World church leaders are meeting in Silver Spring, Md., for Annual Council through Oct. 12, to make important decisions regarding the church’s mission and policies. The agenda was expected to include discussion on a document entitled “A Study of Church Governance and Unity.” This document brought back to the surface issues of church authority which have simmered since two union conferences within North America approved the ordination of women to gospel ministry.
In response, John Freedman, North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) president, is inviting Northwest members, where possible, to join in a day of fasting and prayer, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, the final full day of Annual Council agenda. Members are also encouraged to keep each delegate in their prayers throughout the entire session.
As the newly elected NPUC president, Freedman is emphasizing the power of prayer for the church and its mission. In a letter this week to local conference presidents, he reminded them that when Jesus invited his disciples to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane with him, they fell asleep. “Together,” he wrote, “let us stay awake and intercede for the 2016 Annual Council that our leadership does not grow careless, but finds the right path to true unity. My hope is that this call to prayer … will also awaken each of us here in the Northwest to our privilege of talking to God as to a friend and remind us of the limitless resources of His grace and love that are available to those who pray. May God bless all of us with spiritual life and energy in Christ.”
Read the 17-page "Summary of A Study of Church Governance and Unity" or the full 54-page "A Study of Church Governance and Unity" online.
