General Board of Global Ministries The United Methodist Church 475 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10115 Contact: Elliott Wright Tel: 212/870-3921 email: ewright@gbgm-umc.org Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of Global Ministries. Image by: Cassandra M. Zampini Source: GBGM Administration

Stamford, CT, April 28, 2009—Christians must have a "face-forward faith" in order to be obedient to God's mission, a bishop told directors of The United Methodist Church's global ministries agency at their semi-annual meeting in Stamford, CT, on April 27.

Bishop Bruce R. Ough of the West Ohio Episcopal Area opened a two-day meeting of directors of the General Board of Global Ministries with an address entitled "No Looking Back." He is president of the organization that has personnel, program, and partners in 136 countries.

The bishop said that if each of the directors and the board itself were to "be fully available and fully obedient to God's mission of ushering in the reign of God on earth as it is in heaven, then we must assume a posture of facing forward. We must demonstrate a face-forward faith. We must not look back."

He based his remarks on two passages of Scripture, Luke 9:51-10:1, in which Jesus warns followers against looking back once they have put their hands to the plow, and from 1 John 3:1-2. The second passage advises followers of Jesus, who know they are children of God, not to be concerned about how "we will end up," a paraphrase of the verse in Eugene Peterson's The Message.

The phrase, "indeed, who knows how we will end up," was used as a refrain in a kind of litany of both mission and organizational challenges Global Ministries currently faces, including the global economic downturn and proposals for institutional restructuring.

The "face-forward" image was particularly relevant since directors at the April meeting received the report of an extensive "operational audit," done by an outside management firm, that laid out a list of recommendations on how to most economically and effectively achieve the goals of mission today. (A subsequent article will cover the major recommendations of that report, not yet public when Bishop Ough spoke. The audit results were presented to directors in executive (closed) session on April 27 and 28).

Bishop Ough also noted that the directors would shortly be dealing with a proposal that would restructure the relationship between the board and its Women's Division, the corporate expression of United Methodist Women. (See related article at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umw/news/event/boardmeetings/?C=6237&i=27534.)

At three points, Bishop Ough paused in his address to ask directors to reflect, around their conference tables, on questions touching on such issues as the perceptions of the agency by others, mission priorities for the future, and ways in which the agency can position itself to be able to embrace the future.

In concluding his warmly received comments, Bishop Ough reminded the mission directors that the basic questions of the Christian gospel have not changed over 2000 years:

They remain the same for us as for those who questioned Jesus on the road about following him. Are you ready to walk on, not looking back, but trusting in the Holy Spirit? Are you ready to walk away from all that is dead and dying? Are you ready to walk forward into Christ’s preferred future for you and us as a community? Are you ready to set your face toward Jerusalem? Are you ready to go and proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near?

The full text of Bishop Ough’s address can be read at No Looking Back. Click here for the PowerPoint presentation.

	See Also... Topic: GBGM events |  GBGM news |  United Methodist Church |  Geographic Region: United States |  Source: GBGM Press Releases
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Date posted: Apr 29, 2009