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VOL. 14, NO. 12

Laity session focuses on ministry, evangelism

BY LINDA WORTHINGTONUMConnection Staff

After the opening of annual conference, the laity gathered June 12 in a special session at the Renaissance Hotel to hear from Baltimore-Washington Conference Lay Leader Calvin Williams and other conference leaders and to participate in a dramatic presentation by the Rev. Rodney Smothers.

Smothers, pastor at Covenant Point UMC in Waldorf, included rousing hymns and songs in his exuberant message, which soon had the whole assembly of approximately 550 laity joining in.

Evangelism, or the lack thereof, is the biggest crisis facing our church today, Smothers said. Last year more than 40 percent of churches in this country did not receive a single member on confession of faith.

What are we in business for? he asked. We are preoccupied with issues, buildings, stuff that has moved to the front of the agenda and consumes all of our energy. Competition for peoples souls is severe, he added.

We have to renew our congregational call to ministry, mission and outreach, Smothers said.

He cited a number of reasons for the decline in church membership. They include:

• Some churches dont want other people. We have to want our churches to be filled with new people.
   
• We have to make the churches so vital that people want to come in.
   
• We have to win them first, then we need strategic goals for outreach and in-reach. Small groups are the secret. Sunday school as we knew it is no longer effective, he said, but small groups are. People are hungry for discipleship.
   
• We must develop spiritual gifts. When your spiritual gift gets connected to your passion, you dont have to worry about people being excited to learn about Christ.

Leaders and members of congregations misuse both clergy and laity, Smothers said. We were not intended to be a clergy-dominated people. Ministry is the ministry of all the people, and clergy and laity are colleagues in ministry, he continued.

Are we clear what we believe? he asked. Growing churches know what they believe.

You, (laity), have so disabled some of us (clergy) that we are afraid to rock the boat. Its hard to be innovative when youre afraid, he said.

Evangelism is having courage to lead men and women into a relationship with Jesus, he said. As he, and the crowd, sang Draw Me Nearer, Blessed Lord, he issued a spontaneous altar call. Twenty or more people responded.

Cause me, Lord, to return to my own church with renewed (commitment), Smothers prayed in conclusion.

Representatives from each of the conference lay ministries youth, women, men and lay speakers then gave brief reports. Williams acknowledged Phyllis May, wife of Bishop Felton Edwin May, as our first laity lady.

Near the end of the laity session, Mike McCurry, a member at St. Pauls UMC in Kensington and formerly President Clintons press secretary, explained proposed policy changes on sexual abuse, particularly regarding young people 13-17 years old.

McCurry later presented the proposal to the full session of annual conference, where it was approved. The changes create a covenant agreement for youth who are working with younger children to sign. It allows for more appropriate discussions of sexual misconduct than the current protocol that is in place for adults.

This is a painful subject, McCurry said. There are 3 million reported incidents of child abuse each year. Thats one every 12 seconds around the clock, seven days a week, including Sundays. We know from the headlines what can happen when churches turn away from that reality. And (we) thank the Lord that The United Methodist Church is giving us resources, tools and policies that will help us reduce this risk in our own church.

The laity were also reminded by Associate Council Director Sandra Ferguson that their congregations were asked last year to participate in Steps Toward Wholeness, which addresses racism in the church. Ferguson commended the study to all those who have not yet completed it.

Caroleann Myers, president of the conference United Methodist Women, encouraged all area United Methodists to reach out to women and children in poverty. We are called to give a voice to those who have none, she said.

Conference United Methodist Men president Curtis Brisbon encouraged the men to appoint younger men to positions of authority. If you lead, he said, they will follow.

Yvonne J. Medley contributed to this article.