Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, & Witness

"The Gospel of Christ knows no religion but social, no holiness but social holiness [...] You cannot be holy except as you are engaged in making the world a better place. You do not become holy by keeping yourself pure and clean from the world but by plunging into ministry on behalf of the world's hurting ones." - John Wesley

At the recent Annual Conference of the CA/NV Conference of the UMC, we decided to add one other element to the membership vows of the UMC. In addition to committing our prayers, presence, gifts, and service, we've also admitted that we need to commit to upholding the UMC with our witness. You might think it should have been a given, but it has taken us this long to realize that we can't simply use our prayers, presence, gifts, and service as substitutes for active, intentional, Spirit-led Christian witness. On Sunday, we took out our pens and added into the red hymnal that crucial word in our membership vows. I'm not so concerned about writing it on a page in a book but more about how to live out our witness.

Membership Vows
“Will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church and uphold it by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness?”

Prayers
Our commitment to uphold the Church through intercessory prayer is based upon the fundamental reality that we are not simply a human agency seeking to meet human needs: we pray because we require God’s guidance in order to be the church. When we pray for our pastor, for our teachers, for one another, and for those who may never even enter our doors, we express our dependence on God so that we might in turn express the will and compassion of Christ.

Presence
Our commitment to uphold the Church by our presence is a visible witness of our faith, both in the pew and in the world. Our relationship to Christ is nurtured by our presence in worship where we find spiritual guidance, comfort and strength. But our relationship to Christ is not confined to Sunday morning alone. We also uphold the Church by our presence at home, at work, at school, and in the community. Wherever we are, our presence should be an expression of our commitment to Christ.

Gifts
Our commitment to uphold the Church by our gifts is a thankful response from the heart for all God has given us. Such a commitment serves to remind us of our role as stewards over what God has entrusted to us. The systematic giving of our money also helps to establish and maintain ministries that no individual or single congregation could fund alone. These worthy causes include hospitals, colleges, rehabilitation centers, food and clothing distribution, evangelistic and educational work, and emergency relief.

Service
Our commitment to be loyal to the Church and uphold it by our service further reflects our commitment to follow the example of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). God has entrusted all of us with certain talents and abilities, and sharing these gifts is a means of sharing ourselves out of love and gratitude toward God and love for one another.

-from Highland Park UMC, Dallas, TX