Bishop Ward speaks about moving day and welcomes new director Greg Moore to the New Faith Communities ministry team.
Bishop Ward: Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Today is moving day in the North Carolina Annual Conference. This is the day each year when pastors appointed to new places of ministry literally pick up the boxes and move them to that new place. I’m here with Greg Moore who is our new director of New Faith Communities. Welcome Greg to this new work.
Greg: Thanks Bishop. I’ve been packing and getting ready for this move for a couple of weeks now, and the one thing I keep thinking about and centering on as I’ve been a part of this move is that there’s really only one reason why Methodists move and that has to do with our notion of what God does when God gathers us together. When God gathers the people called Methodists, two things happen. We renew and we plant. So we move to be a part of that renewal and planting movement that Methodists have always done since the very beginning and I’m really excited to be part of that movement here with you in the conference.
Bishop Ward: We welcome you to the Leadership team of our annual conference and today, all across our annual conference let us pray for all those who have packed boxes, who are moving them. For laity who are saying farewell and are saying welcome to new places of ministry. Our text for Sunday, appointed from the gospel is Luke 10, Jesus sending out the seventy. Jesus said to them don’t take a lot with you. Don’t take a lot with you. Jesus also said something very, very important, a promise that the harvest is plentiful. Go, this day, and be a strong witness for Jesus Christ wherever you find yourself.