Tonight (Friday, June 01, 2012) I had the joy of participating in a rousing ordination service at the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. It was a Pentecost experience full of riotous praise and worship, fine preaching (from Bishop Sudarshanna Devadhar) and great music. It was also striking for how multi-ethnic the Greater New Jersey Conference is. It was a glimpse of the church at its best. The ordination service closed with an altar for others to come forward and pray with the Cabinet and members of the Board of Ordained Ministry about their call to ministry.
And yes, lest I unfairly over-portray the joy of my time in New Jersey, their Conference faces the same problems all of the United Methodist Church in the United States is facing. Growth comes hard; evangelism is an oft forgotten ministry; outreach is strong. Like the rest of us, they are sailing into a headwind.
For Jolynn and me, it is good to be headed home. We look forward to coming together in Waco. The Holy Spirit has an amazing ability to be in multiple places. I believe Dr. Joy Moore will bless us incredibly with great preaching and godly sharing. There are great ministries to celebrate and new adventures to undertake. Together God through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit is leading us! I look forward with joy to our time of sharing, learning and growing in the Lord. See you in Waco!