"Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can."
Everyone of us knows this is a quote from Brother John Wesley. For a guy who never smiled in any of his pictures the phrase above seems to come from one who had a great love for people and a very bright disposition.
I was thinking the other day why it is so important for you and me to encourage each other and to lift each other up. It occurred to me that not only is encouragement a spiritual gift, it is in our DNA as United Methodists; we are to do all the good we can.
It is the cry of my heart to do good and to help build the kingdom of God. I hope it is the cry of your heart to do good, not for the sake of following a rule, but for the sake of advancing God's kingdom.
This year at Annual Conference Bishop Watson has shared that our theme will center around children, youth, young adults, camps, and campuses. We as a people of God need to be doing good to each of these groups. It is a fact that the earlier an individual learns about the love of Jesus Christ, the sooner they are to accept that love and to live into that love.
In the Atlanta Emory District we are seeking to touch these lives in a powerful but also a good way. To do all the good we can, we need people who will step up and join us in the planning and implementing of ministry for these sons and daughters of God. We are in need of a person to be our Youth Coordinator for 2014/2015. This person will work with the Executive Team and me in creating life-changing events (or tying into such events). If you know of someone, please encourage them to talk with me.
In our District we also are working to touch the lives of some very unique children and youth, our "preachers' kids". The Executive Team has plans for an event to show support for our "PKs" in May and in the fall. Please pray that we will be able to show the love of Christ to these very special people in the life and ministry of the Atlanta Emory District.
What other ways might we do good? I invite you as clergy to share with me your thoughts as to how the Atlanta Emory family might be doing all the good we can.
Loving doing good for God and you,
Dana
P.S. We celebrate with Brookhaven UMC the dedication of their new pew Bibles (The Common English Bible) on Sunday. I am also grateful to all the SPRC Chairs and Teams who meet with me during these days.