By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

It’s Friday afternoon and I’m just leaving Midwinter Conference, waiting for my flight back to SEA.  As I walked through Terminal C here at JAX it felt like an after-party, as I ran into so many Covenanters also heading home.  It was good to get last-minute conversations in and to bless colleagues as they made their way home.

As I asked everybody how their week was, I frequently heard from people that they felt a palpable feeling of hope. Folks also reported they felt free in worship and inspired by the fellowship and teaching all week.  Colleagues noted how refreshing it was to be physically together. We are definitely working out those atrophied connectional muscles, as regular annual rhythms re-establish.  But what stands out to me was the hope. I felt it.  Certainly, being in 80-degree weather and on the St. John’s River contributed. I did not see the dolphins or manatees but several did! 

To be clear, there wasn’t an absence of issues.  There were certainly heavy things to carry and tension to hold.  But I’m struck by the prevailing hope above it all. 

We know the enemy uses discouragement to hold us down and divide us.  We know that our human brokenness allows discouragement to make us act in ways that do not reflect the fruit of the Spirit. We also know that with the state of our polarized society, there is already constant fuel being thrown on fires of discouragement.

The disease of discouragement can be devastating.  The weight upon our souls can drag us down.  Our walk through life becomes exhausting and threatens to reduce us to a crawl.  Discouragement can overwhelm and, when extreme, lead to a failure to thrive; death. 

As Paul thoroughly unpacks the pillar of love to the church in Corinth, he also sneaks in two others.  Sandwiched between love and faith, he says that hope endures through everything; it is everlasting. That’s why he brings it up with the church in Rome like this: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

God is the God of Hope.  He gives us his Spirit so we could be overflowing with high-octane hope.  That is why we labor and strive because we have put our hope in the living God. (1 Timothy 4:10a).  It all reminds me that no matter what, hope must rise. 

Hope sightings from last week:

I sat with a colleague from a village in Western Alaska.  He shared about the shockingly high number of suicides this year, especially among youth.  It was heartbreaking.  He also shared about Typhoon Merbok and the widespread damage to personal and church property.  Through the heaviness, he communicated his deep sense of call and commitment.  He shared the good and what brings him joy.  His passion to serve was humbling.  His faith was inspiring.  It was a gut check for me.  I felt like I had just been on holy ground.  I left my time with him with a feeling of enduring hope. 

On the last night, there was a late-night reception in President Tammy’s suite with the four ethnic associations, executive ministers, and superintendents.  Toward the end of our time, we were introduced to a leader from the Vineyard Church denomination.  He told us that the Vineyard is beginning to explore and address issues around ethnic diversity.  He spoke glowingly about his experience at Midwinter and the wisdom and guidance he was receiving from so many of our leaders.  He spoke of not just who was present at Midwinter, but also how we interacted.  As I listened, my heart exploded with gratitude.  If you walked around our hotel last week, I am certain you have been encouraged.  Our growing beautiful mosaic gives me hope.

We had a noticeably larger contingent from our conference present at Midwinter.  Being together was encouraging and watching so many connections happening was fun.  I felt very proud of our ministers.  Chaplain Ken Morse was elected to lead the Chaplains Association.  We honored Rev. Stephanie Mathis for her service with the Covenant Asian Pastors Association as VP.  All six of our ordinands “passed” their finalization interviews (Scott Burnett/Newport, Rachel Gough/Monroe, Shaun Higgins/Midway, Leslie McCauley/Immanuel, Kristi Smith/Milwaukie, Sharad Yadav/First PDX)!  We had many serving on boards and commissions and helping lead different gatherings.  And of course, I’m ever proud of the conference staff as they brought leadership to their areas of specialty to the wider Covenant.  Being together reminds me to continue to hope. 

Challenges remain. There are weighty, unanswered questions. But as I return from Midwinter, I’m confronted by hope’s endurance.  I continue to thank the Lord for our faith family and all who God gives us as we walk together.  Keep hoping Mission Friends.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength

he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 1:18-21