wfn.org | World Methodist Council emphasizes prayer

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Oct. 2, 2002 News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.	10-71BP{446}

NOTE: Photographs are available with this story. For related coverage of the
World Methodist Council's executive committee, see UMNS stories #419, #420
and #440.

By Kathy Gilbert*

OSLO, Norway (UMNS) - The 2002 World Methodist Council's executive committee
meeting was "bathed in prayer" around the clock - and around the world - by
global prayer partners.

The Rev. George H. Freeman, top executive for the World Methodist Council,
emphasized the critical need for prayer as world leaders gathered for the
meeting.

Oystein Olsen, United Methodist bishop of the Northern Europe area, set the
tone for the executive committee's Sept. 16-22 meeting with a hearty welcome
and a rousing rendition of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" at the
opening devotional service.

Methodist bishops, clergy and laity from around the world gathered in the
beautiful Centralkirken (Central United Methodist Church) in Oslo each day
to "do the work for God and his people," said His Eminence Sunday Mbang,
chairperson of the council and leader of the Methodist Church in Nigeria. 

"God in his infinite mercy has given us this golden opportunity to serve
him. Let our discussions, our contributions and our decisions be under his
fear," Mbang said.

Members met daily to discuss issues ranging from the site of the 2006 World
Methodist Conference to evangelism concerns around the world. 
Using John Wesley's example of setting aside Thursdays for prayer and
fasting, the world evangelism committee is calling for Methodists around the
world to follow this example.
"Prayer means no one can ever say 'there is nothing I can do,'" said the
Rev. Maxie Dunnam of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky.

The Rev. Eddie Fox, world director of world evangelism, said during the past
year there has been an "amazing advance in ministry" in four key areas:
multiplying the witness, connecting congregations, training indigenous
leaders and developing resources.
"Undergirding these areas of ministry is the commitment to the Wesleyan
pattern of prayer and fasting," he said

A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the World Methodist Peace
Award to Boris Trajkovski, president of the Republic of Macedonia, Sept. 18.
He expressed his heartfelt appreciation to executive committee members the
next day. "That a Methodist lay leader could be elected as president of
Macedonia shows God's hand at work," he said.

Bishop Walter Klaiber of Germany quoted an article on Trajkovski that had
appeared in a leading German newspaper: "The president is a Methodist lay
preacher, and he speaks like a Methodist lay preacher. This may be the
reason he dares to try the impossible."

Strengthening the council's endowment fund was another key item for the
executive committee. The "Achieving the Vision" campaign was launched at the
1999 executive committee meeting in Hong Kong. The goal is to raise $20
million to help stabilize the financial condition of the World Methodist
Council. Each of the council's 78 member churches around the globe is
encouraged to contribute.

Mbang challenged members to raise $100,000 during the course of the meeting
to add to the endowment fund. By the end of the meeting, $96,000 in gifts
and new pledges had been raised. The Rev. William K. Quick, executive with
"Achieving the Vision," said many executive members had already pledged
funds during the 2001 World Methodist Conference.

"We take this vision to the world, to some people who have plenty and to
some who have little," Quick said. "And whether the gift is made out of
their plenty or out of their scarcity, God will use these gifts to enable
the Wesleyan family of faith to reach for and embrace the world in our 21st
century global mission."

Recommendations for increasing the endowment fund included encouraging each
member church to:
7	Set aside an offering on a special Sunday such as May 25, the Sunday
closest to Aldersgate Day, or a Sunday in June to celebrate the 300th
anniversary of John Wesley's birth.
7	Ask for an apportionment of $1 per church member to be given prior
to the 2006 World Methodist Conference.
7	Make a special appeal.
7	Establish a special endowment task force to identify potential
givers.
7	Adapt resources available through the council's endowment Web site
for different languages and cultures.
7	Send a formal letter to the head of each church to request details
of plans to give to the fund.

The committee also adopted a resolution offering "Guidelines for the Mission
and Ministry of Member Churches of the World Methodist Council Working in
the Same Area."

According to the guidelines, Methodist churches planning new work in a
region should notify other council members and try to minimize or prevent
duplication of resources. Where member churches already work alongside each
other, they should "be encouraged to join together or at least to work in a
spirit of consultation and cooperation." The different Methodist traditions
also should communicate fully, sharing their "resources and experiences for
the furtherance of God's kingdom."

Klaiber, who serves on the presidium of the World Methodist Council,
believes the council could be strengthened to become "a real connection" for
Methodist bodies on a global level.

Seoul, South Korea, was chosen to host the 2006 World Methodist Council. The
decision came Sept. 18, after the World Methodist Council executive
committee took two votes on potential sites for the next meeting. Brisbane,
Australia, and Durban, South Africa, were the other two possibilities.

"Koreans are ready to share their story in the history of the Methodist
church," said Jong Chun Park, with Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul,
Korea. "We have felt invisible despite our growth and mission. This will be
a chance for us to become visible to our other brothers and sisters in the
Methodist family."

The working theme for the 2006 conference will be "God in Christ,
Reconciling."

"We must keep in mind that this is a world event happening in a specific
place," said Gillian Kingston, chairperson of the program committee from
Dublin, Ireland. "There are many components to consider."

In working on the theme, Kingston said the committee considered: 1) What
does the conference do to strengthen the whole church? 2) What issues in
God's world need to be addressed by God's people? 3) Is the theme capable of
being interpreted in other languages?

Participants voiced appreciation for the way in which the people at the
meeting were able to express their concerns.

"This organization is truly becoming a world organization," said the Rev.
Mamie Williams, district superintendent in the Baltimore-Washington
Conference. "Since 1986, indigenous persons from African nations have been
given an opportunity to share in leadership. There was a great deal of
effort made to hear the concerns of the world community in a holistic
manner." 

# # #

*Gilbert is a news writer for United Methodist News Service.

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United Methodist News Service
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