This year I was privileged to attend the General Conference of the United Methodist
Church in Portland, Oregon. On a personal level, it was a great blessing to me because I was able to meet with friends and colleagues I graduated with at Africa University, Zimbabwe. More importantly, I was blessed to see part of my family I have not seen since we separated in 2009. What a joy to meet my sister! When we met, we both failed to say a word, only tears poured out from our eyes. It was like the lost children who have reunited for the first time. And then my father too was concerned, it is like I was lost. Before the delegates from my country left for the USA, my father asked many of them to make sure that they met me. It was just like the story of Jacob with his son Joseph. Jacob could not believe that his son was still alive and in good position in Egypt. Though I talked to my father every time via Skype, it appeared to me that he did not believe that I was still living. And that is why he charged my sister to go home with more pictures and maybe that could make him believe that I was alive. What a moment! However, what brought me to Portland, OR was not what I have described above. I went there as one of the interpreters (Swahili-English) to help delegates from Congo, Tanzania and Kenya. This was not an easy task. We had to follow every detail of the discussion going on in various committees. For me I was assigned to the committee called Church and Society. What did I learn in this committee? I was reminded of many things I learned at Africa University in Church History. Whoever has got time may read these two books titled Church History, vol. I and II by Justo Gonzales. Volume one is about the primitive church and volume two talks about the reformation period. Now, here is the thing: the Church is almost 2000 years and the way has never been easy. The Church has a history of division because of some disagreements. To name just a few, in 1054 we saw the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church going their separate ways. We each value our little piece of the pie and no one is going to tell us how to do anything differently. In 1517, as if that was not enough, the church divided again when Martin Luther broke from Catholicism. And since then, the Reformation paved the way for more divisions through the years. As we look at the church throughout the ages we see many similarities to the church today. Is there a way we can avoid division in the United Methodist Church? What would John Wesley say if he were still alive? It is unfortunate, the United Methodist Church is now more concerned about the institutional survival than justice. Until when, will we escape the truth? There is a need for all of us to go back to the soil. By going back to the soil, I mean, we need to revisit the four sources given by Wesley, namely the Bible, Reason, Tradition and Experience; and between all these, the Bible is above all. If this is true, it is the Bible that can do justice in all matters that have the ability to divide us. Not only that but also the Bible can determine the culture for Christians. Remember Jesus came to show us the way of life and it is that way we are to follow. In His Service, Pastor Kyabuntu
3 Comments
1/28/2020 08:27:51 pm
Hello, Pastor Kyabuntu. I appreciate the fact that you even narrated the rich history of your church and how old it is right now. I must say that it was not really easy, thinking how the church has survived many problems and different circumstances it faced for the past decades. But I guess, that’s how powerful God can be only if we will allow Him to take over with our decisions. I am sure that He will guide us all throughout and make sure that we are on the right path in life!
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