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North Central Conference Superintendent Mark Adams (left) chats with Nestor German, the senior pastor of First FMC in Aurora, Ill., during a GROW event at Wesley FMC in Waukegan, Ill. | Photograph by Eric Lorenz
BY JEFF FINLEY
How can a Free Methodist conference promote fellowship and unity when it stretches from Montana to Illinois?
The North Central Conference has found a way through annual GROW events, which allow congregations in each of the conference’s six districts to Gather to Retool for Outward focus and Worship. This year’s GROW theme is “iPath: The Path from Skepticism to Christlife.” GROW events include speakers from conference churches (and occasionally from outside Free Methodism) plus breakout seminars.
“I established GROW events three years ago as an extension of annual conference, because we have eight states in the North Central Conference,” Superintendent Mark Adams said. “There were churches that were feeling isolated.”
Three GROW events have been held in this cycle: Nov. 19 at Wesley FMC in Waukegan, Ill.; Dec. 3 at Iglesia Emmanuel in Albert Lea, Minn.; and Jan. 14 at Pine Grove FMC in Loves Park, Ill. Remaining events include Feb. 11 at Central Community Church in Des Moines, Iowa; Feb. 18 at the Motley FMC in Motley, Minn.; and Feb. 25 at Emmanuel FMC in Janesville, Wis.
The events typically occur each year in January and February, but some of the gatherings were held earlier this GROW cycle because Superintendent Mark Adams currently is in the Philippines on a missions trip. (Adams posts updates on his trip at www.markadams.name.)
“The GROW event is allowing all the churches to be connected, to be on the same page to hear the Free Methodist vision. It’s an awesome vision that Christ gave us to be the whole gospel for the whole person for the whole world,” Adams said in an interview at the Waukegan gathering.
Before each GROW event, Adams typically spends at least a week in the region and meets individually with each Free Methodist pastor. Through his visits to churches and the subsequent GROW event, Adams has access to local church leaders he might not otherwise meet.
Expert advice
Jim Charlton, a Free Methodist who serves as Alpha USA's director of ministry development, speaks about evangelism at the GROW event in Waukegan, Ill. | Photograph by Eric Lorenz
Speakers at the Chicago area GROW event in Waukegan included Jim Charlton, the director of ministry development for Alpha USA. Charlton serves on the leadership team at Resolution Church, a rapidly growing Free Methodist congregation in Oswego, Ill.
Charlton discussed creating a culture of evangelism. He shared his practical definition of evangelism: “presenting the gospel in a way that is understandable to the listener and requesting a response.” He said Jesus created a culture of evangelism by teaching, modeling and putting beliefs into practice.
“Does the congregation understand that evangelism is for all of us?” Charlton asked. “Does your congregation understand that when you say, ‘We are going to do this,’ they are the ‘we’ in ‘we’?”
He encouraged congregations to decide on an evangelism model and determine how church members will connect with people outside the church. He acknowledged evangelism is not easy.
“Count the cost, and get ready for spiritual warfare, because it’s going to happen,” Charlton said.
The Waukegan event emphasized the importance of unity among area Free Methodist congregations while also working with other Christians across denominational lines to reach people for Christ.
“Wesley Church is very blessed to have a group of pastors in the area that care and support,” said Pastor Alma Cordova about Wesley FMC’s participation in Christ Together.
Dan Weyerhaeuser, the senior pastor of Lakeland Church in Gurnee, Ill., told Waukegan GROW participants that his Evangelical Free congregation works closely with Free Methodists and other denominations to share the gospel with residents of Lake County, Ill., north of Chicago.
“God’s means of reaching a community is through a myriad of different churches with different bandwidths and different giftings, and only Jesus ministered to everybody,” Weyerhaeuser said. “The rest of us have a bandwidth, and when you put those bandwidths next to each other, perhaps the church together expresses Christ in ways that no one of us ever would be able.”
Participants’ praise
Assistant Superintendent Ernesto Ortega, pastor of Hispanic ministries at Our Redeemer FMC in Elgin, Ill., leads a seminar at the GROW event in Waukegan, Ill. | Photograph by Eric Lorenz
GROW participants said they learned a lot at the Waukegan gathering, and they will encourage fellow church members to attend future events.
“I enjoy getting to find out what other people are doing — what’s working,” said Jill Richardson, a Free Methodist elder who attends Resolution Church.
Bolivar Pena, assistant pastor of First FMC in Aurora, Ill., said the GROW event allowed him a rare opportunity to fellowship with members of other Free Methodist congregations in the Chicago area. Pena appreciated the discussion about how to bring skeptics into life in Christ.
“Many times we are trying to evangelize the people, telling them ‘Jesus loves you,’ but we have to show the love to them first,” Pena said.
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