All week I’m working with The Techology Show to bring content from General Conference to our Wesleyan Church family that cannot attend here themselves. One of the things we’re doing is filming short interviews with leaders from our denomination
Dr. Everett Piper (President, Oklahoma Wesleyan University)
Craig Dunn (Wesleyan Investment Foundation) and Jim Dunn (Spiritual Formations Department):
Dr. Jim Garlow, Pastor of Skyline Wesleyan
In case you missed Pastor Kevin Myers POWERFUL address to the General Conference this afternoon, here is the afternoon session in its entirety:
The afternoon rally of Wesleyan General Conference 2012 began at 2:30PM
The theme: Loving Christ . . . Embracing our World through Educational Ministries
Sponsored by the Department of Education and the Ministry
Message by Dr. Kevin Myers, pastor of 12Stone Church
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
Honoring two Christian martyrs from our Wesleyan educational institutions.
Cheryl Beckett (2000 IWU grad)
Travis Eiler (2010 SWU grad)
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
WHAT WE GET RIGHT:
1. We’ve got CHRIST FIRST right. (in our churches, in our universities)
Making Jesus Christ the main thing is our main thing.
2. We’ve got CHARACTER right. (Biblical holiness, character right)
Compassion w/o Truth is hollow – leads towards pluralism and is the base of our nation.
3. We’ve got CHANGE right. (membership changes, a seminary, technology)
HOW TO RETURN TO THE RUTHLESS:
1. CALLING – we need to become more ruthless in calling. Calling is a SUPERNATURAL thing and God still calls.
2. COMPETENCE – competency matters and we have a responsibility to raise competent, capable, confident, trained, strong, aggressive, entrepreneurial pastors – and we must be relentless
3. CHANGE – we are willing to change, but will we?
FOUR CHANGES SUGGESTED
1. All of us: Ruthlessly pray for CALLING – we don’t need a bunch of Matthias’s that we roll the dice on, we need a bunch of Paul’s that God has laid His calling on!
2. Educational Institutions: Ruthlessly educate to lead the “church of the present” not the “church of the past”
3. Local Church: ruthlessly commit to next generation’s ministry internship (note the delayed development w/in this generation – and the model of the medical field)
4. The Denomination: Change how we form & fund next generation from college to ordination
This morning I am privileged to enjoy the International Rally as a part of General Conference.
Some of the highlights from the rally this morning:
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
A powerful update on our second-largest Wesleyan church – Iglesia Wesleyana Norte – in Colombia:
Another powerful update of the Haitian Wesleyan Church and the impact our relief efforts have made in the rebuilding since the earthquake in 2010.
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
The Global Parters/Jesus Film Partnership video update (watch the video here) and introduction of “Campaign 300”. An effort to see 300 Wesleyan Churches in Nepal. (Currently, there are 42.) More about the Global Partners partnership with the Jesus Film here.
15 Lessons from Dr. H.C. Wilson’s tenure at Global Partners
01. From Africa – the power of sacrifice
02. From Africa – the power of the Gospel
03. From Asia-area – the power of flexibility (money changers & danger)
04. From Asia-area – the power of creativity
05. From Caribe-Atlantic – the power of perseverance (people walking days to get the Bible in their hands)
06. From Caribe-Atlantic – the power of resilience (Haiti earthquake)
07. From Europe – the power of prayer
08. From Europe – the power of Incarnation (new church plants in Russia, Czec, Poland, etc.)
09. From Ibero-America (Latin America) – the power of Vision (Bogaton church plant)
10. From Ibero-America – the power of Action (not just reason, they “get with it” and get it done)
11. From Pacific – the power of partnership
12. From Pacific – the power of celebration (Papua New Guinea’s celebration of 300-pigs)
13. From Turkey-Caribic – the power of dedication (Stephen Smith, 27 year old GP missionary who lost his life in an accident this year)
14. From Turkey-Caribic – the power of courage (underground churches)
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
Hearing “Give Thanks” sung in Spanish and then English tongues after we had just received the elements of communion together.
photo courtesy of @GenCon2012
The card we were given after communion:
side 1
side 2
Needed $9,000 in offering today – offering today was MORE THAN $19,000 for Global Partners & Jesus Film Partnership – PRAISE THE LORD!
panoramic from the first few moments of the first business session
What a day! We’ve been going strong since 5AM, so you can imagine how exhausted we are tonight.
Quickly, though, I wanted to embed the videos from today:
First, the SoulShift preconference event:
Second, the Prequel event with Donald Dayton:
Finally, our post-business-session wrap up video with Dr. Keith Drury and Dave Drury:
