On May 24, 1738, John Wesley "very unwillingly" attended a meeting on Aldersgate Street, London. His life, the church, and the world were powerfully changed. In early August, nearly 1,500 of his followers very willingly came to Aldersgate '93 in Denver, Colorado. From 46 states, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Korea they came to the national conference on the Holy Spirit sponsored by the United Methodist Renewal Services Fellowship (UMRSF), also known as Manna Ministries.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, of the Denver Area, opened Aldersgate '93 with a welcome and a display of her red shoes-very intentionally symbolizing her reliance on the Holy Spirit in her daily Christian walk. She was introduced by UMRSF president, the Rev. Larry Eddings, who proudly recalled that, as a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry, he had recommended her for ordination as an elder.
The conference theme was "Vision Becoming Reality." The Holy Spirit honored this theme, and, in the words of Executive Director Gary Moore, "Jesus played 'show and tell' throughout the conference." Sermons by the Revs. Andrea Bishop, Nick Harris, and Tommy Tyson were entitled respectively, "A New Way of Living," A New Way of Serving," and "A New Way of Loving."
The auditorium was packed to overflowing on Saturday evening. As on previous nights, the praise and music were Spirit filled and exuberant. Tom Drick, worship leader of Pine Castle UM Church, was assisted by Jeff Painter and a worship team of singers and instrumentalists, plus the unique Aldersgate expressive worship team, Set My Spirit Free. There was dancing in the aisles, a wave offering, and a prophetic word from several in the congregation. Two things were different Saturday night. The youth had been meeting separately for their own program, coordinated by Gene and Patti Carter from St. Andrew UM Church in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The youth joined the adults, 130 strong, and had to sit on the floor between the front row and Tommy Tyson's pulpit. Logistically, this left no room for the healing and ministry teams at the end of the service. Vision became reality when Tommy was inspired to instruct the youth to act as ministry teams. The adults of all ages came for healing and ministry, and received it with the laying on of teenage hands and prayers. The glory of God was manifest in power.
The number of young children attending more than doubled from any previous year, and surprisingly, 20 infants less than one year old were in the nursery. Under the coordination of Judy Comstock, the children gladly received the gospel in children's terms. A typical comment of one child to his grandmother was, "I really like this business about God and Jesus; I'm going to be a Christian, but I don't think I'll be a preacher."
Ling and Lourdes Juane attended from the Philippines. Thirty-two members of the UM Church in Fort Yuma, Califomia, attended mostly Native Americans of the Ouechan tribe. Forty-nine came from Neenah, Wisconsin. UMRSF founding fathers, Ross Whetstone, Tommy Tyson, Dr. Bill Wilson, Bob Stamps, and Robert Tuttle were among the 26 seminar teachers.
During the worship prior to the celebration of Eucharist on Sunday moming, a member of the congregation fell ill with a heart irregularity. Without breaking the flow of worship, two physicians attended her while the congregation ministered in prayer and praise. She recovered sufficiently that the service proceeded to a glorious conclusion, with many praying in the Spirit and dancing before the Lord.
Aldersgate '93 combined pentecostal power, spiritual gifts, and Wesleyan
theology. It was a showcase for the year-round ministry of UMRSF. For
a Life in the Spirit Seminar in your church; or to obtain a catalog of
seminars, resources, s leaders, and programs for a local church, district
or annual conference, call (615) 340-7326.
Washington D.C. is the planned site for Aldersgate '94. A capacity crowd
of about 2,400 is expected.
By Harry Camp, a lawyer, is the former president of the United Methodist Renewal Services Fellowship. Published in the September/October 1993 issue of Good News magazine.
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