State of the Church Address 11/18/2018 7:20 AM State of the Church Address Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference June 2012 © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries. The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11

“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

“I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation. This is the work which I know God has called me to; and sure I am that His blessing attends it. Great encouragement have I, therefore, to be faithful in fulfilling the work He hath given me to do. – John Wesley

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.” “I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God's creational intentions.” - John Wesley

“What may we reasonably believe to be God’s design in raising up the Preachers called Methodist,” the answer was, “To reform the nation, particularly the church, and to spread scriptural holiness over the land.”

“Until we motivate our people to find passion once more for ‘making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world’ on all levels of the church’s life and work, no structural change, vitality assessment, revitalization plan or metric reporting system will achieve our desired outcome.”

DISTRICT NIGHT QUESTIONS Why Jesus? What is God calling me/us to do differently in the next 3-5 years? What is our disciple- making plan?

Discern at least one God-sized dream for your church/charge.

Sharing & Prayer 1. Share one thing that you need to repent of today. 2. Share a thought about a God- sized dream you are being called to explore. 3. Pray for one another

“The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch

The Head Fake

If you live your life in the right way, the God-sized dreams will come to you.

Thank you for coming today.