The Work of Building Bridges...

submitted by: Clayton Oliphint

Every morning walking from my hotel to the site of General Conference I cross a bridge. The bridge is a powerful symbol to me of why we are here. As I cross the bridge and walk into the Convention Center I encounter people from all over the world. Our United Methodist Church is a global church. Yesterday, I sat in a small group, discussing issues that often divide us. In the group were lay and clergy delegates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Russia, Liberia,  Sierra Leone, and all over the United States. There were cultural and language differences, theological and philosophical differences. What a diverse group! And every one of us faced with a decision: Do we build walls or bridges? 

As I cross the bridge every morning my prayer is this: Lord, help me to be a bridge builder today. And lead our church, O Lord, to build a bridge to a new future. Amen.

Don't know what it's going to look like yet, or what outcomes will emerge from this conference. But I am hopeful that the One who "has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us" (Ephesians 2:14) will continue to tear down walls and build more bridges. 

Will you join me in the ministry of bridge building?

General Conference - Day 2

Inspiration. Pride. Amazement. Love. Frustration. Excitement. Potential. Caffeine-High. Soreness. Connection. Belonging. Sadness. Anticipation. Humor. Acceptance. Hope…

These are just some of the many emotions and feelings that I have experience in the course of the last 48 hours since arriving in Tampa on Monday afternoon. As a first time delegate to General Conference, I arrived with high expectations for this gathering of the best United Methodist leaders from around the world. Not only have these expectations been met, but far exceeded in just these first two days of our gathering here. I’ve met old friends and made new ones, shared meals and conversations with some of the brightest minds I know, experienced the quirks of plenary, and felt the movement of the Holy Spirit among us!

With all of these experiences and emotions rattling around in my heart and head as I begin to settle down for the night and grab a few hours of sleep before another busy day tomorrow, I’m not quite sure how to sort through or put them all together. So maybe the best way to give you a brief glimpse of my time so far is with a few excerpts from my Twitter feed since I’ve been here:

Only 5.61% of all active clergy are under the age of 35

I think God is laughing right now

We are here today because there is a need for change, and everybody must act!

Methodist or not, God loves us all!

Youth are the minority in our church when it comes to decision making

Each Sunday in Harare, Zimbabwe there are more people who come to worship than there are seats for!

If God can bring to life a crucified Christ, surely he can bring to life a calcified Church!

I motion to allow 10 delegates to be elected from the newly formed Twitter Conference

“Live fully and love wastefully” – Wise words from #gc2012 orientation

You see that these tweets are filled with both humor and seriousness, along with inspiration thrown in along the way. While there have been moments when I felt frustrated, there have also been great moments of joy and pride in being a member of The United Methodist Church! Our goal here these two weeks is to work towards the glory of God’s Kingdom, praying that God will breathe new life into this body we call Methodism. So tonight, although my shoulders are sore and my eyes are heavy, my soul is renewed, refreshed, and revitalized! I am sure I will leave Tampa in ten days way more tired and sore than I currently am, but it is also my prayer that I leave even more refreshed and renewed than I currently am. I plan to leave General Conference with a new hope for this United Methodist Church which I love so dearly, I plan to leave General Conference able to say that the UMC is better because of our time spent here, heading boldly in the direction of God’s call!

Grace and Peace,
Ricky Harrison

General Conference 2012 Begins!

With a glorious opening worship, General Conference is officially underway in Tampa, Florida! Delegates from North Texas have all arrived and are already hard at work. We join nearly 1000 delegates plus visitors from all over the world (41% of the delgates this year are from outside the United States!). I can't even begin to describe what it was like to hear 4700 people boldly praying the Lord's Prayer in their native tongue. The unofficial theme (if there is such a thing!) is that things must be different. It's a good theme really, because it's true. Things must be different. If we want different results from our church (specifically, reaching more people, younger people and more diverse people for Christ so that we are closer to the world that God imagines), then we must do things differently. We know that. What remains to be seen is whether or not we really have the courage to make changes, to let go of "the way we've always done it," and to focus our resources (human and financial) in ways that truly make a difference in our ability to live out our mission. A small glimpse of doing business differently... In the past, delegates have been seated by Annual Conference at rows of long tables like many other large conference events. This year, the delegates are sitting at oval tables, 6 at a table, and every table holds delegates from more than one Annual Conference. It's amazing what a difference tables can make in the feel, not to mention getting to sit next to people from across the country or across the world! May this simple change be emblematic of a new day of holy conversations and bold action! more from Tampa later...

General Conference Delegate - Ricky Harrison

The following article about General Conference Delegate and FUMCR member Ricky Harrison was featured in the United Methodist Reporter.

Ricky Harrison - General Conference Delegate

Congratulations, Ricky!

General Conference 2012 Awaits the UMC...

Chances are, you have begun to hear more and more about General Conference... but you may be asking, "What is that??"

The General Conference of the United Methodist Church meets from April 24 - May 4, 2012 in Tampa, FL.  Delegates (1,000 of them!) from all ove the world will meet to decide on legislation for the UMC.  This delegation, made of half laity and half clergy, meets every 4 years for this task.

FUMCR has the distinct honor of having two of our congregation as part of this delegation:
Dr. Clayton Oliphint & Ricky Harrison.  Rev. Lisa Greenwood (FUMCR) will be in attendance as an alternate delegate.

These three have volunteered to blog about their experiences right here!  Please make sure to bookmark our blog, share on Facebook and Twitter, and give them your positive comments, questions and prayers, as they navigate this important conference for our Church!

You can find out more information about General Conference at the United Methodist Church Website or the North Texas Annual Conference Website.