A very Latin American response to tensions rising at the General Assembly

As a Latin American, the love of dancing is in my blood and I know full well that dancing can take place at any time, any place or in any context. The IEMUE's General Assembly was no exception. As tensions mounted over a notice of motion concerning the process for naming and managing future committees, it was suggested that the children from the Methodist School in Pastocalle that Michaela and I saw perform earlier on in the week, perform their beautiful dance of praise and thanks to Jesus Christ. What a wonderful way of calming the mood! Perhaps we could do this at our Conference?! I invite you to see the video clip of these lovely children dancing that I will upload shortly.

  This afternoon, saw the election of the new Bishop of the IEMUE. It was a very Ecuadorian take on the voting process, and it worked! Each representative was called by name to cast their vote. As the first round of voting came to an end, the scruntineer counted the votes, and reported that Pastor Rodolfo had 9 votes, Pastor Ramirez 10 and Pastor Silvio 29. This meant that a second round of voting had to take place between Pastor Ramirez and Pastor Silvio, as the elected Bishop needs a two third majority. The process started all over again, with each representative being called by name to the front to cast their individual vote.  This time, Pastor Silvio Ceballos won by 33 votes. We thank God for him and pray that he will be used mightily by God to continue developing the church and supporting it in deepening its discipleship, its outreach and understanding of its Methodist identity.

  Sandra

See the full gallery on Posterous