Annual Conference 2010 Update

Greetings from Annual Conference! (Actually from Roanoke in the midst of a 24 hour break from Annual Conference)

The Indiana area of the United Methodist Church is getting ready to finish up Annual Conference 2010 with the Ordination Service tomorrow morning at 10:00am. Bishop Robert Schnase of the Missouri area of the United Methodist Church has been our guest speaker/teacher for the conference and has focused our learnings on the 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations. Many of you might remember that we did a sermon series on the 5 Practice last fall. The 5 practices are: 1. Radical Hospitality; 2. Passionate Worship; 3. Intentional Faith Development; 4. Risk Taking Mission and Service; and Extravagent Generosity.

As I reflect on Seminary Church and our vast accomplishments over the past 4 years, it strikes me that we are doing pretty well in 4 out of the 5 catagories of developing a vibrant/fruitful church. Our hospitality to those who come to our church for the first time and to those in the community of Roanoke is warm, welcoming, and open; our worship continues to grow and develop into a more passionate, experiential style of worship where we hope to encounter God in some way each Sunday, our intentional faith development continues to grow with our offering of 4 separate Sunday School classes - 3 three fold growth over the past 4 years, and our generosity continues to deepen and grow as we experience increased giving to our mission and ministry - projected at an 11% increase in giving to the church and mission outreach in 2010.

Yet, as Bishop Schnase says, "we can do better." And while we will continue to develop our welcoming, worship, faith develoment, and generosity, I'm challenging Seminary Church this year - 2010 - 2011 to do much better in "risk taking mission and service" - reaching out with the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to the least, the last, and the lost. We have some awesome outreach missional activities in place already - Kathy C. heading to Henderson Settlement in Kentucky on June 20th, our youth 30 hour famine, the outreach with Francine's Friends mammogram, (I appreciate all of those at Annual Conference who acknowledged the front page picture and article about the mammogram outreach on Hoosier United Methodist News newspaper that goes to the entire leadership of the Indiana Conference) and our ice cream social/car show during Fall Festival. And we do more, much more......we can do better! Bishop Schnase talked about reaching people outside of our circle.......outside of the circle of our relationships in the church to make disciples of Jesus Christ. That's God's call on our hearts and in our churches. Risk taking mission and service is a very powerful way of reaching outside of our circle to be with those who need the love of Jesus.

So, let's together think of ways to reach beyond the walls, the circles, of our wonderful church family at Seminary Church. Jesus tells us that "the Kingdom of God is at hand!" And his way of reaching the world?

God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, "This is God's year to act!" Luke 4