Filipino Missions... THANKS NCC

Supt. Mark & Kerrie Adams wish to thank the NCC churches for your prayers, positive messages to Filipino leaders and financial support of our trip in January to the Philippines.  

Pictured are Bishop Tuan and Supt. Mark with the graduating seminary students who were trained in part due to your support. 

You also provided books, technology and medications to our Filipino partners.  

Kerrie assisted by teaching health at the Free Methodist college and supporting ICCM and Ahon relief efforts for the families who live in the community garbage dump. 

Your NCC influence is felt around the world. 

End Slavery

John Wesley’s last written letter was to abolitionist William Wilberforce in an appeal to end slavery in their day:

“Unless the divine power has raised you to be as Athanasius contra mundum [arrayed against the world], I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be fore you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.” (2/24/1791)

Many early Methodists held this to be a sacred calling, and the first American Methodist leaders approached none other than George Washington in an appeal to end the practice as the new America was being forged. They were ignored.  Not long after, Methodists began to compromise their position against slavery.  Free Methodists did not compromise on slavery and were forged in the flame of the abolitionist debates which tore America apart in Civil War, and rebirthed a more just, albeit far from perfect, nation.

Will you, North Central Conference Free Methodists, take up the charge against the monolith of human trafficking – slavery – in our time?  Can we do no less than our forefathers? Can we stand by while more than 20 million people are enslaved (more than any other time in history according to the US State Department).  More than half are children, 80% are women, with sex-trafficking the chief driver and debt bondage keeps whole families enslaved for multiple generations. 

Please, observe Freedom Sunday (February 26). We have encouraged all NCC churches to register for this at freedomsunday.org. Our Bishops encourage every church to take an offering for our abolition movement.  Offerings may be sent to the NCC office designated “Freedom Sunday” and will be used by the FMC to fund International Child Care Ministries intervention work in India, build our abolition leadership team, invest in extra mile projects against human trafficking and support Not for Sale, our strategic partner in the effort to end slavery in our time.  

Radiate Peace

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests!” So declared the angels upon the birth of Christ (Luke 2:14). 

Clearly, God wants us to be at peace and to be a peaceful people as we place our faith and trust in Him. Yet, 2000 years after the birth of Jesus, peace seems as elusive as ever. 30 years after Christ died the Romans demolished Jerusalem. Then Barbarian hordes demolished Rome. Then Europeans battled among each other, as tribes and city-states became nations, and Norse and Franks and Celts and Spaniards killed each other with ferocity. Then the new world was discovered, and the Spaniards killed South American Indians while the British killed North American Indians and the French destroyed Europe until the Russians beat the French. And the Germans tried to take over the world - twice. And the Japanese bombed their benefactors. And the Dutch enslaved South Africa. And U boats sank cruisers, and the A-Bomb destroyed Hiroshima, and the Communists murdered millions of Jews and Christians. Now we have enough nuclear weapons stockpiled to destroy the earth a many times over, and the communists starve, Israelis and Palestinians kill each other, the Baltics remain ballistic, 5000 Americans lie incinerated in the ruins of the World Trade Center, and the middle eastern spring rages while North Korean nucs are test-fired yet again.

In the midst of this, the tide turns toward peace and the people of peace intentionally radiate the kindness of God. Christians know that God has instituted the ‘sword’ to ensure peace and order (Rom.13:4) in a broken world.  The hope of Christ is to restore that which was broken, to replace hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, to replace greed with charity and lust with love. Someday, swords will no longer be needed. The process of saving humanity from itself is slow. Restoration is slow and difficult work. 

Christ was born into the world, life, light and light incarnate.  That is the Christmas gift at ground zero for peace.  The gift that keeps on giving is Christ born in you, and in the friends with whom you share the good news, and in the passing of the torch of light from generation to generation.  Be the Christmas gift Christ intended for the world by shining God’s patience, love, mercy, light, truth, joy and peace wherever you go. 

Giving Thanks for Christ and the NCC

I am thankful beyond measure

In my morning devotions I read Colossians 2.  Good timing for Thanksgiving.   Col 2:20, 21  Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?   

I'm thinking that means I can eat turkey and dressing and celebrate with family today:-)

Deeper still, Jesus Christ satisfied all debts in my spiritual account and cleared accusations against me when he died on the cross, triumphing over all powers and principalities bent on the destruction of humanity and even my own soul (Colossians 2:8-19).   As a sinner saved by grace, and a believer renewed day by day in the Spirit, a member of the body of Christ which is being built up by the spirit of Christ from age to age and a bit player in the big plan of God to make all things and new engaged in merely light and momentary trouble which are achieving an eternal glory... wow am I thankful.

I've recently come out of the first GROW event for the NCC this year, the Metro Chicago event.  It was great to see so many people committed to inviting, increasing, involving and investing in bringing people from skepticism to Christlife.  From personal evangelism and structured outreach opportunities like Alpha to feeding thousands of the hungry year round, it is good to see, taste and hear how the Free Methodist congregations are making real impact in our challenged world.  And I'm thankful.

I look forward to leaving tomorrow for the Dakotas and Minnesota and engaging the 3D GROW event next weekend in Albert Lea, MN.  Being with this district will be fun!  They have consistently grown, churches partnering with significant urban ministries and others loving cowboys to Jesus, Hispanic ministries blasting through the gates of hell in powerful prison ministries (more than 40 inmates professing Christ as savior in the past three months!) and two new churches planted in just year.  I'm thankful. 

Several friends, family and colleagues are battling cancer, illnesses and the difficulties of aging, and providing examples of true hope and trust in God in the midst of this, shining brightly even in their pain.  It gives me hope. And while I pray with a heavy heart for many, I am thankful for the power and presence of God as we walk through the valleys of life.

Many young leaders in the conference are stepping up and leading with courage and grace, wisdom and hope and seeing turnaround in their churches.  And I am thankful that God does indeed provide from generation to generation a witness of the power of the Word and Spirit to impact the world.  Many who even come out of retirement to build up the church serve when every bone aches and deliver consistent good news and good planning.  From age to age God is faithful!  And I'm thankful!

A global perspective looms large in the Free Methodist Churches of the upper Midwest as several have come and gone to support our global partners (just this last month a group went to the Philippines and another to Kenya), local churches are raising support for Not For Sale and engaging the neo-abolition movement, praying for the persecuted church, assisting in conference ministries like Hope Africa (Janesville, WI), Olive Branch MIssion (Chicago IL), Hearthstone Ministries (Woodstock, IL).  I'm personally grateful for those who have contributed to the short term mission trip Kerrie and I will be engaging in January.  I'm so grateful, aren't you, that we are part of a movement that is not shrinking back in the face of local, national and global struggle but straining ahead toward the goals for which Christ has called us toward!  

Kerrie and I are thankful that you have given us the opportunity to serve as superintendent, to participate in the lives of your churches and work of your ministries, to pray for you, to mourn with you, to rejoice with you.  We are grateful beyond words.

Thanks for reading this, I just longed to tell you how thankful I am, and how such a large part of this is you, and Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Love and joy,

Supt. Mark

GROW 2012

National Trends and the NCC... Do Real Religion & Hang out with Jesus

Does it seem as if fewer visitors are show-ing up at church? Not as many kids are in the Sunday School programs as in times past? More of your fellow worshipers con-sider attending church once a month as "regular" church attendance? The fact is, fewer Americans are claiming Christianity as their faith allegiance, are having children, or consider going to church weekly as essential to their devotion to God. The fastest growing faith category in America is "unaffiliated" or "irreligious."


The graph below tracks Gallup Poll information on the percentage of Americans who claim to be Christian and the percentage who claim to go to church regularly. I extrapolated the trends into 2025, with the most current Gallup data in this graph from 2008. Though approximately 40 per-cent of Americans self-report attending church regularly (data this graph is based upon), community "head counts" place that figure at around 20 percent.

It is good news that the American Free Methodist Church has grown 3 percent over the past year and has a track record of growth. This bucks many trends experienced by American churches. Regardless, the fastest growing "faith demographic" in the USA includes those who proactively avoid church and divest themselves of religion. North Central Conference believers, we have our work cut out for us. Here are three things which may reverse the trend.


Do real religion. Our authority, the Bible, reminds us, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: Look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27).


Hang out with Jesus. This likely means less focus on standing and singing songs behind stained glass or techno cool strobe lights and more time with the sick, naked, hungry, thirsty, and imprisoned, because that is when we have visited with our Savior (Matthew 25:40).


Proclaim good news! Good news is always the way of escape, and as the majority of our American peers do not believe in Hell and seem unable to articulate sin, proclaiming freedom from these things will fall on deaf  ears and not be particularly good news. But a way of escape from meaninglessness, vain pursuits, selfishness, poverty, broken relationships, painfully confused sexuality, injustice, disunity, and despair is good news, and quite to the heart of the gospel of Jesus--and a beacon that draws people toward the light which yields present and eternal life.

When the church lives like the Body of Christ--acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly before God, she is more attractive than anything else God placed on earth. Doing real religion. Hanging out with Jesus. Proclaiming good news that sounds like good news because it is good news. These are ways of being church embraced by Free Methodists. These will contribute to reversing the trend embraced by 80 percent (if head count stats are to be trusted) of Americans -- avoiding church.


I believe church is avoided because it is seen, often accurately, as a self-absorbed, institutional organization which lives to rehearse old news with old songs that blame everything else. Instead, let us embrace ancient truths with new songs that bless everyone else. Do real religion, hang out with Jesus, and proclaim good news!

iPATH

Have you started upon the iPath? The Annual Conference 2011 theme – the iPath – is not a thing of the past but the ever present journey each healthy, growing church must be on. Superintendent Mark challenged every church to develop an iPath plan the coming year. Many are already engaging the iPath.

So then, what is the iPath? 

The iPath is the path from skepticism to Christlife. Each step of the way is guided by the Way, the Truth and the Life – Jesus. Everything we do must target becoming increasingly identified with, in love with, engaged with, overcome by, filled by, energized by, living for Almighty God, revealed in the person of Jesus, infusing the church by the Holy Spirit. 

A church can realistically state that it is bringing glory to God when those who call that church their spiritual home are consistently engaged in a life style and mindset that is visibly moving toward being more like Jesus. That’s a dangerous proposition.  People willing to turn their cheek to abuse heaped upon them for their beliefs, rather than fighting back with harsh attitudes, unkindness or violence.  People willing to sacrifice comfort and the American dream in order to share resources with those who have less. People who intentionally devote themselves – really DEVOTE themselves – to the Apostle’s teachings (learning and living them out), to prayer, to being together in faith, and to blessing, encouraging, loving and rebuilding the communities in which they live. People who bless their persecutors, courageously stand by their convictions without demanding that others share them and who exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Such people have changed the world. I want to be part of a movement that still does.

Before anyone can begin to grow into Christlife (a journey to be sure) they must be iNvited. Any Christian group that desires to iNcrease must create an environment where seekers and newbies are welcomed, nurtured and pointed in productive directions. The only real way to allow people to explore and express their faith is to iNvolve them in hands-on ministry. Jesus spent more time discussing the proper use of money than he did faith, so too we must not shy away from building in opportunities to iNvest in kingdom work – which is in fact a form of Christian love.

There it is … the iPath. • iNvite • iNcrease • iNvolve • iNvest. 

What are the intentional and corporate efforts your church employs to bless the community so much that when you iNvite skeptics to explore Christlife they seem to want to? What are the intentional and outrageously hospitable means you use to ensure that visitors and seekers feel welcome and want to return? What are intentional and systematic ways that your church allows everyone, young and old, sinner and saint, seeker and preacher, to be actively involved in some way in the work of God on earth?  CONTROVERSY ALERT! If there is no room for seekers and sinners to participate in your ministries then your church will die and it should. Who initially followed Jesus into town after town to do ministry but liars, thieves, rebels, unstable, anger-prone, thick-skulled, ambitious group of people we call the Apostles… They changed as they walked along the iPath with their Savior! Oddly enough, it always true that people who are personally and actively engaged in an endeavor iNvest in that work, and usually true that people not challenged to personal involvement will – go figure – be uninvolved and divested rather than invested in the ministry. 

WEIRED SPELLING ALERT! Why small “i” and big Path?  Because Jesus (the Way, the Path) must increase, and “I” must decrease (“i”).  Why the capital “N” within iNvite, iNcrease, iNvolve, iNvest?  “N” represents the up and down journey of moving from skepticism to Christlife, and that journey ALWAYS ends on an UP swing!

Please, send news about your church’s iPath plans to Superintendent Mark via supncc@gmail.com!  NCC, change the world!