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
  • Bishop’s Office
  • About Bishop Ward
    • Biography
    • Bookshelf
    • Calendar
  • Appointment Book
  • Events
    • 2020 Asia Mission Initiative Summit /Vietnam Consultation
  • Reports & Rulings
    • Episcopal Rulings
  • Sermons
  • More
    • Conflict Transformation
    • Discipleship Plan
    • Emmaus
    • Lenten Reflections

connections: Let It Be According to Your Word

November 22, 2016 Leave a Comment

Bishop Ward introduces the season of Advent with an art piece depicting Mary and the angel Gabriel. She also encourages persons to participate in Giving Tuesday on Nov. 29 and churches to take a special Advent/Christmas offering for Hurricane Matthew relief and recovery.

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

In this week, we will gather and feast and give thanks and we will begin the season of Advent. We celebrate God’s great generosity in coming to us. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary saying, “Hail favored one! The Lord is with you.”

Mary, overshadowed by God’s greatness, responds to God, “Here I am, your servant. Let it be to me according to your Word.”

This scene in Luke chapter 1 is depicted in this beautiful Haitian artwork. The artist in Haiti, who created the Stations of the Cross that adorn the Dixon Chapel, created this beautiful artwork which will soon adorn the United Methodist Building in Garner as well. We give thanks for the reminder of God’s overwhelming goodness to each of us. Our generosity is a response.

We have two wonderful opportunities very soon. The first is Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29th, the fourth Giving Tuesday across The United Methodist Church.
On this day, go online and offer a gift in honor or in memory of a loved one. Celebrate Christ’s coming in this generous way. During the four weeks of Advent to Christmas Eve and Christmas day, consider where you will take offerings, a very special Christmas offering for Hurricane Matthew recovery. We know the great devastation in many places in our Annual Conference. As you offer to those gathered the opportunity to give for this cause, the response will be bountiful. It will be abundant.

Thank you for engaging in generosity in these ways as we begin the season of Advent together and respond to God as Mary did long ago. Here we are Lord. Let it be to us according to your Word.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Connections Tagged With: Advent 2016, Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Giving Tuesday 2016, Hurricane Matthew

connections

connections: Welcoming the Stranger

connections: Joy & Sorrow

connections: Dust and Ashes

connections: Vietnam Mission Initiative

connections: Thank You for Your Faithfulness

connections: Prayer for Inauguration Day 2021

connections: There Can Be Change

connections: Generosity

Christmas Blessings

connections: Draw Near to the Light

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

  • Español
  • 한국어