In this video, Bishop Ward and Cory Oliver talk about the recent Local Pastor Webinar held on May 16th.
Bishop: Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s good today to share this airtime with an important leader in our annual conference.
Cory: Hello. I am Cory Oliver and I chair the Fellowship of Local Licenses and Associate Members.
Bishop: Cory and I, last week, engaged in a webinar with local pastors and associate members. It was a new way of linking with one another, of sharing a bit of information, but mostly, engaging in questions and comments which were offered online.
Over 40 pastors posted questions and comments and more pastors were online, we are sure, who did not actually post to us a question or a comment. In this way, we were able to glean from the clergy, areas in which we need to work, clarity that needs to be given, and wonderful suggestions which need to be received.
Cory: Indeed, and it’s an exciting venture as we reach out to empower the local church and just to enhance the connection which is such a blessing in itself.
Bishop: Webinars are a good way to connect with one another in this time in which we find ourselves. We connected on the webinar at noon, from 12 until 1:00, hoping to catch those local pastors who have full-time employment during their lunch hour.
It’s our hope to connect with people in ways which are inviting to them and which are easy for them. It’s our hope also, to continue to engage with one another, both face-to-face and in new and exciting ways like this.
Cory: So some of the areas of concern that were addressed were covenant relationships and covenant groups, the health initiatives, and ways we can be effective clergy spiritually and mentally and physically.
Bishop: It was our hope that this webinar would be a means of connecting and honoring those who serve as local pastors and associate members across our annual conference.
We thank every one of them for the excellent work that they do and as we gather for Annual Conference, the closing service of the Annual Conference will be a great sending forth service, in which clergy, all clergy, will be robed and processed in during the opening hymns (because it will take a while for all of us to get in.)
We will commission a missionary; we will pray over newly-licensed local pastors; we will celebrate commissioning and ordination, and in all these ways, we will testify to the unity of our church and give witness to the Pentecost Spirit which is upon us. We look forward to seeing you there. Grace and peace.