So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Ephesians 4:11-12

God has provided everything we need to equip our people to become more mature, believing followers. As leaders, this is our responsibility—a responsibility that often seems to have been overlooked in modern times. At a moment when church membership is likely at its lowest point in our country’s history, we don’t want to require our members to do anything more than show up. But that is not what Paul tells the Ephesians. He writes that every believer has the gifts to equip others, and God has not given us these gifts to look nice on a shelf; we are to use them.

In Christian theology, “equipping the saints” is another term for discipling, referring to the process of preparing believers for ministry and service within the church and beyond. It’s a process that entails providing them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources to effectively fulfill their God-given roles and contribute to the church’s growth and mission. This encompasses training, teaching, and offering opportunities for practice and experience.

As Methodists, we train and teach effectively. We have classes, training sessions, seminars, and conferences that instruct us on how to be Christians and share our faith in Christ with others. What we often lack are opportunities for practice and experience. This is likely because applying what we learn can be intimidating. However, it is by stepping out of our comfort zones that God does his best work.

Christ will build the Global Methodist Church, he promised his disciples, “…I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18. When we focus on equipping, discipling, and evangelizing, Christ will multiply our denomination exponentially. We begin this week as the leaders of the Great Lakes Annual Conference equip us for our work in the local church; it continues when we go home and equip our people, preparing them to reach those outside the church.

Lord, we trust in your Word, and we know you keep your promises. Please help us remain faithful to your instructions and obey them wholeheartedly. Make us courageous, push us beyond our comfort zones, and lead us to the people who desperately need you. Help us equip your church to develop unified and mature believers whose hearts ache for the lost. Amen.

By Rev. Susan Roehs

Partnership Update: Ethiopia Nazrawiyan Annual Conference

During our first business session, Ethiopia Nazrawiyan Annual Conference (ENAC) Conference Superintendent Anbessu Tolla Feyissa presented an update on the growing partnership between the Great Lakes Annual Conference (GLAC) and the ENAC. This comprehensive missional partnership has grown significantly since it began just two years ago, now supporting 168 pastoral families throughout Ethiopia with funding from local churches, small groups, and individuals. GLAC connectional funding has also supported ENAC training initiatives, transportation resources, and other ministries between the two conferences.

Key highlights from the presentation included the recent launch of the ENAC in February 2025. The initial conference featured a clergy training in Hawassa that brought together over 150 Ethiopian clergy and the provision of ten motorcycles to enhance Presiding Elders’ ability to serve rural congregations across Ethiopia’s challenging terrain. Superintendent Feyissa emphasized the partnership’s focus on sustainable growth and expressed his thanks to the people of the Great Lakes for their continued support.

Concert of Prayer and Opening Worship

As we gathered this morning for the first time at the Great Lakes Annual Conference 2025, our opening worship began with great music, featuring both traditional and contemporary styles. Following the music, we started our Concert of Prayer. As a conference, we understand the importance of beginning this important annual meeting by calling on God to lead our times of worship and decision-making. It’s only when we take the time to gather in God’s presence and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with His wisdom, joy, and peace that we can be confident we are in God’s will.

Laura Ballinger, Prayer Co-Coordinator for the Great Lakes Annual Conference, began this sacred time by reminding us of our purpose and the God we serve. She informed us that we would hear prayers and scriptures in several languages. By integrating prayer and scriptures in various languages, we were reminded of our global nature. It wasn’t necessary to comprehend everything spoken on stage; knowing the words were of God and directed to Him was enough to connect our hearts. As someone who loves words, I found the prayers to be music to my ears even in languages I didn’t know. My heart felt the prayers and connected in a way that only the Holy Spirit can make happen.

Before concluding the Concert of Prayer, we were asked to join with two or three others and pray for the strength to live out the Great Commission. This cemented our conference theme of being equipped and equipping others.

Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison, Conference Superintendent, took the stage to share a message explaining the rationale behind choosing “EQUIP” as the theme of the 2025 Annual Conference session. He began by reminding us that life consists of rhythms; the rhythm of gathering and the rhythm of scattering are both essential to the health of the Great Lakes Annual Conference. He then defined the Hebrew word translated as “equip.” The word was used to describe setting a bone or reassembling a joint. It also referred to mending nets and restoring something to the condition in which it should be.

Using Ephesians 4:11-15, Pattison explained that Christ gave His church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip His people for ministry. He emphasized that, despite popular belief, we were not called to “serve us,” but to service. Equipping is the process by which we mature in our faith and build unity among us. Equipping prepares us for the work God has called us to do. He has given us everything we need to answer His call on our lives.

Our physical buildings are not the places where we do ministry; instead, they serve as spaces to learn about God and His calling for our church in our community. Armed with that knowledge, we are sent out by Christ to serve the least, the last, and the lost. By using Christ as our standard, we will speak the truth in love, grow in maturity, and become disciples who make disciples who, in turn, make disciples.

Highlights from Children’s Ministry

In A Wild World We Can Trust Jesus is the theme of the children’s program at this year’s Annual Conference. More than 40 children, from birth to elementary age, are enrolled in the on-site ministry, staffed by 15 volunteers. The program runs daily and includes songs, crafts, games, and interactive Bible stories.

Dedicated to the GM Church mission to spread Scriptural holiness across the globe, Rev. Ben Palmer, and his wife, Cassie Palmer, are Co-Coordinators of the program. They are inspired to instruct the children in every place, including the conference. “Our goal is to reinforce what the children are learning at home and in their local churches,” Palmer said.

Seeing the joy on the children’s faces, the future of the church looks bright!

Breakout Sessions

We are being offered 20 different breakout sessions this year. Due to the inability of any of us to attend all the sessions or even most of them, the staff plans to provide an audio recording of each workshop, which will be accessible after the conference.

These sessions focus on topics that are priorities in the Great Lakes Annual Conference. Sessions on being a global church, discipleship, prayer, evangelism, and renewal will be offered today. Some of the workshops will be offered more than once, and you may be able to attend on Friday if you miss it today.

For more information, please refer to the Annual Conference Session Program or conference app, which lists the workshops, presenter names, and workshop locations.

Scriptural Holiness with Bishop Mark Webb

Bishop Mark Webb challenged conference attendees to seek a transformative process to become more like Jesus during his Wednesday evening remarks.

“Becoming more like Jesus will enable us to live out the entire GM Church mission, including the scriptural holiness part,” Webb said. “Scriptural holiness is about embracing God’s grace, living in obedience to His will, and reflecting His character in our daily lives, becoming a holy people who live as a set-apart people, pleasing to God and shining as lights in a dark world. It’s not just about avoiding sin, but about actively pursuing God’s love, grace, and truth, and expressing that love in our words, thoughts, and actions.”

In a world where people keep looking for life in the things that are killing them, what they really need is the saving and healing truth of the Gospel. “Our work as Methodists includes sharing the life that comes only through Jesus the Christ,” Webb continued.

From his influential tract, Character of a Methodist, John Wesley reminds us that a Methodist is one who has the love of God shed abroad in his heart, by the Holy Ghost given unto him; one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength. The founder of our movement taught that true faith is not just a matter of believing or doing, but becoming.

In his invitation to Communion, Webb’s exhortation included, “If we are to accomplish our mission, our entire mission, we need new hearts. Our hearts need to be transformed so that we can participate in the divine nature of God and become people and a church on fire.”

To view Bishop Webb’s full address, visit the link below.

Ordination Service

This year’s Ordination Service will be this evening at 7 pm ET in the Auditorium at The Arbor Church. This service will be live streamed. You can click the link below to watch the service.

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