The Journey Continues

2008-05-03T00:00:00.004-04:00

General Conference
Day 10
May 2, 2008

It has been a whirlwind few days – so much so that I literally haven’t had the time to write.

I have never multi-tasked as much as I have at this General Conference. Let me summarize some of the events that have occupied my time:

Revision of paragraph 161g & the response of the Gay & Lesbian Community.

Our church has once again affirmed its current stance on the ordination of homosexuals. In the midst of that we revised our current paragraph 161g in the Book of Discipline on human sexuality. Needless to say, this whole discussion caused a great deal of pain in the body of the General Conference on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. It doesn’t matter what side our delegates were on – there was hurt and pain as everyone watched our body struggle through a subject where there is no peace. Everyone was hurting. While that was a struggle-filled experience, it did signal the strength of our attempt to be involved in “holy conferencing.” The body understood what is written in I Corinthians 12:26-27: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” This is a body that does not agree on some critical issues. But it is a body that cares and has struggled successfully to love one another in the midst of our differences.
On Thursday morning, there was a “witness” from several hundred gay & lesbian persons & supporters who wanted to address their hurt to the body. The demonstration was negotiated with the Council of Bishops. We as a council met for several hours to affirm our sense of unity with one another and to come to peace with the varieties of expressions that would come. When the “witness” occurred, I moved onto the floor and spent time praying with our delegation. It was something I and others in the council felt led to do. Some stayed in their places. Some stood. Some moved among the body to pray. What resulted was, on the whole, a time of great blessing. It was a holy moment – conservatives & liberals gathered among one another. Some were singing in the midst of their hurt. Others werepraying in the midst of their hurt. While some may disagree with me, I felt a sense of grace and holiness in this time.

Presentation from Bill Gates, Sr.

This was a historical moment for our church. We have never been involved in any kind of significant “secular” partnerships in ministry until “Nothing But Nets” came along. The events around Mr. Bill Gates, Sr. coming to the General Conference were a signal that this amazing work of partnership had reached a new level of importance. Mr. Gates was charming, eloquent, and extremely focused. While he did not know much about United Methodism (until he had lunch with me & Bishop Huie, of course), he nailed his speech with the one clear understanding he did have of our church and John Wesley -- “the world is our parish.” He noted that, as a church, we have the history and the connectional strength of our denomination. He held the General Conference spell bound with his focus on malaria and our need to partner together to get the job done. I was privileged to share the day with him as a host and to gain insight into his heart and mind.

The Nothing But Nets Bids

This General Conference blessed my heart in a way that I cannot accurately describe to you. From a spontaneous move to collect an offering on World Malaria Day, we moved from $15,000.00 that day to a bidding war over the basketball I used in my presentation. Each day those bids grew in an unbelievable fashion. Today, I had the privilege of presenting that basketball to the West Ohio Annual Conference who had the winning bid of $80,000.00! The combined bids, along with a matching gift from Bill Gates, Sr. for the highest bid, this General Conference raised $480,000.00 for Nothing but Nets. What a blessing! I am so grateful to be associated with this effort and I was so proud of the commitment demonstrated by this General Conference.

Presiding at General Conference

In the midst of press conferences, legislative debates, malaria fund-raising, and the organization of our new Global Health Initiative, on Wednesday afternoon I was approached about presiding at the Friday morning session of the General Conference. When I agreed to do this, they then told me that I would be shepherding the process of approving the church’s budget for the next four years! I had, of course, never presided at General Conference before. As you might imagine, my anxiety level was high yet I entered into it in the very same manner that I enter a pulpit on Sunday morning. I saw it as an opportunity to show the face of Christ, to shepherd the body in making the best decision possible, and to humbly enter into the role as a servant of the church. It was a marvelous blessing for me. The discussion was good. The presentations were well done and, as a result, the budget passed in historic time.
When a bishop presides, they have the opportunity to pick two back-ups who assist them. On this first occasion of presiding, I chose my two bishops – Bishop William Boyd Grove, my ordaining bishop; and Bishop S. Clifton Ives, the bishop who really gave me the opportunity to spread my wings and fly in ministry. What an awesome privilege to share this day with them and what an amazing opportunity to serve the church in this fashion.

Concluding Session

Here we sit. It’s 10:46 p.m. and we are still working to finish our work. Every four years, we find ourselves meeting into a Friday night to give care and attention to petitions that are thoughtfully and passionately brought before us. It’s late. Everyone is tired. And yet, we press on, knowing that it will be four years before we are together again. More than that, we also know that we are guardians of the people – their passions and their needs.
Tomorrow I begin the trek home. I will come home with a satchel full of experiences that will be with me for a lifetime. I will come home different than when I left. I will come home physically exhausted but spiritually blessed by the amazing presence of Christ that is in this place. It is that same presence of Christ that will bless our Annual Conference, sustain our ministries, and inform our callings.

So, on this night, when physical exhaustion is a reality, I remember the words of a song by Rev. James Cleveland:

I don't feel no ways tired,

I've come too far from where I started from.

Nobody told me that the road would be easy,

I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me.
May it be so!
The Journey Continues, . . .

2008-04-30T12:04:00.001-04:00

General Conference
Day 7
April 29, 2008

Well, it happened! I knew it would! It was only a matter of time before the feeling would rise to the surface of my soul! I wanted to speak on an issue last night – a privilege not afforded to a bishop of The United Methodist Church.

Last night we were debating a proposal from the Study on the Episcopacy to reduce the number of bishops in the United States. At one point in the debate, a delegate rose and approached the microphone. I have known this particular delegate ever since I entered ministry. He is dynamic and creative and has a history of growing the church.

As he spoke he noted that while his bishop had the vision of sending him to the site of his new church start, the bishop did not knock on any doors of persons in the community. He did. No bishop organized the church he was to build. He did. No bishop preached every Sunday to motivate those people to attend the new church being started. He did! While he also shared that he would not have been able to start his new church had it not been for the bishop, he stated that the growth of the church was not in any way dependent upon a bishop. Obviously he was speaking in favor of the proposal to reduce our numbers

My friend stirred my juices! I wanted to rise and speak! Now, you may think that I wanted to rise and defensively defend the episcopacy and the importance of bishops in the church. Not so, although I have always felt that bishops are critical in order to put the right person in the right place at the right time to do ministry and are vital in establishing, maintaining, and motivating the vision & direction of United Methodists in a particular area.

But that was not my passion last night. I wanted to stand at a microphone and say that although I love my brother from Texas, I had to question his rather self-serving speech. I wanted to inquire about how many laity knocked on the 3,000 doors he referenced and invited people to c0me to “his” church. I wanted to ask about the seminary professors who refined his theology and shaped “his” vision for ministry. I wanted to know about the mentors who didn’t always agree with “his” thoughts and challenged him to be more than he ever could be on his own. I wanted to know the name of the persons who planted the seed for his call to ministry and would not let “him” go.

My friend’s speech was good. It spoke of the important work of clergy on the ground, in the communities, and within our local churches who do the “grunt” work of the church. It spoke of the need for a deep call to ministry that is more motivated about winning people to Christ than it is about the latest return on our pension funds. He was right.

But he was wrong. The transformation of this church is wholly and solely dependent upon all persons using their gifts to make our church a more complete face of Christ. The church will not grow if we eliminate bishops. Neither will it grow if we increase the number of episcopal leaders. The church will not grow if we continue to decline in persons preparing for ordained ministry. Neither will it grow if all we do is send pastors out into the field of service on their own.

The turnaround of the United Methodist Church and its subsequent transformation is completely dependent upon everyone responding to God’s call and living out a life of faith in every city, community, and town in God’s world. The solution to the church’s woes is not an easy solution. It cannot be solved by reducing the numbers of bishops, reducing the number of districts, closing churches, or complicating a person’s ordination process. It will be solved when we celebrate the importance of episcopal leadership, support and encourage the ministry of our clergy, re-focus and energize our laity as 21st century evangelists, take leaps of faith that will lead us to invest in the future of the church financially, and pray earnestly that the spirit of the living God will be the glue to pull us all together in a concert of grace, acceptance and unconditional love.

I wanted to speak today. Even though I cannot speak on the floor of the General Conference, there IS a message to be shared: “I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, WE are the church TOGETHER.”

May it be so!
The Journey Continues, . . .

2008-04-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

2008-04-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

General Conference Day 6
April 28, 2008

I witnessed “A Future with Hope” today at General Conference!

We have made much out of the fact that our church is declining in all categories. Yet, in the midst of decline, there are signs of hope all around us if only we look up and take notice.

There have been serious attempts to emphasis & employ a “Holy Conferencing” model for our plenary sessions here. That plea for love and grace to drive our work seems to having a positive influence, even though the 12-plus hour plenary sessions each day are only beginning. We have witnessed a cooperative and congenial spirit among the delegates. Could it be a new day?

Today I saw “A Future with Hope” when the Africa Children’s Choir from Uganda sang. Their energy and joy was contagious! This choir of 23 “orphan and vulnerable” children was organized by the East Africa Annual Conference. Many of the children were orphaned during the more than 20 years of civil war that ravaged Uganda. Suffering in mud huts crammed tightly together, the children were taken in, loved, given life AND renewed hope. They represent the reason I work so hard to get mosquito nets to Africa. Their life blessed ours today. Yet, they could not have done that had they not been valued, loved, protected, and saved.

Today, as witnesses of the hope they have been given, these 7-to-12-year-old children are giving back to us what they have received. Their hope is evident in the smiles on their faces, the spring in their dances, and the joy in their songs. When I met them earlier in the week at a “Nothing but Nets” event, they swarmed me with a massive hug and constant “high fives.” They bear the hope we so desperately need.

Once again I found hope in the midst of people who live far less privileged lives than we do. Today I found it in a group of children whose favorite song is “I am a fan of God!” In the midst of our privilege and abundance we could use a good dose of spontaneous, spirit-led praise of God. In the midst of our decline and uncertainty, can we find renewed hope – a hope that can only come from the heart of God to the hearts of people like you and me?

Today I saw “A Future with Hope” at General Conference. I found it in the midst of a long day of petitions, motions, and amendments. I found it when our business was interrupted by the children. I found it when Jesus came into this arena and blessed our lives.

Today, there is “A Future with Hope” all around us. I pray that you can find that hope wherever you are today.

The Journey Continues, . . .

2008-04-28T12:28:00.001-04:00

General Conference
Day 5
April 27, 2008

Some people seem to thrive in the spotlight. We have been meeting now for five days and there are definitely a certain number of people who seem to love to secure the microphone. It’s also interesting sitting where I sit now and watching the body struggle to stay on task. Many questions are raised concerning trivial matters that consume time and take us away from the heart of our discussions. Shepherding a large group like this without being offensive and insensitive is quite an art form.

Today we heard another excellent sermon from Bishop Minerva Carcano. She talked about Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac and began to talk about modern day outcasts: immigrants who are dying in the desert, those who are suffering from poverty even though we thrive in our abundance, and those who are paralyzed by fear.

It’s kind of like the microphones at General Conference – some dominate the floor, while others struggle to find the way to have their voices heard. There are over 1,000 delegates here – all elected delegates – all with the same rights & privileges – all God’s children. Yet, I still hear people referring to the delegates from Africa & the Philippines as “the foreign delegates.” And I still notice that many of them feel out of place and disenfranchised. They are here, but have we really included them? They are elected just as the US delegates are, but do they feel any sense of welcome or hospitality?

We are a work in progress at this General Conference. There is an undeniably good spirit in this place. People are working and praying and finding a way to laugh. It’s been a good week so far.

Yet, just as with our human family, this family needs to continue to work toward a greater sense of inclusiveness, a stronger extension of hospitality, and a deeper acceptance of all God’s children.

Outcasts? Not in the kingdom of God and I pray not at General Conference. Come to the microphone, one and all. We need your voice. It is an important part of who we are! You are welcome and needed here!
The Journey Continues, . . .

2008-04-27T12:13:00.002-04:00

General Conference – Day 4
April 16, 2007

Today began with one of the most stirring sermons I have heard. Bishop Bill Hutchison, Louisiana Area, gave a wonderful sermon about “coming to the water” to remember our baptism. He correctly named the formalized and stiff nature of the church which often squelches the spirit in our midst, a spirit that invites people into a relationship with Christ. Following the sermon, confirmation students from local churches in the Central Texas Annual Conference took pine sprigs, walked among us, and blessed us with the gift of water as a re-affirmation of our baptism. It was a powerful moment as we watched these new, young Christians moving in our midst. It was a blessed morning!

Yet, not long after morning worship, a large group of persons in the back of the auditorium raised their cards in an attempt to secure the floor. When recognized, they attempted to make a motion that we lessen the length of time we spend in worship and hearing presentations that tell us the story of the church. Their request was out of order and not formally recognized, yet their desire did signal something to me.

We are a church that is possessed so often with formalism and business rather than creating a posture which makes us available to the spirit of Christ moving in our midst. Many delegates here just want to get on with the issues and the business of the conference. While that is important, it fails to recognize how necessary it is to actively seek the presence of Christ in the midst of our business.

In a cost saving measure, the General Conference has been reduced by two full days effectively eliminating the break in our business over the weekend. That break, in years past, enabled delegates to seek rest from the daily routine of 8:00 a.m. beginnings and 11:00 or midnight endings each day. The break enabled delegates to see the area, worship in local churches, and renew their spirits. They have always been valued and needed.

Yet, this year, we continue meeting into the weekend with exhausting days and wearying nights. You can see it on the faces of the delegates, those elected to be fresh and alert enough to shape the future of the church. We are a church that is often more concerned about saving a dollar than we are in making an investment in the spiritual and physical health of our leaders. I have always employed the philosophy that you have to spend money in order to create and enable effective ministry to take place.

Yesterday I had an amazing opportunity to address the General Conference concerning the “Nothing but Nets” campaign. It was World Malaria Day. As a part of that address I walked into the aisle and invited the delegates to consider what it might look like if they bought bed nets during that session. In a spontaneous movement of the body, delegate after delegate came to the center table and placed their offerings in support of the campaign. Those gifts are now up to $14, 750 among the 1,000 delegates and hundreds of visitors!

Yet, shortly after that presentation, I was approached by someone in the office whose first words to me were, “You know, you just broke the rules of the General Conference and threw the financial people into a mad frenzy to collect and count the money.” He was serious. My reply was simple, “The affirmation of this body speaks for itself. In just a few moments we just saved 1,450 children’s lives in Africa. I’ll disrupt this General Conference every day if I can get that kind of response.”

We are a church that is often more concerned with rules and regulations that make us feel comfortable with predictability. We are a church that emotionally desires the leading of the spirit, but practically cannot find a way to just “let it happen.”

I am a person of hope, a glass-half-filled kind of guy. I remain that way today. But today, I invite you to join me in prayer. Let us pray that we might find a way to lighten up enough to recognize the gift of the spirit in our homes, our local churches, our areas, and, in these days, at the session of General Conference.
May it be so!

The Journey Contiues, . . .

2008-04-26T02:19:00.000-04:00

General Conference – Day 3
April 25, 2008

Today is World Malaria Day. It is a day to remember those who have lost their lives to this killer disease and a day to focus on what we, as individuals and as a church, do to eliminate this disease from our vocabulary. As you might imagine, this has been a special day for me due to my involvement in the “Nothing But Nets” anti-malarial campaign.

Our day began with a sermon from our own Bishop Machado, the resident bishop in Mozambique. Bishop Machado has had malaria over 60 times in his life and has survived. His sermon recounted the saints that God provided to his homeland who introduced the word of God, cared for the people through the hospitals & clinics, taught the people in the established schools and gave the people the gift of “A Future with Hope.” Bishop Machado said that he felt the theme chosen for this General Conference was a gift from God.

After doing some preliminary business (nominations of persons for the University Senate & the Judicial Council; recognition of our affiliated autonomous, united and concordat church delegates; and other organizational matters), I had the opportunity to address the General Conference concerning malaria and “Nothing but Nets.” We showed a video we have just completed giving stories of the various groups across the country who are doing “net raising” events.

I also had the opportunity to share with the delegates my recent trip to the UN. After that, I went into the crowd and told the story of how Bishop Nhiwatiwa’s daughter died of malaria on my Elizabeth’s 24th birthday. I ended up at the center table to finish my presentation the same way I have in every venue where I have spoken about “Nothing but Nets” over the past two years. I held up a $10 bill and simply invited the General Conference to “Buy a net – Save a life” on this World Malaria Day. The aisles were flooded with people in a matter of moments. All told, $13, 530 was raised today. That’s 1, 353 nets for 1, 353 children. Not bad. Still a long way to go, to be sure, but not bad! You can see the part of the speech I delivered in the aisle as well as the video we shared on the General Conference section at http://www.umc.org/.

Following that, Bishop Felton May, Larry Hollon from UMCOM and I shared in a press conference with the media. The questions flooded in for better than an hour. It was quite inspiring.

This has been a really good day. I suppose it's safe to say that any day I can motivate someone to buy a mosquito net and save a child’s life is a good day for me.

I pray that it’s a good day for you too. Be blessed!

The Journey Continues, . . .

2008-04-26T02:15:00.000-04:00

General Conference – Day Two
April 24, 2008

Today could best be described as a day of effective messaging and the power of collaboration. Today the General Conference was exposed to a clear explanation of the vision found within the leadership of our church. The Seven Vision Pathways, discerned by the Council of Bishops, and the Four Areas of Focus for our ministry, developed by the Council & our General Secretaries, was convincingly presented.

Felton May, retired Bishop & Interim General Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries; Jerome Del Pino, General Secretary of our General Board of Higher Education & Ministry; Larry Hollon, General Secretary of the Commission on United Methodist Communications; and Karen Greenwaldt, General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship presented the Conference with a comprehensive, unified vision and plan of action for the denomination. Our General Agencies have heard the call of the church to come together under a unified vision for ministry. That has translated into a unified budget as well. The budget, and the plan, are long overdue and represent the first time in our history when these agencies have come together under one umbrella of ministry and accountability. Their work, not without struggle I might add, has sent a signal across the conference that this is a new day.

Earlier, Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher delivered the State of the Church address. Bishop Christopher used the liturgy of Holy Communion as the base of her remarks utilizing multi-media as well as stories gathered from across the church to demonstrate the power of God at work in our lives. With the bishops sitting in a circle surrounding the delegates, Bishop Christopher called us to embrace and follow the three simple rules of John Wesley: Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God. We had opportunity to lift our arms and pray over the delegates. To have the bishops sitting on the floor of the conference and praying over the delegates in that fashion was, once again, a first for the General Conference. It was, for me, a deeply spiritual time for us to assume the leadership we were elected to provide. It was a powerful time.

Two other reports were given today: the first ever youth address, followed by the laity address. The youth were bold and diverse in their presentation. Several youth shared in the report which was creative, alive and thought-provoking. While some have criticized the speech for being too liberal, I felt that it confronted the church’s inability to change and called for us to have listening ears of respect for one another. The youth are telling us much about who they are these days. We need to have the courage to respond with ministries that bring relevance to a dying denomination and joy to the lives of the younger people who might attend. Hats off to the youth for not being afraid to raise tough issues and deal with them with creativity.

The Laity address, however, left much to be desired. It was calculated and had only one focus. The presenter talked about things we have talked about for years but have had limited success in moving into action. This speech was in direct contrast to the creative, alive, and, at times, confrontational presentation by our youth. This one was predictable, safe, and very guarded. Our laity need ministries and spokespersons that demonstrate their commitment to building God’s kingdom in our midst.

The spirit, on the whole, seems good so far. In any gathering such as this there are those who are not happy unless they are stirring up some kind of issue or controversy. Some things never change. After years of attending this gathering, you learn to put most of it aside and remain focused on the big issue or the main focus.

What is the main focus? Today it is finding a way of celebrating the blessings which God has provided and responding to those blessings with a unified plan of ministry that will strive for something which we haven’t always been able to achieve: Relevancy for the day in which we live.

May it be so!

The Journey Continues, . . .

World Malaria Day Challenge

2008-04-25T21:18:00.000-04:00

To hear why we’re working so hard to eliminate malaria, watch this video.

Global Heath Grant

2008-04-25T20:05:00.001-04:00

Here are some photos from our announcement on World Malaria Day of a $5 million grant from the UN Foundation to help eliminate the diseases of poverty. Both photos are by Mike DuBose of United Methodist News Service.

Bishop Thomas Bickerton challenges delegates to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference to donate money to the Nothing But Nets campaign against malaria. Bickerton spoke April 25 to the assembly meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. Bickerton is the church’s spokesman for Nothing But Nets.
Delegates to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference donate money to the Nothing But Nets campaign against malaria in observance of World Malaria Day on April 25.

To read the UMNS story about the grant, click here.

General Conference Day One - April 23

2008-04-24T01:28:00.000-04:00

Today was a prime example of the connectional system at work. I left Fort Worth yesterday afternoon and flew to New York City in order to represent The United Methodist Church and the Council of Bishops at the meeting of the United Nations Foundation. This was a part of the events surrounding World Malaria Day.

In Fort Worth, the Council of Bishops has been meeting in preparation for the General Conference. The meetings have been extremely good, allowing us to center ourselves on the work before us and continue our efforts to find unity and purpose within the Council. I had the amazing privilege of preaching at the Council meeting on Monday. I continue to stand amazed at the opportunity to be a part of the Council in the role I now have as a bishop. The Council is filled with some incredible people who possess gifts that I stand in awe of and admire. To stand before them and offer the proclaimed word was a gift I will cherish for some time. The spirit was good and I received a tremendous blessing.

Sally and I traveled to New York with just as much anticipation. We we found ourselves at the United Nations today for the first day of events surrounding World Malaria Day on April 25. I was invited to be a part of a gathering of the UN Foundation Board of Directors and speak on behalf of The United Methodist Church’s role in malaria prevention and, in particular, “Nothing but Nets.” Once again I found myself at a podium in front of an amazing array of individuals who possess gifts and abilities that amaze me: Ted Turner, Senator Tim Wirth, Gro Harlem Brundtland (former Prime Minister of Norway), Ray Chambers (UN Special Envoy for Malaria), Steve Culbertson (Pres., Youth Service America), Don Garber (Commissioner of ML Soccer), David Stern (Commissioner of the NBA), Graham Hanlon (Pres., Jr. Chamber International), Dr. Michel Kazatchkine (Director of the Global Fund), John Nunes (Pres., Lutheran World Relief), Regina Rabinovich (Director of Infectious Diseases – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Rick Reilly (ESPN), Ann Veneman (Unicef Director), just to name a few.

To think that we have an opportunity to scale up our partnerships with these individuals and their organizations really is an amazing possibility for our denomination. This idea of partnerships represents a significant learning curve for us both internally and externally. Internally, we must find a way to replicate the African model of interdependency (education, communications, health care services, and public advocacy). Our US model of ministry is one of territorialism and independence. The African model realizes that one without the other spells failure for all. Bishop Machado from Mozambique said the other day that he cannot talk about HIV/Aids without also talking about malaria.

Beyond ourselves, we also have to realize that the world’s problems are far bigger than the United Methodist Church can solve on its own. In order to transform the world, as we state in our mission, we have to realize that we need secular and sacred partners in order to achieve global goals. That was the beauty of this day at the United Nations. Sports figures, scientists, politicians, business persons and faith leaders were all together pledging their expertise, infrastructure, and passion in a partnership to bless the world with hope for the future.

That’s the theme of this year’s General Conference – “A Future with Hope.” That hope is not only centered internally on our denomination. It’s also an external hope of creating partnerships that will enable us to work together to solve big problems across the world.

As we enter into this General Conference, my prayer is that we will be open to the guidance of the Spirit as we explore what God may have in store for us. If we can be open enough to let the Spirit move us, we indeed will be a church that has “a future with hope.”

Today I missed the opening session of General Conference to represent our church at an event that I believe will be the opening of some wonderful partnerships that will bless the world!

Peace & Blessings!
The Journey Continues, . . .

Bishop Bickerton