Evangelism called essential to Methodism

United Methodist News Service
SEOUL, South Korea—Participants in the July 20-24 World Methodist Conference were reminded of evangelism’s powerful role in today’s Methodist movement.
“What world evangelism is doing in leadership development, faith sharing and connecting congregations throughout the World Methodist movement is one of the most powerful dynamics in contemporary Christianity,” said the Rev. Maxie D. Dunnam, chair of the Division of World Methodist Evangelism.
The Rev. H. Eddie Fox, director of evangelism for the World Methodist Council, told some 2,500 conference participants the story of the Methodist Church bell in Varna, Bulgaria.
The Communist regime removed the bell in the 1960s, Fox said. Three young men, pretending to be workers, moved it from the church grounds and buried it in a secret garden, where it remained for 40 years.
“The bell was raised from its tomb, and when a new church was created in the heart of the city, the bell was placed in a new tower, in the highest point above the skyline,” Fox said.
“The congregation would not ring the bell until the church was dedicated. Through World Evangelism, a family made a huge sacrifice to help finish the church, and on Sept. 29, 2002, the bell rang again. And today the bell rings.”
Fox declared that it is not God’s intent that people should live amid violence, destruction and war.
“We are called to ring the bell of salvation, healing and hope in the world,” he said.
Fox carried the bell image throughout his presentation, sharing how the bell rings through the World Evangelism outreach, including:
> International Youth Conferences on Evangelism attended by more than 6,000 young people.
> EvangeMed (medical), EvangeBicy (bicycles) and EvangeBread (food) continued as ministries.
> Faith Sharing New Testaments. Some half-million copies have been distributed in 38 languages.
> Connecting Congregations established on every continent since the ministry began in 1992.
> Training programs conducted for more than 6,000 leaders through the World Evangelism Institute.
> The 800-member “Order of the FLAME (Faithful Leaders as Mission Evangelists)” deployed as people committed to carrying out the ministry of evangelism.
Fox reminded conference delegates in Seoul that they would have to make sacrifices if they were committed to the world evangelism purpose, “That the world may know Jesus Christ.”
“There are parts of our movement that are in decline, and in denial, who are suffering from ‘truth’ decay,” Fox said.
Referencing the song “If I Had a Hammer,” he reminded delegates that the second verse begins, “If I had a bell….”
“You have a bell,” Fox said. “The name is Jesus, and we are called to be the bell ringers through word, deed and sign in the world.”
The Saturday World Evangelism Convocation offered another opportunity to hear how the Methodist Church is bringing hope through worldwide evangelistic outreach.
The Rev. Taavi Hollman, superintendent of the Methodist Church in Estonia, shared how God sustained people during difficult times and how the church in the former Soviet satellite nation is reaching out today.
The Rev. Wilson Bonfim of Brazil told stories of EvangeMed, which offers medical care to “the poorest of the poor” in Rio and the Amazonian region
Katherine Ng, a member of the World Methodist Council presidium and a leader in the Methodist Church of Hong Kong, told how “Faith-Sharing Ambassadors” are trained and sent out as witnesses
Bishop Mvume Dandala, chief executive of the All-Africa Council of Churches, challenged participants to be faithful ambassadors of the gospel, and the Rev. Darryl Starnes of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, affirmed the assurance of the power of God’s Spirit for sharing the gospel message.
A highlight of the convocation came as individuals committed to support the work of many young evangelists on bicycles in the Mount Kenya region in Meru, Kenya, through the ministry of World Evangelism and the Kaaga Synod of the Methodist Church in Kenya. Others gave specifically to the call to provide “EvangeBicys” for young evangelists in Ghana.