Laity Address

This year's laity address was offered by Betty Spiwe Kitayo of Zimbabwe.  This is the first time that the laity address has been offered by a lay person from a Central Conference.  She seeks for the UMC not to be a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power.  But rather she encourages laity to claim their ministry of making disciples of Jesus Christ.  This is the calling of all Christians.

In her local church in inner city Harare, there is a large building which seats 1000 people.  And every Sunday there are more people coming to hear the good news of Jesus Christ than the seats can accommodate!  Praise God!

We need to be a church which is more focused on the Holy Spirit, than on problems.  We need to call on the Holy Spirit to rejuvenate each of us and the United Methodist Church.

Steve Furr from Alabama also showed a video which conveyed his quest to take better care of the temple for the Spirit in his body.  He is endeavoring to be and live a sermon through his example of caring for his body.  He has experienced personal and spiritual transformation in this process.

We each need to be following spiritual disciplines in order to model the good news that we preach.  Showing this kind of transformation will be a powerful witness to the transformative power of Jesus Christ. If we do not leave this place with changed temples, the denomination will also remain the same.  For we are in the gym of life.  Offer someone else a gym membership in the gym of life today.

Amory Peck from Bellingham, Washington also spoke.  A Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) was created when the UMC added to its mission to make disciples for Jesus Christ "for the transformation of the world."  She reminded us that the ministry of the laity is the primary evangelistic witness through which people will come to know Jesus Christ. The new portion of the membership vows and response to baptism reminds us that we are to be faithful to the UMC through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.  The laity need to take this seriously, with no exceptions.  If its to be it's up to us.  God, count us in!

She was reminded by Gil Rendle to be steady in purpose and flexible in structure.  How do we separate our beliefs which must be preserved from our practices which may not need to be preserved?  We love this denomination.  And we know that change must happen.  If its to be its up to us.