At General Conference this Summer, Bishop David Wilson made history as he offered his sermonic address. Wilson, who also serves on Garrett-Evangelical’s board of trustees, is the first indigenous person to be appointed bishop in The United Methodist Church. As he entered the pulpit at such a pivotal conference, he carried the weight and promise of this opportunity. “I was so honored that the South Central College of Bishops nominated me to be one of the preachers,” he says. “But it’s also a load on my shoulders. People talk about my being the first, depending on my voice, and sometimes that’s daunting.”
Garrett-Evangelical Seminary is one of the 13 United Methodist seminaries supported by the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment of the United Methodist Church.
The complicated emotions Wilson carried in his body mirror a broader complexity about where the Church has been—and where it’s headed. “I’ve served all my life and grown up in church since the 1960s before we were The United Methodist Church,” he says. “And native folk will ask me: ‘Why would you be part of a Christian Church, given its past history of how they’ve treated indigenous peoples?’” While others might shy away from navigating that pain, Wilson approaches it head-on. “This has been my life since childhood. It’s something from which I cannot hide,” he says. “My place now is to help educate people about that past. And in that, we have a long way to go.”
The Reverend Dr. Peter Mageto (G-ETS 2001&2004), vice chancellor of Africa University, likewise took the stage to testify about how the Zimbabwean institution is nurturing leadership. He shared that the university has graduated more than 12,000 students, who are now employed across the continent and last year, it opened a college of applied sciences and engineering. “They are building a future where Africa’s future is fully realized,” he says. “And the cross and flame displayed on campus declares we are a United Methodist Christian university. “Bishop Tracy Smith Malone (G-ETS 1993)—newly elected president of the Council of Bishops and the first Black woman tohold that role—concurred, calling Africa University “a gift from God.” Speaking with oy, Malone could be heard throughout the convention hall. “Education is a passport to freedom. Education is a passport to sustainability. Education is a passport to hope, she says. “To God be the glory for what has been done and for what is yet to come.”
The new regionalization plan will give international churches more autonomy to shape local conference, worship, and lay ministries to meet their communities’ most pressing needs. And sacramental authority for deacons will empower more hands to carry it out. These changes, celebrated widely by Garrett-Evangelical’s global partners, reflect the reality of The United Methodist Church: Two-thirds of Methodists now live in Africa and Asia and are already leading the church.
“The United Methodist Building stands across the street from the Capitol and the United States Supreme Court Building,” Bishop Julius C. Trimble (G-ETS 1983), general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society, says. “It is a witness to The United Methodist Church’s commitment to an ethic of love that requires responsible political action along with our prayers aimed at the betterment of society and promotion of the common good across the world.”
Ultimately, Wilson wants The United Methodist Church to move forward guided by what he and others have already been able to create in the Great Plains. “I want to name what we’re doing here, how we’re living together in this big tent,” he says. “Our folks are theologically conservative, moderate, and progressive, living together as The United Methodist Church.” This diversity is what it means to be the body of Christ and can foster vibrant coalitions, “It’s what makes this denomination so beautiful so beautiful,” Wilson concludes. “We don’t all have to think alike or act alike, but we have our common goal to make disciples and the transform the world, which is in such a great need of transformation.
excerpt from a story by Benjamin Perry, AWARE Magazine
One of seven apportioned giving opportunities of The United Methodist Church, the Ministerial Education Fund is at the heart of preparing people for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The 13 United Methodist seminaries help students to discover their calling through the challenging curriculum. The fund enables the church to increase financial support for recruiting and educating ordained and diaconal ministers and to equip annual conferences to meet increased demands. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
