A prayer by Bishop Bruce Ough of the Minnesota Annual Conference, leading the United Methodist Church in “Praying Our Way Forward” for the week of November 5-11, 2017.
Gracious and Holy God, pour out your Spirit on The United Methodist Church. Give us voice to call upon your name that you alone might be glorified.
Lead us as with a mother’s tender hand. Break through in all our congregations and revive our witness around the globe. Call us to the edges.
Engage us in your mission. Bless and empower us to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We offer you our lives and talents without excuse, delay or reserve to work through us to accomplish your kingdom purposes.
Almighty and faithful God, pour out your wisdom on the Commission on a Way Forward and the Council of Bishops. Morning by morning, awaken their ears to listen for your still small voice and to the heart-songs of one another. Morning by morning, awaken their hearts to yearn for you and your love, mercy and justice. Morning by morning, awaken their minds to seek your knowledge that surpasses all human understanding. Morning by morning, awaken their souls to receive your Holy Spirit and be formed into the image of Christ for such a time as this.
Lord God, give the Commission and the Council the tongue of a teacher, that they may know how to sustain a weary and wary Church with a word of hope, a word of peace, a word of courage, a word that charts Your Way Forward.
I pray, trusting in your goodness, righteousness and mercy and in the powerful, life-giving name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Editor’s Note: The UMC has designated December 3 as Global Migration Sunday. Read Bishop Ough’s message about how your church can gain awareness of migrant and refugee issues. The general agencies have partnered to provide various resources and worship helps to support this initiative. Be sure to register for a webinar to learn more about global migration. The webinar is scheduled for this Wednesday, November 8 at 11 EDT.
The people of The United Methodist Church
There are 65 million people displaced in the world today. That’s more than at any other time since World War II. In response to the global migration crisis, The United Methodist Church has planned a day of prayer and a special offering to raise awareness and funds to aid migrants and refugees.
STORIES
Learn more about global migration and how The United Methodist Church is responding to the crisis around the world.READ MORE
RESOURCES
Check out our Global Migration Sunday resource page, where we have assembled a collection of resources that you can download to promote this one-time offering. The kit has everything you need to empower your congregation to give generously.READ MORE
WAYS TO GIVE
To support The United Methodist Church’s response to the global migration crisis, please consider giving to the Global Migration Advance #3022144 on Dec. 3, 2017. There are several ways to give.READ MOREFrom the Desk of Bishop Bruce Ough
October 11, 2017
Uncategorized
Brothers and Sisters of The United Methodist Church,Grace and peace to you in the compassionate name of our Lord Christ Jesus.
I write to you on behalf of our Council of Bishops to invite you to observe Global Migration Sunday on December 3, 2017. This is the first Sunday of the season of Advent, a time when we remember the coming birth of the Christ Child who was himself a migrant.
From Asia through Europe and Africa to the Americas, the plight of the over 65 million men, women and children forced to leave their homes and migrate to places unknown calls all Christians to remember what God requires of us.
Wars, natural disasters, persecution, economic hardships, and growing violence around the world are the major root causes of the unprecedented global migration we see today with grave concern. As if these deadly forces were not enough, migrants also face myriad problems as they migrate including hazardous travel, cultural barriers and the physical and emotional costs of arriving in strange lands where they are not always welcome and often persecuted.
For most of these migrants, the decision to flee their homeland comes as a last resort effort to live. We are reminded of Joseph and Mary as they sought to save their lives and especially the life of the Christ Child by fleeing to Africa to escape the wrath of King Herod who felt threatened by the birth of Jesus and ordered the massacre of the children (Matthew 2:13-14).
As United Methodists, we believe that the prayers of God’s people can cause the outpouring of God’s mercy and justice. As your bishops, it is our fervent hope that on Global Migration Sunday on December 3, United Methodist congregations in all the places where we serve around the world would join our voices to pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering on the journey of forced migration on the face of the earth. In addition, as a people who pray and act upon those prayers, we ask that all our congregations also gather an offering to be dedicated to responding to the human suffering inflicted by forced migration. Offerings collected should be sent to the Migration Advance No. 3022144.
We are grateful for our general agencies who have prepared excellent resources for Global Migration Sunday including the Prayer that we would ask we all pray on December 3rd. These resources can be found in English, Arabic, French and Spanish at umcmigration.org.
Jesus said, “When you welcome the sojourner, you welcome me.” (Matthew 25:35).
Let us welcome our migrant brothers and sisters with compassionate care, pray for them without ceasing, and give generously that they too may have life.
Grace and peace
Bishop Bruce R. Ough
President, Council of BishopsREAD MORE
October 11, 2017
Uncategorized
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Uncategorized
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