January 2012 Laity News
News Flash!!!!!!
New Year’s Resolutions Go Unbroken!!!!
“God through Jesus Christ made New Year’s Resolutions 2000 years ago, and kept his resolutions!!!”
How many times have we failed to keep our New Year’s Resolutions a week into the New Year or maybe not even a day? Each New Year gives us a chance to do away with the old and start over with the new, especially in attitudes.
For the most part, resolutions we make and don’t keep, from year to year, have to do with our personal lives and our day-to-day living. Each of you know the resolutions you should keep involving your health, wealth and happiness. Let’s discuss a few we should keep involving the Church.
We know our churches are struggling in many areas and we need to change some attitudes that prevent our churches from flourishing in finding and bringing more and new Christians into the Church.
Let’s look at a few of the attitudes we exhibit on a regular basis in our Church work and the stock answers we give when confronted about doing God’s work, especially in a new or different way.
- We have always done it this way!!!!!!!!!
- I don’t have time. . .
- We don’t have the money.
- That won’t work here at our church.
- Let someone else do it…
- I really don’t want to…
What if we took some new attitudes for the New Year that sounded more positive, maybe even sounded like New Years’ resolutions for God.
- Let’s try something new as the old is not working that well.
- I think I can find the time to try…
- The money will come, if we get some new people involved…
- Let’s try; it may work at our church…
- Everyone else is busy, I will do it…
- God has asked me to do it for the Church; it’s my duty as a Christian.
When we think about the word “new” we forget new is really an old word used over and over…It’s probably good that God has patience with us, so we, after 2000 years, still have the opportunity to start over each year in our commitments to Him.
All problems in our churches could be solved very easily, if we only would keep our New Year resolutions for one short year. Enough could be done in Evangelism, Missions, Outreach and all other Ministries of the church in a year’s time, that most of our church problems would disappear.
Every four years the general United Methodist Church at General Conference makes decisions that changes or alters the Book of Discipline. For the most part the Discipline, which has been around for a long time is a guide for our real mission of making new disciples for Jesus Christ. There will be changes this year at General Conference to the Discipline, as there always are, yet I feel your elected Clergy and Lay Delegates from North Alabama will be prepared to vote on the issues in a way that keeps the Discipline strong as the Bible is strong.
Also, every four years new Bishops are elected. This year in July at the Southeast Jurisdictional Conference five new Bishops will be elected. Bishop Willimon will be retiring; therefore we will be receiving a new Bishop in September. We will be receiving a Bishop that is newly elected, or a Bishop that is changing Conferences. Either way, the Conference Laity Team plans to be fully prepared to tell the new Bishop, he or she can count on the Laity in performing the work of God in the churches of North Alabama.
As your Conference Lay Leader, I offer my personal commitment to the Laity, the Laity Team, Clergy and the churches in North Alabama to do my best in making a difference for God with my one voice.
This is my New Year’s resolution…..To make a difference for God by being ready for the word “New” in our Conference!!!
Steve Lyles
Conference Lay Leader
Comments