Bishop Connie Mitchell Shelton welcomed members of Annual Conference 2024 to opening worship and introduced the worship leader, Dr. Kylan C Pew, and members of the conference band from here in the NC Conference. Worship began with the praise song “A Place at the Table,” intermixed with spoken word by Takudzwa Chikepe. Worship continued with prayer in both Korean and English led by Rev. Eunsoo Kang.
During her message, Bishop Shelton focused on Romans 12:1-2 and shared a compelling story of how, in the midst of transitioning from Mississippi to North Carolina, she intentionally visited all her doctors before her insurance changed. While at the opthamologist, the doctor asked, “How long has that brown pigment been in your eye?” This led to a follow up appointment with a specialist the next day. Bishop Shelton expressed how she didn’t have time for an extra doctor’s appointment. She was annoyed with the doctor for wasting her time. Then the specialist shared that the brown pigment was melanoma. “I am not trying to save your vision. I am trying to save your life.”
Bishop Shelton stated plainly that, “I was so self absorbed with my plans and my timeline that I almost walked away from healing.” The Bishop went on to remind those gathered of Paul’s words to the church in Rome and his vision of a mind renewed. With these words, Paul was shaping the early church in practices of discernment. He reminded them and the modern church to be careful. Don’t rely on ethical commands. Test and prove what God’s will is.
Bishop Shelton continued, “We are called to embody lives of worship. We need God. We need each other. I need you. You need me. We can’t be self absorbed and miss the healing. We are in a continual process of becoming perfect in love.”
The Romans experienced a lot of cultural change in their time similar to what the Church is experiencing today. In the midst of transition, the Church can lose focus. In these times, the Bishop reminded the body that the church continues to need renovation and renovation takes time.
Bishop Shelton then touched on the changes The United Methodist Church has experienced in the last several years. “Our new reality is emerging. We lament that the church has fenced many people out. There is a place at the table. There is a place for everyone. Our world desperately needs a witness that people with different perspectives can love and respect one another.”
The Bishop warned that there is a danger in having everything you need because we get self-absorbed. We can inadvertently walk away from healing. May God give us eyes to see that our healing and renovation comes from God.
As a response to God’s word, the body gathered around the table to celebrate holy communion and remind one another of God’s abundant grace and renovation. As worship came to a close for the afternoon, the body sang the refrain, “I pray for you, you pray for me. I love you, I need you to survive.”