And are we yet alive?

I'm sitting in the Methodist Church's annual Conference. I always come to these events with mixed feelings. Too many people who come seem to think that passing the right resolutions or tweking our structures will somehow make us a vibrant growing church again - it won't! It's great to meet up with all sorts of people who've played a vital part in my spiritual journey and catch up with where they're at now as well as reminiscing about where we were. It's always fascinating to remember what we thought God was calling us to way back when we were young, and to catch up on how things have turned out - some things to thank God for because we've achieved some of the things we'd hoped to do, and some things to think about because we're not there yet. We've just had an inspiring address from Mark Wakelin, our new President, ending with a passionate appeal for us to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. The worship was wonderfully passionate, though not in a style I relate easily to - the highlight was when we were invited to sing a contemporary song - you are the everlasting Cod - which sums up pretty well how we do 'modern' worship. The worship may be old fashioned, but it's inspiring to sing hymns that have been sung at the Methodist Conference since the beginning of the Methodist movement and to see the new President receiving John Wesley's field bible - a reminder of the great tradition we inherit. There's a real sense of standing on the shoulder's of giants as we think of great men and women of God who've served Christ in the Methodist movement. But there's also a danger in this sort of event - it can give us the impression that if we work a bit harder at what we've always done, things will come right and the Methodist Church will be renewed. There's a book I intend to read one day entitled: 'What got you here, won't take you there!' To put it another way, the way we follow the lead of the giants of the past is not by repeating their programmes or replicating their worship, but to seek the same source of inspiration and passion that inspired them and live it out in ways that make mission relevant in today's cultures. What will that look like?