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UGST
Symposium 2007: Passing the Mantle April 9, 2007 By Joshua Remington and Amanda Littles Coming away from Urshan Graduate School of Theology’s most
recent symposium, I feel a deeper passion for discipleship, a greater burden to
reach the lost, and a certain degree of intellectual stimulation.
The topics this year were more general and pragmatic than in times past
due to the involvement of the General Home Missions Division and the General
Youth Division of the United Pentecostal Church. Big Picture Snapshot This is not to say, however, that controversial topics were
ignored. There were no less than
five sessions focusing on various aspects of the topic of women in ministry,
including one in which Nona Freeman told her personal life history.
There was also a session on ministering effectively to homosexuals, the
first of its kind in an officially endorsed UPCI context.
Such sessions as “Teaching Sexuality to the Church” with Amanda
Rushing, “The Prosperity Doctrine” with Jereme Suey and Marcus Trammell, and
“Why We Lose Apostolic Teens” with Jaime McGarvey also attracted a lot of
attention. For the theology nerds like myself, the academic topics did
not go unattended. Among them were
such sessions as “Gender and Holiness” with John Martin and David K.
Bernard, “The Aurality of the Prologue of First John” with Jeff Brickle and
Jonathan Schwiebert, “Paul, Jeremiah, and the ‘I’ in Romans 7” (always a
crowd pleaser) with Jared Runck and James Littles, “Seeking a Viable
Pentecostal Ecclesiology” with Rodney Shaw and Mark Johnston, and “The
Impeccability of Jesus” with Brian Holloway and David Norris.
What can I say? I laughed; I
cried. It was beautiful. Homosexuality, Calling, and Nona Of particular inspiration to me was the session on
“Ministering Effectively to Homosexuals.”
This consisted of a panel discussion with counselor Andy Smith and pastor
Scott Graham. The other two
panelists were Jim Venice, representing Exodus
International, and Nello Pozzobon, representing the newly formed Apostolic
equivalent Beacon Ministries.
Although possibly controversial to those within and without the church,
these men tackled this emotionally charged subject with honesty, wisdom, and a
deep burden for all who are lost. All too many Christians feel comfortable deriding homosexuals
publicly without regard to those who may be struggling with homosexuality, they
explained. Christians are often
afraid to minister to homosexuals because of what others might think or simply
out of a discomfort being around them.
Homosexuals feel this fear and discomfort, and, in many instances, come
to distrust the church. A place of worship simply does not feel like a sanctuary to
most homosexuals. The only way this
fear and mutual distrust can be overcome is through an overwhelming display of
the love of Christ. By building
relationships with homosexuals and by authentically loving them, these walls can
be broken down, and healing can occur. The passion and commitment exhibited by
these men renewed in me a desire to share the love of God, not only with
homosexuals, but also with all those who have never felt that love. This session impacted me both for its educational value in
reaching homosexuals and its inspirational value in reaching everyone. Another session of interest was the plenary session dealing
with the call of God. Tackling such questions as: Is the calling of God to a
location or to a ministry? How can
a preacher encourage young people who express a calling of God?
How was the calling of God first experienced in the lives of such
pioneers as Nona Freeman, Tommy Craft and Jack Yonts?
These questions and several others led to a fascinating panel discussion
facilitated by The Home Missions Division’s Carlton Coon.
Calling Commonalities There were some common threads throughout the sessions.
The main thing for anyone who is trying to follow their calling is to be
open to hear and obey God’s voice. Bro.
Yonts informed us that our first call is to consecration, separation, a desire
to read the Bible, recognize responsibilities, and then God’s calling on our
lives will be shown. Concerning an individual call, Bro. David Reever of Baltimore
encouraged young people to feed whatever you are spiritually hungry for.
God equips the called, not calls the equipped.
Jeannie Bland of St. Louis insisted that God’s will is not some
mystical thought. If you abide in
God then you will not have to turn over every rock searching for God’s will in
your life. Do not let fear have
control over you. If you don’t know what your calling is just do what you know
to do, be available to help your pastor with anything, for example teach Bible
studies, and don’t be afraid to make a mistake.
For instance, in the business world, those who succeed have to try and
try again before they come up with a winner concept or business.
Women in Ministry Sessions At the beginning of the Pentecostal movement both men and women
were ministers, because it was stressed that God was returning for his
people any day. With the feminist
movement, the UPC overcorrected and went in the opposite direction causing the
women’s leadership roles in the church to be reduced.
A couple of the ladies mentioned that women in ministry today do not have
to justify their calling to other people; they just have to remain faithful to
God. So where should women get
their ministry started? Most ladies
have to start in a position that is normally held by females and grow from
there. Listeners were encouraged to develop a specialty and work in that field.
Every session concerning women mentioned the difficulty for
women to find female mentors. There
were a couple of different solutions given:
Another major issue is that of licensing.
Should women who are called to preach in Pentecost get their license?
There were mixed feelings on this issue. If
a woman is married to a minister why should she spend the money to receive a
copy of everything that her husband is getting? If a woman does not meet the
qualifications according to the UPCI manual to vote, then why should she hold a
license? Some confusion existed on the purpose of a ministry license.
One of the UGST students gave a great response.
Women should hold a license with the UPCI if they are called because the
license shows other people that the individual has the authorization to
minister. This also provides security, protection and confidence in the
church. When a lady holds a license
they are recognized as a minister by other organizations (hospitals and courts).
This next statement would be backed by every woman that was
speaking at the symposium. When a
lady steps behind a pulpit to minister they should keep their femininity.
Don’t feel like you should have to dress like a man just because you
are ministering in a role that has been traditionally in the hands of men.
Nona Dramatized The culmination of the Symposium was a dramatic presentation
of the calling of God in the life of Nona Freeman, the UPCI’s first missionary
to South Africa, with a cameo appearance by the indefatigable woman of God
herself. Attendees were treated to
rare glimpses into her early years and special revelations that people have been
dying to know for decades (Bug’s real name, for instance).
While no Academy Awards are likely to be handed out, it
accomplished what it set out to do by paying homage to this beautiful Apostolic
pioneer and inspiring people to accept the call of God in their own lives.
The humor and underlying love story were not too-over-the-top to be
distracting, and added just the right touch of emotion to the story.
The relationship that Sis Freeman has with God is amazing. Because . . . All in all, UGST’s Passing the Mantle Conference was a
mind-expanding success. I have
already firmly set my heart to attending next year’s Symposium.
I cannot wait to see how they are going to surpass the diversity of
stirring and instructional topics that we were treated to at this one. ninetyandnine.com © 2007, Joshua Remington and Amanda Littles -------
Joshua Remington
is an alumnus of Urshan Graduate
School of Theology, and is currently working with Turn
Point Church in Clermont, FL. In
his spare time, and while not slaving away on articles for ninetyandnine,
he dreams of writing a paper to present at next year’s Symposium.
Amanda Littles graduated from
UM-St. Louis with an accounting degree and works at |
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