Moravian Visioning Committee ends 3 year study

Has what began in 2001 with an invitation to all Churches ended, unresolved, in closed door meetings with PEC designated "CORE GROUP" of Church Leaders?

Posting Date 3/10/04

This letter was sent to active clergy from the core group of Moravian leaders who were selected to meet for the purpose of completing the 4 year process of developing a single unifying statement of "who we are and what we believe".

Given the fact that this group was instructed not to share the discussions that were going on during these meetings with anyone outside the group, it seems that their efforts must have failed now that they are recruiting help from outside the committee..

Like the heavily modified Resolution 54 this letter demonstrates the decidedly "relational" priority that is being promoted. Apparently there are those in the group who are holding out hope  that recognition of the authority of Scripture and [the Ground of the Unity] can be included in such a statement.

 

 Attention:  This email is especially for all active clergy in the 
 Southern Province.  I realize there are some of you that are receiving 
 this that are not active clergy, but you are on this distribution list 
 and may disregard.  Becky
 March 4, 2004
 Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 The Provincial Visioning Group, appointed by the P.E.C., has been 
 meeting since August 2003 to prayerfully listen to God and to one 
 another. 
 The group is composed of the following persons: Bob Sawyer, 
 Bob Hunter, Tom Shelton, Rick Sides, Donna Hurt, Bob Iobst, Graham 
 Rights, J.C. Hughes, Lane Sapp, Carol Foltz, Steve Wilson, Frank 
 Venable, Daniel Crews, and Worth Green (Betsy Bombick and Wayne 
 Burkette were not able to meet with us). Judy Knopf is our 
 facilitator. 
 We came together willingly to see the 2001 Visioning 
 Process to its conclusion and also to offer one response to the P.E.C. 
 call for "conversations and healing among the clergy." We have felt 
 that it is imperative for the province to claim and articulate our 
 common ground for witness, mission, and ministry together. This common 
 ground will be the vision that leads us into the future God has for us!
 We give thanks for this opportunity to serve you and to give our time 
 to the province for this effort. So we have been diligent as we have 
 prayed, listened, and discussed. Our hope has been to discern a word 
 from the Lord, one that we can joyfully share with you, our brothers 
 and sisters in Christ, for your individual and corporate 
 discernment...a vision that can be a "Watchword" for at least the next 
 two years. 
 Through scripture, our Christian and Moravian history, from 
 the spiritual events in the lives of our congregations and in our own 
 lives, and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ we 
 strive to be faithful before God. And so over these months we have 
 been drawn to one of St. Paul's powerful challenges in his letter to 
 the Corinthians:
 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has 
 passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who 
 reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry 
 of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to 
 himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting 
 the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, 
 since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of 
 Christ, be reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5:17-20

 This passage has been a true gift to our small group and we believe it 
 is from God. Once received, we each agreed to read it as a prayer, and 
 then wrote personal reflections on how it spoke to us individually.
 
 Then a month later, we met together and shared the thoughts and 
 feelings we believe God gave to us. However, with all of the good that 
 has happened between us and with the discernment that has been given 
 to us, we are incomplete without you. We understand that as a small 
 group we cannot discern alone or choose a passage for the province 
 without the thoughtful spiritual involvement of our colleagues.
 So at this time we implore you, our brothers and sisters in the faith, 
 to spend time with this passage, listen to what God is saying to you 
 personally through this scripture; then, take some time to commit it 
 to a journal, and allow it to be God's epistle to you. 
 In the near future we plan to provide for small groups to meet, where you may 
 gather with other clergy and share the thoughts and feelings God gives 
 to you about this passage in particular and also about our process 
 thus far. We earnestly desire to know if this passage brings as much 
 energy and excitement to others as it brings to us. Is God placing 
 this passage before us for a special purpose? We eagerly await the 
 opportunity to consider this question with you!
 We covet your prayers for our group and the small groups that will 
 follow. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the 
 communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of [us] you!" II Corinthians 
 13:13.
 The Provincial Vision Group

 

It would seem that the intended focus of this effort is to construct a statement that is "relational" as opposed to theological.  This would seem to be inadequate for those who see a need for a statement that affirms the authority of scripture and its message of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Evidence exists that a statement will not be agreed on that recognizes the later.

What this simple statement finally says or does not say may say volumes about our leaders and where our church goes from here.

(submitted by Lee Sprinkle)3/10/04

1 ( PEC had organized a search for appropriate statements of our  identity and beliefs in the Southern Province. Attention to these, Vision Statements would be given at the 2002 Southern Synod)
 Visit the following links on the Southern Province Web Site for more information: 

Vision Discernment  www.mcsp.org/new_future.htm 
Vision Discernment in the Southern Province www.mcsp.org/new_future_vision_discernment.htm 
About Visioning www.mcsp.org/new_future_about_vision.htm 

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