CMCA VISION: Glorifying Our God, Edifying His People
2015-2018 THEME: Transforming the Community: Covenant Disciples & Missions
- 2015: Being Methodists; Loving God Wholeheartedly
- 2016: Being Methodists; Growing in Spiritual Holiness
- 2017: Being Methodists; Reforming the Churc
- 2018: Being Methodists; Transforming the Community
FOCUS ON 2017-2018 THEME
Our theme for 2017 is: “Being Methodists, Reforming the Church,” and the continuing theme for 2018, which is “Being Methodists, Transforming the Community.” Therefore, we will work on the 2017 and 2018 theme as one following through for the two year period linking them together. Hence, the theme for 2017 and 2018 is: “Reforming the Church, Transforming the Community”
John Wesley says, “The Gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness, but social holiness.” Such call to holiness demanded that all Methodists need to develop a proactive attention to and concern for society and politics. This leads us to Wesley’s ideas of social concern – not just living a life of personal holiness, but also social holiness and thus spreading scriptural holiness across the nation. To succeed in doing that, the Church needs reforming, first the pastors, and then the lay. Only then, as the Methodist Church we can become agents of healing and transformation to the community.
We must be truly “proud” of our Methodist roots, heritage, tradition and its distinctiveness. As you know, the purpose of starting the Methodist movement by the Wesley brothers is to reform the nation; particularly the church in spreading scriptural holiness across the land which is still our mission and the purpose for our presence here in this land down-under.
For Methodists, the Christian life of faith always holds out the potential of ever-increasing likeness to Christ in love through the gracious in-dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, genuine Christian faith produces inward and outward holiness. The inward regenerative process cannot help but find expression in an outwardly improved moral character. This truth must be emphasised to our members, that we will live up to our theme of “loving God wholeheartedly, and to grow in scriptural holiness (to go on to Christian perfection), to reform the church and to transform the community” (2015-18).
Let us live up to the distinguished mark of a Methodist. We must ask ourselves, “Who is a Methodist?” Our answer should be: “A Methodist is a person who has the love of God in His heart. This is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. And the same Spirit causes the Methodist to love the Lord, His God with all His heart, with all His soul, with all His mind, and with all His strength.”
We need to recover the sense of wonder and joy which so characterised the early Methodists and the movement – their evangelism and fellowship, out of the deep certainty of a real experience of the redeeming love of God in Christ – then there is a great future of service, and of blessedness for “the people called Methodists.”
May we remain true to ourselves that we do our best to devote ourselves to reform the nation, particularly the Church, and to spread scriptural holiness over the land.
The theme for years 2017 and 2018 speaks to such a time; “Reforming the Church, Transforming the Community.” I believe deeply that this is what God has called us to do and to accomplish: To reform this nation that was once proudly identified as a Christian nation, a nation under God. A reformation that begins with the church. A reformation that begins… with OUR church, that begins with us!
If you ask me, “What are the advantages and benefits of being a Methodist?” I invite you in reply, “Come and be part of this movement. Come and join us in this calling and this mission, which God has laid upon the heart of every true Methodist, To reform the nation, particularly the church, and to spread scriptural holiness over the land. Let this reformation begin with us, O Lord, that we may, by your grace, transform the community in which we find ourselves!”
Servant of the Lord,
James Kwang