ARKANSAS CONFERENCE 2008 JOURNAL
everywhere I go We should be proud of who we are and whose we are.
Proudly display the cross and flame, and the word United Methodist, on all our signs, printing and marketing.
With such a positive and winsome public image across the nation, why would any United Methodist Church be
bashful about its true identity? Pins, badges, t shirts, bumper stickers attract attention in the neighborhood.
2. . Let your voice be heard claiming your association – A few months a fellow United Methodist confided
that he had shared an office space with a fellow employee for over a decade and didn’t know his office mate was
a United Methodist who regularly attended church. I shared his disbelief that such a thing could happen. But what
does that story say to us? Church never came up in their conversation.
General conference passed legislation that added another word to our membership vows. When you and I
joined the church we were asked if we would support the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our
service. In the future the vows will read, Will you support the United Methodist Church by you prayers, your
presence, your gifts, your service and your witness. Webster defines witness as “To bear witness to; testify to;
give or afford evidence of” To many of us, the word witness scares us to death. We can easily imagine scenarios
of awkwardness, embarrassment, and challenge that makes us simply reject the idea of witnessing. But I challenge
you to take the first step – put the word “church” in your vocabulary. Reference to your church in the most casual
of conversations often gives you the opportunity to discuss it further. I can’t imagine how many times I have been
asked, “Where do you go to church?” It gives me the opportunity to elaborate and I am always pleasantly surprised
when someone responds that they are a United Methodist as well.
3. Let your voice be heard claiming your story – Witnessing to the saving power of Jesus Christ is the most
powerful and at the same time frightening scenario that we can imagine. When we search our hearts and think of
our faith journey we find memories that are intensely personal and we find it difficult trying to share that story with
someone else. Our personal stories are unique. In conversation with one of our United Methodist Clergy he shared
that he could never remember not being a Christian so he had no huge conversion experience in his life. Just last
week a brick mason told me that his life had been a wreck with alcohol and drugs and he was able to get his life
straightened out when he found Jesus Christ. Neither of these conversations were at a prayer meeting or church
service but both were just moments in time in everyday conversation. Another person told me last week that she
was trying to be a good Christian and be at church regularly but couldn’t always do that. But, she said, “I don’t
know what I would do without my church, I know that if I ever get into trouble, my church will be there for me.”
These three sentences made an immediate impact and I understood their story.
One of the reasons I claimed the United Methodist Church as my own is our teaching on the primacy of grace.
It is this story I love to tell when someone ask me about the United Methodist Church. We United Methodist must
share the story that God loves each of us just as we are, he invites us into a personal relationship with him, and will
be there to guide and sustain us for the rest of our lives. When we have a chance to share it, how can we possibly
keep such a message under wraps?
4. . Let your voice be heard claiming our future – During the next year the conference Vision Team will
engage in a serious evaluation of the seven strategic initiatives that we adopted five years ago. Those initial
initiatives set our feet walking in the right direction. As the Bishop mentioned, this evaluation will involve a
discussion with you to get your thoughts on how we can better achieve our mission as a church. When you are
asked, “How can the conference better serve the Kingdom of God? “Let your voice be heard! When you are asked,
“How can our churches better serve the kingdom of God?” Let your voice be heard! . Now at mid-course, the
question is how do we better refine, simplify, clarify, and most importantly, how do we better absorb and build on
these initiatives to achieve our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
I echo these words which were so eloquently offered by Bishop Crutchfield because I too feel the real sense
of need to claim our future for ourselves, our children, and in fact the world. Remember, the best way to predict
our future is to create it. You will have an opportunity to be a part of that.
In closing I would like to refer back to the change in the membership vows. Practically all in this room have
taken our vow of membership and there will not be an opportunity to repeat the new wording in any future context.
So I invite you all to stand as you are able and take this opportunity to remake that vow of membership as it be given
in the future. Say it with me please:
I will support the United Methodist Church with my prayers, my presence, my gifts, my service, and my witness.
Amen and Amen. Thank you very much. Let our voices be heard!
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