CMCA Methodist News 241 (Eng)

BISHOP’S
EXHORTATION
E3
ONE WORLDWIDE
METHODIST FAMILY
THE WORLD METHODIST COUNCIL
Bishop Dr James Kwang
As part of the World Methodist family, our Conference Lay
Leader, Brother Joseph Ting, and I as your Episcopal head,
were nominated by the Executive Board in our June 2016
meeting to represent the CMCA at the World Methodist
Council (WMC) for the quinquennium from 2016 to 2021.
The first WMC meeting for this quinquennium was held after
the 2016 World Methodist Conference in Houston, Texas on
4 and 5 September. We attended the second meeting held in
Seoul, Korea from 12 to 15 July 2017.
The WMC is a worldwide association of Methodist, Wesleyan,
and related Uniting and United Churches. It engages,
empowers, and serves member Churches by encouraging
unity in witness, facilitating mission in the world, and fostering
ecumenical and interreligious activities.
The Council corporately promotes evangelism and mission
along with faithful worship and mutual learning as we are
called to fulfil the Great Commission in making disciples of all
nations (Matthew 28:18-19). Together, we are to encourage
and build up one another to remain obedient to the Great
Commandment of Jesus Christ to love God and to love our
neighbour (Matthew 22:37-39).
Currently, WMC has over 80 million members, affiliates of
Wesleyan Methodists, and United and Uniting Churches,
spread across 138 countries.
This quinquennium second Council meeting was held in
Kwanglim Methodist Church in Seoul; the delegates were
aware of the high expectations for major progress in peace
talks after the Inter-Korean Panmunjom Summit. At the
opening session, the President of the World Methodist
Council, Dr. J.C. Park, delivered a timely message on how
we all need to participate in the work towards the goal of
uniting the Korean Peninsula. He expounded on the story
in Luke 5:18-25 of the paralysed man who was helped
by his four friends as they came together to bring him to
Jesus, and whom through their efforts was made whole by
Jesus. Dr. Park brought home the point when he likened
the ‘paralysed’ Korean Peninsula to the paralysed man –
the combined support from nations in all four corners of the
world is required to witness the ‘miracle’ of a united Korean
Peninsula. We must believe in that, and much of this work
will need our full prayer support.
Moreover, we as contemporary Wesleyan Methodists
must continue to follow in the footsteps of our founder,
John Wesley, who started Methodism as an evangelistic
movement. Therefore, Wesleyan Methodists must first and
foremost evangelise to the lost and send missionaries into
the whole world. The WMC member churches continue to
carry out this task.
In an age of migration, many Wesleyan Methodists seek
new homes outside of their home countries. Like in our
own context, the CMCA, it was immigrants who planted
churches throughout the diaspora, sometimes in areas
where other member churches are present. At this WMC
meeting, we decided to start a Consultation Process to listen
and learn from experience, strengthen communication and
cooperation, and eventually draft and adopt a “covenant of
mutual support”.
At the opening session of this WMC meeting, all the
participants were nourished by a lively time of worship led
by the Worship and Liturgy Committee. The great hospitality
of our Korean Methodist hosts enabled the officers and the
delegates to achieve a lot in a short period of time. The WMC
General Secretary Ivan Abrahams, the member from the
Lake Junaluska Headquarters and treasurer Kirby Hickey, the
President Dr. J C Park, and Vice President Gillian Kingston
led the sessions with inspiration, grace and humour.
I thank God that as World Methodist Evangelism Regional
Secretary for East Asia, I was invited to be part of the
decision-making Executive Team at this WMC meeting.
May all glory be to God as we unite together to serve our
Lord on the World Methodist Council.
Servant of the Lord,
James Kwang