Bishop's New Year's Letter 2012
Dear friends,
While growing up in Florence, South Carolina, I was a member of the high school choir. Winters were always mild, with the occasional icicle hanging from the house in January and February. I was always assigned the chore of wrapping the pipes under the house, so they would not freeze. During the winter months, I remember our choir would always sing the song Snow, Snow, Beautiful Snow. Its opening line is "Snow, snow, when are you falling? Snow, snow, none of your stalling." Today, as I find myself riding throughout upstate New York, I am still amazed at the beauty of the snow and how God blesses us with four different seasons. I no longer need the reverberant lyrics; for the snow is here in all its beauty.
Although this season harkens renewal, with the blanket of white snow acting like a clean slate, the snow also means even more difficult times for those who are struggling in our society. Whether they are without means of transportation to assistive organizations, without adequate clothing to protect them from the elements or without a permanent roof over their heads, our mission as disciples for Christ is to provide for the least of these. Thanksgiving and Christmas serve as strong reminders of our mission, but we need to be mindful of the year-round presence of need in the world. We need to continue our feeding efforts, our clothing drives, our flood bucket collections, our offering of shelter – and the list goes on.While we acknowledge the great need in the world at large, and here in our own backyard, we must also emphasize the good works that we have accomplished in the past year. The last 365 days for this Annual Conference have been positive. One exciting report is that, to date, our membership decline is leveling off. Our number one task is to win souls for Christ. We must continue bringing the Good News to the thousands of persons in our Area who have not experienced the love of Jesus Christ.
Our love for Christ extends beyond our borders as evident by our hosting of Africa University Choir which blessed us with its ministry of music. That's why we have embarked on a campaign to raise $1 million for scholarships, which will fund approximately eight scholarships in perpetuity.
We will again pay our fair share of Mission and Ministry to the General Church. We have already fed over 1 million people, and our deadline to reach that goal is not until the 2012 Annual Conference session.
Persons in the flooded areas are now finding new spaces to celebrate their ministries. It continues to be a long journey; however, we have people of faith who know that God is still with us.
We have many reasons to be excited at the profound blessings our Conference received in 2011.
Some of our youth are in Nicaragua with the 2012 Mission of Peace. This is an annual journey of discovery, on which our young missionaries participate in worship, meet with local youth, and share with Nicaraguans who share our longing for peace and understanding.
We also have a vibrant and dynamic Camp & Retreat Ministry program. Each year, tens of thousands attend one of our six sites, and your continuous support is a blessing and a necessity. Barbara and I are thrilled to be a part of the opportunities they offer for young people. This past summer, our grandson Innis attended the program for 7-year-olds. When Barbara picked him up at the end of the three-day program, Innis said, “Grandma, I want to come back next year and the next, until I am 15. Then I can be a counselor.” Our camps are for all of us, year-round, and I invite you to use them.
As I write this, 2011 is coming to a close. But our work is far from accomplished. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to the lay and clergy leadership for your support, love and willingness to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, by living the gospel of Jesus Christ and being God’s love with our neighbors.
Barbara joins me in wishing each of you the best in 2012. God is going to give us another chance to do it right!
Blessings,
Bishop Marcus Matthews
