Wonders and Miracles

Today is a day of wonders and miracles. We learned at the end of today’s morning plenary that an apparent miracle has happened – three days ago. Much like Moses’ staff coming to life, the gavel that Bishop Huie used to gavel the General Conference to order on Wednesday evening has just walked away! We learned that yesterday Bishop Middleton was using the presiding officer’s copy of Roberts’ Rules of Order to gavel the body to order. Today, Bishop Ntambo was using a small child’s hobby horse. And we just thought he was trying to be Texan! It remains to be seen if the gavel will be guided back to the presiding officer’s desk.

It is interesting to see how bishops vary in their style of presiding. Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo has a more authoritarian style than we have seen so far in this General Conference. This is somewhat reflective of the reverence and thus the power that episcopal leaders in Africa have vs. what most episcopal leaders experience in the United States. Bishop Ntambo also has an engaging smile and a great sense of humor that goes hand in hand with his smile.

The morning got off to a rousing start with an excellent sermon by Bishop William Hutchinson of the Louisiana Area. The service focused on a renewal of baptism vows with water sprinkled on the delegates and visitors by confirmands from the Central Texas Conference. Bishop Hutchinson called us to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit and not just rely on ritual to bring us to a new or renewed faith in Jesus Christ. Again, transformation was the message if we are to take seriously our call to discipleship.

The remainder of the morning was taken with celebrations and reports. The first was a celebration of the rural church and rural life during which Alan Bolte told the story of the re-emergence of the Hubbard Church and Ruth Wiertzema, a diaconal minister in Minnesota who is the Director of Connectional Ministries in the Red Bird Missionary Conference, telling a little of the ministry of Red Bird. Throughout the presentation leaders of our church and world told of their early nurturing in a small membership church within United Methodism.

Following a break, the delegates heard a report on the Central Conference Pension Initiative in which the progress that is being made in providing pensions for our clergy colleagues in Africa and Asia primarily is underway. A report was then received and highlighted from the Task Force to Study the Episcopacy. There are several action items that are coming to the General Conference as recommendations from this task group. The morning was completed with a report by the Study Commission on the Relationship between the UMC and the Autonomous Methodist Churches in Latin American and the Caribbean.

The delegates are starting to get restless. They are feeling the pinch to have more legislative committee time. Their first hurdle must be passed by 4:30 today as all items with financial implications must be out of committee so they can be printed in tomorrow’s Daily Christian Advocate (our version of the Congressional Record) so that they can be properly dealt with by the General Council on Finance and Administration for the final printing of any amendments to the budget which must occur by Wednesday.

On a lighter note, all Minnesotans at General Conference will be gathering for dinner tonight. I suspect we will all see some that we have not yet seen. The convention center and its myriad of activities are such that one cannot possibly see everyone they know who is present! I’m off with a videographer to tape some of our delegates in legislative committee work in preparation for the video we will show at annual conference.