Clergy, laity asked to join conference delegation and Bishop Cho in 'spiritual renewal' covenant
Spiritual renewal was a topic of much conversation at the 2012 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference in Lake Junaluska, NC. Now, as the conference welcomes its new Bishop, Young Jin Cho, the Virginia delegation said it hopes the fruits of that conversation will be far from ordinary.
Even before Cho was elected and anyone knew he would be returning to Virginia as bishop, the delegation drew up a covenant, pledging to devote at least an hour each day to prayer and other spiritual disciplines -- a central tenet of Bishop Cho’s plan for the clergy under his episcopal leadership. In welcoming Bishop Cho in his new role, the delegation is sharing that covenant with the entire conference in hopes that clergy and laity will prayerfully consider committing themselves to this act of intentional spiritual renewal.
Although the covenant covers only the first 100 days of Bishop Cho’s episcopal leadership, it is hoped that this will serve to ignite and continue a process of spiritual renewal that will last well past that first 100 days.
What can you do to participate in this spiritual renewal?
1) Pray. Then read the covenant online here. Take some time to read it, pray about where you are in your life and if you are willing to commit to taking this time. If you believe you are called to join in this endeavor, you can sign the covenant online and begin this journey with the delegation.
2) Pray. Then pass the story and the link along. You can e-mail it to your friends and family, share it on Facebook and Twitter, or simply pass the word on. If people do not have online access, feel free to print out the covenant and share it with them that way.
3) Pray. Then let your church know what you’re doing. Whether that’s by means of newsletter, Sunday morning announcement, or simply by talking to people, make sure you share in this with your faith community.
4) Pray, fast, read, study, meditate — commit yourself to a spiritual discipline to which you feel called, and do it for an hour a day. Pray, especially, for Bishop Cho as he begins this new phase of ministry, and for each other as the conference undertakes this journey with him. Watch over each other in love, and keep each other accountable to this covenant and, more importantly, to this practice.
5) Post your experiences to the Spiritual Renewal Covenant Blog
The delegation said it hopes that members of the Virginia Annual Conference will prayerfully consider this possibility to join in this ministry.
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