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News NOTE: Photographs are available at http://photos.gbod.org
The General Board of Discipleship and a 13-member design team structured the event to offer clergy the invaluable opportunity to meet others who would pray for, talk with, and support them in their journey of caring for God's church in the black community. The Convocation was held January 6-9 in Houston at the Westin Galleria Hotel. Those connectional opportunities were vital to the Rev. Aleze M. Fulbright, associate pastor of First UMC-Commerce in the North Texas Annual Conference. Fulbright is the only African American in her congregation. "I don't get the opportunity to worship in the way that I was reared," Fulbright said. "But, now I'm liberated, I'm free and will never be the same . . . When I stand before them to preach, I'll be able to let them hear my voice." While connecting with African Americans was crucial, Fulbright said the convocation offered her another much-needed networking opportunity. "I also made connections and was able to relate to other young people," she said.
Ross, who chaired the design team, said that "in a climate of continued strife and stress across international, national, race and class lines, the intent to build bridges that lead -- not merely to compromise but -- to justice is a value desperately needed and one that the United Methodist Black Church is uniquely positioned to articulate." The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive for GBOD, says "Vance and the design team organized and delivered a convocation that tackles two of the denomination's Four Areas of Focus: Creating new places for new people and developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world by addressing the unique needs of specific local church leaders who are intent on renewal of their churches." No Secrets
"Battle plans are classified information -- secret," McClellan said. "But there is no secret [to] what God can do; what he's done for others, he'll do for you. With that in mind, plenary presenters who have been faithfully and fruitfully following God's battle plan shared their insight on topics from prayer to mentoring to technology. Presenters included: host pastor the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell and Pastor Suzette Caldwell of Windsor Village UMC in Houston; the Rev. Rodney Smothers of St. Paul UMC in Maryland; the Rev. Sherry Daniels of Norfolk UMC in Virginia and the Rev. Olu Brown of Impact Church in Atlanta. Fulbright, who is also a campus minister in North Texas, said she learned things that she can immediately begin implementing in her ministry setting. "The technology piece was very helpful," she said of the session Daniels and Brown co-led. "I'm already using FaceBook, but the plenary encouraged me to use those resources better by sending out devotionals and encouraging messages. I can start that now." The Caldwells teamed up to lead a plenary that centered on prayer's role in "Building Bridges Into the Future."
Suzette Caldwell turned to the Lord's Prayer for her exploration of why prayer -- particularly the "Model Prayer" as she described it -- is a necessary tool in building bridges: "You cannot implement a divine vision without using divine methods." One of the teachings that stirred and stayed all week with Rev. Natalie N. Stephens, director of membership and evangelism at Asbury UMC in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, was the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell's urging to build bridges from one's self to God and then from one's self to the community. "I know that before we can become transforming agents in the lives of others, we have to engage in critical reflection about who we are and where we are," Stephens said. "Until we can be vulnerable in that way, we can't build bridges to other people. Until we can be our authentic selves -- in genuineness and in his likeness, we can't connect to others. Transformation starts within, and then it manifests outward." The convocation's soul-nourishing worship and the thought-provoking plenary sessions were clear evidence of God's power to transform people who will in turn transform the world. The General Board of Discipleship's mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD (www.gbod.org) is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at 877-899-2780, ext. 7017.
Eleanor L. Colvin is the communications director for the Texas Annual Conference of the UMC.
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