Ordinands trace lineage to Asbury
The Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Marriott Hotel was filled with family, friends and church members who came to celebrate and worship with the 13 ordinands and the seven women and men who were commissioned as provisional Elders or Deacons June 6.
“In the midst of new dimensions, who will lead the pilgrim way,” the bishop called out to the crowd. He greeted this class of Elders and Deacons who will lead their congregations to become “unbound and outbound churches,” which reflect the Pentecost spirit and the tradition
of Methodism that was born in Baltimore.
Bishop Schol showed the congregation the ordination certificate of Bishop Francis Asbury and reminded them that it was from 225 years ago when the new denomination, the Methodist Church, began in Baltimore at the Christmas Conference of 1784.
The certificate was signed by Thomas Coke, who John Wesley sent to America as co-bishop, to get the church started.
“In a couple months those
ordained today will receive a certificate signed by Bishop John R. Schol, which goes all the way back to John Wesley,” he said.
More than twice as many women as men make up the Class of 2009. Almost half are either African-American or Asian-American. They range in age from 27 to 61; two, Kate Murphey and Herbert Brisbon, are young adults, a category the denomination as a whole is trying hard to recruit into ministry.
“Always be ready to give account for the hope in you – for you are the light of the world,” Bishop Schol began his sermon. “What a powerful statement of who we are.
“We are all called to be disciples of Jesus Christ,” the bishop said. First comes your calling, which “is where your greatest joy and the world’s need come together. Next, is the doing.” We are sent to become the body of Christ and to make
disciples, he reminded the ordinands.
Rabbis in Jesus’ day would find the most gifted students, Bishop Schol continued. The students
studied for years and by the time they were 17, those young people wanted to be just like their rabbi.
We’re called to be like our teacher – Jesus, the bishop said. As his disciples, we seek to become like Christ. “Disciples teach, preach, serve, care and witness. You have been called to be disciples and to bring up other disciples.”
The sermon was followed by the commissioning of the provisional candidates and the ordaining of the Elders and Deacon with a ritual of the laying on of hands, led by Bishop Schol and South Korean Bishop Young Tai Park. As each individual knelt before the bishops, their
superintendents, sponsors, friends and families prayed for them.
Several of those who knelt during
ordination have already begun powerful unbound and outbound ministries that are bearing Acts 2 fruit.
One new provisional Elder is David Juan Rocha. He is well known in the area for his transformational work with day laborers, particularly Hispanic immigrants, and his leadership at Camino de Vida, a growing Hispanic congregation that meets in Asbury Village retirement community in Gaithersburg.
The only person to be ordained a full-member Deacon is Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield. She will continue to serve at the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington, D.C., where she advocates for, and develops policies, to aid poor people. “I see my ministry as a sacramental
ministry in taking Christ’s love to the world,” she said.
“I never dreamed of being
ordained clergy,” said Ingrid Wang, who was born in Taiwan. She is one of the older ordinands in the class of 2009, but, she says, “I’m a very young Christian,” dating her calling to nine years ago. She is excited about the new cooperative parish ministry in Ellicott City, which she’s helping to create this summer.
The Rev. Lee Brewer was welcomed at the end of the ordination service; already ordained in another denomination, he renewed his ordination vows in The United Methodist Church.
Bishop Schol then issued an altar call, inviting the laity to hear and respond to God’s call to ordained ministry. Several people came forward in response.
An offering was taken to help provide basic needs for people in Baltimore-Washington Conference congregations, such as soup kitchens, food banks and thrift stores.
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