory has risen for you.
The whole earth is wrapped in darkness,
all people sunk in deep darkness,
But GOD rises on you,
his sunrise glory breaks over you.
Nations will come to your light,
kings to your sunburst brightness.
Look up! Look around!
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Watch as they gather, watch as they approach you:
Your sons coming from great distances,
your daughters carried by their nannies.
When you see them coming you’ll smile—big smiles!
Your heart will swell and, yes, burst!
All those people returning by sea for the reunion,
a rich harvest of exiles gathered in from the nations!
As I read this, I cannot help but picture the faces of all those youth I have baptized or confirmed
over the past 14 years of my ministry, whose lives were wholly devoted to God as youth, but
who no longer are active in any faith community. It doesn’t have to be literally here at this
church, but to look up and see again my own sons Scott and Adam, our God-daughter Bridget
and all her friends Melissa and Nicole and Colton and Colin and all the rest, streaming back to
church again … you bet it would bring a big smile to my face and my heart will swell and burst!
God is calling me to put on Easter glasses; not to deny the realities, but not to lose hope either.
In the past, the prophet Isaiah saw more than the restoration of a human community in the
transformation to come. This was a nation with a divine commission. This community existed
for a purpose beyond its own pleasure; it existed “for the name of the Lord your God, and for
the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 60:9). We too exist for a purpose beyond our own pleasure, for a
mission of God beyond our own concerns. We too will see our sons and daughters returning to
the house of God, but only when we reclaim and rededicate ourselves to the divine commission
with which we are charged. What is that divine, or Great, Commission as it is more commonly
known?
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Matthew 28:16-20 NRSV
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.”
Hear also how the Message version translates this divine commission, this purpose beyond our
own pleasure; I find it adds another layer of meaning when these holy words are used…
Matthew 28:18-20 MSG
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“God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far
and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you
do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”
To help us understand this divine commission even better, I am going to need the children to
come forward and help me with an illustration…
CHILDREN’S TIME
On Your Mark, Get Set…
How many of you ever have fun with each other by racing? Let’s name all the kinds of racing
we can do with our friends…
Running or foot racing
Swim racing
Bike racing
Boat racing
Sled racing
Horse racing
Car racing
Turtle racing
So let’s have a race right here OK?
To the end of the aisle and back; use Jesus’ rules (no pushing or hitting); do you all know what
to do?
On your marks, get set …
What’s wrong? Let’s try it again
On your marks, get set …
Why isn’t this working? The path is all laid out, everyone knows what to do, Jesus gave us the
rules to follow.
What’s that? I didn’t say GO? Are you sure?
One more time, on your marks, get set, Go!
[Kids run and all get candy for running the race set before them, not just the fastest.]
Was it kind of weird when I didn’t say GO?
Let’s try another even weirder one! [Whisper the plan to all the kids so the congregation can’t
hear—all line up but when I yell GO, nobody moves!]
Now, that was even weirder. And here is the lesson for today. Jesus lines us all up and says, Go!
But a lot of folks don’t move at all. He says, Go! Make disciples of all nations … but a lot of
people don’t. It is one of the most important things we are supposed to do as his followers, and
a lot of people never move. How do you think Jesus feels about that? You are right—he
probably feels pretty sad.
Children’s Prayer
P a g e | 11
Our great commission is to GO—to reach out to new people and invite them into the joys of
being a follower of Jesus. We may wonder why they don’t just come on their own. Maybe
because they can’t because they work Sunday mornings, or they won’t because they don’t
really know what this God stuff has to offer them. Maybe they tried church once and it didn’t
work out so well for them. Maybe their preschooler cried the whole time and they felt guilty for
distracting everybody. Maybe a dozen other valid reasons, none of which are insurmountable if
we work together.
More so, maybe Jesus wouldn’t have given us the Great Commission if it were all that easy.
Maybe Jesus knew the hearts and souls of those on the outside, knew their fears and
apprehensions and yet loved them anyway. Maybe Jesus’ heart broke for those who were so
distant from God, and he knew that if anyone had to take the first step, it would have to be us.
Maybe he knew that God’s grace would be contagious, and would heal a world of hurt, but that
it had to be delivered in-person, by invitation from one person reaching out to another. Maybe
Jesus knew that a great blessing would result for all who actually did go.
It is time for us to take off our rose-colored glasses my friends. This is indeed a great church,
but it is time to acknowledge the path we are actually on, and open our eyes to the path which
God’s mission calls for us to be on. It is time to face the sunlight of God’s bright glory with
shades of clarity, and remember that we exist for a purpose beyond our own pleasure, for a
mission of God beyond our own concerns. We exist for one main purpose! Alright everyone,
now it is your turn.
On your marks …
Get set …
[Long pause, then whispered]
Do I really need to say it?!
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REJOICE: Sample sermon
Rev. James S. Beard, Elk River UMC/New Day UMC (Big Lake)
Maximizing Our Peripheral Vision
Originally Preached June 1, 2014 (Sunday following Annual Conference) at Elk River — New Day UMC
Call to Worship
Leader: What a beautiful thing, GOD, to give thanks,
to sing an anthem to you, the High God!
People: To announce your love each daybreak,
sing your faithful presence all through the night,
Song Leaders: Accompanied by dulcimer and harp,
the full-bodied music of strings.
People: You made me so happy, GOD
I saw your work and I shouted for joy.
Leader: How magnificent your work, GOD!
How profound your thoughts!
Psalm 92:1-5 MSG
WORDS OF WELCOME
We are in the midst of the Easter Season—most joyous season of the year, and our outlook is
bright because of the resurrection. This is our current series: “Shades: Our future’s so bright we
gotta wear shades!”
P a g e | 13
I am just back from Annual Conference—that once-a-year, three- to four-day gathering up in St.
Cloud. It was a time set apart this last week for all the clergy, an equal number of laity, and all of
the conference staff to come together. We worshipped; we served; we were taught; we took
care of church business; we renewed friendships; and we were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was
a wonderful Annual Conference, and I encourage all of you to make time to be there sometime
in the future. [Introduce dandelion theme]
Two thousand years ago, Jesus gathered together a large crowd of his followers on a hillside
and they may have experienced something similar: worship, teachings, renewed friendships,
and powerful inspiration. One thing Jesus said to them long ago reminds us what to do with
our rejoicing spirit…
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Matthew 5:14-16 NRSV
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp
puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father in heaven.
It did feel like we needed shades this week, not just because the weather was so sunny, but
because the United Methodist Church was shining with the glory of God in so many ways. At
this worship, many of those bright-spots will be lifted up for you to rejoice in also. Do you have
your shades? Well, put ‘em on! It’s time to let the light shine and give glory to God!
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
There are many things which can be said about our eyes. Some see clearly; some need glasses
or contacts; some are blue; some are green or hazel or gray; some are weak while some are
strong. Some see near; some see far; and some see far and wide!
“Just how wide is your vision?” is the question of the day. Try this experiment with me…
Place two fingers together in front of your face, side-by-side
Now keep your eyes looking forward, fixed on a more distant object
Slowly separate your fingers as you look forward
Keep going until you can’t see either finger anymore; not sure? Simply wiggle
your fingers.
So, how wide is your vision? This is known as your peripheral vision, that part of vision that
occurs outside the very center of your gaze. Peripheral vision exists at the edges of the field of
view, and the loss of peripheral vision while retaining central vision is known as tunnel vision.
P a g e | 14
Spiritually speaking, individual churches run a high risk of developing tunnel vision; they do
fairly well at seeing the things that God is doing in their midst, the things that are central and
vivid right in the center of their own ministries, but they miss seeing anything which God is
doing in the periphery. There is a danger of not seeing the activity of God at the edges.
This is a primary reason we United Methodists come together once a year—to avoid
developing tunnel vision. In order to widen our visions, we come together and celebrate all that
God has been up to from edge to edge in this Conference, and even beyond. And the amazing
thing, even when the Holy Spirit is active outside of our central ministries, we often find that
we are a piece of that activity, a part of the whole movement of God!
The Apostle Paul helped his young church in Corinth avoid having tunnel vision, about being all
wrapped up in only themselves, by casting a panoramic picture before them of the church as a
body, the body of Christ. His analogy goes like this…
SCRIPTURE LESSON
1 Corinthians 12:12-31 NRSV
12 For
just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though
many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 Indeed, the
body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because
I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the
body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that
would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the
hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God
arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member,
where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say
to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On
the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those
members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less
respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members
do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior
member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same
care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored,
all rejoice together with it.
God’s mission in the world, and Christ’s body in the world, is not all about our one little part,
but rather, about our little part in relation to all, all the widely differing parts with which we co-
P a g e | 15
exist. We are all in this together as the head, heart, hands, and feet of Christ in the world. And
if there is one key sentence to remember today, it is that last one of Paul’s:
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it;
if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
Let’s take a look at several concrete examples from this year’s AC:
[This section was a presented as a dialogue between the pastor and the church’s lay member to
Annual Conference—the following are simply highlighted notes, not a verbatim script.]
Million Meals Marathon
Minnesota United Methodists have collectively packed 2,091,077 meals to date through
our “Million Meals Marathon.” That equates to 9,592 boxes of meals and 266 pallets—
and it’s enough to feed 5,728 children once a day for a year. Thousands of volunteers
took part in the packaging, and they ranged in age from 5 to 90-plus. “God has done a
miraculous thing through you,” Bishop Ough said.
Ordaining, Commissioning, Recognizing Certified Lay Ministers, and Reading of New
Appointments
Altar Call for those feeling a possible call for ministry—adults, youth, and even a 7year-old came forward!
BUT 6 churches in Pastor Phil’s district are without a pastor at all…
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it;
Chartering of Spirit River in Isanti
Friends, that WAS US TOO!
Story of Wells UMC—video highlight of a revitalized church
If one member is honored, all rejoice together with it
Imagine No Malaria
What does 270,000 bed nets look like? Three scrolls of postage-sized stamps
representing 10 bed nets from front to back of the auditorium!
Video clip: Gary Henderson, 2014 Minnesota Annual Conference Address,
http://tcs.umconnect.org/tcs/#page:recordingList&pageNumber:2&id:367F9F4
4-414C-441E-9552-CAFB177813B7 50:30-52:35
Minnesota leading the way—over $2mm
Video clip: Leia Williams, 2014 Minnesota Annual Conference Address,
http://tcs.umconnect.org/tcs/#page:recordingList&pageNumber:2&id:367F9F4
4-414C-441E-9552-CAFB177813B7 31:02-33:21
There is much to celebrate! Indeed, God has taken the faithful actions of churches like
ours and has broadcast seeds of inspiration and hope and revitalization and love. We
continue to suffer with all who suffer, and we are honored when any part of our
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connection is honored. We are a church with a future that is so bright we better wear
shades. We rejoice as the people of the UNITED Methodist Church!