The Leading Edge

Beginning on Tuesday I will be blogging from Utah where I will be representing our Church at The Leading Edge,  a gathering of Sr Pastors of the top 100 attended Methodist Churches.  There will also be 33 Bishops with us, an unprecidented gathering of large church pastors and our Bishops.  Our purpose is:  To harness the influence, leadership and resources of the senior pastors of United Methodism’s largest congregations to work for the revitalization of the denomination;  to practice Christian conferencing and fellowship among leading pastors in our denomination who because of the size of their churches are often isolated;  As a part of Christian conference to share our “best practices” with one another; and  to address issues that may be unique to large churches within our denomination, and where helpful to speak with one voice.  This sounds like a big deal and I guess it is.  But the high-points of my week have already happened. I got to baptize a little baby whose mother’s mother interpreted for her in sign languate.  I got to baptize baby Ross this morning the new grandson of Ross Miller who we lost to cancer a few months ago.  I also got to baptize a young man who professed his faith in Jesus Christ, stood up with a tear in his eye after His baptism, and is preparing to begin  a new life in Christ.  I had the privilege 5 times in services to talk about God’s love and our call to love God, to share the simplicty of what prayer really is.   Gathering with the 100 largest Methodist Church pastors and 33 bishops is a big deal, but not nearly as big a deal as these  special moments.  May God bless little Ross, the young 37 year old man who made such an important decision, the baby girl whose mother and Dad speak in a spoken and a silent faith language,  all our Church family who gathered for such a meaningful weeked of worship, and yes, The United Methodist Church as we seek to turn  a 40 year downturn into a new birth of effectiveness for Christ in this new Century for such a great Denomination, a Church on the edge of turning the corner.

Category: The Leading Edge