Dear St. Paul’s Family,
Today, 988 United Methodists from the United States, Asia, Africa, and Europe will converge in Tampa, Florida, to begin the 2012 General Conference. It will be the eleventh time that the denomination has gathered for this quadrennial meeting since the 1968 merger that officially formed the United Methodist Church, and 220 years after the first conference of the Methodist Church met in Baltimore, Maryland.
For the next eleven days, these representatives will actively engage in holy conferencing, worship, and plenary presentations, for the task of interpreting the purpose and function of the United Methodist Church for the present age. Delegates will consider hundreds of petitions and make a wide array of decisions, guiding the denomination in its allocation of resources, its alignment of ecclesial agencies, and its priorities for ministry.
I like to remind people that, unlike other denominations and faith traditions, we have no president or pope, and no single person speaks on behalf of all United Methodists. The reluctance to concentrate that kind of authority in a solitary person stretches back to the earliest days of the Methodist renewal movement in this country, when colonial Americans eschewed anything remotely resembling a monarchical figure. Instead, we base our governance on representative democracy, and make decisions in the context of shared dialogue and discernment. While individual Annual Conferences are the chief administrative bodies, it is the General Conference alone that grounds the church’s doctrinal standards, guides and funds its structure and mission around the world, and resolves its stance on the urgent issues of our time.
Needless to say, the delegates will need your help. Though we are 1,600 miles from the Tampa Convention Center, our connectional system and the work of the Holy Spirit not only empower us, but implore us, to participate in this important work. I encourage you, starting today and for the next eleven days, to pray daily for the General Conference, and perhaps use this prayer as your guide.
A Prayer for the 2012 General Conference
of the United Methodist Church
of the United Methodist Church
Almighty and Everlasting God,
Since the earliest days, you have drawn order out of chaos and called forth life from the listless. By your very word, light emerged from darkness, comfort came to the outcast, hope sprang for the exiled, and grace mended the wayward of their sins. In your Word made flesh, you came to inaugurate a new kingdom, forged by an unconditional love on the cross and sealed by the empty tomb. By your Spirit, you birthed the church, and called it into being for the purposes of mission, service, and proclamation throughout the world.
Today, we give you thanks for the unique expression of the work of your church through the people called United Methodist. You have granted us spiritual ancestors, whose words, work, and witness have shaped our practice, our polity, and our doctrine. We thank you for John, Charles, and Susannah Wesley. For Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury. For Jacob Albright and Philip Otterbein. For Sarah Mallet and Phoebe Palmer. And for all those who have gone before us, upon whose shoulders we stand in awe and gratitude.
We pray for the work of the General Conference. We entrust to your care those who are serving as delegates, that you might strengthen them with physical and mental stamina to conduct their business with alertness, respect, courage, and spiritual centeredness. We pray for their long hours of work and their short nights of rest.
We pray for the thousands of volunteers whose efforts are invaluable, though they may appear invisible. We pray for safety for those who travel, health for all who participate, and for your protective hand upon all the families and congregations that they leave behind.
We pray for the legislative committees, who face the daunting task of negotiating hundreds of pieces of legislation for consideration by the wider body. Grant to each member a balance between fearless conviction and a cooperative spirit. May they come to know the difference between discernment and judgment, that they may not judge, lest they be judged.
We pray for the way that the Conference will interpret the church’s witness to the controversial topics of our day. We are aware of the polarizing potential of issues related to sexuality, environmental justice, and human life. We pray that in the fervor to advance notions of truth in the name of Christ, the very body of that same Christ might not be irrevocably divided.
We pray for a renewed commitment to the central command of Jesus, which is to make disciples of all nations. Guide the delegates toward an unrelenting focus on that principle alone, that it may be the filter through which every other decision, menial and major, is determined. As we confront the trends of declining membership, shrinking attendance, and waning financial giving, remind us that true transformation begins in the heart. Fill us first with your spirit and passion; only then may strategies and programs follow.
We pray for our Social Principles. May the sum result of this Conference be a living document that speaks directly to the needs of this world, and may it be a prophetic witness to problems related to hunger, poverty, health care, equal rights, creation care, human dignity, scientific ethics, and international relations.
We pray for clarity in the way that the agencies, programs, and fiscal activities of the church will be evaluated for their effectiveness. Empower the Conference to negotiate the hard decisions wisely, and to refrain from making some decisions harder than need be. We pray for reform for the right reasons, in the right places, in the right ways, and in the right time.
God of us all, grant to us a renewed vision of dry bones enfleshed with new life. Fill us with the promise of resurrection, and a sense of hope for the future. Grant to your church an optimism balanced with realism, strengthened by our mutual efforts to do your holy work, and sustained by the power of your Spirit. May the work of this General Conference impact the United Methodist Church on all levels, from the General Boards to the grassroots, from the ordained to the laity, and from the waters of Tampa Bay to the farthest reaches of the earth.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org
FIRE RECOVERY UPDATE
Sanctuary: Last week the painters began repainting the walls of the sanctuary, a process which may last up to five weeks. Samples of the carpet were sent to the original vendor in South Sioux City to see if a suitable replacement can be found. ServiceMaster treated the pews in the storage bins with a special ozone process designed to remove the odor from the seat cushions. There is still a possibility that they will be replaced. We are still on target to resume worship in the sanctuary around June 1.
Kitchen and Dining Hall: Grundman Hicks has completed the demolition of the kitchen, dining hall, and northeast stairwell that leads to the sanctuary. Last Wednesday, a kitchen equipment consultant met with Phyllis Parrot, Jean Anderson, and Magrey deVega to make some preliminary decisions on the new appliances and dishware. Those were approved by the Building Committee last Wednesday night. Tonight, the architect will meet with the Building Committee to share updated drawings of the renovated areas. We expect that after all the plans are finalized and the congregation has a chance to give their opinions, construction can begin around the time that we move back into the sanctuary.
MAGREY OUT OF TOWN
I will be leaving this Wednesday for Florida to attend my middle brother’s ordination as a minister in the Free Methodist denomination. I will be back on Saturday, in time to preach this Sunday. I can be accessed by e-mail, and in the event of an emergency, please contact the church office.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
This year’s theme looks to be the most exciting ever! It’s called “Sky” and encourages kids to remember that “Everything is Possible with God.” It takes place from June 18-22, from 9:00 to 12:00pm. The cost is once again $7.00 and includes a special VBS t-shirt. Register your child, 4 years old to completed 5th Grade, on either of two Sundays, May 13 or 20. For more information, contact Karen Long.
VBS VOLUNTEERS
Help make this the biggest and best VBS ever! Volunteer to help with kids for the week, or help make advanced preparations prior to June 18-22. Help is needed in a variety of areas and skill levels, and you can volunteer by contacting Karen Long. Volunteers are invited to attend an organizational meeting this Monday, April 29th, from 6-7pm, in the church library.
HOT DOG DAYS
Once again, St. Paul’s will be participating in Cherokee Hot Dog Days, on Thursday, May 10, starting at 5:00. To help out, contact the church office or see Jeff Blum or Darly Gochenour. Your efforts will help promote our exciting upcoming Vacation Bible School.
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