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Home | News > Be Bold, Dive Deep

Be Bold, Dive Deep

05-12-2010
By Bishop Hee-Soo Jung

I have just returned from the semi-annual gathering of United Methodist Bishops.  When the Council of Bishops gathers, we learn about the far- reaching impact of the United Methodist Church across the globe.  We witness the power of Christ’s love, focused through the church's work of developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world, engaging in ministry with the poor, improving global health and creating new places for new people, while revitalizing existing congregations.

I am proud of the work that is being done in the name of Christ to care for God’s creation.  I am proud of the mission of the Northern Illinois Conference and our long-standing statement to participate in God’s action in and for the world. We have pledged to equip our local faith communities for a ministry of witness, justice, hope and love while providing a connection for mission beyond the congregation; all to the glory of God.

Our words are bold.  Our hearts are willing.  We speak of diving into the deep end of the pool, taking risk, living out our faith in community, being a people of radical hospitality.  The theme for the 171st Annual Conference is “Bold Disciples, Abundant Fruit”.  God’s promise is clear, but sometimes our actions are timid.  It is so much easier to wade in the shallow end of the pool where the footing is sure and the water does not threaten to cut off our breath.  Where the cold is not numbing and we can ease in, adjusting slowly to the change of temperature and the feeling of weightlessness.

We have been easing into the deep end of the pool for many years now, but God calls us to take a radical deep dive, facing the chill and the fear for the sake of the kingdom.  Last year we blessed some brave laity and clergy leaders as they stepped off the diving board and plunged into the difficult task of offering Christ to the unchurched, dechurched and disenfranchised in our society, creating something out of nothing.  Some of this work is going well; some of it is struggling.  All of it needs our prayer and support.

There are already some fruits to savor in this work of discipleship making and I praise God for this abundant fruit. Yet the work is not finished. There is a great need for us to go deeper, embracing the action of bold discipleship across our conference.

We need to live into the images of our core values. We need to believe and then live as if the gospel changes everything.  We need to remember that we have been proclaiming our commitment to be outward-facing. We have heard the needs of our communities for decades and those small, timid steps are no longer enough.  The mission of the church is to care for those who are not yet members. We must become part of the solution in the struggle for social healing addressing brokenness with peace, patience and persistence.  There is an abundance of God’s grace to be claimed, it is our timidity that holds us back not our scarcity.  And finally, our fifth core value is the claim on our hearts to rekindle the movement begun by John Wesley when he took the gospel to the streets, proclaimed the world as his parish and changed history.

Can we do it?  Can we live in bold discipleship?  If we can, I know that God will provide and abundant fruits will follow.  I look forward to our sharing, to our deep dive together as we gather in St. Charles for Annual Conference this June.