Tuesday Morning - Laity Reports
Click here to listen to Greenwaldt's Bible study. Shirley Cauffman, conference lay leader, presented her Laity Address under the them, "Trust and Partnership." Cauffman said, "The laity of the Virginia Annual Conference do a wonderful job of teaching, visiting the seek, feeding the hungry and homeless. Many certified lay speakers fill pulpits and serve as chaplains." But, she continued, " We probably don't do as well sharing the good news of Jesus with others. We need to be encouraged to use ur gifts of storytelling. I hear people say, 'I don't know what to say. How do I share my faith story?'" She requested of the clergy, "Teach us how to share our faith and what we belive. Clergy and laity need to trust each other to work as partners because neither of us can do it all alone. When you consider the number of clergy versus laity, the clergy need our help. We are all in this together."
Cauffman highlighted a program the Board of Laity sponsors "Partners in Ministry," designed to help train others to work together as partners. Contact Shirley for more information. "There is another way we can partner together," she said. "The 2006 conference voted to start 250 new churches. Some may ask 'Why do we need to do this?' There are parts of the conference that do not have a United Methodist presence. There are people around us who are hungry and don't know the table is set and they are invited to the banquet. Are you willing to make a commitment to be God's partners in finishing the work? Then you need to make a commitment to work with each. If we work together then great things can and will happen. To all the committed laity and clergy, I want to say thank you for all you do for Christ and the world." Addie Haynes, president of United Methodist Women, gave her report. Larry Burian, president of United Methodist Men, brought greetings, love and prayer from the men of the conference. The youth presented their report and challenged members of the conference to step out of their comfort zones and invite everyone, regardless of how they look. They reminded us we need more people, more young people, more diverse people. The congregation was "rocking" as a video was shown. Dr. Lee Sheaffer introduced some of the leaders in higher education across the conference. Dr. Jennifer Braaten, president of Ferrum College, brought remarks on behalf of the presidents of the United Methodist-related schools. She thanked everyone for their support. "We change lives and our young people change the world," she said. Beth Givens, chair of the Resolutions Committee, said that committee decided to vote "No" for Resolution 1, "Repentance: A Distinctive Wesleyan Emphasis." They pointed to language in the Book of Discipline. They said the believe repentance is already clear in the Book of Discipline. The bishop clarified that the Resolutions Committee only gives recommendations. The body votes on the resolution itself, not the recommendation. The Rev. H.O. Thomas spoke in favor of supporting the resolution. More discussion ensued, both for and against the resolution. Resolution 1 failed. Click here to listen to Rev. Hudson's sermon A Service of Morning Worship was held at 11:15 a.m. with the Rev. Trevor Hudson who has spent many years of his ministry in Johannesburg. Between 1980 and 1991, he helped young South Africans to reflect upon the meaning of their faith and discipleship within the harsh and oppressive socio-political realities of South Africa. He still serves in South Africa. Special music was provided by the Full Circle Worship Team from Floris United Methodist Church, Arlington District. He began, "In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we should pray for, the Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God's will." He told the story of three South African tourists who spent time in New York and decided to paint the city red. They had too much to drink and when the got back to the hotel there had been an electrical outage. Being good South Africans they made a plan. The elevators weren't working and their room was on the 60th floor. They decided walking up the stairs that they would tell stories. One would tell funny stories, then ghost stories, then sad stories. The came to the sad stories. The person didn't say a word and they climbed the last 20 floors in silence. After hours, the sun was coming up and they arrived on the 60th floor. He told them, "Guys, I don't know how to say this, but I forgot to pick up the keys for the room." Hudson said, "I want to ask you if you've picked up the key. It's so easy to get the 60th floor of our lives and suddenly to realize, God, I don't have the key. Do you have the key to robust spirituality that goes beyond the privatized piety? Do you have the key to gospel-shaped ministry? Do you have the key to a rigorous faithfulness to the gospel that will lead to a deeper love of God and love of neighbor? What is the key? I would suggest the key is to listen to the groans. Christians struggle to listen. We are known as talkers." Hudson said he read a book by Bonhoeffer as a young person called "Life Together." He has a paragraph that says there are many people looking for an ear that will listen because Christians are talking instead of listening. The Christian who stops listening to his neighbor soon stops listening to God. Romans 8 ends on a resounding note that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. In verse 22 the whole of creation groans. "Isn't it interesting when Paul describes the condition of the world, he gives us an image of a world that is groaning like a woman in the pain of childbirth," Hudson said. "We live in a world that groans for liberation, freedom, reconciliation, healing, transformation. "The cross is in the world. Turn your lives upon Jesus. Look fully in his face. God's loving arms encircle the globe, every human being, every part of what it means to be human. God's arms encircle every tree, lake and the stars. Sometimes we need to listen very carefully. Sometimes the groans are disguised." He told about working in Washington, D.C. at the Church of the Savior where Gordon Cosby became his mentor. He was going back to South Africa in some of the darkest moments of its history. He asked for a word from Cosby. He said, "Don't forget that whenever you stand and preach the word of God, each person stands beside their own pool of tears." He continued, "I don't know you but alongside each one of us is a pool of tears. Each one of us here groans. Can we listen? "There's one more groan. It's the deepest of all. Within the groaning of the people of God, at the heart of it all, is the groaning of God. Paul says sometimes we don't know how to pray, but the spirit of God comes to us in our helplessness and intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Our picture of God is so important. We become like the God we worship. Our picture of God rubs off on us. President Bush becomes like the God he worships. Nelson Mandela becomes like the God he worships. "Can we stand with God in God's hour of grief?" he asked. "Did you notice that this groaning God is a groan of intercession. I find that such good news. We are never pray-less. The spirit of God is in us praying, 24-7. We are invited to listen to that prayer. We don't have to become mystics. We know what the prayer is. The spirit of God takes the spirit of Jesus and prays it. It's a prayer for God's world to be healed." |
