Annual Conference 2014
Teaching Study
Singing our Faith led by the house band which is from Ebenezer UMC in Fredericksburg
Dr. Elmer Coyler
Renewal is not a program: the triune God of the gospel is the primary author of renewal
Basis of renewal
45 year struggle of decline
2011 loss of 72,000, 2012 lost over 80,000 and in 2013 over 90,000
Financial crisis
Cutting staff and programming
We are fairing better in Virginia
Malaise and fear
Conflict and dispensation into warring factions
Do we have real unity?
"Schism means an alien affection for our brother...it is a grievous breach of the law of love..the greater the love, the stricter the union...if you are a living member, take are how you care for the body of Christ by separating from your brother." John Wesley
The deeper issue of "connexion"
Connection alums in the UM Handbook
Connexion in Wesley and early Methodism
Koininea - in Christ we are adopted children of God
Crucial to the church...the essence of the church
The reality...the relationships; person constituting
The institutional forms were not the thing, they were where relationships were built and renewed
Renewal is NOT a program
A winsome fellowship of love connected through Christ Jesus
They will know you are disciples if you love one another
Not first and foremost something we do, it is something the triune God does and has been doing for a very long time
Connexion was not a program, it was a way of life
Found their being in union with God and one another
Acts of renewal
Pray - John 15:1-8
Spiritual renewal - how we behave, what we do
Theological renewal - how we envision God
Alternative was of being and doing church
Trinitarian God that undergirds and is not finished with us yet.
"The UMC is a sleeping giant, oh that God will awake her someday." Billy Graham
Morning Session
Song, Spirit of the Living God
Prayer
Minutes Committee - motion to accept yesterday's minutes. Approved
Laity address by Warren Harper
Lord, renew us with your spirit
At least 21 boards, committees, and task force that I attend on your behalf
Opportunity to use technology to connect with our conference churches
Construction ministries
Use VUMAC if your church has an activity
Connectional ministries
Healthy churches - healthy church initiative
Reflection on mission of the church where 1200 churches have their own vision and mission statement and of course the conference
From the book of discipline - the mission of the church is to "..." (Using the thesaurus to further define the mission) and further reading from paragraph 125; the mission of the church is to make disciples
What's good? What's going well? What's good about this? What can we do better?
Bishop Shinaesy's focus of the church; the goal is to have a focusing (fluid) congregation not a focused one (narrow)
Keep both eyes open for a fuller visual picture, if we close one eye we might just miss the most obvious moment/movement or we may just get tired and let somebody else worry about it
Prayer convocation, May 25th we were to pray for church revival and renewal
We expect of each other that our work is tri-centered, we work for Christ and that it leads to Christ
Lyrics quoted from the Gift of Love
Prayer, Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan tradition
Equitable Compensations Report, pg 47. All three recommendations approved
Initial CF&A report, pg 113-116. Relatively good financial year. 3 out of four churches paid 100%. Special shout-out to York and Arlington Districts (yay!) action will be taken tomorrow.
Board of pensions, pg. 101-112 w/video. 6 recommendations, all approved
All Things New, pg. 50. More than 90 people in 7 work teams on vital congregations; discipleship circles-must be willing to share our successes and failures...increased spiritual vitality is a number one priority yet we fail to pray out loud, fail to share our faith stories, fail to practice discipleship. Video on YouTube and web-site after conference. www.vaumc.org/discipleshipcircles Prayer
Introduction of Higher Education President of UM owned Colleges (6 of them) w/Video. Pray for our students.
Global ministries recognizes our conference for the highest designated amount of giving, highest amount of missionary support 2013. $1,160,000 to UMCOR and $2.5 million to the Advance
Worship
Litany
Prayer
Song, For Everyone Born
Prayer of Illumination, responsively
Scripture, 2 Cor. 4:7-12
Message, Bishop Hayes Oklahoma Conference
Celebrate missions today and missionaries
We are trying to say more with less words, example is "really?" and "whatever..."
Phrase being used a lot that challenges our faith and undermines our God, "it is what it is"
Prayer
"It is what it is" has become one of the go to expressions of our day. It generally means resignation, hopelessness, and even surrender. Nothing more can be done.
Epidemic of despair and futility in our times and many people have given up or thrown in the towel of hope.
It is at precisely at that point that God is at His best; takes over and takes charge
Story of 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Wales who was mean, strict, "related to Atilla the Hun", "who could walk into an empty room and start a fight." But she taught me that life has margins and we have to stay within the margins.
God works best outside the margins, who gives hope to the hopeless, lifts up the downtrodden, affects the afflicted. Nothing is over with until God has the last word.
Paul Harvey, who is from Oklahoma, story of our limits and God's abilities. 138 years ago Swan's Quarter had no UMC and little hope of improved property prospects so they built on their property that was less than ideal. 1976 a celebration for the completion the church. The next day and fierce storm came in and most of the town had suffered tremendously. Swan's Quarter UMC had been lifted entirely and gently carried down Oyster Creek Road. The members tried to stop the church to no avail. Th church continued on and made it to the center of town and made a sharp right hand town. Members still tried to still it's movement. Then as suddenly as lifted, the church settled upon an empty piece of land in the center of town. The landowner found the minister the next day and presented him with the deed.
We will all face insurmountable odds and circumstances, God will pull out the impossible and make it probable for God will always have the last word.
Paul describes four situations where he could have said "it is what it is". But he never did. Afflicted but not crushed ... (see scripture)
Today we celebrate the UMC of the Virginia Conference, one of the most outstanding conferences (if not the most outstanding) that reaches out to people, making a difference.
Whatever happens to us in this ministry of ours, do not give up, do not surrender, do not throw in the towel; give in to the power of God
Story of communion with little children who had never par taken of communion before. He gave each a piece of the bread dipped in the wine and watched that surreal moment unfold as they, wide eyed, received the bread as he wondered if they understood what it meant to receive the body and the blood. Months later he received a letter from the children asking, "when are you coming back to feed us the food of the God?"
That is what wears to be in the world, Virginia Conference.
Song, Christ Has Broken Down the Wall
Commissioning of the Missionaries-Pat Watkins, Missionary to Caretakers of God's Creation
Prayer
Commissioning Ceremony
Deaconess Commissioning, Laarni BiBay and Anselma Samson both at Resurrection UMC
Definition of Deaconess
Commissioning Ceremony
Prayer
Litany
Offertory with Amazing Grace sung in Korean by Rev. Moon of the York River District, Ghana Rev. Nkrumah of the Alexandria District, Spanish by Rev. Colon of the Arlington District, ASL by Rev. Vaugn, and the conference band.
Prayer for offering, potatoes, 4 cans for Conference, and Kits
Thank you Holy Rollers
Song,Build Your Kingdom
Closing Litany
Retirement Ceremony
Litany
Prayer
Song, Joyful Joyful
Scripture Joel 2:25-32
NT John 15:1-5
Message, Jim Noland
"What a long strange trip it is"..."we're not dead yet"..."Lord, Renew Us in Your Spirit."
What were we like when we were new? When we had energy and enthusiasm and we began to change the world?
When we were new:
As human beings
Adam and Eve stopped listening to God and listened to another voice.
As Christians
Pentecost
Heard the apostles in their own language and assumed they were drunk but it was only 9:00 AM and 3,000 were added that day
Accountability in telling the story - blown out of our comfort zone, where the people were, speaking in their own language but something has happened...
Paul baptized disciples into the power of the Holy Spirit, the only time we hear of rebaptism in the NT
God becomes an idea, not a living vital powerful force that is quite dangerous; the Holy Spirit can be quite dangerous, it calls into places that we do not want to go
When the church is open to that power then something happens
When a God becomes an idea then God becomes what we want
John Wesley had no doubt that the people called Methodists would continue but he was fearful that they would become a dead sect
We're not dead yet, God is NOT through with the people called Methodists and will renew us with fresh spirit
Song, As We Go
Recognition of the retirees
Song, As We Go
Prayer
Song, Trees Of The Fields
Benediction
Teaching Study
Rev. Coyler
Character of each conference is very different, thank you for your hospitality
The triune God and Trinitarian Gospel: The heart of renewal
Renewal always begins with a vision, see new visions and dream new dreams.
Most seminarians have two visions of the church-
Shepherd/sheep method
Pastor as CEO model
Connection, where we come to know the love of God, is not really the ethos of either of these methods of the church. Connection happens inspite of
American Vision of the church, Ministry and God which is not really Trinitarian but instead a doctrine of the ONE God and has played a far more pivotal role.a giant misguided puzzle
Trinitarian vision of god and salvation in Wesley and early Methodism
Revisionist a different vision of the church, of God, of renewal
Part of the vibrant and transformative movement is rooted in its Trinitarian perspective
The trinity takes us to the very heart of vital Christian faith and life
Til God the Holy Ghost witnesses to God the Father even as He witnesses through God the Son through the Spirit of God.
Gospel and salvation are Trinitarian
Come to know God the Father through the grace God the Son, Jesus Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit
The living triune God has loved us always and forever
What is renewal anyway?
Wesley always understands the gospel, he knows the gospel, he reads the gospel in Trinitarian terms
The love of god is shed apart in the Holy Spirit
God is continually breathing upon her soul
Christian Perfection is also defined in the Trinitarian vision
Afternoon Session
Witness of two churches, Norfolk UMC in Elizabeth River District and The Vine in the Arlington District. Video.
Pastor Sherry of Norfolk UMC and two lay persons-only God has allowed us to come this far through faith, be the church that God called us to be and be the church God meant us to be. Blessed Assurance. Increase in stewardship around 60% each month; building phase 2; increase in membership about 75%; we never gave up; increase in ministries where some were discontinued, some reworked, and some new. Our story is about leaders and people in the pews willing to take the risk.
Pastor Todd of The Vine UMC planted in a location where a church was closed. That church began looking at renewal and determined that closing to make way for a church planter was the way to go. Desperate situations is sometimes the best time for renewal. 9 people who voted to close their church one week and came the. Next week to see what God would do. People are there from many countries.
Common Table Report, pg. 51-54, 57-58. Video. Holy conferencing related to human sexuality are not in the book but are charged with the conferencing of it,and will keep you informed. Imagine No Malaria. 1 recommendation approved. 1 motion to raise funds to save 100,000 lives with every church taking part. Passes. Video. Bishop's happy dance that spurred spontaneous giving. Text Malaria Va 27722. Bishop donates $3,000.
60 children enrolled in childcare at Wesley UMC
Election of Officers, pg 54-56. Approved
Shirley Kaufman talks about the fly swatter and Birthday Card for No Malaria. Every minute one life is snuffed out because of Malaria
Recognitions:
Henry Denman Evangelism Award winners, Rev. David M. Birch at Vision of Hope UMC and Mr. David W. Bailey at Trinity UMC James River District and Miss Casey Marie Heinlein at Burke UMC
Site Selection, Doug Geeting, pg. 87Resolutions, pg 127-135
Prayer
Resolution #1 - the resolution committee does not make a recommendation to this resolution. Makers of the resolution are not delegates of the Conference. Motion to postpone indefinitely due to the fact that the Virginia Conference is beginning conference wide holy conferencing on human sexuality. Discussion. Motion prevails.
Adjournment
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