Online Archives

NEWS AROUND THE NATION/WORLD

by John W. Coleman
UMConnection Staff

Speakers at the national Convocation for Pastors of African-American Churches told more than 600 clergy to let God determine the timing, the placement and the direction of their call to ministry and to rely on the Holy Spirit in answering that call.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference played a significant role in the Jan. 4-7 conference in Atlanta, providing the largest delegation with at least 40 participants, as well as two of the 10 featured speakers and three of the eight workshop leaders.

The biennial event focused on the theme 'Tarrying for Power, Living in Power,' based on Luke 24:29, where Jesus tells his disciples to tarry, or wait, in the city until they have been clothed with power from the Holy Spirit before embarking on their mission.

'Power is in the relationship with Jesus Christ in the sense that you are able to surrender yourself and your understanding to his understanding,' said Bishop James Swanson, leader of the South Georgia Annual Conference.

The newly elected bishop challenged clergy and anyone considering the call to ordained ministry to consider and accept it for the right reasons, not to satisfy personal or non-spiritual motives.

'Many of us don't understand the purpose of the call,' said Swanson, explaining that God invites one into ordained ministry. 'The call has more to do with the divine plan and purpose of God than it does with you. ? You don't just sign up.'

In his keynote message, the bishop also interpreted the Luke scripture as an invitation to experience emotional pain and then healing in one's ministry, which can prepare one to minister to others, especially to people struggling with poverty, abuse and neglect.

'The purpose of the call is to preach good news to the poor and heal the broken-hearted,' he said. 'If you've never had a broken heart, maybe you don't know how to deal with broken-hearted people.'

Bishop Linda Lee, leader of the Wisconsin Annual Conference and one of 10 African-American bishops participating in the convocation, took Swanson's interpretation a step further. She said some cities, and some pastoral appointments, are places of risk, discomfort or trouble 'where we least want to be.'

She explained, however, that God sometimes positions us in such places to receive 'the promise (of power) given to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.'

Lee challenged pastors to demonstrate 'a new level of spiritual maturity and integrity,' adding, 'We can no longer get away with saying one thing and doing another.'
The Rev. Vance P. Ross, a member of the Baltimore-Washington Conference and a top executive at the Board of Discipleship, led the development of the four-day convocation, as well as the first one held in 1999. His sermon admonished clergy to eschew destructive criticism, competitiveness and cynicism, and to pursue instead a 'blessed connection' that can unite and fortify them as colleagues

Of the almost 36,000 United Methodist churches in the United States, African-American congregations number fewer than 3,000. 'You can find yourself alone and isolated in terms of religious cultural expression,' said Ross, referring to African-American pastors. He described the popular convocation as a remedy to help those pastors enjoy fellowship and worship together and to share knowledge and insights that focus on the particular challenges of serving African-American churches.

The Rev. B. Kevin Smalls, pastor of Hughes Memorial UMC in Washington, D.C., illuminated some of those challenges in his closing sermon. He lamented that many tradition-bound, inner-city United Methodist churches, proud of their pipe organs and staid liturgies, are out of touch with and unwelcoming to their surrounding communities.

Smalls followed the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of Windsor Village UMC in Houston, one of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the denomination. Caldwell kept the audience on its feet with advice on effective ministry and relationships, and an emotional message on the miraculous power of praise and
worship to God.

The Rev. Diane Dixon-Proctor, pastor of John Wesley UMC in Glen Burnie, appreciated what she learned about celebrative worship, clergy collegiality, self-care and understanding her call to ministry.

'The focus on the call challenged me to think about the call I received 18 years ago,' she said, 'and how God is calling me now to revitalize how I do ministry.'

Other sermons, as well as lectures and workshops dealt with spiritual holiness, courageous leadership, clergy collegiality, clergy-laity conflict and self-care to maintain balance in one's life and ministry.

Three Baltimore-Washington Conference pastors led workshops: the Revs. Joseph Daniels, of Emory UMC in Washington; Cynthia Belt, of New Beginnings UMC in Severn; and Rodney Smothers of First UMC in Hyattsville.