First Friday Letter The World Methodist Council
August 2025
Greetings from the President Dear Friends, Greetings to you in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the way God is working through the World Methodist Council and our member churches. In this First Friday Letter you will read about: - a proposal to be presented to the World Methodist Council Steering Committee to continue dialogue with the Salvation Army; - a recap of the second Conference of REDIME, the Network of Discipleship Studies gathering Methodist Churches in Latin America and the Caribbean; - the launching of a campaign by WesleyMen Worldwide with the purpose of collecting and sharing Pentecost stories; - the learning and inspiration experienced by participants in the Youth and Young Adults’ Peace Pilgrimage to Korea; - and so much more. Each of these initiatives began with the vision of Methodists around the world. Vision is important. Indeed, much has been written about it across the years. Vision: The Book of Proverbs says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish . . .” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). Similarly, agricultural scientist and inventor George Washington Carver is quoted as saying. “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” Author and political activist Helen Keller made a statement about vision that was especially impactful because of her physical deafness and blindness. “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” I am thankful for the World Methodist Council’s vision statement which has guided our ministry for decades. Our vision is “spreading the Gospel and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Central to the World Methodist Council’s vision is the formation of disciples of Jesus Christ. A definition of spiritual disciples that I learned several years ago from SLI (Spiritual Leadership, Inc.) is below. Spiritual Disciples: A Passionate Spiritual Disciple (PSD) is a Christ-follower committed to imitating Jesus’ example. Filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit, PSDs demonstrate the fruit described in Galatians 5:2223 as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A PSD is in covenant with other Christ-followers to grow spiritually, missionally and relationally. Yes, vision is important. Without it, we struggle to thrive, find hope and see clearly. With it we develop meaningful proposals, organize profound conferences, launch inspiring campaigns, offer life-changing pilgrimages and more. How grateful I am that the World Methodist Council has clarity around our vision. I invite you to join me in praying for us to become increasingly effective in moving toward our vision day by day. As always, it is a joy to serve as your President. Blessings, Debra Wallace-Padgett World Methodist Council
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