It has been a season of PRAYER for the church.
A group of us went to pray through the school last Sunday (April 17th), and we took 50+ people by bus to the capitol steps last Tuesday (April 26th) to PRAY for our nation with Franklin Graham and the Decision America Tour. Next Thursday (May 5th) is the National Day of PRAYER, and we will meet at Medina’s Veterans Memorial to continue to pray for our Nation and the Church. We also started a new Sunday School class on PRAYER from the movie War Room.
PRAYER seems to be on everyone’s heart.
May 10th through the 20th is the General Conference of the United Methodist Church in which delegates from all over the world will meet in Portland to PRAY and vote on the official polity (law) of the United Methodist Church. The General Conference meets every four years and it is the ONLY official voice of the United Methodist Church.
There are a number of issues going before the General Conference that we need to be in PRAYER about.
If you remember, we prayerfully completed a survey about some of the issues facing this General Conference, and we wrote the delegates who would be representing us asking them to vote in ways that are consistent with and supportive of the following:
- That the current language of the Church’s Book of Discipline be maintained with regards to the subject of human sexuality and the life of the church.
- That current ordination qualifications and standards for the office of elder or licensed preacher be maintained.
- That the clergy and licensed preachers of the United Methodist Church may not officiate at same-sex unions, and same-sex unions may not be performed in churches of the United Methodist Church.
- That the episcopacy and other ordained leaders in the United Methodist Church remain faithful to the vows/oaths of their offices. Specifically, that they support and uphold Church law as codified by the Church’s Book of Discipline.
- That the episcopacy and other ordained leaders vigorously prosecute any members of the episcopacy or clergy who violate their vows/oaths and who, in so doing, fail to uphold and abide the laws of the church as codified by the Church’s Book of Discipline.
NOW is the time to pray and fast for our church. There are rumors of organized disruptions of the whole process. Pray that God will make Himself known in a powerful way and breathe life into the United Methodist Church once more.
You can go to our Conference Web Page for more information at http://riotexas.org/generaljurisdictional-conference There should be a link to watch the General Conference LIVE online.