Gill Newton's Keynote Address

HIDDEN TREASURES

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I'm sure that most of you will have been aware of the theme which Kerry Scarlett, the Vice President and I discerned for our Presidential Year – that of "Hidden Treasures". We offered that theme hoping that it would bring encouragement, inspiration and healing at a time of some turmoil, weariness and darkness in the church and in the wider world. We prayed and trusted that it would be an encouragement for us all, that despite the circumstances in which we find ourselves, God is constantly active, offering to breathe new life into us, and into the challenging situations with which we all frequently wrestle!

As I travelled the Connexion, both on my own and with Kerry, I sought to listen carefully to the stories of local contexts, often hearing of deep challenges, but also looking to glimpse where the hidden treasure is lying or indeed, where it has already been discovered.

There are several things that have the potential to make us feel weighed down, despondent or even defeatist, but I have also observed so much that gives great hope, not least because so many of us are faith-filled, courageous, resilient and determined. We are all those things in so many places, but more than that – we can be hopeful and hope-filled because we continue to serve a God who really has placed treasure everywhere for us to discover, whose provision is abundant and whose grace is eternal.

So, as I share today my thoughts and reflections on the past year, I want to do that with a realism about our context and challenges, but I do also want to lift our eyes to recognise afresh the power of Christ at work in us, enabling us to be and to do more than we ever imagined. As I share some examples of where I have found treasure, I hope it will inspire you to recognise more of the glimmers of hope that are all around us, even if we haven't quite recognised them where we are just yet!

BIBLICAL CONTEXT

Our Presidential theme was grounded in several biblical texts, chiefly Isaiah 45, verse 3: "I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you will know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name." But as I have journeyed the Connexion, there is another passage of scripture that has kept coming to mind and which I share with you now.

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It's a few verses from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 4:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 4 v 7-9

Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth from his own experience of persecution and hard times. He recognised the frailty of himself and his friends, but also acknowledged that because of the power of Christ at work in them, the hardships they had experienced had not overwhelmed them. So, he makes this well-known comparison between the followers of Jesus and fragile earthen pots and emphasises that we are called to carry within ourselves the greatest treasure of all, Jesus Christ himself.

It seems to me, that whilst we may not be facing persecution in our common understanding of that word, there are many and complex pressures as we seek to be faithful disciples of Jesus and so these words of Paul about feeling afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and struck down may well have many resonances with our experiences today.

CONNEXIONAL CONTEXT

So, as I have travelled the Connexion what have I noticed that fits with these words of Paul? Firstly, what is afflicting us and has the potential to crush us? My conversations lead me to believe that many of the demands and expectations that seem to be placed upon us around governance weigh heavily.

We face the increasing demands of legislation on the one hand, and the contraction in available people to fulfil key roles on the other. All this often results in both lay and ordained taking on tasks and responsibilities which are not our primary calling and for which we don't always feel appropriately trained or resourced.

Secondly, what is perplexing us and has the potential to cause us to despair? You may have several answers to that question, but my sense is that some of us are perplexed about what to do to change the decline we see in the church that we love and for which we sometimes feel responsible. We are struggling to know how to create space to pray, reflect and seek fresh vision. Or, perhaps, we have a sense of what God is asking but find it difficult to persuade others who do not share our view.

Thirdly, what is causing us to feel persecuted and has the potential to make us feel forsaken? This is not necessarily a widespread issue, but there are those amongst us who feel they are not being supported in the way that they expect. Wellbeing isn't always being considered when additional responsibilities are allocated. Conversely, some feel that the gifts they have to offer are overlooked because time isn't taken to explore vocation and calling in a healthy way.

And fourthly and lastly, what is striking us down and has the potential to destroy us? Could it be despondency, weariness, and even depression brought upon us by ongoing struggles to encourage others to be looking outwards rather than inward, to engage with the local communities and to be less apathetic and more courageous?

I have noticed all these things, and the impact they have on all of us in some measure as I have travelled the Connexion and listened.

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So, are we under pressure? Yes! Are we perplexed sometimes? Yes! Are we facing criticism and opposition? Yes! Are we knocked down and deflated sometimes? Yes! In an ideal world, none of us would want to feel this way and yet as we read Paul's words to Corinthian believers, why should we expect our experience to be any different. Paul reminds us that this is the reality of life. This is the truth for every follower of Jesus. There is perhaps a need for us to acknowledge and to own our frailty and our vulnerability, in order that, as Paul suggests, we do not rely on ourselves but are reminded that anything we do is only achieved because of the power of Christ at work in us, because of the treasure within!

Jars of clay are very ordinary. In the near East they were common, unimportant, temporary and expendable. If a clay jar broke, no one tried to fix it. It was simply discarded and replaced. And it's to this ordinary vessel that Paul compares himself and us, so that when great things happen, the attention is not on us, but on the treasure that we carry within ourselves. Now, please don't hear me suggesting that we should be treating each other as expendable but do hear me encouraging us to accept that fragility and vulnerability are part of our calling as we seek to exercise ministry and point others to Christ.

So, things are challenging. That's been obvious to me through this year. The President isn't only shown all the good and exciting things and the places with wet paint! But neither is that all I've seen and heard this year. Amid all that fragility and vulnerability, God is very definitely at work.

HOPEFUL OBSERVATIONS

There is plenty of joy, anticipation, resurrection and new beginnings around the Connexion. In so many places, hidden treasure is being revealed and the treasure that we carry in our jars of clay is being displayed as we face the challenges, focus on doing the right thing and respond to the promptings of the Spirit of God.

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During the year I had the privilege of sharing with Superintendents in their Conferences in Oxford and Blackpool under the title, "The Connexion from the perspective of the President" and so, with apologies to a couple of Superintendents present here who were at those Conferences, I share here just a little of what I shared with them, using the strapline recently being regularly used: – "The Methodist Church is called to be growing, inclusive, evangelistic and justice seeking."

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In the past we have typically measured our GROWING through our membership numbers, never quite knowing how accurate they are! Those numbers have been contracting over many years. That has led to a growth of things that we could do without – fear about the future, fretfulness about how much longer we can keep going, anxiety about the upkeep of buildings, perplexity about where to find all the necessary church and circuit officer holders and a genuine concern about the wellbeing of lay and ordained.

But other things are growing too! A growth in willingness and imagination to use land and buildings in different and creative ways; a growth in different ways of "doing life" together that enable us to prayerfully support each other in our discipleship; a growth in serious contextual engagement with the communities round us; a growth in willingness to worship in new and creative ways; a growth in commitment to respond to the climate crisis and a growth in the New Places for New People being established across the Connexion.

What is growing where you are that is positive or what treasure have you noticed that needs further nurture?

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You don't need me to tell you that most of our churches think of themselves as welcoming and INCLUSIVE. There is a genuine desire to be hospitable but sadly, often due to our lack of familiarity with other cultures or life experiences, we find it hard to really see what the needs of others might be resulting in people feeling anything but included.

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and its training materials have already done a huge amount to aid our knowledge and understanding, but we know that we still have a long road to travel. It might be easy to feel defeated by it, overwhelmed or deeply anxious about what we have not yet done and of course, we should never lose our genuine concern for those who still feel excluded from the life of the church because of the way we currently conduct ourselves.

However, let's always remember that we are all a work in progress, and we have come quite a long way. There are people who now rejoice at feeling included who wouldn't have felt that way a few years ago because of the steps we have taken or the changes we have made.

As I have travelled the Connexion, I have been part of worship offered in more than one language. I have noticed the voices of young people being more fully heard, bringing about changes and new initiatives. I have seen properties being adapted specifically to make provision for those living on the streets and of course, there are numerous examples of worship being offered online enabling many to participate who could not be in our buildings at the time of our gatherings.

We cannot afford to be complacent about any of this but let's acknowledge that we are making progress. What positive steps towards greater inclusiveness have been taken where you are, I wonder, or what are you noticing that needs your attention next?

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CONVERSATION

I'd like us to pause there and provide an opportunity for you to talk to each other around your tables about the call to be growing and inclusive. There are some questions on the screen to help focus the conversation and whilst I recognise, as I've already acknowledged, there is plenty that we have not yet done and plenty that looks bleak, I really want to encourage you to focus on what you have done and what is happening – look for the glimmers of hope in the darkness and let's hear about the hidden treasures that are all around us in these areas of our life together!

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When we come to think about being an EVANGELISTIC church, there will undoubtedly be a variety of views about what we mean by that. But I hope we could at least agree that it is about helping others to find meaning and purpose in life as they recognise how God's story interweaves with their story to bring about their flourishing; that it is about enabling people to fulfil their God-given potential; that it is about showing people that the love and mercy of Christ is for all; that they are treasured!

I'm sure we've all heard people claim that no one wants to become a member of the church anymore, or that we shouldn't frighten people away by being too upfront about our faith, or that people have lost confidence in God and in the gospel or even that people aren't interested in matters of faith! And some of those things may well be true in some cases. But there is another story to be told!

In recent times, as a church, we have invested heavily in the God For All strategy with its encouragement to focus on New Places for New People and Church at the Margins and there are lots of exciting things happening across the Connexion under those banners, but we are engaged in evangelism in other positive and broader ways too. "Open The Book" is being used widely as a means of sharing bible stories with schoolchildren; pop-up or mobile churches are on the move in some circuits/districts enabling engagement with people of all ages in a variety of contexts; beach pastors and street pastors are engaging with people whilst they are out and about; Methodist Way of Life resources are being used by chaplains in the Armed Forces; the power of Godly Play is being used in schools, day care centres and retirement homes and we have countless chaplains doing wonderful work in hospitals and hospices, schools and universities, caravan parks, retail outlets, agricultural centres, prisons and elsewhere.

It seems to me that we are working hard to dispel the myth that the church is only interested in filling our pews and getting people to do jobs! In many places we are investing our energies in being alongside people where they are and discovering the treasure they have to offer. We may not always see the fruit of all our endeavours, but we are helping to prepare the ground in people's lives for seeds of faith that may be planted by others later.

What positive stories do you have to share about how the story of God's love is being shared in your context and what other opportunities might be available to you?

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Then finally, there is our call to be a JUSTICE-SEEKING church. Amongst the passages of scripture that the Vice President and I have used to support the Presidential theme are the verses in Romans 8 in which Paul speaks of "creation groaning" and of the "groaning" within many of us as we wait for things to change as Paul assures us, they will one day.

As I have already noted, there is so much about the world and indeed the church that we would want to be different. It would sometimes perhaps be the easiest thing in the world to sit back, sigh at the view and then declare that there's very little we can do about it!

But, through last year's "Walking With Micah" Conference report, we have acknowledged that whilst there is more change needed than we can achieve alone, there are definitely things that are "ours to do" and as I have travelled across the Connexion I have been encouraged in seeing how so many Methodist people are certainly playing their part.

I have seen projects providing second-hand school uniforms to families who could not otherwise afford to kit out their children, initiatives taking food being thrown away by supermarkets and giving it those in need, church members working in partnership with other local community organisations to stand against injustice, story-telling enabling this generation to appreciate just how much Methodism has been at the heart of transforming life for previous generations of the working classes, banners being made that reflect our hopes and dreams for justice and tell the story of projects we are already involved in as well as the Methodist Church's key role in the launch of the Let's End Poverty movement.

Add to that the countless Warm Spaces, Community Lunches and Foodbanks happening in our churches across the Connexion. In so many ways we are responding to the injustices that many are suffering as well as being a church that speaks out against the unjust policies and practices that make these projects necessary.

What justice-seeking is happening where you are I wonder and who else are you being called to get alongside?

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CONVERSATION

I'd like us to pause again there and talk to each other around your tables about the call to be evangelistic and justice-seeking. There are some questions on the screen to help focus the conversation and again I encourage you to look for the glimmers of hope in the darkness!

SO WHAT?

So, as Paul describes, in many places, and in many senses, the evidence suggests that we are afflicted, perplexed, criticised and struck down. We don't always know which way to turn. We are stretched to our limits. We long for things to be different.

But the evidence also suggests that despite all this, God is still active amongst us. Treasure is still being discovered by us and we are continuing to reveal the treasure that we carry within our fragile clay jars as we proclaim the gospel and share the love of Christ in a myriad of ways! We are growing, we are becoming more inclusive, we are being evangelistic, and we are justice-seeking!

To draw on another theme we've explored through this year, giving birth is a painful process, so we perhaps shouldn't be surprised that as new things are birthed in our churches and communities there will be pain, there will be mess, there will sometimes be disappointment, but there will also be joy. In my Presidential address last year, I commented that the pain that we are experiencing within the church now, may be the very sign that something new is emerging and I don't know about you, but I want to be part of that something new, whatever it looks like!

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I've been sitting with these words of Paul for some months now, and it was both a surprise and a joy to arrive at the Irish Methodist Conference in June to discover these verses being used by their incoming President, the Revd Dr. John Alderdice, for his opening address to the Conference. John reminded the Irish Methodists of their calling to "live wholeheartedly as followers of Jesus for the transformation of the world", a strapline they have been focusing on for the last couple of years.

John reminded us that we cannot transform the world ourselves – we are ordinary people – fragile clay jars. So, we ourselves need transformation first, so that we are better prepared and resourced to share in God's work of transforming the world, which includes transforming the church. So, perhaps even more important than remembering that we are treasured by God, or that we are called to seek the treasure that God has hidden for us, is the need for us to focus on the great treasure of Jesus that we carry within ourselves and which we are called to reveal to the world by who we are and how we behave.

So, as I draw these thoughts to a close, I want to thank you for all that you are and all that you are doing in the name of Christ to help us to be growing, inclusive, evangelistic and justice-seeking. I want to remind you of the treasure that lies within each one of you, even the Lord Jesus Christ, whose power will enable you to achieve far more than you ever imagined, and I want to remind you that there is treasure all around you, if you will keep searching.

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Henri Nouwen once wrote, "We must learn to live each day, each hour, yes, each minute as a new beginning, as an opportunity to make everything new. Imagine that we could live each moment as a moment pregnant with new life. Imagine that we could live each day as a day full of promises. Imagine that we could walk through the year always listening to a voice saying to us, "I have a gift for you and can't wait for you to see it!"

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Those words seem to wonderfully capture what the Vice President and I were encouraging us all to do last year. Let's all keep looking for the treasure, the gifts that God has hidden for us and know his joy when we find it! Let's help each other turn away from focusing on what we don't have, what we don't have time for or what we as a church don't have so that we look instead for the glimmers of hope and the treasure that is all around us and pursue that instead. If we do that, by the grace of God, we will, I fervently believe, find ourselves "doing the right thing!"

So, thank you to all of you for engaging in those conversations and particularly to those of you who have shared in the plenary gathering. We celebrate all that is happening across our district as we respond to our calling to be a growing, inclusive, evangelistic, justice-seeking church and many of you are at the heart of that work. All of you are part of the treasure that we have within the Methodist Church, so please continue to pray for and support each other as together we continue to reveal the treasure within and to look for treasure around us, remembering that God has promised that he will give us "the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that we will know that it is the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls us by name."

PRAYER

And as we finish, we share in a prayer, written by the Vice President and included in our Prayer Handbook last year:

Loving God, you have promised that you will remains with us always. Even when we are tempted to despair, you still call us by name. You reveal to us the treasures that are all around us; the places, the people, who will speak to us words of surprising hope and truth. Give us the wisdom to value the riches you reveal to us in the everyday and in the unexpected, in the new and surprising and in the practices of old. Give us the courage to share them, to speak and to show your good news, that your kingdom of joy and peace grows here on earth. Amen.