Bishop of the North Texas Conference

Soon the lay and clergy members of the North Texas Annual Conference will gather at First UMC Richardson for the 147th meeting of United Methodists in North Texas. Attending Annual Conference has been a yearly ritual for many of us, and we know what to expect.

For me, this will be the first time in 38 years of ministry that I will worship, learn, laugh and pray with another annual conference.

Bishop McKee will preach at the ordination and commissioning service at 7:00 PM, Monday, June 3, 2013.

In my first year in the North Texas Conference, everything will be new to me at these sessions. But with the changes for this year's session of Annual Conference, most everything will be new to all of us. Meeting in a church for all the sessions and a redesign for our time together presents an opportunity to recover the purpose of an Annual Conference.

With all that will be new about how we proceed with this year' in reality we will do our work together for the same reasons the early Methodist circuit riders met: to spread scriptural holiness through the land.

I am excited, and I pray that you are preparing to be a part of a new thing in North Texas. Let me share with you four reasons I enjoy Annual Conference:

The singing at Annual Conference inspires me. United Methodists are the best singers on the planet. Sometimes I listen to the rich blend of harmonies. The power of music and the voices lift my spirit every time. And this year's music promises to be the best.

The service of ordination serves as memory and promise for me. I remember my ordination and the weight of the hands placed on my head. Each year during the service, I privately renew my own vows of ordination and see the promise for future ministry that each person being ordained represents. This year, I am deeply humbled to have the joy and privilege to lead this service and ordain and commission deacons and elders, and support our new clergy. The fellowship of clergy and lay people enlivens me. This will be the first time I meet some of you, and I look forward to knowing more of you and hearing about your church and your story of faith. In some respects, Annual Conference is like a reunion: Let's come to renew friendships, knowing that our faith in Christ unites us.

I have a few uplifting unscripted plans to share. This first year has been such an amazing journey for me. The love, support and prayers from all of you have truly made the difference. God has poured out a unique vision for us to unite, serve God and serve others. I'll share that at several points during our time together.

Whether you are a lay member or a clergy member, will you imagine that the 147th meeting of the North Texas Annual Conference can renew your spirit and your ministry?

I look forward to being with you for this year's Annual Conference, June 2-4, 2013.

On a recent Friday, I saw my first Rangers game of the season. Yu Darvish had 10 strikeouts, and the Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners
7-0.

The start of the baseball season announces that spring is here. And every team ends the previous year looking forward to the next. It all starts over for baseball players and for die-hard Rangers fans.

Would we be so fortunate if the same held true for life! Perhaps the dawn of a new year comes close, but the best that most people can manage is to re-calibrate their focus or desires.

Since the end of January, the North Texas Conference Cabinet has been focused on making appointments of clergy to mission fields and churches. Many of my waking hours and prayers have been devoted to this important work. In the midst of this time, I have found myself wondering if the clergy receiving new appointments or churches and laypeople who are greeting new pastors think of this as a new beginning.

While not a baseball season, it could be the time that clergy embrace new opportunities for spiritual growth, leadership, and living and proclaiming the story of Jesus. For congregations, the possibilities of new visions for telling and living the story of Jesus bring a sense of hope.

I have witnessed it each year: Clergy excited about a new challenge and a new place of service, and congregations eager to welcome a new pastor. Even for those who return to the church they serve and those congregations that see no change in clergy, there can be a sense of a new beginning.

Living fruitful lives as laity and clergy is not an athletic endeavor. As much as I await the day that the Rangers win the World Series, my hope for all of us is that we use this time to become passionate about living and telling the story of Jesus to the people in the communities where we live and serve.

The North Texas Annual Conference meets in the early days of June, and a few weeks later, many clergy and congregations begin anew. My prayer and hope is that you eagerly anticipate God doing something new in you.

The bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon were another senseless act of evil. When innocent lives are lost, we are often drawn to questions of why do people commit such evil acts?

Two days later, the explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, claimed lives and destroyed parts of the small town. A random disaster changes the lives of thousands of people. The constant media coverage has drained us all with its reminders of the evils and uncertainties of our world.

In the midst of that week, my wife, Joan, and I, along with a large number of United Methodists, attended the annual luncheon of Project Transformation.

In one hour, all who gathered at Lovers Lane UMC were reminded that transformational work is occurring around us daily.

In one hour, a young woman described her experience as a Project Transformation intern and how she became a house pastor. Now she is the director of Project Transformation Nashville.

A young man shared that as a youth, Project Transformation transformed his life, and he now works for Project Transformation and is 12 courses shy of graduating from college.

He introduced an another young man, who shared that Project Transformation has provided a path so that his life is very different than what it could have been. His goal is one day to be the director of Project Transformation.

In one hour, we were removed from the news stories of the day and heard stories of hope and transformation.

Interns working in neighborhoods and churches in the North Texas Conference each summer and throughout the year provide transformative experiences for children and their families. In other words, they are living and telling the stories of Jesus so that Jesus' story can become their story.

Occurrences such as these do not garner headlines. But they occur each day around us. They occur in churches, in homes and in the communities in which we live. They occur because of Project Transformation and because of you and the life you have chosen to live.

While daily headlines about evil acts and inexplicable destruction are important for us to know, let us be aware of how the Spirit of Christ is at work, not only through Project Transformation, but through the lives and ministries of United Methodist Christians in the North Texas Conference.

Thank you for telling and living the story of Jesus.

2013 Annual Conference Video Message - Imagine 2013

Please watch the video below about The North Texas 2013 Annual Conference and the exciting things that are coming.

Imagine 2013

Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church. Kenda Creasy Dean, who will be the keynote speaker at the North Texas Annual Conference on June 2-4, 2013 is the author of this book.

Her analysis points American Christianity to a new challenge: How do we articulate the Christian faith and live it out so that teenagers are not just attracted to the church but also compelled by the Gospel that transforms lives and the world?

My invitation to you is to read the book before Annual Conference.

If you are a clergyperson or a lay member of Annual Conference, please register at www.ntc2013.org. Kenda Creasy Dean will inspire you.

Purchase Almost Christian

Register for Annual Conference

Sitting across the aisle from me on Easter Sunday was a young teenager. He appeared to be sitting alone, but I observed he was actively engaging in the worship service.

How is it that you can sense that someone is taking it all in? What was so compelling for him about the worship of God on that day?

The minister offered the invitation to new beginnings.

As the closing hymn began, the young student left the pew and walked confidently to the chancel.

He walked alone. It was a privilege to be invited to participate in the renewal of baptism vows as he made his profession of faith.

Joan, my wife, shared with me after the benediction that he had a great deal of courage in going forward by himself on Easter morning when the sanctuary was full of people.

Later, I learned he wasn't alone. He was actively involved in the youth group and participated in the Boy Scouts at the church. He was surrounded by faithful people who had told and lived the story of Jesus. Although his parents worked weekends, he was drawn and welcomed by a community of faith. He was not alone. And I was moved not only by his courage, but also by his faith.

I have been reading Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church. Kenda Creasy Dean, who will be the keynote speaker at the North Texas Annual Conference on June 2-4, is the author of this book.

Her analysis points American Christianity to a new challenge: How do we articulate the Christian faith and live it out so that teenagers are not just attracted to the church but also compelled by the Gospel that transforms lives and the world?

My invitation to you is to read the book before Annual Conference.

Kenda Creasy Dean

Her work discusses how to place mission at the core of a church and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions to inspire teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. I believe that many congregations are already doing just that, but what more can we learn to reach teens and others who are looking for a vital relationship?

If you are a clergyperson or a lay member of Annual Conference, please register at www.ntc2013.org. Kenda Creasy Dean will inspire you.

There are more young teens waiting and yearning for a congregation to embrace them so they can respond to the invitation of Christ. I hope we all have the courage to make that witness for them.

Purchase Almost Christian

Register for Annual Conference