Coronavirus Response

  • Home
  • A-Z List
  • About
    • About the NCC
    • Connectional Table
    • Staff
  • Calendar
    • Events
    • Google Calendar
    • Past Events
  • Churches
  • Contact
    • Find Us
  • Districts
    • District Office
    • Beacon
    • Capital
    • Corridor
    • Fairway
    • Gateway
    • Harbor
    • Heritage
    • Sound
  • Employment
  • Search

NC Conference

Healthy Congregations and Effective Leaders in Every Place Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

  • Discipleship
    Developing Disciples
    • Christian Formation
      • Children
      • Church & Society
      • College
      • Differently Abled Persons
      • Educational Ministries
      • Older Adults
      • Status & Role of Women
      • Young Adults
      • Youth
    • Church Revitalization
      • Coaching
      • Disciple Making Way
      • Evangelism
      • Grants
      • MissionInsite
      • Real Discipleship Survey
      • Shift
      • Spiritual Life
    • From the Bishop
      • Bishop’s Bookshelf
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Multicultural
      • Asian
      • Hispanic/Latino
      • Native American
      • Strengthening the Black Church
    • Stewardship
      • Apportionments
      • District Remittances
      • Financial Discipleship
      • Grants
      • Insurance
      • Mission & Service
      • Pension
      • Treasurer Training
  • Leadership
    Strengthening Leaders
    • Bishop’s Office
      • Appointment Book
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Ministerial Relations
      • Board of Ordained Ministry
      • Called to Ministry?
      • Extension Ministries
    • Board of Laity
      • Certified Lay Minister
      • Lay Servant Ministries
      • Local Church Lay Leaders
      • United Methodist Men
      • United Methodist Women
      • United Methodist Youth
    • New Faith Comm.
      • Called to Plant?
      • New Room Society
      • Our Communities
    • Conference Offices
      • Center for Leadership Excellence
      • Christian Formation
      • Communications
      • Conference Secretary
      • Connectional Ministries
      • Information Technology
      • Multicultural Ministries
      • Outreach Ministry
      • Treasurer’s Office
  • Service
    Ministering To The World
    • Local Outreach
      • Church Construction
      • Church Loans
      • Restorative Justice and Mercy
      • Disciple Bible Outreach
      • NCC UMVIM
      • Seed Funds
      • Mission Projects
        • Health Ministry
    • Global Outreach
      • Imagine No Malaria
      • Love for Liberia
      • Missionaries
      • Project AGAPE
      • Sierra Leone: Mission of Hope
      • ZOE
    • Disaster Ministries
      • Donate to Storm Response
      • Hurricane Florence
      • MERCI
      • Response Plan
      • Response Team
      • UMCOR Kits
    • Giving
      • Advance/Rainbow Covenant
      • Apportionments
      • Give to Storm Response
      • Mission & Service
      • The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
      • New Room Society
      • Special Sundays
    • Ministry Partners
      • Camps & Retreats
      • Partners In Ministry
      • Robeson Co. Church & CC
      • UMF
  • Resources
    Supporting Ministry
    • Conferences
      • Annual Conference 2019
      • Annual Conference 2020
      • Charge Conference 2020
      • General Conference
      • Pilgrimage
      • SEJ Conference 2016
    • Media Center
      • Catalog
      • Labyrinth
      • Ministry Tools
      • Online Resources
      • Weekly Newsletter
    • Online Resources
      • Archives & History
      • Church Lookup
      • Online Data Collection
      • Online Learning
      • Pastor Lookup
      • Podcasts (NCCUMC.FM)
      • Ramus: Web Hosting
      • Video (Vimeo)
    • Publications
      • Advent 2020
      • Appointment Book
      • Bible Study
      • Conference Directory
      • Conference Journal
      • Every Day Grace
      • Lenten Reflections
      • Mission & Service
    • From UMC.org
      • Agencies
      • Communications
      • Discipleship
      • Finance & Administration
      • Global Ministries
      • Graphics Library
      • Relief
      • Status & Role of Women
  • AC 2017
  • Agenda
  • App
  • Documents & Info
  • GCC Map
  • Latest Updates
  • Social
  • Speakers
  • Special Offerings

Greg Jones: God’s Great Generosity

June 17, 2017

Greg Jones, former dean of Duke Divinity School shared a challenging word with us about “God’s Great Generosity” in the first of two presentations before the conference.

Beginning with a Charlie Brown/Lucy conversation, Jones said that sometimes the world makes us feel so small that giving up seems our only option. However, when we listen to the negative voices of the world, we lose sight of what is possible. We forget that the story begins, not with humanity, but with God’s love. That active love created the world and humanity in a beautiful and generous way.

Jones continued by looking at the Book of Genesis. In the first eleven chapters, God continually says, “yes” while humanity responds, “no.” We, and the Israelites, act like 2-year olds do, saying “me,” “mine,” and “no!” We see the Israelites, just like a 2-year old, spend much time complaining about the food and about the journey.

We face similar challenges with the church’s journey. Jones described with wry humor, the “Back to Egypt” Committee, those who began grumbling and thinking that maybe it wasn’t so bad back in Egypt after all. Many of us have similar “Back to Egypt” committees in our own churches. If we are honest with ourselves, we admit that the same “Back to Egypt” committee resides in our hearts. We complain about life and forget about God’s abundant and generous future.

Easter Sunday gives us a different narrative. With the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God again tells us just the opposite of “me,” “mine,” and “no.” God says “we,” “ours,” and “yes.”

As United Methodists, we are part of that narrative. When people say “no,” we say, “Yes, we can build that hospital in Rotifunk.” We say, “Yes, we will build that Valpariso University, even as the Civil War looms close.”

Jones closed with a prayer that his friend Maggy Barankitse in Burundi prays every day: “Lord, let your miracles break forth every day! Let me not be an obstacle in any way!”

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AC 2017

Recent Updates

  • 2017 Annual Conference Survey
  • AC 2018 Returning to Greenville
  • Performance Illuminates Community’s Strife in an Effort to Bridge Gaps between Races
  • Holy Spirit Moves Us to Generous Missions
  • Accuracy of Reporting, Impact on Apportionments Emphasized in NCC Statistician’s Report
  • A Way Forward
  • Over 700 Participated in Circles of Abundant Grace
  • Celebration of Laity Ministries
  • Four Resolutions Presented and Adopted by the Conference
  • Generosity in All Places: New Faith Communities
More Posts

Important Documents

  • AC Registration Packet
  • Appointment Book
  • Conference Workbook
  • 2016 Constitutional Amendments Rationale
  • 2016 Proposed Constitutional Amendments
  • Display Tables
  • Proposed Conference Rules 2017
  • Submitting Resolutions
  • Resolutions 2017 (Original)
  • Resolutions 2017 (Edits)
  • Resolutions 2017 (Amended)
  • Resolutions 2017 (Final)
  • Saddlebags
  • Statistician’s Report

AC Registration Packet

  • AC Kids Registration
  • Breakout Sessions
  • Conference Journal Order Form
  • Conference T Shirt Order Form
  • ECU Housing Information
  • Schedule Highlights

Lodging

  • Hotels

Meals & Restaurants

  • Restaurants
  • Special Meals

Pre-Conference Information

  • AC 2017: Overview
  • AC 2017 Speaker Highlight: Rev. Dr. Greg Jones
  • AC 2017 Speaker Highlight: Thomas Kemper
  • AC 2017: Financial Overview
  • AC 2017: Mission Endowment Special Offering
  • AC 2017: Worship Resources
  • AC 2017: Laity Special Offering
  • AC 2017: Breakout Sessions

NC Conference of The United Methodist Church · 700 Waterfield Ridge Place · Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.779.6115 · Toll-free: 800.849.4433 · Fax: 919.773.2308

Copyright © 2021 · Privacy Policy · Powered by WordPress · Site Admin

  • e
  • k