Nov-Dec 2010

Year Round Faithfulness

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

 

Thomas Chisholm is not a household name that most people would recognize, but the story of his life is one that can inspire all of us.

 

He was born in a crude log cabin in Kentucky, and never had a chance to attend high school or college. His health was fragile, forcing him to resign as a Methodist minister after only one year of service. He began writing, but received more than his share of rejection letters. Even when his poems were published, he seldom received any money for them.

 

You would think his outlook on life would be pretty dismal, but at the age of fifty-seven he wrote the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” based on the verses in Lamentations that say, “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.” With that one hymn his place in history is secure.

 

As we quickly come to the end of another year, I can’t help but think of how God has been faithful to us each and every day. As a conference, OIMC has been blessed in many, many ways, and we are still here, doing ministry and missions in the same way that our ancestors did it over one hundred and sixty eight years ago!

 

Yes, God has been faithful to us because there is no way we would have made it this far on our own. But my question today is, “have we been as faithful to God as God has been to us?”

 

During these seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I invite the people of OIMC to take a spiritual inventory of the blessings God has provided us. Look deep within and rediscover the overwhelming mercies of a God who loves us, provides for us, and is faithful to us throughout the year.  Ask forgiveness of our shortcomings and failures, and make a covenant to enter into the new year more determined than ever to be worthy of God’s faithfulness.

 

It is my prayer that we will reconnect with the God of our fathers and mothers who has brought us to a time and place where regardless of how gloomy things may seem, we, like Thomas Chisholm can say:

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

there is no shadow or turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;

as Thou has been Thou forever will be.”

 

Blessings,

Bishop Robert E. Hayes, Jr.

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July/Aug 2010

"Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common." Acts 2:43-44

 All Things in Common

 In my opinion, our recent annual conference was one of the best-if not the best-gatherings we've had since I have been your bishop. There was just something special about that assembly that only now am I able to capture in words.

Part of it was the spirit of the people. It seems that every year the people of OIMC seem eager to come together for worship and celebration. More than anything our meeting was a reunion and a revival. It was a happening. It was our time under God to witness what God had done and continues to do in our lives, our churches, and our conference. However, the biggest factor in making our meeting special was the fact that we seemed to have "all things in common." Now that doesn't mean disagreement did not exist over some issues, nor were all our motions and votes unanimous. It means there seemed to be this ever-present feeling that we were "all in this thing together," and that regardless of our differences, the most important thing was surrendering our will and our lives to God, who in the end would keep us united.

 

I believe that's what took place in Acts 2. There was no way that the new converts to this "Jesus movement" could know what the leaders had in mind or even what direction they were going, but somehow they knew they were connected to a happening that was larger than life and greater than any individual.

I truly believe that God has brought us to a place in our journey where we understand that we must "have all things in common" to insure our future so we can survive the turbulent waters of uncertainty and doubt. The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference has existed nearly 170 years, and we could not have gotten this far on our own. I'm sure there were differences of opinions and divisions along the way, but God has put our feet on Holy ground where the only way we can move forward is to acknowledge His presence at every turn, and continue to put our trust and faith in His guidance. We are part of a tribe that is larger than any one group, and I believe we know that.

 

I came away from our conference excited, re-energized, renewed and determined to follow the path that God has put us on. I ask every pastor, layperson, congregation and church to come go with me. Let us roll up our sleeves and see what God has in store as we seek to build upon the unity which was there in Preston, Oklahoma for four days.

May God bless you all,

Bishop Hayes

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May-June 2010

My cup overflows" Psalms 23:5b RSV

Filling Our Cups

"All United Methodist congregations in Oklahoma have the potential to grow and multiply. But some of us operate according to the myth of scarcity.

Author and preacher Jim Moore told the story of a man driving home after work one summer day who spotted children selling Kool-Aid at a corner stand. Wanting to encourage the young people, he stopped and rolled down his car window to place his order. Right away, one child walked up and asked the man if he wanted grape or strawberry flavor. The man picked grape, and he gave the boy a quarter. The child carried the drink to the man in his car and the man savored every drop remembering the days when he was young. But there was a problem. The boy continued standing by the car. After a few awkward moments, the boy asked, " Are you just about finished?" The man said, "Well, yes but why?" And the child said, "That's the only cup we have. We need that cup to stay in business."

God's grave my be overflowing but all too often but all too often we are living as though we have only one small cup. I have listened intently to the hopes, dreams, anxieties, and concerns of the people of our Conference. I have heard fears expressed by lifelong United Methodists who are worried about the future of our denomination. I have felt the pain of discontinuing congregations and filling out paperwork for abandoned houses of worship; I have wept with people as they told me their congregations were dying.

On the other hand, I have celebrated with churches observing significant growth, events and anniversaries. I have participated in ribbon-cutting ceremonies for congregations as they completed building programs and I have turned over a lot of dirt for churches that were just beginning to build.

I believe God has given us every gift needed to fulfill God's purpose for Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. God is an abundant giver.

Preaching at our denomination's 2008 General Conference, Bishop Mary Ann Swenson noted the Latin rood of the word "abundant" is a-b-u-n-d-a-r-e. That root word means "to flow" like water in a wave. When combined with the prefix a-b, it means "to overflow." Thus, "abundance" means overflowing. You've read the Psalmist's words: "My cup overflows."

God has blessed us with some of the strongest churches in our denomination, with the most gifted clergy and lay leadership to be found anywhere. I do not buy the assumption that we cannot change the condition in which we find ourselves--because I firmly believe God has poured out everything needed for the mission of the Church.  The key to all of this may be found in the word "cup."

For us, this is the symbol of the cup, the chalice, is central to our identity as Christians. We are the people who are known by our practice of gathering at the table and lifting the bread and the cup, of remembering this cup as a sign of God's covenant.

When the cup is empty, its purpose is to be filled. When the cup is full, its purpose is to be emptied. It gives what it receives. It receives so it can be poured out. Our challenge is to find ways to make that happen.

God bless you all, 

Bishop Robert Hayes, Jr  

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