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BY JOAN G. LABARR AND DAE HWA PARK
Special to the UMConnection

Methodists in two regions half a world apart ? one in the United States, one in South Korea ? have signed a covenant to work together on making disciples.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church and the Nambu Conference of the Korean Methodist Church entered into the covenant July 22 at the World Methodist Conference meeting at the Kum Nan Church in Seoul.

Bishops John R. Schol of the Washington Area and Sung Young Kwak of the Nambu Conference signed the document, which reaches across denominations, continents, languages and cultures.

The signing was witnessed by Bishop Sunday Mbang, council chairperson and prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, and Bishop Ann B. Sherer, of the Nebraska Area who serves as president of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

The seeds of the new relationship were planted in 2002 and the relationship between the two regions has included annual youth exchanges. Bishop Kwak also visited the annual conference session in Baltimore in May.

The covenant acknowledges that the two conferences have unique histories and a common calling to 'make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.'

Under terms of the covenant, the two conferences commit to:
? Grow in understanding and appreciation for one another?s uniqueness ? culture, history, spirituality and strategies for making disciples.
? Build on their common Wesleyan tradition to spread scriptural holiness (personal and social holiness) through evangelism and ministries of justice and mercy.
? Strengthen their ability to make and grow disciples of Jesus Christ around the world by learning from one another and developing common discipleship and mission strategies within their own conferences and around the world.

A joint task force of representatives from both conferences will be formed to develop strategies in key areas of ministry, including:
? Fostering youth, young adult, clergy, lay leadership and music exchanges to develop deeper understanding of and appreciation for one another?s culture, evangelism strategies, and justice and mercy ministries.
? Identifying and planting new congregations in our own conferences and mutually supporting the planting of new congregations around the world.
? Identifying, creating and mobilizing resources to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
? Identifying and jointly addressing justice and mercy mission needs in a region of the world outside their conferences.

The covenant concludes with the commitment: 'We affirm that we are stronger than each of our conferences are separately, and (we) will serve together to bring glory and honor to God.'

Several other conference leaders who also attended the World Methodist Conference signed the document including the Rev. Rod Miller, director of connectional ministries; Lay Leader Delores Oden; the Rev. Conrad Link, chair of the Board of Ordained Ministries, the Rev. Kimberly Hall, of the conference?s young adult council, Angela Geer, president of the conference council on youth ministries, and the Rev. Dae Hwa Park, of Oakdale-Emory UMC who served as the Baltimore-Washington Conference?s liaison.

These people joined more than 2,500 other Methodists from 132 countries at the World Methodist Conference.

Prior to the conference, on July 19, the bishop and others attended Sun Wha Methodist Church, where they shared the Discipleship Adventure with those present.

Bishop Schol preached on 'Back to the Future,' and encouraged United Methodists everywhere to go back to the first-century church to learn its vital signs.

In a procession at the opening of the World Methodist Council, three youth from the Baltimore-Washington Conference council on youth ministries, Greer, Lauren Stizlein and Christine Poole, carried a banner representing the conference.

'Our first session, which started with the parade of banners, was beautiful,' said Stizlein. 'The theme of the session was 'Reconciliation with God,' so naturally, we had Communion. At the end, everyone was invited to say the Lord?s Prayer in their own languages: English, Korean, Spanish, Chinese and others.

'It wasn?t very coordinated and it was out of sync, but it was absolutely perfect. Everyone understood each other, we were all praising and thanking God, and confessing our sins together and asking for forgiveness and all that we need ? so that we could all be reconciled with God, together.

'It reminded me of the Pentecost story in Acts 2,' Stizlein concluded, 'with thousands of voices echoing in different tongues, but all praising Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and our Life.'