Evangelism is 'powerful dynamic' for Methodist movement
Jul. 31, 2006 News media contact: Linda Bloom * (646) 3693759* New York {454}
NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.
By Joan G. LaBarr*
SEOUL, South Korea (UMNS) - Participants in the July 20-24 World Methodist Conference were reminded of the powerful role that evangelism plays in today's world Methodist movement.
The Rev. Maxie D. Dunnam, chairperson of the Division of World Methodist Evangelism, declared that "What world evangelism is doing in leadership development, faith sharing, and connecting congregations throughout the World Methodist Movement is one of the most powerful dynamics in contemporary Christianity."
The Rev. H. Eddie Fox was re-elected world director of evangelism for the World Methodist Council during the Council's July 18-19 session preceding the conference. Council members also set evangelism as a priority for the next five years.
Speaking to some 2,500 Methodists at the conference, he told the dramatic story of the Methodist Church bell in Varna, Bulgaria. The bell was removed by the Communist regime in the 1960s, and three young men, pretending to be workers, moved it from the church grounds and buried it in a secret garden where it remained for 40 years.
"The bell was raised from its tomb, and when a new church was created in the heart of the city, the bell was placed in a new tower, in the highest point above the skyline," Fox said.
"The congregation would not ring the bell until the church was dedicated. Through World Evangelism, a family made a huge sacrifice to help finish the church, and on Sept. 29, 2002, the bell rang again. And today the bell rings."
Fox declared that it is not God's intent that people should live amid violence, destruction, and war. "We are called to ring the bell of salvation, healing, and hope in the world," he emphasized.
Fox carried the bell image throughout his presentation, sharing how the bell rings through the World Evangelism outreach, including:
* International Youth Conferences on Evangelism attended by more than 6,000 young people; * EvangeMed (medical), EvangeBicy (bicycles), and EvangeBread (food) continued as ministries; * Faith Sharing New Testaments distributed, some half-million copies in 38 languages; * Connecting Congregations established on every continent since the ministry began in 1992; * Training programs conducted for more than 6,000 leaders through the World Evangelism Institute; * The 800-member "Order of the FLAME (Faithful Leaders as Mission Evangelists)" deployed as persons committed to carrying out the ministry of evangelism.
Fox reminded the delegates that they would have to make sacrifices if they were committed to the world evangelism purpose, "That the world may know Jesus Christ."
He indicated that, "There are parts of our movement which are in decline, and in denial, who are suffering from 'truth' decay." Referencing the song If I Had a Hammer, he reminded delegates that the second verse begins, "If I had a bell..."
"You have a bell, the name is Jesus, and we are called to be the bell ringers through word, deed, and sign in the world," he concluded.
Many delegates gathered around the Peace Bell at the Demilitarized Zone during Sunday worship services there, declaring that the bell would ring in the name of Jesus Christ for all the people on the Korean peninsula.
The Saturday World Evangelism Convocation offered another opportunity to hear how the Methodist Church is bringing hope through worldwide evangelistic outreach.
The Rev. Taavi Hollman, superintendent of the Methodist Church is Estonia, shared how God sustained the people during difficult times and how the church in the former Soviet satellite nation is reaching out today.
The Rev. Wilson Bonfim of Brazil told stories of EvangeMed, which offers medical care to "the poorest of the poor" in Rio and the Amazonian region
Katherine Ng, a member of the World Methodist Council presidium and a leader in the Methodist Church of Hong Kong, told how "Faith-Sharing Ambassadors," are trained and sent out as witnesses
Bishop Mvume Dandala, chief executive of the All-Africa Council of Churches, challenged participants to be faithful ambassadors of the Gospel and the Rev. Darryl Starnes of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, affirmed the assurance of the power of God's Spirit for sharing the Gospel message.
A highlight of the convocation came as individuals committed to support the work of many young evangelists on bicycles in the Mt. Kenya region in Meru, Kenya, through the ministry of World Evangelism and the Kaaga Synod of the Methodist Church in Kenya. Others gave specifically to the call to provide "EvangeBicys" for young evangelists in Ghana.
LaBarr is director of communications for the United Methodist Church's North Texas Annual Conference. She managed the World Methodist Conference newsroom in Seoul, South Korea
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org
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